This was not what I was expecting at all……… it was soooo much more, img loved this, it gripped me from the first page, loved the story and twists, loveable characters, I couldn’t put it down, read it in less than a day, don’t miss this book

A nice southern take on werewolves, witches, and black magic. A pretty good horror novel. I haven't read a lot of werewolf novels, but this one was very good

I wanted to like this book so badly, but I basically knew after the first two chapters it would not be a winner for me. The book begins with Britta being interrogated by police and the conversation is just going in circles. For two chapters straight! I was hopeful that this was just a poor beginning to what would be an engrossing tale, but instead it set the precedent for the rest of the read.

Worldbuilding is an important aspect to fantasy, yet there was essentially none of it in this novel. I was confused if werewolves and witches were common knowledge for humans or not. The police didn’t seem to think it strange that Britta was accusing a witch and magic to be responsible for her family’s murders. Labaye didn’t seem too surprised when he first saw Britta as a werewolf, which of course gets explained at the end but I was confused how a human was taking it in so calmly! He asked a lot of interesting werewolf-related questions in which Britta answered none - which annoyed me as a reader because I was interested to learn how it worked in this world. Finally, vampires were mentioned twice in the novel… so are vampires also real? I have too many questions about the magic system in this world and not enough answers.

There was really nothing redeeming here for me. The dialogue was stilted and awkward. The conversations would make no sense since topics were switched every few sentences. The book was written half in Britta’s first-person POV and then half in other characters’ third-person POV. This wouldn’t be so bad but the characters in third-person would still interact with Britta, so reading Britta in first and third person was weird.

Also, Britta apparently made her choice of shoes her whole personality. Seriously, the word “Doc Martens” was used at least 30 times in this book. Like, we get it, those are the shoes she’s wearing. Move on!

I wish I had nicer things to say about this book, but I don’t. The premise set me up for a different story - one full of a hunt to discover what really happened a decade ago while falling for a cop and learning what it means to be true to yourself. Instead, I read a book with no 10-year truth to be uncovered, no romantic spark minus a look here or there, and no conclusion about what being a wolf means to Britta.

I'm not a huge fan of werewolf genre particularly because I haven't read many, if any 'great' books and the storylines tend to be repetitive, however I really enjoyed reading "Throw Me to the Wolves". Granted the author makes far too many references to Britta's DM's and would probably benefit from editing most of that out, but I really enjoyed Britta's kickass/caring character. In fact I enjoyed all the main characters this book had to offer, friend or foe. Although I wish some characters were fleshed out a bit more (such as the cop & Alex) in order to understand their backgrounds and how they got involved in this story, but I'm sure their stores will come to light in book 2. I also liked that it had a range of supernatural characters, witches, ghosts, etc, which were interwoven throughout the book but did not overshadow Britta's story. The ending was left in cliff-hanger fashion but I wish we had more information to go on before it ended.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and although I'm not naturally a' werewolf fan', I look forward to what these authors have to offer in book 2.

If werewolves, haints, black magic, mambos, scrying mirrors and all the nefarious goings-on of the deep South are your thing, then you will enjoy this book.

Britta Orchid is a werewolf (were-person?) who is pretty cut up about it because it was not out of choice that she became one, but rather because a witch cast a spell on her, and turned her into one of the 'undead'. This is a pretty cool deal if you ask me because she gets to live forever and NEVER AGE (ikr?) and turn into a wolf whenever she wants to. However, she is less excited about these facts than I obviously am.

So when the wicked witch Selena is found dead in Britta's old house, she is the primary suspect (obvio) and is subjected to endless questions, and throws a lot of shade at the officer who is interrogating her. I guess if I knew I could turn into a wolf anytime I wanted and scare the bejesus out of everyone and make them wet their pants, not to mention, tear them limb from limb, I would probably act salty too.

The officer also tells her that a drawing was found at the scene of the crime, which she believes was drawn by the spirit of her dead kid brother, Remi. She wants to go back there to set his spirit free because she believes that it has been imprisoned by the witch.

