Before I say anything about this book, this is the first one I've read by author Jessica Meats, and I'm obsessed with it. A pretty solid book at over 400 pages, I powered through it. I couldn't get enough, and if I could rate this book at 10 stars, I absolutely would. I don't have any complaints, and if this is how all of the author's books are, I can't wait to get my hands on more.

Following a young woman named Crystal, she lives by herself doing an online research job. She's haunted by her brother and best friend Danny, being bit by a rare infectious werewolf three years earlier. Everyone tells her it's better off considering him dead seeing that werewolves aren't human, but she's not convinced, and is determined to get to the bottom of where he's ended up.

The book also follows a young man named Thomas, a werewolf. In this world, werewolves aren't considered human, even though they only change into wolves occasionally, and because of that are taken from their homes when they're found out, and forced into slavery. Even worse, most owners that have them are rich and don't think that punishing them, no matter how severe, is inhumane because they heal so fast.

Thomas is traumatised from not only his horribly abusive past owners, but also from his childhood, when his mother was killed in front of him and his siblings, and he was stolen away from his family. But everything changes when Crystal comes into the facility. She's looking for Danny, but when she sees him, she knows she can't just leave him there. Marked violent, they try to deter her away from him, but she's dead set on taking him home, and does just that. In a muzzle, he doesn't even get solid food anymore since he attacked a guard who was torturing him.

This story is an intense and amazing one full of heartache and love all at the same time. It's a murder mystery, and a fight for human rights, all humans, no matter if they seem a little different. It's a good lesson to learn, even if it's in a fantasy book. It's about changing the world no matter how scary it is, and how much work it takes, because that's just the right thing to do, and I think that's really important, especially now.

Overall, I strongly believe that this is my favourite book of the year, even though the year isn't over yet. I haven't stopped thinking about it since I put it down, and I really want to get a paper copy for my bookshelf so I can read it whenever I want. And trust me, I want to. Not usually one for reading books over again, I just can't get enough of it, even though some parts were really sad and hard to read. I don't think there's any adult out there that shouldn't read this book, regardless if you're into werewolves or not.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot wasn't something I'd ever read before as a premise in paranormal romance and was a nice twist on the usual. Look forward to reading more in this series

Wolf Unleashed, Jessica Meats

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: General fiction (adult), Sci-fi and Fantasy.

I really wanted to love this book, it sounded so interesting, a unique take on the genre.
It has some excellent characters too, and an interesting plot-line that I can see developing further within future books.

And yet....it was interesting, it was well written, paced to keep the reader engaged and yet somehow I kept putting it to one side.
Possibly it was the sheer unpleasantness of the idea of keep werewolves as pets/slaves, and of breeding them for that purpose, taking away the children and selling them. Its all too reminiscent for me of the human trade in slaves where non whites were considered sub-humans and we used and abused them.
Although it made for a great main plot it did make me feel incredibly uncomfortable and guilty as a human for the past atrocities white people forced onto non-whites.

If you can set that aside and enjoy the story for what it is, fiction and well written, then this is a series you'll enjoy. I might try later books as they come out, I know once the imbalance starts to get addressed I'll be happier reading about these people.

Its an excellent look at human nature, how ready we are to believe what “the authorities” tell us, which of course is what benefits a few powerful people the most, but gets dressed as if its helping everyone. Cynic? Me? There's a quote from Edmund Burke that suits this book really well, it goes something like this... “all that is needed for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing”. Here we've a handful of good people, starting with Crystal, doing something which hopefully will grow, but it isn't going to be easy.
Even then if Crystal's brother hadn't been bitten she would still have gone along with the official line that this treatment of werewolves is essential for them and us.
It mirrors what happens so often, as humans we mostly ignore or turn a blind eye to distasteful practices and injustices until we're forced to confront them personally.

Stars: Three, a really well written story, but which made me feel so guilty for similar human past practices it affected my enjoyment of the story

ARC supplied by Netgalley and Publishers.