Dang, I loved this story and really hated to see it end. I'll confess that I wasn't expecting too much from it, as I usually like my post-apocalyptic fiction to be filled with zombies/aliens/supernatural beings. This was about as real as it gets. The setting in the Yukon was gorgeous! The best thing about this story were the people. Sometimes you just run across a character and they take on a life of their own. Gwendolyn will be added to that list of fictional characters who I'll remember on certain days and wonder what she been up to. Then I'll probably have to read this book again and spend a few days visiting. This is a fully self-contained novel, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a sequel. Please....

Published by Scribner on January 2, 2018

The Wolves of Winter is best approached as a young adult novel. It doesn’t appear to be marketed that way, but it has all the YA characteristics: a young adult protagonist at odds with an older adult world; the protagonist’s discovery that she has greater resilience/strength/skills than she imagined; a broadening of that character’s life experiences as the novel progresses; her blossoming but chaste love for a good-hearted bad boy; her clashes with adult/parental authority; her reassurance of parental love; her confrontation of easily-resolved moral issues; and an undemanding plot that moves quickly and covers a relatively short time span. That description isn’t meant to disparage YA fiction (some of it is quite good), but readers should know what to expect when they pick up a book.

The Wolves of Winter posits a nuclear war, started (credibly enough) by the America First crowd. When the radioactive dust settles, America is no longer first, because nobody comes in first in a holocaust. America’s real downfall, however, was launching a biological attack on China (or at least that’s what the characters theorize), which backfired when travelers defied the Asian travel ban and carried the virus back to the United States.

The protagonist in this post-apocalyptic novel is Gwendolynn McBride, a 23-year-old who prefers Lynn. She isn’t big enough to avoid being bullied by the survivalist libertarians who seem to welcome post-apocalyptic living because the strong can bully the weak when no society exists to enforce civilized rules. But Lynn’s family is supportive; they deal with problems as they arise.

One potential problem is a wanderer named Jax. He joins the family while recovering from an injury. Lynn is fascinated by him (to her family’s consternation), but Jax’s history might make him a man to be avoided. Jax is being pursued by Immunity and his mere presence brings trouble to Lynn’s family.

Immunity is the shortened version of a longer organizational name given to a mysterious group that purports to be combatting the virus by searching for a way to create (you guessed it) immunity. Lynn’s mother seems to know something about Immunity but she won’t talk about it. Whether Immunity is a force for good or evil is one of the questions that the reader must ponder for much of the novel. Of course, all the family secrets are revealed near the novel’s end.

Another mystery for much of the novel is whether Jax is a good guy or a bad guy. He seems to have enhanced abilities (speed and strength among them) that make him a dangerous fellow, but can he be trusted? Well, this is YA fiction so you can probably guess the answer.

Lynn is the kind of independent, defiant young woman who has become a standard fixture of YA post-apocalyptic fiction. Naturally, she is attracted to Jax, because romance between a young, tough survivor like Lynn and a mysterious stranger like Jax is part of the formula for this kind of book. In fact, much of the book is formulaic. The story holds few surprises and the various threats Lynn faces are easily overcome. Since the story creates no fear that Lynn is ever in serious danger, it also creates little suspense. The ending is improbably happy, but that’s part of the formula. The Wolves of Winter is well-crafted, and if you like the formula, you’ll probably like the book. If you’re tired of the formula or would like to see it wielded with a new twist, you should probably give the novel a pass.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

Winner, winner. Chicken dinner.

We have another five-star super-star.

I am so very impressed by this debut novel and I am not above begging for a sequel... and sooner, rather than later (You listening to me, Tyrell Johnson?). I am attached to the characters, I am invested in the story line, I am ready for more.

“Snow can save you and sustain you, crush you and kill you. Snow is a fickle bastard.”


The Wolves of Winter follows a young woman named Gwyndolynn McBride, who, as much as I love her full name, insists on going by Lynn. She is 23 years old and lives in the Yukon Territory of Canada with her mother, brother, uncle, and family friend. Following a war on terror and a massive flu epidemic, this post apocalyptic setting forces Lynn's family to live in seclusion, surviving off of the land and bearing every precaution possible of those outside of their tiny community.

When Lynn meets Jax, a fellow survivor, everything for her and her family begins to change. The group's survival skills are put to the test and their trust in one another is tested. Safety is threatened, secrets are told, promises are made, and lives are taken. And it all boils down to one common thread--survival.

wow.