She suffers from survivors guilt big-time since she's the only one who survived a family massacre that she believes was perpetrated by the witch. However, the law has found no such evidence and let her get away scot-free. That's why she wants to verify IN PERSON that the witch is finally dead. Small problem-they don't have the witch's body, only a few unappetising leftover body parts.

She can't figure out whether Labaye (the cop) is with her or against her, but she doesn't trust anyone anyway. Add to that is Adam, a werewolf from her pack who wants her to be his Luna to his Alpha, which he plans to become after killing the present Alpha of their pack, Malach. His terms are that if she doesn't agree, he won't help her with her mission. This she-wolf has got 99 problems, and men are most of them, alive and undead.

Long story short, she discovers that witches and men are not to be trusted (surprise!) and all along, it was her that the witch wanted, for her evil plans, which involved being the Alpha of the bad-ass-est wolf pack ever. How? Read it to find out!

The characters were well fleshed out, though I thought Britta Orchid was trying a bit too hard to be all bad-ass. She was also a bit too grouchy and bad-tempered to be likeable. I mean, what choice do you have once you're undead, except to try and lean into it, or own it, you know?

The plot is pretty evenly-paced, though a bit predictable at times, and then going back and forth between the two timelines is a tad confusing, but that could just be me because I prefer chronological timelines. The climax was just chaos, and I found myself just wanting to get to the end.

Overall, I gave it three stars, because wolves are not my jam (I prefer vampires) and the cultural context of the magical practices of the South (Louisiana, etc.) are only vaguely familiar to me. There were a few engrossing scenes, but more than once, they were over-written, and made me struggle to visualise the scene, because I got lost in the details.

This is Book 1 in the 'Cry Wolf' series.

I would like to thank the authors, Netgalley and Black Spot Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is definitely a fresh take on Werewolves and witches.

Reminded me a bit of series by Christopher Golden and LJ Smith; so if you enjoyed them, you'll enjoy this!

I loved the strong female character. She had a "take no sh*t" personality from the get go, even when she was younger. I love smart, strong heroines.

It goes back and forth from the past and present. Keeps you focused, doesn't slow down. There are a few minor characters I would've liked some more information on, but that will be done later on I'm sure.

Now, I'm desperately waiting for the sequel. It ended on a cliffhanger, a MAJOR one, and let's just say I let out a yell when I realized it was the end.

Hurry it up! I need more!

I really wanted to love this one as the plot sounded very promising, and while the idea is an amazing one, the writing was lacking for me and that put me off of this one. I don’t need all the ridiculous details about what colour the characters shoes are, why is this even relevant to the story? I liked Britta as a character, she was clearly a strong woman thrust into a terrible situation when she got turned into a werewolf by the witch. I’m not sure I’d read the rest of the series though, I think there needs to be some improvements to the writing before I’d pick up book two.

This book was so fun to read, with werewolves, ghosts, and witches filling the pages! It has a strong storyline that will keep you entertained until the very end. The character are like able and the twist at the end was nice! Definitely looking forward to the next book.

I read several chapters into the story before deciding that this was not the book for me. While it is listed as "horror", I found the storyline, characters, and dialogue to fall far more on the "urban" fantasy side of things (not truly an urban setting, but the general feel of that genre). Since I went in anticipating a horror story, and urban fantasy is not a genre I enjoy very much, I did not finish this book. My star rating reflects an attempt at fairness, because I do believe it would be a great choice for fans of urban fantasy.

I really wanted to love this one as the plot sounded very promising, and while the idea is an amazing one, the writing was lacking for me and that put me off of this one. I don’t need all the ridiculous details about what colour the characters shoes are, why is this even relevant to the story? I liked Britta as a character, she was clearly a strong woman thrust into a terrible situation when she got turned into a werewolf by the witch. I’m not sure I’d read the rest of the series though, I think there needs to be some improvements to the writing before I’d pick up book two.

Thanks netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for my review.

