When I saw that there was a new instalment to Michelle Paver’s iconic and award-winning ‘Wolf Brother’ series, I knew that I HAD to get my hands on a copy! I absolutely devoured all the other titles whilst on maternity leave, tapping on my kindle with my one free finger to turn the page. This time, I had the luxury of having both hands free to turn the pages!

Just in case you haven’t had the pleasure of reading the previous titles (and although each can be read as a stand-alone. you really should read the others too), let me fill you  in briefly:

The series is set 6,000 years ago after the Ice Age but before farming spread to North-West Europe. The land was one huge forest and humans lived in balance with the land and creatures around them. Supreme survivors in a time of demons, omens and harsh magic.

Torak is a spirit walker and has a powerful bond with his pack-brother, Wolf. Boy and creature are totally attuned and would give their lives for each other. Along with Renn, Torak’s mate, the trio have battled powerful and ancient demons to protect their world from evil.

Two Summer’s later, Torak and Renn are living in the woodland close to the camp of Renn’s Raven Clan. After feeling an ever-growing sense of dread and the fear that she’s deliberately trying to hurt Torak, Renn deceives him and heads for the Far North leaving no explanation.

Hurt and confused, Torak immediately heads after her, despite being told by Dark (a mage) that he should not. What follows is a desperate race to the very edge of the world where mammut are still rumoured to roam and demons are trying to esp are from the Otherworld through steaming fissures in the earth.

Oh. My. Goodness! I had almost forgotten the epic scope and pin-sharp detail Paver’s writing contained. Every tiny minute detail is described so perfectly, it’s as though you are there seeing it yourself: the fishing hooks, the sealskin boat and clothes, the ready boiled fish floating past in the hot waters of the Otherworld.

As soon as I began reading, I was immediately sucked back into Torak and Renn’s world and was entranced from start to finish. I was so desperate to find out how this instalment would finish that I spent most of one afternoon reading in absolutely silence as our heroes raced to the Edge of the World.

I was absolutely NOT disappointed and was thrilled to read in the author’s notes that it will not be too many moon cycles to wait until another adventure is ready for reading.

Viper’s Daughter by Michelle Paver is out now, published by Zephyr, an imprint of Head of Zeus, priced £12.99 in hardback.

Library Girl.

*Thank you to Zephyr Books for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. Make sure you all visit some of the other stops too*