Dire Bound

Title: Dire Bound

Series: The Wolves of Ruin

Author: Sable Sorensen

Genre: Dark Romance/Fantasy

Rating: 5 out 5

Dire Bound is about a determined, fierce fighter who has been living a harsh life with her mentally unstable mother and a younger sister, and her means of living is to fight nightly in the ring.

One night, her younger sister was kidnapped by the country’s enemies, and desperate to save her sister, she joined the king’s army. However, she learns that her timing is off and she has to face the Bonding Trials in an attempt to bond with the powerful direwolves.

During her trials, she met and bonded with her pack and made a few friends, but she had a difficult time navigating those relationships, along with betrayal from the one person she thought she knew.

Her bonded direwolf refused to let her in due to the disrespect the female lead showed her at their initial meeting. As time progresses, both of them had to learn and seek forgiveness and understanding in order to survive the trials.

My opinion: Even though Dire Bound is a dark romance/fantasy book, it explores survival, loyalty, and identity. The female lead learns what loyalty means and seeks her identity and how she grows as a person as she navigates her new life while trying to stay alive and rescue her sister.

There are similarities to Fourth Wing, as the two books rely on the popular trope of bonded creatures. Instead of dragons, we have direwolves to showcase trust, power and emotional connection. The female lead learns that direwolves don’t just bond with any human, and they are not disposable or toys. Once they are bonded, they are together forever.

The book’s pacing appears unbalanced due to the excessive number of elements that lack sufficient attention. While I enjoyed the romance, I feel it is highlighted more than the rest of the elements. I wish the author had taken the time and highlighted the other elements, such as her truth regarding her identity and the background of the royal history.

I am having a difficult time giving this book a rating, so I have to give two types of ratings. As a dark romance/fantasy and because I am excited for the next book in the series, I give it a 5 out of 5. However, my rating is a 3 out of 5 as a plot-driven story.