☺☺☺☻☻
Let's begin with cover, shall we? A carpet of snow blankets the ground. Twilight light filters through the trees in the background. A young woman stands in the foreground, poised for a fight, she reaches behind her shoulder to draw an arrow from the quiver strapped to her back. The curve of a long bow protrudes from her side. She's dressed simply, a white undershirt, leather vest, leather laced wristguard, and a small band of leather around the crown of her forehead. In the triangular shape made from her frozen movement, her face is framed. Bright purple blue eyes stare out at the reader daring and determined. Behind her a grey wolf stands in the snow obviously not the target she seeks. Even further in the background a shadowy form lurks. The style of the artwork is a little messy and blurred perhaps in an attempt to mimic watercolors.
We meet River in the prologue. She is a young adolescent who looks even younger and is to an extent arrogant. It is her first time in the Sanctuary and the first time she will witness a merging. River is part of a society of shifters, werewolves for lack of a better term. And she and all those gathered will witness one of their owns attempts to claim their wolf. We learn quickly that River's life is a complicated one, filled with arrogance, politics, sexism and tyranny. Punishments are doled out left and right. Women are valued as lesser creatures, chatel, something that becomes even more apparent as the night goes on and River barely escapes being raped. But she can't escape the backward laws of her people.
We meet Jonathan McKnight in the next chapter, five years later. Jonathan is a part of a matched set, his twin, Franklin, equal and yet opposite to him in every way. They live in a town outside of Denver, their lives simple and untested. Jonathan is eager to escape and begin living life on his own terms, while his brother is just as eager to keep to the straightforward button-down life of a Mormon. Together they've joined the army and it's their last night at home. Jonathan plans on making the most of it with a local girl he's been wooing. They travel up to the McKnight family mines but are interrupted when a strange wolf appears out of the night threatening their lives. A few moments later the family mine is blown to smithereens.
What I liked:
- I liked River's no nonsense attitude and self reliance, something that is also reflected in Jonathan.
- I liked the idea of River's people having to merge with a wolf instead of naturally having it happen at a certain point and time or it having always been a part of them
What I disliked:
- The first bone I have to pick with 'River's Recruit' has to do with how quickly her mother is killed. It's such an important part of River's character development and would be a huge occurrence in any child's life but it's glossed over and rushed out of the picture. River doesn't even seem to care. I get that she's strong but there's a difference between being strong willed, determined to survive and being heartless. Unfortunately she kinda comes across as the latter.
- This is probably just me but I hate when the value of women and sex are tossed about as carelessly as this author has done. It's honestly a wee bit upsetting when rape and forced prostitution are talked about and treated as common place instead of the horrifying tragic reality it truly is.
- River's inital willingness to along with this backward f-ed up system is a little disconcerting. She's obviously been brainwashed into thinking this is how things should be and if a man isn't pawing at her she's not worth anything. This goes against how hard the author tries to show her as defiant and strong-willed. It's a little hard to like her because of this.
- Again I don't like how the plot itself seems to not only take a backseat to but is also entirely driven by sex and sexual tension between characters.
- The surprises that seem to take these two characters off guard are completely expected from Reuben to Shula and back again. Earth shattering revelations fall short and sound more like a pebbled dropping.
- The ending was a little too quick. I like my endings to find a stopping point of somekind, to slow down a little so that while you're left waiting for the next book the story doesn't seem to just cut off almost as if the author just arbitrarily picked a spot in a paragraph and said, "There, we'll stop it there."
☺☺☺☻☻
3 out of 5 smiles
Recommended for adults only due to the graphic and dark nature of some of the content. People who are extra sensitive to some of the themes listed earlier in the review probably shouldn't read at all.
Synopsis: "Jonathan McKnight lost everything in Afghanistan. His left hand, his identical twin, his self-respect and his naive belief that good always conquers evil. Burdened by grief and guilt, he searches for redemption on a solo backpacking trip into the remote Sawatch Mountains of Colorado and discovers a secret tribe of shifters.
River, the beautiful young woman that rescues Jonathan from a deadly blizzard has been promised to a man she despises. A man that does not desire her and only wants to use her to achieve his political goals. Jonathan is more than a romantic rival. He's a threat to those goals. The only way to save Jonathan's life is to take him as her recruit.
As Jonathan learns more about River's cult-like society, he becomes even more determined to escape it, until he learns that River is responsible for everything he does and will be executed if he succeeds.
Escape is not an option-unless Jonathan can persuade River to leave with him. And if she refuses? Well, then, he'll just have to kidnap her."
