Wolf By Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Title: Wolf By Wolf
(Wolf By Wolf #1)
Author: Ryan Graudin
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Classification: Young Adult, Alternative History, Fantasy
Release Date: October 20, 2015
Source: ARC via the NOVL Newsletter (Thank you, NOVL!)

Code Name Verity meets Inglourious Basterds in this fast-paced novel from the author of The Walled City.
The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball.
Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin's brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

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***I received an ARC of this book from the NOVL Newsletter in exchange for an honest review***

Honestly, this review was a little difficult for me to write. I wasn't sure which words would be the right ones to convey how I feel about Wolf by Wolf. 

I absolutely LOVED reading this book. Wolf by Wolf is easily one of my favorite reads of the year! It is sometimes hard for me to not just say; "I LOVED THIS BOOK, YOU NEED TO READ IT!" when it comes to books that I just loved. Now you must be thinking: What did you love about this book? And my answer would be everything. It is well written, has an interesting plot, and characters I couldn't help but love and care about. 

Wolf by Wolf is an emotion-packed, heart-pounding, fascinating World War II alternate history story. I couldn't stop turning the pages, anxiously awaiting what was about to happen next. I devoured this story and was left wanting more. I seriously cannot wait until next year for Book #2! (I am already that excited!)

In this alternate history, Germany and Japan won World War II. Together, they rule the world. Every year they host the Axis Tour. A motorcycle race across their two continent. Besides bragging rights, respect, and a medal; the winner is also awarded attendance at the Victor's ball. Where they have the chance to see (and meet) Hitler. Which is exactly why Yael wants to win. For the chance to kill Hitler. When Yael was brought to a death camp, she was picked to participate in an experimentation. Which left her with the power to skinshift. Yael uses this power to impersonate, Adele Wolfe, the only female Axis Tour winner. But while racing, Yael finds that her deception may be more difficult than she thought. Adele's twin brother and former love are both in the race. Will she be able to keep the deception and fool those closest to Adele? While staying focused on the race so she can finish her mission and kill Hitler. 

The story is well written and flowed easily. I had a hard time putting the book down. Wolf by Wolf really played with my emotions as well; it made me cry, angry for the characters, long for them to get justice, smile, laugh, and even swoon a little. There were also a couple twists that surprised me, which was awesome. 

I loved the characters in this story very much. Especially Yael. She is a fantastic main character. She is determined, tough, and brave. She will stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Even if that means risking her life to make things better for everyone. It was easy to love and root for her for the entire story. I really liked her interactions with Felix (Adele's twin brother) and Luka (Adele's former love). I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen between her and those two characters. 

Plus, I like both Felix and Luka as characters as well. 

Felix is a wonderful brother. He is loyal to his family and it was pretty obvious how much he cares for his sister. He just wants her to be safe. 

Luka was pretty mysterious and a bit of a bad boy. I couldn't wait to find out more about his past with Adele. As well as, how that past was going to change things for Yael throughout the competition. 

My Recommendation:

I absolutely loved reading Wolf by Wolf. I had a hard time putting the book down. I found this alternate history to be well written and fascinating. The story made my heart pound, brought tears to my eyes, smiles to my face, and surprised me. I highly recommend giving this one a read! Especially if you enjoy alternate history books. 

My Rating: