Dire Bound - Sable Sorenson

 

Overall Star Rating: ★★★★.25

Overall: This book was definitely enjoyable. From start to finish, it was a great read and kept me hooked the whole time. The trial aspect was really well written and the ending was definitely a plot twist I did not see coming. The characters for the most part are likable ( see below for more detail) and well developed. The few side characters you have are pretty well developed through the book. This book is definitely slow burn with the MMC but there is some spice in there from the beginning. The book was fast paced through the entirety of the book and keeps you interested. I would like to see more of the development of the relationship between Meryn and Stark as well as see more with her friends. 

Characters:

 The FMC was mostly enjoyable, she did get a little too whiny for me at some points but it was valid. The MMC I think needs a little more development for his character to become completely likable but he has potential and there is a book two coming out soon. The side characters as her friends were really likable but I would like to see more of them in the next book. The king is written to be disliked and she nailed it. The development of characters and the plot twists with who people are was slightly predictable but she definitely threw me off at a few plot points at the end to make up for it. Anassa, the FMC's dire wolf, I feel like is a side character in this book and I would really like to read more of her thoughts and background in the second book.

Plot: The premise for the book is great. You have games and trials, enemies to lovers, dire wolves and a goal for the FMC to achieve. She has a clear goal to rescue her sister at all costs throughout the book and you can tell that she values her sister above all else. There are some predictabilities here, that maybe was written that way but not sure. But definitely some twists and turns that you do not see coming. The book ends with you wanting the second book to be already available, but it is unfortunately not coming out till later this year. I would definitely recommend this book as a read for anyone who likes fantasy.

Other books I have read and wrote about:

Of Flames and Fallacies - Courtney Whims

Wild Reverence - Rebbeca Ross

Kingdom of Shadows and Wings (series)

Empire of Flames and Thorns - Marion Blackwood

He Loves Me Not - C.M. Nascosta

Powerless - Lauren Roberts

Plated Prisoner Series (Gild)- Raven Kennedy 

Heaven Breaker - Sara Wolf 

12/6 pages 1-18

I just started this read, I keep seeing it on social media videos and I believe the next book comes out soon so I thought I would go ahead and jump on the bandwagon. We meet our main character Meryn who is on the poor side of town and I just trying to survive with her little sister and ailing mother. She fights for extra money and we meet her trainer Igor as well as her boyfriend Lee. 

So far it’s just building up background, but we get to the beginnings of a plot fairly quickly. 

1. There are two kingdoms: hers which is protected by “Bonded” who are people who have bonded to direwolves. And the neighboring kingdom who is ruled by Siphons, or essentially vampires. 

2.There are people taking young children and teens in the middle of the night to never be seen again. 

12/7 pages 18- 42

We get a glimpse of the Bonded early in this read. We see a ruthless male Bonded who she has already locked eyes with and he made quite the negative and violent first impression. But I suspect we will see more of him in the future. 

Shortly after this we find out that the ailment that her mother has been passed down in the female line for generations. I’m guessing that it has something to do with their family not bonding with a dire wolf because it is mentioned that Dire wolves tend to bond within lineages. 

Then she loses her sister to the kidnappers! And then she recruits herself into the army! This all happens within about 25 pages. I’m loving the quick pace!

Pages 42-108

Upon entering the army, she learns that she will be part of a group that goes through a trial to attempt to bond with a dire wolf. Of course this trial is dangerous, but her only thought is to get to her sister.

We meet some side characters who have some potential to be great. We get introduced to the bonded she encountered in the city (Stark) I can’t decide if he’s going to be the enemy or her love interest yet. It could go either way!

108- 170

Trying to leave reveals that the bonded cannot go too far from their wolves so Meryn has to try to get through training to find her sister. Page 158… I did not see that coming at all! Great twist!

As the king was inspecting the bonded (gross by the way), he got to Meryn and was about to touch her but Stark called for the battle. Meryn thinks it was to kill her, but I think it was to save her from being chosen by the king to be his consort….

Also there is a sword that controls all the dire wolves. I think Meryn was chosen by her wolf to somehow destroy that power, cause the kings is a creep. 

170-200

Thinks are taking a turn for the better for Meryn with her bond and with Killian. I still am not sold on Killian and I am not quite sure why. On the surface he seems like he is perfect, he's protective, he's dominant, he believes in her but there is something about him...

On page 320 and I have some thoughts…

Meryn’s line of women of her family are some kind of prophets or come from the ancient line of bonded. And the visions have passed to her so her mom no longer has the visions

The siphons are actually not the enemy she thinks they  are

Killian is not being honest about who he is and I don’t mean his name

Anassa’s mate is Starks wolf

Stark calls her “princess”, there is some meaning behind that but I’m not sure what yet  

On page 439, 

my mind is getting closer and closer to the theory that Killian has something to do with the disappearances of children. Or at the very least knows something more than he’s saying. 

Page 515, I think he’s using her for something bigger

End… okay a few things I did guess, but a few things I was wrong about. And there were a few surprises at the end that I don’t think I could have guessed at all. Great ending to the first book and I will definitely be continuing!