There are so many things that I loved about this novel. It brushes the surface of so many different themes and topics. On one hand, you have a well-crafted wilderness survival fiction. Mixed in, we have a little post-apocalyptic, science fiction, and a little morsel of romance (just the perfect amount!). Johnson explores the bonds between a father and daughter, the strength of a mother, the resilience of humans, medical ethics, unexpected romance, and even the loyalty and bond between man and dog. This book has it all folks.

I saw many reviewers comparing this novel to The Hunger Games. I didn't really see that. Yes, it's a post-apocalyptic setting--but it's completely different. Yes, the main character is a young woman who is trying help her family survive and uses a compound bow. But Lynn is her own unique character and The Wolves of Winter is it's own, set-apart story. Lynn is an incredibly strong female character. She is headstrong and brave and has absolutely no filter. I love the way that Johnson wove in her memories of the past and her memories of her beloved father--the things that were integrated into who she is as a person and the woman she has become.

"'You're gonna do fine, Lynn.' He rested his hand on my arm.
He wasn't supposed to. 'You're a survivor.'
Turns out, he was right."


There is a lot of foul language in this novel.. that's one thing I have seen people a little irritated about on review boards. However, I found that it really added to the main character's personality. I mean let's be real... they experienced a war on their country, survived a massive flu epidemic, lost people that they loved, had to flee the United States to live amongst the snow and freezing temperatures, are living off the land, and have no hope of life ever going back to the 'normal' they once knew. I think I would be throwing around some cuss words too. Lynn is a little raw and unfiltered, and that's just who she is as a character--and I loved that!

I strongly recommend this novel! The first half beautifully sets up the backstory, establishes character presences, and introduces the setting. After that 50% mark, this novel morphs into the story you were not expecting, in the most fantastic way possible! Get your hands on a copy of this soon (and I recommend the hard copy because it is absolutely stunning. Just say no to a digital copy on this title).



**Trigger Warning: [This book does contain both a sexual assault and a rape scene. The sexual assault takes place in the first chapter of the book and would be easy to jump over if you choose to read and avoid at the same time!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the provision of a digital galley of this title. Thank you to Tyrell Johnson and his agent for my beautiful hardback copy of this novel (ya'll, this cover is amazingly beautiful.. one of the most visually appealing I have seen). Both copies were provided in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions presented in this review are unbiased.


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This post-apocalyptic novel follows Lynn Bride and her family in search of a home in the Canadian Yukon. While well written, it seemed a little light on descriptive detail, although the plot is developed and engaging.

Tyrell Johnson’s The Wolves of Winter starts out as a reasonably well-written, if undistinguished, post-apocalyptic tale – a sort of YA-ish version of Cormac Mcarthy’s The Road (the “ish” owing to the fact that the protagonist is a handful of years older than the usual YA heroine). It quickly turns into a reasonably well-written, undistinguished, YA-ish post-apocalyptic tale crossbred with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a development that doesn’t do it any favors. Lynn is a little bit Katniss (hunts with bow and arrow) and a little bit more Bella (attracted to dangerous men, makes bad decisions, needs to be rescued a lot).
After a nuclear war AND a superflu wipe out most of the planet’s human population, Lynn and some of her surviving family and friends band together in the snowy wilderness of the Canadian Yukon. Their harsh if mostly peaceful existence (except for a slimy trapper living nearby) is disrupted when a mysterious, reclusive stranger named Jax wanders through the vicinity, bringing a dangerous governmental agency known as Immunity on his tail. Lynn, of course, falls for super-strong super-fast Jax, whose most marketable skill is murdering people.
The Wolves of Winter is economical and fast-paced, and Johnson has the basic storytelling skills required to write a not embarrassingly bad novel. Johnson can’t really be blamed too much for the unoriginal setting; your options are limited when you plug “nuclear war and disease ravaged wasteland” into the worldbuilding machine – there’s basically a sliding scale between Station Eleven and Mad Max, which Johnson scoots closer to the former. He can, however, be blamed for all the other trimmings. The characters are rather bland to begin with, but the total lack of chemistry between the romantic leads is unforgivable. Their banter is clumpy and insipid, and Johnson contrives a number of obvious and threadbare excuses for slamming them together (e.g. Jax rescues Lynn from being buried in a blizzard, seemingly only so the old “we have to get naked and spoon to save you from freezing to death don’t worry it’s just science” card can be played). Worse still is the cookie cutter villainy of Immunity; every representative of the organization is a sinister, sneering, underhanded creep lacking any shred of human decency, all the better for Jax to slaughter them indiscriminately and with moral impunity. I kept hoping he would at least hunt down the head of their HR department for their questionable application review process (Are you indifferent to the suffering of others? Yes. Are your employer’s goals more important than basic human rights? Of course. You’re hired!).
A novel for only the most forgiving of readers.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this post-apocalyptic thriller, but it wasn't as good as others like the enthralling The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis or the beautiful Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I loved the setting -- the frigid Yukon -- and the plot was certainly intriguing; anything set in a post-apocalyptic world sucks me right in!

