AMoRaR Book Review: The Wolf Bane

A Month of Rain and Reads Reviews3 months ago5 min read1 comment

Welcome to A Month of Rain and Reads, a celebration of self-published and indie SFF throughout the entire month of November. To find out how you can take part and view the whole list of content, visit our introduction post.

This is a guest review for The Wolf Bane (Societas Aenigmatum: Book One) by Sadhbh Frost as written by Helen Whistberry.

Since her divorce, Dale has locked herself away inside her gloomy apartment, losing herself in work. Helping a stray dog one night draws her into a high-stakes fight over a beautiful nonbinary runaway.

Cassiopeia is wolf-touched—host to an animal spirit that is claimed to bring power and wealth. Locked in a centuries-old family curse, they only seek a life outside of their destiny and life-long captivity. Seizing an opportunity to escape, they find themself lost and alone in the city.

Armed factions descend to fight each other for control of the wolf-touched. Their growing connection can’t protect Cassiopeia and Dale, but an offer of sanctuary comes from strange beings with an agenda of their own.

Trans for werewolf romance blends with modern fantasy, action, mad science, and weird horror in The Wolf Bane, a story about building trust and ripping the opposition into pieces.

This initial offering in a projected supernatural fantasy/horror series is an impressive debut from indie author Sadhbh Frost. It manages to employ that trickiest of narrative styles, the multiple POV, to great effect while seemingly effortlessly introducing us to a vast world and characters that promise a rich vein of lore for future adventures.

The central couple have the meet cute of all meet cutes as Dale befriends a stray dog only to be drawn into a centuries-old conspiracy as she attempts to keep her new friend Cassiopeia out of the clutches of a ruthless group of enemies. Along the way, they are taken under the wing of Janice, an enigmatic figure with the snappiest patter this side of your favorite 40s noir movie, and Livinia, who has a very special and unusual relationship to the historic mansion where Dale and Cassiopeia take shelter.

What follows is a sprawling narrative as the forces of evil and good (to the extent that any side can be summed up so neatly) contend in ever more fraught and violent battles for control of Cassiopeia’s future. The author does a fantastic job of laying out the complex plot in an easily digestible way, helped along by the multiple points of view which allow us to hear and experience different characters’ thoughts, emotions, and actions. (I love that the chapters are labeled with the character’s full name so it’s easy to keep track of who’s who.)

And what a wonderful cast of characters it is! Dale was my favorite, very much an everywoman dealing with anxiety and depression who finds herself suddenly thrust out of her comfort zone in every way possible. Her quiet courage and determination despite these challenges ground the often mind-blowing happenings in a relatable reality. Cassiopeia is one of the many characters with supernatural tendencies, and their childlike innocence and helplessness at the beginning of the tale blooms satisfyingly into a more powerful and complex being (in several ways) by the end.

I could go on and on about the characters alone, as it is no small feat to introduce so many and yet have them be fully formed people in their own rights, but it’s best for the reader to discover for themselves and experience the many surprises in store. And in case you’re worried, while this does function as an exciting introduction to a continuing series, the immediate story wraps up without any of those pesky and abrupt cliffhangers that can sometimes be jarring (well, if you’re me, that is.)

This book does have its fair share of horror elements that may disturb some readers, so be warned if that is not your bag, but if you’re looking for supernatural shenanigans, original and exciting werewolf lore, diverse gender expressions, a sweetly supportive romance, and plenty of intrigue, action, and adventure, this is a gem of a find by a most promising new voice in indie publishing.

Buy on Itch.Io

About the Guest Reviewer

Helen Whistberry (she/they) is the pen name for an indie author and artist who began writing after retiring from a long career working in libraries. They have published numerous books as well as contributing horror and fantasy stories to anthologies. Helen’s writing often explores their own experiences with gender, asexuality, alienation, and autism. Their whimsical digital artwork focuses on the natural world. Helen also loves to read and review books by fellow indie and small press authors. You can find out more by visiting their website at https://www.helenwhistberry.com/ for a complete list of publications and links.