I usually don't enjoy urban fantasy but I found this one very compelling and in many places unputdownable. The pacing was quite quick (from the very beginning, for me), and I thought the voice was gripping and unique - punchy and angsty without feeling forced or cheesy, which can be hard to accomplish.

We're thrown into the story with some crucial knowledge: our MC is a werewolf whose whole family has been murdered (except she herself who has been cursed) by a witch. The mystery surrounding these supernatural - well, mysteries - really moved the story along as well.

Flashbacks can be boring, but these were enjoyable, even if not all of them actually advanced the plot or added to the story at hand. I did feel that the frequent references to the color of the MC's docs were unnecessary and overdone, detracting a bit for me from the story's pull in those places. I personally dislike any description of clothing or physical attribute unless it's completely necessary and compelling to the plot or character development. I suppose if we wanted to be cheeky we could look at the difference between the type of docs worn (high top or low) in the flashbacks and present as symbolic of the MC's character development ...

The ending is very abrupt and while this seems to be a series opener, I still would have liked to have a more nuanced, rounded out ending. This one felt quite rushed.

Overall an enjoyable read!

Magnificent! That is the word that comes to mind when I completed this book. What a masterpiece, what an adventure! The characters were just flawless, the story kept me wanting more. I did not want this book to end. I need the sequel asap. Yes ladies and gentlemen...it was THAT great.

The main character, Britta is a werewolf who was turned in an unorthodox manner. The story explores her return to her hometown where her entire family was brutally murdered by a witch. A witch who may or may not be dead but who definitely wants Britta for herself. A wolf in the thrall of a witch is a dangerous thing after all.

As the story progresses Britta works with a human called Aaron, with whom she feels a kinship to that could possibly mean that he is her mate. We also meet a few of Britta's pack mates including Alec, whom I completely fell in love with! I do hope that we see more of him in future books! Alec wants to be alpha so he asks Britta to be his mate/Luna. However, this isn't what Britta wants as she is drawn too Aaron. Truly, I was expecting Alec to be the bad guy but the ending surprised me! My jaw literally dropped. It was a sad yet happy ending that left us off on a cliff hanger.

This book has so many aspects of the paranormal ranging from werewolves and witches to ghosts. It was absolutely enjoyable and I could not put it down. Would I recommend this book? YES YES and YES. It was fabulous. Cannot wait for the second book!


Read this book if you are a fan of the Bitten series by Kelley Armstrong and enjoy reading books with pretty awesome and brave wolfy hero's and a very hot anti-hero!

Throw Me to the Wolves
by Lindy Ryan and Christopher Brooks

Yes, this is about werewolves but it has a unique take and story. It started a bit slow but about a third in it really exploded with suspense and action. From then on it was fast and exciting!

It's about a gal that is almost killed by a witch but is turned into a werewolf. Her family is killed before she can save them. Its been 10 years and the witch is back. They only found a heart, eye, and teeth before. Was it hers? Was she really dead? Is she coming back a spirit? Why?

Along with this issue, our gal also believes her baby brother's spirit is being held by the witch. Then she also has pack problems! There is also a Voodoo Priestess in here that doesn't care for wolves.

I really enjoyed this new angle and unique story on werewolves. Especially a female underdog trying to save her younger brother. If it hadn't been a bit slow in the beginning it would definitely be a 5 star but it is certainly a full 4!

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this terrific fantasy novel!

The first time reading this genre of mystifying thriller and it didn’t disappoint. The characters were strong and well fleshed out creating a real pull in investing emotions into the story. Britta was angsty but fierce and the adventure of discovering her story with the witch was very entertaining. A page turner.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

I loved this book. I'm a big fan of urban fantasy, and this.. isn't strictly urban fantasy I know. It's Rural Fantasy, but the sub-genre of Rural Fantasy is pretty small so most of the books just fall under the UF umbrella. And generally, the themes, niches, and feels of both tends to be pretty familiar. With Rural having more cozy reads than the big city normally does. But, as I said, I'm a big fan. And I loved this one. It was <i>good.</i> The type where I read it in one setting and dread the upcoming end of what seems to be a standalone book.