I wish, though, that there had been more -- more background on the war and the manufactured flu that wiped out most of the population, more sense of what it's like to live with a very small group in a cluster of cabins in the middle of nowhere and encounter no other souls for years, more of a connection with our main character, Lynn. I liked her, but I didn't feel particularly invested in her.

That said, I tore through this book in just over two days. It's a fast-paced page-turner, and while it could've used a bit more substance, it was a decent debut.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free review copy.

The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson has a relatively unique approach to the dystopian fiction genre that is not only a welcome surprise but sets it apart from previous novels in the genre. With its stark setting, the surprise approach is not immediately obvious as the story calls to mind various post-apocalyptic stories in which the weather patterns have been permanently altered by global nuclear war.  However, once you move past the familiar setting, you realize that the McBride family are not only people who are trying to survive the new climate and lack of civilization but that they lived in the world before it went to hell.

This may not seem like a big deal but in actuality it is a huge one. For, not only do we get the chance to see people living and surviving in new and hostile environs, we see how they have been able to adapt to such changes. This is a first generation story, involving people who remember the Internet and electricity and the modern-day, first-world conveniences we take for granted. While the psychology of such adaptation is not a focal point of the story, Mr. Johnson does provide a fascinating glimpse into the added toll it takes on a person when she can still remember how things used to be through direct memory and not through stories passed down over the years.

There is another difference that sets The Wolves of Winter apart from similar stories. There are no children in this post-apocalyptic world. Lynn is twenty-seven, and even the youngest in her group of survivors is a teenager. Mr. Johnson explains some of this through the disease that wiped out who the war did not, but his choice to not include children is telling in its realism. The young and the old are always the first to suffer in times of hardship, and living through a nuclear winter in the Yukon Territory certainly counts as a hardship. It is simply not a time when children could survive or when families could spend time tending to the weak.

These two deviations from the norm aside, The Wolves of Winter struggles to rise above other dystopian, post-apocalyptic stories. Lynn might be twenty-seven, an expert shot with a bow, and an accomplished hunter and tracker, but she is a teenager in attitude. As with the lack of children, Mr. Johnson explains away her behavior by allowing her to recognize that she acts that way because her family continues to treat her as a child/teenager. Still, the novel very much has a coming-of-age feel to it that is at odds with the actual age and competence of the main character.

The arrival of Jax adds a bit of a twist to the story but that twist is in no way a game-changer. Jax is the means by which Lynn finally flexes her wings and test her boundaries. He brings the action and introduces the enemy, thereby playing the role of the spark that ignites the rest of the novel. He remains fairly one-dimensional in his role throughout, and his behaviors are predictable. His inclusion in the story once the enemy is established provides nothing other than a convenient battle-hardened warrior and potential romantic interest. In other words, he is a cliche.

I wanted to love The Wolves of Winter but could not overcome my disquiet at Lynn's immature attitude or the predictable nature of the plot. I wanted more of that pre- and post-apocalyptic mindset clash and the psychological toll such memories would have on survivors who now have to not only hunt for their own food but dress, clean, and prepare it, gather the wood and other fuel needed to cook it, and gather the water needed to clean up after such an endeavor. The disease aspect of the story was a distraction, in my opinion. Even though it is laid out as the primary story, so much of Lynn's thoughts and actions reflect on the world outside her little area of Canada that to allow readers to see more of this outside world and understand the struggles survivors are having in adapting to this new world would better the story more than any clash with shady government officials. While I enjoy a good action/adventure novel with a conspiracy angle, The Wolves of Winter is one novel where I wanted less action and conspiracy and more psychology.

