The Wolf of Taliskia

An interesting book with a strong story and female lead. I like a gothic themed story and this fitted the bill. Not my favourite book of the year but a decent read.

A big thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This was a different type of book for me. But I enjoyed the book. I think it is an urban fantasy/romance/paranormal. I liked the characters and the different locale. Victoria is an unique lady, and has an odd relationship with her husband. I would recommend this book. It is very different and unusual but still a fun read. 3.5

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was well written with an interesting storyline and well developed charcaters, It had a dark, gothicy atmosphere that I love and I also really liked the paranormal elements. I havent read many steampunk themed books before and I will definitely be checking out more, as well as more by the author.

“She would make them pay. Even if it was the last thing she would do in her life”
“It’s fascinating. I feel like I’ve stepped into a history book”
“I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth. I like this”
Absolutely loved it !!!!
A fun, entertaining, quite short story about love, legend, an arranged marriage, a fake identity, and a hot shapeshifter husband who’s also the king of one of the most noble royal families in Europe !!!!
This book was just great!!! I needed to read something like this and I’m glad I had the chance to start with this one!
Victoria is a great leading character, with her vibe of a woman in stem even in (maybe) the 1800s who is not afraid to stand up for herself and what she believes in!!! And Istvan … oh well I probably know I would have fallen when he first was introduced… don’t I still didn’t know how nor way !!!
The legends and myths connected to the kingdom he owns and the mystery surrounding both the terrible experience that was their marriage celebration and his heritage … kept me interested from the first pages until the very last ones !!!
But this is also a book of fragility and physical disability and what it means to live through it and love completely !!!
If you haven’t read this book yet, I honestly don’t know what are you still waiting for !!
“There was another problem … She almost had a soft spot for Istvan”
“I can predict without any gift of prophecy … that tomorrow we will either become excellent friends … or mortal enemies”
“You will see. Love is magic”

I decided to read this book because the opening scene sucked me in with a steampunk inventor forced to marry a rich prince to please her father and at the wedding, a bomb goes off and over 100 people are killed and she's deadly crippled. When she wakes, instead of folding, she heads off to investigate her father's murder and get revenge. Cute kings who supposedly can turn into wolves not with standing. A light fantasy romantic read, perfect for an introvert's evening off.

4 ⭐️
1 🌶

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I was captivated from the start because I loved that Victoria was written as someone I could relate so well to. I loved that she was a woman focused with her inventions and who didn't care what people thought of her. And I loved the arranged marriage trope.

When she traveled to Taliskia, I was giddy whenever there were interactions between her and the King, and I was at the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next.

I wish there was more of a character profile on István because though he is already represented as a dark and charming King, he has the potential to be the ultimate book boyfriend.

I was a bit confused up until around the 50+% whether the story was set in the past or future, and I was quite annoyed at the bits where Victoria refused to believe the legends. There were also a few grammatical errors, but nothing that would take away from understanding the story.

Overall, this was a great YA book, but if had much more intricate magic systems, world-building, and character developments/relationships, this would've been the ULTIMATE adult fantasy book.