Lauren Gilley - Blood of Wolves

Lord Oliver and King Erik’s party survived capture with the help of some unlikely allies, and now hurry back through treacherous mountain paths to the site of the Midwinter Festival, where Northern celebration turned to bloodshed. From Dreki Hörgr, the ancestral seat of the North, the lords of Aeretoll will march back across the kingdom, wounded, exhausted, and waiting for Ragnar’s next strike.
All save Oliver, who will take to the skies – with the help of a rather petulant Corpse Lord.
In the city of Aeres, Tessa has made her choice of husband, but a wedding will have to wait because the Sels have set anchor in the harbor, and a siege is imminent. Being a Northern princess, she quickly learns, involves a fair bit of swordplay.
In the third installment of the Drake Chronicles, it’s a race for home, a prayer for strength in battle, and the magical truth behind what it means to have the Blood of Wolves.

Comment: This is the third installment in the Drake Chronicles by Lauren Gilley, following the adventures of the Drake family members as they go through alliances and war to defend their kingdom.

Now that Oliver is able to bond with the recently found dragons, just like his ancestors, things surely will change for the better in the attempt to fight the enemies that are about to reach the different strategic vulnerable points, already hit by several attacks. In three main regions, the different Drakes help those they care about, and who will help them in turn, but perhaps the price is too high when a certain type of magic is unleashed...

I can suppose that a new reader to this series might be able to understand the basics of what the story is about but I really can't see how most things would make sense or why would they matter in the big scheme of things. This is certainly one of those series that has to be read in order, and not only because it is necessary to get the chronology of events; without the previous books, nothing here really makes that much sense.

I'd say, by now, that the first book was truly quite tame and made the whole thing seem to be about romance, or that this would be the key element, but it isn't so. The overall story is a lot more complex and not as centered in romance as it might seem at first. Personally, this impressed me in a way I didn't expect, but I think it added a lot more layers to something that I imagined would not be so.

This book is very focused on action. The main characters are always doing something or getting ready to do something and this makes the story feel fast paced. At the same time, it is why I sometimes felt rather "lost" in what was happening where, since the action keeps changing from spot to spot, even when it obvious where something is going on. There were times I just got confused with the battle ongoing and who was doing what where. It isn't a big problem, honestly, but this division in focus made me, sometimes, eager for more steadiness.

There isn't much I can say about specific plot points without having to add spoilers or avoiding a lengthy explanation. Let me just say that things have really progressed in this story when it comes to world building. The magic which was hinted at in the first book and clearly demonstrated in the second has become a lot more obvious in this book. In fact, some things related to magical aspects have been given some attention here and they will have to be developed in the next story. I'm quite eager to see how.

In regards to the romances, Oliver and Erik are as just in love as before and it was very good to see Oliver becoming more assertive in how he sees his role as consort. Then, we have Tessa and Rune who are clearly meant for each other. There is also the (almost) secondary romance between Revna and Bjorn, but since they are more mature it seems to me that things are supposed to be less detailed. Then, the obvious connection between Nalli and his main guard, although things aren't as easy for them, for several reasons, which I can bet will have a twist in the next book.

There was also a key situation regarding another important character and I cannot wait to see what the author plans to do about it in the remaining two books. This said, my reading experience was good enough, yes, and engaging for the most part, except some passages about the battle strategies which kind of passed me by... still, I'm expectant to see what happens next.

Grade: 7/10