B1. WOLF BY WOLF (25 BOOKS & 25 MOVIES)

A friend of mine had the ingenious idea of starting a new year's trend to read 25 books and watch 25 films all within the span of 365 days. Actually, the goal was 50 books and 50 films but in my own interest and personal enjoyment I thought it best to set a more attainable target. And so begins the year with book #1.



I actually began reading "Wolf by Wolf" just before the new year began, about the same time I came back from my trip to the Philippines in December. However, I finished it at 1am on January 1st, 2016 and therefore count it as my first book of the new year. I initially read Ryan Graudin's preceding novel "The Walled City" somewhat absently mindedly on my vacation, but quite enjoyed her deviation from the mainstream blonde hair, blue eyed, gender troped protagonists. In fact, "The Walled City", was much inspired by a real settlement in Hong Kong and its characters artistically reflected what life could have been like then and there.

But enough of that book.

"Wolf by Wolf" begins it story in the year 1956, and through a series of flashbacks, follows Yael through her journey to kill Hitler. Yes, you read that right, Hitler. The book again pulls inspiration from some of history's most impacting political figures and eras. Combined with shape shifting, and other elements you would expect to see from X-Men, you end up with an action packed yet sometimes hard-to-swallow novel. I can't deny that I wasn't totally thrown off with Yael's objective to assassinate such a leader, but it did keep my interest throughout the book. I mean, the only outcome plausible was "FAILURE" since I highly doubted Graudin would rewrite history itself. Hitler was eventually defeated, but not by a 17 year old girl, I assure you. But she made it work.
I can't say I didn't shyly maneuver my way around the 13+ reading section, but I can't surely say I will be back to pick up another one of her books. (In my defense "The Walled City" was placed on the front tables of Indigo under a different subtitle. Clever.) But for what it is, for what age group it is meant to target, it was a nice read. However, I didn't get truly invested into the story until the middle, when the plot finally quickened. The subtle romance was also a nice catalyst.
All in all, this was a great read to start my new year. I have a ton of books just piled on my "to-read" shelf that are just waiting to be opened. Who's game?