Hello Fellow Journeyers,
The next one on the list hit me hard and unexpectedly as the best books seem to do. The Smile of the Wolf is a comfort read that I couldn't put down after the first chapter until I'd finished it in less than a week. Let's get in to why.
What's the story about: Smile of the Wolf is a simple story about two friends who experience the consequences, literal and physiological, of accidentally killing a man. Kjaran's story is intimately told with beauty, darkness, and visceral survival.
First off, I'm a sucker for the island of Iceland and Norse sagas. If you have read any of the previous reviews, you can assume I've been searching for epic Norse tales of bravery, cunning, and the like. That being said, it's been a mostly disappointing and long journey, as finding perfect books to fill the hole in your heart often are. Luckily, Smile of the Wolf came out of nowhere and knocked my socks off.
What makes it so good early on is that the writing is so calm, composed, and simply poetic. Kjaran's POV is amazing and perfectly nuanced for this story, but many of the characters have a similar dialogue pattern that makes for very easy reading. I couldn't get enough of what they had to say and I soaked in all of it's intoxicating and captivatingly brilliant language. I won't give the summary of the book here because you can find it elsewhere, but the premise is perfectly simple and yet complicatedly nuanced, as is everything in the story. It has lots to say philosophically, but it does so with world-building in a fascinating way. The story is a slow build, but also never loses progression, stakes, tension, or intrigue.
If I have any issue with this story, it mostly wrapped up in that the last third specifically feels like a part of a different book, maybe a sequel perhaps? But it appears that Kjaran's motivations, character arc, and pursuits change so abruptly and suddenly that it's as if the story is disconnected to it's last third. The ending wraps it up nicely and makes more sense, but I still just didn't enjoy it as much as the rest of the book. It isn't bad, it just felt like an odd writing choice in coherence with the flow of the rest of the book. The last third was still stunning, stark, and wonderful in its execution as is the rest of the story.
★★★★★ 4.5 Stars - The Smile of the Wolf is written to such perfection, nuancedly brilliant, soft, and serene that you almost forget it's a thriller about outlaws, loyalty, survival and revenge. While the last third seemed a little disconnected to the internal story of Kjaran, it still made enough sense plot-wise to make it a satisfying and poignant end to this lovely saga. This is my first book of Leach's and it did not disappoint; I look forward to A Winter's War even more now.
I'd recommend listening to the following while reading:
Saga by Adrian Von Ziegler
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was nearly perfect. I really loved almost every aspect of it, but a few things kept it from being amazing.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very worth reading and satisfying; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but it was lacking in certain crucial areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads. Also, there is no 1.5 Stars because it does not seem to have enough differentiation.
