This. Was. Epic.

I did not want it to end. I need to know what happens next!

There’s wolf shifters. There’s ravens. Theres these dragon like things with feathers and horns. There’s politics and secrets. Multiple POVs. Like whose side are we on and what’s really going on? I’m not sure but I want to keep reading and figure it out!!

The world building and character development is insane.

I luckily got an ARC of this through @netgalley and eyeballed it on my Kindle.

So far no real spice but I could see some happening at some point. Definitely plot driven though!!

I dunno, it’s like an adventure that’s all I can really say and you should read it!

“I don’t smell anything but dirt, guts, and blood,”

“Secrets were best kept in the hands of the dead.”

“He would find Wren. He would bring her home. Even if there was no home left to bring her back to.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The cover is so pretty. The title makes sense for the story; I love the name Wren. I don't think the plot was for me. Especially because of how unclear the different factions and names were, I felt lost in the story for the majority of the book. The use of werewolves, setting, and the magic system didn't feel as fleshed out as it could've been. Details were repeated, not in any way that made it clear what the characters were referring to. The different POVs also didn't help establish the word beyond Wren's POV, it had me feeling more flung around the world with zero basis of what was going on. Unfortunately, not a hit for me.

Ok, I'm giving this a 3.5* but I have reason to believe I could be wrong.
As always, thank you for the ARC NetGalley <3
The first half of this book I loved, one might say I couldn't put it down. Second half, I struggled to pick it up.
BUT, at the halfway point of this book my life sort of went haywire.
So is it me? Or the second half? How philisophical.
Love the lore of it all, did find some things hard to follow and would have loved a more in depth world building for each "race".
I will be reading #2, so hell ya. Hoping for a bit more battle & wolf when we return.

One thing to note in the ARC that I'm hoping they fix for the e-book/print version is that the Reference/Glossary and trigger warning were located at the back of the book - odd thing to overlook.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC!

DNF at 40%

This book struggled with pacing, I think the foundation to be a great fantasy novel is there - interesting politics, magic, and rebellion (which I'm always a sucker for). However, I don't think we were able to sit with the characters long enough to truly understand who they are or what their motivations are. While I did appreciate the lack of info dumping, so much new information was being thrown around in different conversations that it was almost hard to keep up. I also don't believe the changing POV's are necessary in this book, especially some of the characters that only had a random chapter thrown in for exposition.

Our lead character Wren has all the staples of a capable FMC (mysterious magic, competent fighter, etc), however, I didn't really follow who she was as a person, is she innocent and naive? Is she strong-willed and stubborn? Does she want to fight her battles or run from them? Wren would think one way in her mind but her actions would be contradictory. The reason for her training with the warriors also didn't make sense to me - why would the King place a potential spy, and complete stranger, to be trained alongside his most elite warriors?

This might be nit-picking a little too much, but I thought there were some major reveals happening way too early in the story which killed a lot suspense in the plot while there are some details that I think are missing some explanation earlier in the book. I shouldn't still be confused about the very prevalent magic system - that our FMC also uses - 40% of the way in. Overall, the base of a good story is there, I just think it needs a couple more rounds of editing, mainly for pacing issues, before it's gonna be really good. I'm putting this down for now, but I look forward to picking it up again when it's published!

3.75 ⭐️ rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley & Tracy Leonard Nakatani for the ARC.
I loved this plot/storyline. The multiPOV helped to get the full picture of everything happening on all sides, but I do wish it had been 1st person instead of 3rd (though I did still enjoy it).

Language: frequent use of F-word & several other curse words
Spice: NO spice, but several innuendos that I felt didn't add to the story at all.

I'll definitely read the next book in the series, A Wolf Among Men, when it comes out to see what comes of Wren, Randon, Marius, and the rest of the characters.

This on read almost like a video game. It reminded me of The Witcher. It's fast paced and a little confusing because of multiple points of view. It was enjoyable though.

This book had the bones of something truly special—a story that could have been both emotionally rich and atmospherically consuming. The world was brimming with dark potential, layered lore, and a main character who almost had me. Wren, in particular, felt like she was on the edge of becoming unforgettable. Her struggle with belonging and disconnection, the way her trauma quietly bled through the pages—it all had the makings of a story that could stick with you. There were even moments where PTSD was handled with a rawness that genuinely struck a chord.

But despite all that promise, the execution held it back. The structure felt disjointed from the start, and I think the story would have landed much more effectively had it opened with her father’s death rather than her incarceration. The opening was confusing and rushed, and it didn’t give the emotional weight of the story the foundation it needed. Scenes jumped too quickly, characters blurred together, and many moments that should have hit hard ended up falling flat.

The writing itself felt almost robotic at times—like it was trying to emulate emotional storytelling without quite getting there. You could tell what the author was reaching for, but the jerky pacing and lack of fluid transitions made it hard to sink into. Everything moved too fast, too soon, and the result was a world that felt strangely small, even though it was clearly imagined to be vast.

