Raised by Wolves

The paranormal craze has given readers several interpretations of the werewolf myth, but with a gift for thoughtful detail, Barnes (Fate) presents a fresh and fully realized world in which werewolves and humans coexist. Narrator Bryn, 15, has straddled the line between wolf and human for nearly her whole life, marked as a member of the pack at age four when her parents were murdered by a rogue Were—a Rabid. Callum, the pack's alpha, has been Bryn's hero and father figure ever since, but it's becoming clear that he has also been keeping secrets. When Bryn discovers Chase locked in Callum's basement—a human who's been turned Were, not born one like the other wolves she knows—a cascade of revelations follow, upending Bryn's secure world ("Books and movies would have me believing that any little scratch or bite could turn someone into a werewolf, but thousands of years of werewolf history said they were wrong"). Bryn's voice is sarcastic, exasperated, frightened, insightful, and tender by turns, and Barnes rarely lets her take easy outs, making for an exceptionally taut read. Ages 12–up. (June)