It has all the makings of an typical urban fantasy. There's been a murder, the lead is kind-of investigating, sleuthing off on her own and sometimes with a cop. Tho she isn't as interested in solving the murder as she is in freeing her dead brothers spirit.

See, we already know who the bad guy is here. 10 years ago Britta and her family fell under the gaze of a pretty wicked witch. Said witch then stalked the family, made friends with the family, and then sacrificed them all in a spell. Only, it didn't quite go as she planned. Britta survived, and got away, and got turned into an immortal werewolf in the process.

She's back in town because said witch has just been murdered and the cops are asking for her assistance, for reasons that isn't quite clear to her seeing as her alibi is iron-tight and she isn't a suspect.

I loved this book, it felt like an urban fantasy mixed with horror of a haunted house and werewolves who weren't furry little creatures but actually kind of morbid and dark. It had chapters of flashbacks to 10-years-ago of how this all went down, and I normally hate flashbacks. We already know they died, so why bother rehashing this? But the flashbacks tell the tale of how the kind of dysfunctional family moved into a new house with a very friendly neighbour and how creepy things just kept adding up. Britta has lived with the survivors guilt for 10 years, and usually these things are pretty lame (in my own humble opinion), they're never justified right? But the flashbacks end up showing that Brittas guilt is.. kind of justified. She wasn't exactly a naive teenager at the time, she was 24 (iirc).

I loved what the book did with werewolves, and also.. the matebond. Werewolves is pretty overdone, and very often there is mates. Also, very overdone. This book never came out and said "he's her mate" but there were enough hints there that made me, as the reader, speculate that "he's probably her mate". But instead of throwing this book into a typical whirlwind of romance and lust, not only is there a twist, but the MC keeps a cool head over any weird feelings (or smells). She even goes off and let some steam off with some strange dude, because.. that's what a normal sexually active 21 century woman does these days when the urge comes around and an opportunity presents itself.

There are only two major cons: The fucking ending.
And an bizarre amount of mentions of her red shoes.

The ending?
I should give this book a one star just out of pure spite. That definitely counts as a cliffhanger ending, AND it's not even an announced series. I'm fuming. FUMING. I've been wanting this to be a series for quite awhile back (in the book), and was prepared to be kinda disappointed by the end (because it wouldn't be a series) but the ending just.. wasn't one. Not really. and I am angry. Like lets-send-rant-mail-to-the-author-and-lets-get-the-pitchforks-out type of angry. The last 2% of the book definitely should have been stretched out further, and for the love of god any kind of cliffhanger ending is nonnegotiable to me.

Great shifter series opener - wolves, witches, curses, hoodoo, and murder in rural Louisiana - strong storyline that will grab you from the get-go and keep you reading into the night. Romantic tones add some fun - but the strong focus is mystery, supernatural, and investigation. Looking forward to the next one!

Giving a rating for this book is really hard. The story felt fresh, expecially in the beginning. Werewolves are an overdone trope and can be overdone, but I think the angle this book took was very clever. however, expecially in the beginning there were some writing issues that made me feel like I was reading someones first novel. Primarily: I do not need to be reminded of the colour and make of the main characters shoes every 3 pages. I felt like the book could do with more show, and less telling us. It wasn't annoying enough to put the book away, though, as I was actually invested in Britta's peculiar situation. This was dampened a little when it seemed it was heading towards a love triangle, on which the bullet was luckily dodged.
furthermore, I feel some scenes did add very little to the story, including some of the flashbacks. those, while interesting, seemed to hold very little weight. similarly, the whole lust aspect seemed to not really mean anything in the long run.
But, this story... it had me captured until the book was done, the twist at the end was nice and juicy...even if the actual end felt a tad rushed...and for that I want to give this a high rating, yet that would negate my other points. I will give it a solid three stars.

Urban fantasy + supernatural horror + body horror in a series starter flush with witches, werewolves, and dark curses.