5 star review: Mother of Wolves by @ZoeBrooks2 #historical #fantasy #bookreview


Mother of Wolves


Written by Zoe Brooks




Genre: Historical Fantasy


Book Synopsis

When the King of the Roads is betrayed by his uncle to his murderers, his wife Lupa finds herself alone in a man's world of tribal politics and war.

Everyone underestimates Lupa, if they consider her at all. They are making a mistake. Lupa has made a promise to her husband to avenge his death and Lupa is a woman of her word. Her quest takes her away from the tents of her travelling people to the town of the Others, where her husband's eyeless head watches as she takes her first revenge.

Now on the run, through the marshes and rich farmland of the great river, Lupa hunts and is hunted by her husband's murderers. On the estuary islands her sons and their protector are just one step ahead of the killers. But revenge is not simple and Lupa must face a choice, one which will have great consequences for her people. For this is more than a revenge story, it is the tale of the rise of a woman leader and the price she pays for that rise. It is the story of a travelling people, persecuted by settlers and their armies, and the woman who leads them at the time of their greatest peril.

Walki's Rating & Review



This is the story of Lupa, the Queen of the Lords of the Roads. More exactly, it is the story of how Lupa becomes Queen, and what qualities made her people choose her as a Queen, rather than choose another King. The title of the novel refers to Lupa, not just because she adopts two orphan wolf pups at some point, but also because she is very protective of her own children and of her people.

This is the story of the Lords of the Roads and how the Gypsy tribes unite under one Queen and how they win a war against a general, with Foresters as their allies. Lupa is a strong and intelligent woman, and so is Bessie the Wisewoman of the Foresters. While Lupa is the central character of this story, many characters contribute to the action and captivate the readers.

While 'Mother of Wolves' is an historical fantasy, it is based on typical persecutions that happened throughout human history and presents it from the Gypsies/Romanies' point of view and portrays them as the real people they are: articulate, knowledgeable, generous, intelligent, stubborn, imperfect, loyal, like any other human beings.

With 'Mother of Wolves' Zoe Brooks gives us an enjoyable read, and if we are willing to learn, it is also food for thoughts.

Review Disclaimer: Book was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review.