Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the wild and snow-filled ‘She Wolf’ by Dan Smith.

Northumbria, 886. Life is harsh. You need to be tough to survive.  This is a lesson Ylva has to learn very quickly when her mother is murdered by a three-fingered man, leaving her alone in the world except for the guidance of her faithful dog, Geri.

There’s no time for tears; Ylva must avenge her mother’s death – it’s the Viking way. But as the wolves in the forest circle every closer and danger lurks at every turn, Ylva is going to need more than the guidance of her mother’s stories and advice to stay alive. Can she learn to trust? Will she get revenge? Will Ylva be able to shape her own legend to be retold around the fire for centuries to come?

Wow! What a read! I was completely sucked into Ylva’s world and struggled to put the book down. Full of heart, courage, brutality and plot twists to make you gasp aloud.

I found it interesting to read how Ylva dealt with the grief she felt about her mother’s death – suppressing it and focussing only on revenge. It was clear that she was experiencing some mental health issues as a result of this, but tradition dictated that she should behave in a certain way.  I felt that the lighter moments came when Ylva was recalling her mother’s advice or retelling one of her stories.

Dan Smith conjured up an atmosphere which was majestic and stifling at the same time.  The wide open vistas, choked with snow, the dark secretive forest lake filled with danger. All of which were described with tidbits of information about how Vikings would have lived and survived in those landscapes.

Find your inner-strength with this epic coming of age saga.

Library Girl.

*Many thanks to the team at Chicken House for inviting me to be part of this blog tour*