That said, there’s something here. The heart of the story wants to shine—it just needs more time, more space, and more care. I really believe that with some reworking—especially in slowing things down and giving the characters and world the dimension they deserve—this could have been an unforgettable read. Here’s hoping future books take that potential and let it breathe.

This poor FMC. Each time I thought she was going to catch a break, more came rushing down. The true definition of resilience. The story is engulfed in action, though at times was tough to follow. There are multiple POVs for the characters which lead to better understanding the story. VERY fast paced fantasy, and makes you feel every emotion. If you like the Witcher, this will definietly peek your interest.

To be honest it was hard getting past the firat 40% not much was happening and you had no idea why there were so many POVs and how they interlinked.
But I was happy I pushed through as it got pretty good from 50% with the real story happening, more underatanding of all the characters and making them more exciting and real. No spice but I do feel some kind of love triangle coming up. Hopefully book 2 gets engaging from the start as the story has potential.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to access this eARC. I picked this book up because I want to start new fantasy series and see what new types of fantasy books are ton the way to being published. The title and description of this book intrigued me because of its proposed focus on political intrigue its appeal to fans of The Witcher, which I am a big fan of. Unfortunately, I had to DNF at just past 10%.

I enjoyed that the book started right away with action, but I couldn’t picture any details of the world based off of descriptions or lore (and lack there of) provided by the world. As much as I enjoy multiple POVs in books, especially as it can expand the scope of the world and its lore, I found that the POV changes would happen just as I was getting comfortable and understanding one character. After changing to a POV of a completely different character, I would spend too much time confused, rereading passages or entire chapters to see if I missed something. The writing seemed disjointed and hard to follow to me as well, not being able to fully follow conversations or where characters were or what they were doing.

I try to give books at least a few chapters for the plot to get explained, whether “told” via dialogue and inner monologue or “shown” through actions the characters decide to take, but I did not feel the plot and lore of the world was well presented. Perhaps the plot and lore begin to gain depth later in the book, however I should not have to read >20% of the book for the main plot or lore to be presented in order to understand the setting. I think it it’s important to do so because some readers (including myself) need to be absorbed in the world and feel a sense of urgency to the main plot early on in the story to continue reading.

Unfortunately, this book started off too slow, did not capture my attention, and did not fully immerse me in the world I thought would be presented to me based off the book’s description.

"A Bird Among Wolves" is a fantasy adventure told from five different perspectives, though it primarily centers on Wren — a half-Demorian, half-human girl whose world is turned upside down when her father is murdered. His final instructions are: “Burn everything. Run. And don’t trust anyone.” Suddenly alone, Wren is pulled into a chaotic web of danger, surrounded by morally grey figures — with herself unknowingly at the center of it all.

This book left me with mixed feelings. Around 28% in, I almost DNF’d it. The pacing at the beginning is uneven, and the world-building is nearly nonexistent — I couldn't tell whether the characters were in a forest, a bustling city, or a quiet village. Everything felt vague and undefined. On top of that, the author seems oddly fixated on beards — nearly every man introduced early on has one, and they’re always described as filthy or unkempt. It became distracting and weirdly repetitive.

Another detail that didn’t sit right with me was the romantic interest referring to Wren as “pup”. It felt uncomfortable and undermined the dynamic between them. Still, I pushed through and finished the book.

While the story itself isn’t groundbreaking, there were elements I genuinely enjoyed. The found family theme and the evolving relationships between characters were compelling. Once I adjusted to the breakneck pacing — and it is fast-paced, with a capital F — I found myself enjoying the ride. That said, I do think the story could have benefitted from a few more chapters to flesh out the world and help balance the pace.

Thank you to Tracy Leonard Nakatani, NetGalley, and Three Amigas Press for the chance to review this book early!

3.5/5 stars rounded up. Overall, I had a good time reading “A Bird Among Wolves” and enjoyed immersing myself in the fantasy world.

What the book does well is set up an interesting fantasy world, create interesting characters where you aren’t sure who to trust and keep the plot moving. Wren was a great main character and I enjoyed how competent she was and her interactions with all the other characters. I will say I also don’t normally enjoy multiple POVs, but I didn’t mind them at all in this book.

My minor critiques are more around the pacing and overall structure. I feel that at time too much happened in a short time, causing the story to feel rushed. A novel trying to really build a deep and comprehensive world needs to take the time to breathe and do that.

All that said, I’m looking forward to reading the next novel and seeing where Wren’s story goes!

I haven’t just read a fantasy novel in a while and this one really scratched the itch. I really enjoyed Wren (most of the time) and loved Randon, hope to see more of him in the next book! I loved the story even if I didn’t understand what was happening a lot of the time. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves fantasy and female main characters!

Wow. I want to start off by saying thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. The writing is amazing. The ending, leaves me wanting more. The main character, she is so awesome. Its so easy to put yourself in her shoes. Extremely relatable. There is a ton of depth in the story, lore wise. 5/5. Love it!

