Review: Wolf by Wolf

Wolf by Wolf
Ryan Graudin
388 Pages
Published October 20, 2015

Synopsis:

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?

 

Review:

Let me just start off by saying I thought this book was about werewolves – not sure where the heck I got that idea. I reread the synopsis when I was halfway through the book and I was wondering where I got that idea. Anyways. I was so very pleasantly surprised by this book. It definitely exceeded by expectations. This book is a historical fiction/alternate universe book.

The year is 1956 and World War II is long gone, but the results are far from celebratory. In this world Hitler has won the Second World War and he, along with the Japanese Emperor, are in an alliance and have pretty much taken control over Europe. Hitler’s hand reaches not only into Germany, but Egypt, India, and so many other places. While this story has taken place during ’56 we also are given flashbacks into the mid 1940’s.

In 1944 Yael was six years old when she was carted from her home to an internment camp with her mother. There she was experimented on by a scientist who was trying to pretty much “create” the Aryan gene – blonde hair, blue eyes – mutating her genes to make her look Aryan. After one experimentation the result was a somewhat success, she discovered she could skinshift; taking the form of anyone she wants. The only thing she could not shift about herself is her gender, scars/tattoos, or injuries.

Once she escapes the camp she falls into an anti-Hitler group where she becomes a key player in bringing down Hitler. Flash forward to 1956 and there has been an annual motorcycle race, The Axis Tour, that spans over 20,000 kilometers from Berlin to Tokyo. Her task? Impersonate the previous year’s winner Adele Wolfe, win the race, go to the Victor’s ball, and assassinate Hitler. She has been trained for this, has researched everything about Adele: her history, her mannerisms and more. What she’s not trained for? Relationships. Mainly with her brother Felix who ends up in the race, as well as, Luka Lowe, who is a complete mystery to her since there was no known history with them. The stakes are high and the results could start a revolution, or worse, Yael’s death.

This book had my heart racing at parts, I couldn’t get through the pages fast enough to find out what would happen next. I was so nervous for Yael! And the ending! Oh my! I need the next one asap to see what happens. If I’m not mistaken the second book is titled Blood for Blood which is set to debut in Fall 2016.