Official Review: The Wolf Moon by Nikki Broadwell

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 29 May 2018, 10:13

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Wolf Moon" by Nikki Broadwell.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Centuries-old prophecies and reincarnated Scottish kings are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Nikki Broadwell’s The Wolf Moon. An epic fantasy set in what is essentially a reimagined ancient Scotland, the novel weaves together past and present through magic and enchantment, detailing desperate battles and haunting landscapes that will leave readers wanting more. If you’re a fan of high fantasy or you’ve read and loved the Narnia books—this novel is something you might want to try!

As usual, here is the SparkNotes version, for anyone who’s interested: Maeve Lewin, our protagonist, leads a perfectly ordinary life until she receives a note from someone claiming to be her long-dead mother. The letter speaks of an ancient prophecy in which Maeve plays a central role, and Maeve must follow her destiny into the mysterious Otherworld to wrest control from evil priest Brandubh—or forever condemn her native land to darkness and despair. The Wolf Moon is the third instalment in a trilogy, but it can be read as a standalone book.

I loved the concept of this book. As a fan of the fantasy genre and something of a history nerd, the Arthurian-legend undertones and Celtic backstory were what drew me to this book in the first place. The novel does deliver as promised—readers do get their fill of ancient magic, and the background Celtic influences are seamlessly incorporated into the worldbuilding. If I were judging based on the concept and basic worldbuilding alone, this book would definitely rank high on my most-recommended list.

Unfortunately, while the idea for The Wolf Moon is amazing, the execution still leaves a lot to be desired. Although I happily picked up the book based on the blurb alone, I did not enjoy the actual product very much, and here is why:

Firstly, I didn’t exactly relish the writing. Broadwell tends to move from arc to arc without really giving each subplot enough emotional depth to make readers truly invested in the story; she also tells rather than shows what her characters are feeling. As a result, the book reads like a summary of events rather than sounding like a complete novel. To illustrate my point, here’s an example from a scene where Maeve meets a half-dead creature in Otherworld: “Maeve was horrified by such callous disregard for life, and said so. The Amuigh, who said her name was Mena, regarded Maeve calmly with no apparent malice or feelings of revenge. Maeve vowed to free all the prisoners Brandubh had subjugated.” While this excerpt would be fine in a working draft, it seems a little too skeletal to be part of a finished novel—especially for a scene that sounds as though it should be fraught with emotion!

In terms of plot, I also felt that Broadwell had tried to do too much in one book. The Wolf Moon is a sprawling fantasy and could have easily been split into two or three volumes. As it was, the plot felt too rushed: there were far too many characters to remember, as well as many underdeveloped, underemphasised arcs. This meant that I couldn’t remember characters and events when they were referenced later in the book—I had to constantly reread whole chunks of the story to refresh my memory! This detracted from full immersion, and I wasn’t able to lose myself in the story like I would have liked to do.

Overall, I rate The Wolf Moon 2 out of 4 stars. (It would be 2.5 stars, but this website unfortunately doesn’t allow half-star ratings.) I will say that writing and pacing aside, I did genuinely love the concept of the book—and it was also a plus point that there were very few grammatical errors and other editing mistakes. There’s a lot of potential in this novel, and I’ll definitely be following this author to see what she comes up with next!

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The Wolf Moon
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arcie72 · Post by **arcie72** » 30 May 2018, 01:00

It is unfortunate that this book seemed rushed and underdeveloped. The story sounds great and engaging. The addition of Celtic influences is also a plus for me. I love it when authors add historical cultural aspects to their stories. It gives the story an authentic touch of the places or things that they incorporate into the story. Thank you for your review.

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 30 May 2018, 01:48

Thank you for your beautifully written review! It is unfortunate that the book did not live up to your expectations, and I would definitely be put off by the fact that the author merely told the readers about the events, instead of leaving them to experience it for themselves.

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 30 May 2018, 06:24

arcie72 wrote: ↑30 May 2018, 01:00 It is unfortunate that this book seemed rushed and underdeveloped. The story sounds great and engaging. The addition of Celtic influences is also a plus for me. I love it when authors add historical cultural aspects to their stories. It gives the story an authentic touch of the places or things that they incorporate into the story. Thank you for your review.

Thank you for your comment!

Yes, I really loved the idea for the plot, especially the Celtic influences, and I definitely agree with you on the authentic-touch thing! It was sad that the story was a little too skeletal for my liking, though--I would have loved it if it were more fleshed out

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 30 May 2018, 06:25

gen_g wrote: ↑30 May 2018, 01:48 Thank you for your beautifully written review! It is unfortunate that the book did not live up to your expectations, and I would definitely be put off by the fact that the author merely told the readers about the events, instead of leaving them to experience it for themselves.

