Name: Direbound
Series: The Wolves of Ruin #1
Author: Sable Sorensen
Publisher: Self-Published
Format: Kindle (through Kindle Unlimited)
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
Noted Tropes: Games and Trials, Forced Proximity, Rival Kingdoms, Touch her and Die, Vampires vs Wolves
Spice Rating: Explicit & Plentiful 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating:
Synopsis: Goodreads
Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them…
Meryn Cooper has never dreamed of being one of the Bonded, the King’s elite warriors who form mental links with massive, vicious direwolves. She’s made peace with her life scraping by in poverty in the shadows of the castle. But then her younger sister Saela is kidnapped, stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting.
And Meryn’s world falls apart.
Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army—only to discover that there are Bonding Trials this year, where all soldiers are forced to risk their lives in an attempt to connect with a direwolf. It’s too late to turn back; Meryn is thrown into the deadly competition against her will.
Now, she’ll need to survive the next four months of training at the castle if she wants a chance of finding Saela. Everything here is a test, from the brutal classes where one mistake means death, to the glittering court parties where every smile hides a knife.
To make things worse, Meryn is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her gorgeous instructor, Stark Therion, is as malicious as the wolves himself.
Everyone is out to get her—everyone but the dangerously handsome crown prince, Killian Valtiere. But if she loses her heart to him, she may also lose her life.
And the castle is hiding dark secrets…
Review:
Direbound was popping up all over TikTok and those that read it was loving it which was enough for me to want to try it. It then being chosen as the Book Club pick for Jamiee’s club Queen’s Hollow was the perfect excuse to start it.
We start off the story knowing that Meryn’s biggest concern is the nabbers and the children that are being kidnapped, as well as her mums deteriorating mental health all while enjoying a romance that feels like it for her with her lover Lee… And that is bad enough but it is enough for her, until one night when her sister is kidnapped. Meryn then has to choose between saving her sister and staying with her mum and lover. She chooses to join the army for a chance at going to the front lines and finding her sister… As with all romantasy, that doesn’t work out and instead she ends up in a series of trials to become a Bonded (with Dire Wolves!!).
I ate this up. Some of the twists didn’t hit as they were predictable, but the main twist of the story was hinted at but hidden so well that I was caught so off guard when it was revealed. I really liked the friendships Mer made once she was in the trials! Izabel and Venna were great for Mer, and some of the guys weren’t so bad… Let’s talk about one of the ‘bad’ guys! Stark, one of the Alpha’s in charge of Mer’s training, just has this vibe about him that made me hate him for the entire book… the ENTIRE book.
And my hate for Stark, amongst other things, was one of the reasons that I couldn’t award a full 5 star rating. The character relationships didn’t feel particularly well developed. And I don’t mean the romantic ones soley – some of the friendships kind of felt like they came out of nowhere too. I can’t fully explain it, I just didn’t vibe with all the characters. In addition to that, the trials left a bit to be desired. They certainly are not as bad as they could have been, but I wanted them to be a bit more than what they were. I hope that makes any sense.
Despite those couple of complaints, I still gave 4 stars. In hindsight, it may have been more of a 3.75, but I am comfortable with the 4 stars. I am just hoping that in the second book the relationships and friendships feel more rounded and fleshed out. And to be clear, I’m pretty sure I will quickly change my opinion on Stark in book 2, but by the end of book 1 I am not totally sold on him. Izabel and Venna on the other hand, I know I adore them!
“Make me your instrument of vengeance. Let my hands act out your every savage depraved thought. Use me. I’m yours.”
Reading With Tyler 
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