I really enjoyed this! It's pacy and well-crafted with a very likeable main character, and totally unique within YA. It was genuinely really refreshing to read a book that, as well as having a gay Black protagonist, is set in such a different location and has such an international outlook, featuring characters of lots of various nationalities and including lots of languages in a way that felt natural and realistic. I also liked that it didn't shy away from the brutality of the situation in which James and Tomas find themselves: sometimes they have to take actions they would rather avoid, but it adds to the realism, and the reader is on their side throughout. A really great read!

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Place for Wolves by Kosoko Jackson is a brilliant work by a debut author. Taking place in 1997-1998 in Kosovo, the story begins with James writing a letter to his sister Anna, admitting that he may die there. James’ parents work for USAID and have been placed in Kosovo in 1997 right before the start of the Kosovo War. As the book begins, James and his boyfriend Tomas are working on getting to the embassy to be able to escape after James’ discovers that his parents have left, presumably involuntarily, and a note left from his mother instructing him to get to the embassy as soon as possible.

But it’s not that easy. Quickly, James finds himself thrust into the middle of the war, and Tomas finds him to make a hasty escape through the veil of night away from the bombs.

After a chance encounter in a hastily abandoned town, James realizes that this situation is far more dire than he realized. Can he and Tomas make it to the embassy and out of Kosovo alive?

This book was absolutely brilliant. I had not previously read a YA book set in the 1990s that had a specific reason for being set there, but this one explores a conflict in the 1990s that I knew nothing about prior to reading this book. Additionally, the main character is black, and he is actually adopted into a white family. While the story doesn’t completely focus on that, James’ thoughts about this at one point become a point of contention. However, it’s made explicitly clear that he does absolutely love his parents. In addition to that, James is also gay. He has had other relationships in the past prior to Tomas, but this seems to be his first truly meaningful one.

One of the things that this book does well is the letters after each chapter. After each chapter, we find out more about James’ relationship with his sister Anna who is attending Georgetown. We find out more about how James and his family came to be in Kosovo to begin with and how the relationship between Tomas and James started. Because these are written from James and the story is told from the perspective of James, these do not draw you out of the story but rather draw you deeper in.

This story is absolutely spectacular and is a must read.

A Place for Wolves by Kosoko Jackson comes out on April 2, 2019.

James has begrudgingly followed his parents country to country all his life. And suddenly, he's separated from sister and has never felt so alone. Then comes, Tomas. And then comes the war. A historical fiction set during the Kosovo War, James and Tomas must survive life on the run and face unspeakable choices to return to their family.  

This book took a while to hook me in. I didn't exactly understand what was happening in the first chapter. But once I understood, the story began to unravel in a good way. A tale of survival for these two boys who were willing to do anything to survive the war and return to safety. Together, they escape the cruel world until they're both unwillingly yanked back into danger. It's actually a shorter read than I expected but a strong one that carried itself all the way through.

James and Tomas are both on the run after James's parents disappear, and are forced to make their way to safety before they're captured too. There's letter addressed to James's sister at the beginning of each chapter, dated long before the war breaks out and shows a closer look into the relationships James had with his parents, sister, friends and how he meets Tomas. It was a good way of introducing their relationship and how they met and fell in love without taking away from the journey they're on in the main story. 

Overall, Kosoko Jackson has delivered brilliantly on his debut. A Place for Wolves has found its own place in my heart.

This book was EVERYTHING I never knew I needed. The description didn’t do it justice, except when saying it was great for fans of code name verity and Aristotle and Dante... it’s definitely a great read for people who enjoyed those 2.

Wow. This book hit me right in all the feels. I gasped, I sobbed, and I rooted for James & Tomas and their families. The ending blew me away, but was somehow perfect. Definitely a must read.

This book was so good! The characters seem so real, and the relationship between James and Tomas is beautiful. I enjoyed this immensely. I’ve already added it to my ‘Must Buy’ list for 2019.

Kosoko Jackson's debut novel is well crafted and exciting. A historical thriller set in Kosovo at the start of a war, it follows a young gay Black boy trying to survive and make it to the American embassy. In between the chapters in the present, there are letters detailing his arrival in Kosovo, his relationship with a young Brazilian man, and the hints of of a conflict beginning. Tense and unique, I highly recommend A Place For Wolves.