Thank you!

Yes, I'm afraid that was one of the dealbreakers for me for this story

Thank you for commenting!

Samantha Simoneau · Post by **Samantha Simoneau** » 30 May 2018, 07:05

Ginnamassa19 wrote: ↑29 May 2018, 10:13 In terms of plot, I also felt that Broadwell had tried to do too much in one book. The Wolf Moon is a sprawling fantasy and could have easily been split into two or three volumes. As it was, the plot felt too rushed: there were far too many characters to remember, as well as many underdeveloped, underemphasised arcs. This meant that I couldn’t remember characters and events when they were referenced later in the book—I had to constantly reread whole chunks of the story to refresh my memory! This detracted from full immersion, and I wasn’t able to lose myself in the story like I would have liked to do.

In my opinion, that is the most annoying experience I could have with a book. I want to forget where I am and lose track of time while reading a novel, not forget characters and lose track of the plot - defeats the purpose. Great premise, great backdrop, but didn't play out well. Thanks for the honest and thorough review!

Kendra M Parker · Post by **Kendra M Parker** » 30 May 2018, 07:58

This does sound like a book with a great concept. I agree that Your excerpt would be great for a working draft, but the author needs to come back and use other tools to convey instead of that narrative.

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 30 May 2018, 10:40

SamSim wrote: ↑30 May 2018, 07:05
Ginnamassa19 wrote: ↑29 May 2018, 10:13 In terms of plot, I also felt that Broadwell had tried to do too much in one book. The Wolf Moon is a sprawling fantasy and could have easily been split into two or three volumes. As it was, the plot felt too rushed: there were far too many characters to remember, as well as many underdeveloped, underemphasised arcs. This meant that I couldn’t remember characters and events when they were referenced later in the book—I had to constantly reread whole chunks of the story to refresh my memory! This detracted from full immersion, and I wasn’t able to lose myself in the story like I would have liked to do.
In my opinion, that is the most annoying experience I could have with a book. I want to forget where I am and lose track of time while reading a novel, not forget characters and lose track of the plot - defeats the purpose. Great premise, great backdrop, but didn't play out well. Thanks for the honest and thorough review!

I completely agree. I was quite annoyed, because I did genuinely want to fully immerse myself in the world the author had created, and wasn't able to do so because of how many characters/subplots there were! It was such a shame--like you mentioned, the backdrop and settings were incredible, but i wasn't able to fully enjoy them.

Thank you for commenting!

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 30 May 2018, 10:42

Kendra M Parker wrote: ↑30 May 2018, 07:58 This does sound like a book with a great concept. I agree that Your excerpt would be great for a working draft, but the author needs to come back and use other tools to convey instead of that narrative.

Yeah, I was dismayed when I saw things like that throughout the book, because it would have made an incredible narrative if fleshed out.

Thank you for commenting!

maggiechap · Post by **maggiechap** » 30 May 2018, 14:33

I was truly excited at the beginning of the review, I've been looking for a book like this, but I was disappointed by the end. I still may give it a go anyway. Thanks for the review.

Helen_Combe · Post by **Helen_Combe** » 30 May 2018, 14:58

Great review. It sounds like the author could get more novels out of this one. I hope she takes note of your review and acts on it.

Bianka Walter · Post by **Bianka Walter** » 31 May 2018, 03:46

I do love the Narnia books, but this one seems almost unfinished, as you suggest. A lot more telling than showing is something that makes you a spectator in a book, rather than a participant. Thanks for the great review, this is one that I would usually like to read, but will take your thoughts to heart

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 31 May 2018, 10:44

maggiechap wrote: ↑30 May 2018, 14:33 I was truly excited at the beginning of the review, I've been looking for a book like this, but I was disappointed by the end. I still may give it a go anyway. Thanks for the review.

Same, tbh. I was so happy reading the blurb. Oh well.

Thank you for commenting, and if you do give it a go, do tell me what you think of it!

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 31 May 2018, 10:46

Helen_Combe wrote: ↑30 May 2018, 14:58 Great review. It sounds like the author could get more novels out of this one. I hope she takes note of your review and acts on it.

Thank you!

Yes, I'd love to read more about the world she created if she wrote some more fleshed-out books in the future! Thank you for commenting

Ginnamassa19 · Post by **Ginnamassa19** » 31 May 2018, 10:47

Bianka Walter wrote: ↑31 May 2018, 03:46 I do love the Narnia books, but this one seems almost unfinished, as you suggest. A lot more telling than showing is something that makes you a spectator in a book, rather than a participant. Thanks for the great review, this is one that I would usually like to read, but will take your thoughts to heart

My thoughts exactly! I'd have loved to feel more engaged while reading this one

Thank you for your comment!