Book Review: Wolf Mark

Wolf Mark

By: Joseph Bruchac

Published By: Lee & Low Books, Inc.

Page Count: 392

Release Date: September 28, 2011

Buy it at Amazon 

Source: Provided by Publisher via NetGalley

Audience: Young Adult - Paranormal, Thriller

Wolf Mark is a fast paced adrenaline treat for your brain. This book oozes with suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Wolf Mark is the paranormal version of X-Men with gifted supernaturals fighting against a large corporation that wants to prey on their genetic mutations to create a superior army of killing machines.

Wolf Mark will appeal to both male and female readers as the main character, Luke, tells the story. For once, the monster is in charge of telling the story and you just might find that traditional monster roles don't apply. Luke just wants to be normal, but the wolf shaped birthmark on his wrist and his militaristic, be prepared for anything upbringing keep normality at bay. As look finally begins to make friends - his life is thrown off kilter when his father is kidnapped by mysterious men in black. Luke must fully embrace who he is and find the strength to storm a fortress full of killers to save his father.

I loved that this book was not only from a male perspective, but that it took the concept of werewolves and breathed new life into the myth. Bruchac doesn't take the typical werewolf route; werewolves are not made - they are born. However, he infuses that concept with the idea of second skin. This made me think of the selkie myths from Celtic lore of the women who turned into seals when they donned a second skin. Fisherman would often hide the skins from the selkie so that the females would be forced to stay in human form and settle down in a marriage. There are also other legends of wolves with a second skin that I have read in the past. I loved that Bruchac took these ideas and made them his own; it was a refreshing change from the other werewolf stories out there.

Another intriguing thing about this book is the other cultures that are present. One character, Meena, is from Pakistan so you get a glimpse into the Muslim culture. Another group of characters are from Russia and I enjoyed learning about their culture and language throughout the read as well. The Russian characters in this book intrigued me and kept me laughing. I love Vlad - he is such an awesome character. Finally, the author, who is an American Indian, infuses tribal lore into his story as well. 

One Last Gripe: I still don't totally understand why Luke repels technology. It is explained in the book, but it just didn't sink in for me.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The lore behind the skin walkers and Upyr

First Sentence: The mark is on the back of my left wrist.

Favorite Character: Uncle Cal

Least Favorite Character: Kesselring

Summary:

Luke King knows a lot of things. Like four different ways to disarm an enemy before the attacker can take a breath. Like every detail of every book he’s ever read. And Luke knows enough—just enough—about what his father does as a black ops infiltrator to know which questions not to ask. Like why does his family move around so much?

Luke just hopes that this time his family is settled for a while. He’ll finally be able to have a normal life. He’ll be able to ask the girl he likes to take a ride with him on his motorcycle. He’ll hang out with his friends. He’ll be invisible—just as he wants.

But when his dad goes missing, Luke realizes that life will always be different for him. Suddenly he must avoid the kidnappers looking to use him as leverage against his father, while at the same time evading the attention of the school’s mysterious elite clique of Russian hipsters, who seem much too interested in Luke’s own personal secret. Faced with multiple challenges and his emerging paranormal identity, Luke must decide who to trust as he creates his own destiny.