Imagine Planet of the Apes without the apes - a deadly flu decimates the world population, but before we all die out we find a way to launch all our nuclear weapons - lashing out as we lose control. Then imagine the aftermath - decimated populations all seeking to isolate themselves from each other and contamination. Now imagine coming of age during this period. How do you start over when you can count the people around you on one hand? How do you make plans for your life? Forget that - how do you make plans for next month? Johnson has created an awesome landscape and characters forging their own path in a new world - a world in which everything they grew up knowing no longer has any meaning. Onto this backdrop a young woman struggles to build a life for herself in never-ending winter. Enter onto the scene an unexpected stranger and revelations from years before and Lynn's life is sent on an engaging roller coaster that keeps the reader glued to the novel. Johnson's heroine is down to earth, as prone to mistakes as the next guy, and only occasionally luckier that she deserves.

Terrific! I know this is listed as being a sci-fi novel but it's really not. It is post-apocolyptic good versus evil but it's also a coming of age story about Lynn and a love story about her family. Set in the Yukon, snow is also a character in this well written highly entertaining book. Yes the world has gone to hell but Lynn, her mom, her brother, Jeryl, and Ramsey are living in the wilderness and making a go of it. There's a secret associated with Lynn but Johnson doesn't reveal it till close to the end. Things change when Jax comes into their camp with his dog Wolf. Jax has a secret too. All of them band together to repel their rotten neighbor Conrad and Immunity, the evil organization at the root of the world's problems. Yes I've simplified it but this book doesn't delve into the conspiracies- it's focused on survival. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is a really great read- highly entertaining. I know there's some sentiment about a sequel but I'd recommend against that- this stands beautifully on its own.

"First you survive in your head, then in your stomach, and then in your heart. You have to have all three." (paraphrased)

This is the first book from author Tyrell Johnson but I'm definitely hoping there will be more. I hope he continues this book with a series - and I usually am not one to be writing that. I tend to prefer standalone books.

But this story had three of my favorite things in it - a strong female protagonist, a post-apocalyptic plotline, and a cold, snowy setting.

Lynn (short for Gwendolynn) McBride and her family left Chicago after the bombs started dropping and the world "went to hell in a hand basket". They moved to Eagle, Alaska - Mom, biologist Dad, brother and her - and stayed there until partway through the Asian Flu pandemic. Then the remaining family members moved to the middle of nowhere in the Canadian Yukon during the nuclear winter that has set in with a few others and formed a small community.

I'm not going to tell any more of the story because that is best left up to Lynn. The story is told from her point-of-view.

I liked the characters, the story, the world building. There's fast-paced action plus quite a bit of daily survival in a harsh environment. And I like that there wasn't a terrible cliffhanger ending. There's definitely a place for a sequel or even a series to continue though.

I am very glad that I received this book from Scribner Books through Edelweiss AND through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read the book and leave an unbiased review.

The Wolves of Winter is a story about a young woman coming of age in a post-apocalyptic world where most of the world's population has been wiped out by a combination of nuclear war and a devastating flu. Survivors have fled to the frozen north to start over. The author captures the challenges that come with living in this cold, dark environment very well. The story has some elements of young adult, but overall I would compare this more to books like The Passage where the real struggles of surviving in a dystopian society while trying to maintain some kind of humanity are captured. The story is told from the point of view of Lynn, a young woman who, unbeknownst to her, could be the one to save humanity. While most of the story is told in the present time, the author does have Lynn go back in her memory bank to provide insight into the type of person Lynn is while also giving some backstory into why the world is the way it is. While it was a standalone book, I feel like there could be more story development. As a reader, I had some unanswered questions upon reaching the end of Lynn's story. Overall, I felt that this was a different and creative take on a dystopian story.

It wasn’t enough for nations to disagree. They had to add nuclear war to the mix, changing both the environment and nature, making food scarce and luxuries like electricity and chocolate a thing of the past. Then came the Asian Flu, and millions died, changing the landscape of the world even more.

For years, a nomadic, secretive existence is the only thing that kept them alive. Now, for seven years, Lynn and her family---mother, brother, honorary uncle and his adopted son—have huddled together in their tiny community in the Yukon wilderness, hunting and struggling to eke out a hardscrabble existence in a world gone mad. Then Lynn finds an injured stranger and his dog and brings them home, never dreaming what she was unleashing on them all.

Jax has been used as a weapon for too long; now he’s on the run, desperate to keep ahead of his enemies. “Alone” is the only safety he knows. But when Lynn and her family get caught up in his fight to survive, he realizes there is far more going on than he knew, and he must decide whether to keep his solitary existence, or fight for a glimpse of hope for mankind.