I feel awful for this but I DNF’d but will explain why, this is my honest thoughts.

The first few pages started out well, it had action and some mystery, but it went slow paced very quickly.

I realised this was a multi person POV however I also felt it was told by a third person and that’s sort of where it lost me because I felt like I couldn’t connect to a single character, and there seemed to be a lot of eye rolling which is slightly juvenile there was no quick background story it threw itself straight in which left me baffled by what I did read.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review.

There’s something really wonderful here, however, I felt that the plot got in the way of a great story.
The story really should have started with her father’s passing instead of her incarceration. It made for too much confusion in the beginning.
I loved how the characters were connected, but unfortunately they were so connected the world started to feel very small.
If the author had scaled back on the plot, and took the time to build the world and the characters more, this would have been a near perfect book for me. Wrens belonging and not belonging really speaks to me. I thought that there were a few moments where PTSD was particularly well described.
I found myself saying that the story could have ended (and been well set up for the next) several chapters earlier, and still don’t feel like there’s a clear picture of the world or the characters motivations.
Like I said, there’s something really great here, it just needs some reorganizing and more dimension in the world.

A unique fantasy read with monsters, magic, and found family. *Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC copy! * Wren, a half elf, had been hidden away by her elven father, who trained her to fight, and above all, stay hidden. After the death of her father, she is mistaken for a rebel and ends up in a dungeon and sentenced to hanging - but after a VERY near-miss encounter with her own death, she escapes and is thrust into a world of creatures from her actual nightmares. Her abilities to “see” and sense these creatures make her a powerful bargaining chip that both kings and rebel forces want on their side, whether Wren wants that or not…
“Something old is awakening, and it knows her name”

I think this story has a lot of potential to continue to get better as it goes on and grow into something epic. For me, the writing in this first installment felt a bit confusing, it felt a bit like certain chapters had been omitted to avoid the story running long, but it ended up making the story feel a bit choppy in certain places. I appreciated the different POVs, but even with those adding context, it still didn’t flow as well as I would’ve hope, and it made it a little bit difficult to get through. I have high hopes for the next installments and am intrigued to see where the story goes from here!

It took me a while to connect with the story because, at the begining it doesn't feel like there was a defined plot.
It's a fantasy world in which the author defines a little the dynamics with the gods, the diferent magical creatures, and the conflicts for power that will happen in the next book, but in my oppinion she did it superficially. Some of those things were mentioned but no context about it.
In general it was a very introductory book, and because of this sometimes it was a bit tedious, but you finish it with the need of reeding the next one. I'll be reading the second one when published to have a better oppinion about the book.

{I am prefacing this review by stating I did not finish reading this book. My opinions are based solely on the first 15%. Please take this into consideration.}

The synopsis of the book was what interested me in requesting an ARC. I enjoy high fantasy with political intrigue and multiple POV’s, and I believe that the story most likely follows through on what is advertised. My DNF is based on the readability of the book.

The writing style is very disjointed and choppy, and I found it incredibly difficult to read. Because of the constant use of short sentences, I felt I had to keep stopping and starting, and it was very jarring and removed me from the flow. There is a lot of telling, rather than showing, which I believe also adds to the disjointed feeling. I believe that the sentences need to be re-formatted to flow better.

Onto the story itself: The book starts with an explosive hook, and I really enjoyed the introduction of fantasy elements from the beginning. There is clearly a lot of thought put into world building, as shown through the unique creatures and curated vocabulary. The strongest part, in my opinion, is the dialogue; I really enjoyed the interactions between the characters.

I struggled to follow the plot, as I found it very confusing to understand where the story was headed. The FMC also seems to have conflicting motives that appear to be due to an unclear character issue rather than an internal struggle. For example, when she is running from the guards, her goal is to find Arlon, then, when she finds him, she decides she needs to leave because it’s too dangerous to stay with him. This makes it difficult to have a clear understanding of her character and her thoughts/decisions.

Overall, I feel like the story has a lot of promise and I enjoy the characters I was able to meet. If the book is edited to be less choppy and the characters are given clearer motives, I would likely give the story another chance.

🗡ARC Review 🗡 A Bird Among Wolves by Tracy Leonard Nakatani @wolfxlady
Releases March 31, 2026.

Thank you to Netgally for allowing me to ARC read this story. This cover caught my eye, and I was hooked! The description mentions fans of Witcher, but for me, Wren's character brought to mind Arya from Game of Thrones - fierce and captivating. The story kicks off with non-stop action, plunging us into Wren's world of grief and discovery. As her old world crumbles, Wren embarks on a journey to uncover her true identity, navigating a web of secrets and stepping into a world she once thought was myth. The plot is gripping, and Wren's story is impossible to put down. I do hate that it has a cliffhanger, but I'll be waiting for the next!