I’m not going to lie: I do love dystopian novels. Well, I love good dystopian novels. Wolves of Winter is far, far more than “good.” No, the idea of a world decimated by war and sickness isn’t new, but the execution of the concept is, and the characters are as well. We get to know Lynn: her strengths, weaknesses, hopes, and desires, and we watch as she starts growing into the person she can be. I cannot imagine the strength it would take to survive in the Yukon with no modern conveniences to fall back on (First World problem, I know), but Lynn shines through with grace and love for her family, leaving the reader riveted to the page. I read this straight through in one sitting, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!
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(Galley provided by Scribner via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Society as we know it has collapsed. The big powes have nuked each other to near oblivion. Many have tried to escape, but then came something with no escape, no cure, trying to finish off those who were left. Lynn, and her remaining family members escape to the Yukon, form a small settlement, hunting and fishing to survive.

As Lynn thinks back in time, "And really it didn't matter anymore --the lines we drew for ourselves, the differences we created, the fear and hatred we felt simply because there were oceans and deserts and forests between us. The fear of the unknown. The fear that the other guy had a bigger stick. Once the flu hit none of it mattered." It was the one thing confronting society that the bigger might couldn't conquer.

One day a stranger appears St their settlement. A young man, different, but who is he, what does he want? As in our world now there are people who will exploit people's fear, to gain power. Chaos and tragedy always brings out the worst and the best in people. There are people that desperately want what Lynn has, something she doesn't know herself has. A big force is moving in, and once again her world will change.

I found this book chilling, not just because of the location, but because it all seems so very possible. There is plenty of action, and the pace is quick. Loved the scenario, and really rooted for this small settlement and those who settled there. A worst case scenario that I hope never comes to pass.

ARC from Netgalley.

This was a very action packed intense read. It kept my attention from page to page.

After a nuclear war, an epidemic wiped out most of the country including Lynn McBride’s father. Upon his death, Lynn and her family quickly left their home in Alaska, taking only their essentials, and settling in the seemingly endless winter of the Yukon. Twenty three year old Lynn’s memories of her past haunt her and are riddled with questions, questions her family doesn’t want to answer. When out hunting for food, Lynn crosses paths with Jax and his dog Wolf, he appears to be injured. Curious about this exciting new visitor, she invites him back to their camp but they soon learn that Jax is not who or what he appears to be. When a team of scientists and mercenaries known as Immunity come for him, they will be forced to defend their family and finally face the secrets of their past.
Wolves of Winter is a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel set in the unforgiving winter wilderness of the Yukon. The winter wilderness is deadly and so are its remaining inhabitants. This novel follows a family escaping war, disease, and a secret past while trying to stay together and survive. Without giving away any spoilers there is a Sci-Fi element that will link Jax and Lynn to Immunity. I was very excited to get to read/review this novel, quick and gratifying the perfect way to kick off 2018.

I received this free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
Some have compared this to The Hunger Games, I don't see it. The only similarity is the dystopian theme. I would suggest reading this in the summer or somewhere warm because the descriptive elements are so good you can feel the frost on your fingers and nose. The story starts slow, but it's not boring. And it's easy to put yourself in the heroine's shoes. It really picks up when Jax shows up, then the pace is so fast it's hard to catch your breath. I really liked this book and I hope there is a sequel in the future.

If The Maze Runner and Hunger Games had a baby in the snow-covered Yukon, you'd probably get something along the lines of The Wolves of Winter. Just trust me - it's amazing!!

Great book. A nice spin on the apocolypse theme, taking it out of the major cities and into a different setting. The storyline definitely held my attention and I felt emotionally invested at the end. Not all books need to or should become a series, but I think Wolves of Winter needs a follow up, I would love to read more.

With whispers of Cormac McCarthy and stream of consciousness similar to William Faulkner, The Wolves of Winter is primed to become an instant classic and prepped to be added to all advanced English courses' required reading lists.

Though it runs in the same vein as celebrated classics, it is still entirely unique and fresh with a dusting of science fiction. Johnson keeps you hooked and invested. With small bursts of action and an honest look at humanity when the world has crumbled and there are few of us left.

Set in the frozen Yukon, the added layer of snow and ice are the perfect symbolism for the inhabitants' quiet, secluded, dangerous lifestyle. It has been an incredibly long time since I have read something that required insightful thought and understanding while also enjoying it immensely. It is not for the faint of heart, and certainly not a light read. In fact, it leans towards being as dark as the dead of Yukon winters. Yet those with a love of the world of The Road and the character development of The Walking Dead will not be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tyrell Johnson, and Scribner for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.