Counting Wolves

Soooo.... I thought this book was going to be a really cool, kickass fantasy novel that focused on re-telling popular fairytales in a whole new way, and I was REAAAAALLLLY looking forward to reading it.

I was completely wrong. That was not what this book was at all.

And I absolutely loved it.

This was a beautifully written story of fear, anxiety, false perceptions, friendship, grief, love, and triumph. It was such a good book.

I don't want to go into ANY plot details or mention anything specifically because half the joy of this book comes from not knowing what to expect.

That will, of course, desperately shorten my review, but in this instance, I don't care. It is much better for me to stay silent and let others discover this book with completely open minds.

I will say that it is one of the better books I have read this year, and I highly recommend it to any and all. I am very much looking forward to checking out more books by this author

Wow! This book was truly a page-turner! I was sucked into this book from the beginning. I laughed, I rolled my eyes, I found myself rooting on these awesome characters. I really want a friend like Vanet! This is the second book I have read by this author and I'm finding myself wanting to read more.

Amazing! I got lost in this book! So many wonderful characters and plot twists! Wonderful read!

A strongly written YA story about anxiety, fear, mental illness and the thoughts we allow to become our truths. This is an excellent book and would be a great starting point for a discussion or book group. Although an extreme, it focuses also on the types of thoughts that are very common and how they can sometimes take over.

Because it was described as Breakfast Club meets Grimm’s Fairy Tales I had a certain idea of what I thought it was going to be but when I actually started reading it – WOW, my mental picture was WAY OFF! In some ways though it did have a faint reminiscent retelling of the aspect of Alice in Wonderland’s story when she learns to face her fears and overcome them.

This book will not be what you expect especially after you read the synopsis, just be prepared to be blow away. It’s not very long so I highly recommend tuning out from the world for a bit because it’s so much better if you can just binge your way through it in one sitting. His characters with a fairy tale bent will endear themselves to you and you will find yourself wanting to know how their lives go beyond the pages.

Stewart has created a world that feels so real you will become absorbed in this book and begin to forget the world around you as reality and fantasy begin to melt together just like what his characters are going through. There is a touching balance between humor and heartfelt in a novel that at its heart shows the simplicity in finding normalcy in an out of control world. I did appreciate the compassionate and beautiful way the author dealt with mental health issues.

I actually envy all new readers to this book because you get to experience the magic of this for the first time. Enjoy the feelings of amazement and wonder that will follow you through this fantastical journey of finding friendship in the place you least expect it.

Milly is hunted by the wolves of her mind and sees no way to keep them at bay other than her counting ritual. This is a fairy tale, with evil stepmothers who are not what they seem, and a girl lost in the deep dark woods. But this is no ordinary fairy tale; when Milly is admitted to a psychiatric unit of a local hospital for her obsessions, will the wolf finally eat her alive, or will she triumph? This is an amazing story about mental illness, triumphs and heartbreaks, and the power of everlasting love.

An amazing story that keeps you wondering a) is the wolf real?, b) is Milly just suffering from the effects of losing her mom and having to deal with her father's new wife?) or c) does she really have mental problems beyond severe OCD that only the medical community can address? This had me guessing until the very end. The characters are well developed and so believable! I loved how Milly finds her answers, especially who is "good" in her life. I really enjoyed this one!

Counting Wolves is the story of Milly Malone. A girl who is being stalked by the Wolf. A wolf who will claw at her and drag her to the Dark Wood if she doesn't use her magic to stop it. Milly's evil step mother checks her into a hospitals psych ward, exactly where the Wolf wants her. A ward run by witches and toads, where she meets other teens who are fairytale characters come to life. Will Milly get out of the psych ward before the Wolf gets her? Read Counting Wolves and see.

I really enjoyed this story. It wasn't what I expected from the blurb. It says Breakfast Club meets Grimm's fairytales, and I definitely see that, but I also get a lighter Donnie Darko. Counting Wolves was a unique take on mental illness and a young mind. The perfect mixture of coming of age and illness. Do I think that this story is perfectly accurate, probably not, but it FEELS pretty close. It feels right. The way Stewart has the story written makes you really feel what's going on in Milly's mind. You believe her. You trust her. You're right there with her. Which makes all of the revelations feel that much more rewarding. Each layer that unfolds as you read is exciting and even sometimes upsetting. I laughed as I read. I teared up as I read. I even got a little angry as I read. An emotional read.


This was such a good read. If you like YA that isn't all that it seems then this is the story for you!

A powerful and incredibly moving book about teenage mental health, this book will stay with the reader long after they turn the final page.
When we meet Milly, we learn immediately that there is something unusual about her, she is unable to speak or pass through a doorway without silently counting to a hundred, and this makes her life difficult in every way you could imagine. If she doesn't something very bad will happen, and the wolf that lingers in her shadow will pounce. When an incident at school causes her to black out, her stepmother insists that she needs treatment, and Milly is hospitalised in a paediatric psych ward. While struggling to deal with her own problems, she must live, and get along with a diverse group of similarly troubled teens, including Pig, who has a fascination with fire, Vanet, a cocky young man with manic highs and troubling lows, and the mysterious Wolfgang, who hides away from the world.
As she opens up to her personal problems and starts to interact more with her companions, she makes her way from the Dark Wood that holds her back , and may even defeat the Wolf that keeps her down
An immensely clever book, heartbreaking at times in the honesty of its depiction of the issues faced by many of its characters, this was so well put together that I found myself reluctant to put it down until I knew Milly was safe. The use of fairy tale metaphors was particularly well thought out and executed, and in the context of the story being told, they added a wonderful air of the eerie .
I read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

The synopsis begun with "The Breakfast Club meets Grimm's Fairy Tales in the lair of an adolescent psych ward", and I needed to know nothing more to be intrigued!

This was a superbly clever novel that used recognisable fairy tale imagery to depict the harsh reality of mental illness. Protagonist, Milly, is both heroine and sufferer. She guides the reader through her world of fear and mistrust and, through her eyes, we begin to see and to feel that whilst all that haunts her might be in her head it is no less real and harmful because of that fact.

The grace and sensitivity mental illness is treated with made this a poignant and heartfelt read. The characters also added a degree of hilarity and authenticity to this piece in the way they reacted to the suffering of both those around them and themselves (political correctness is clearly not a concern!). It was actually refreshing to see how mental illness can be confronted with brutal honesty and an often off-humour colour and yet not become debilitating because of this. This was an inclusive and authentic portrayal that used fantastical elements to draw out the truth of a very-real illness. If only more books could confront an issue in such a complexly clever and effortlessly illuminating way!

Boldly tackling issues of mental health, Michael F. Stewart tells the story in an honest and realistic way with hints of classic fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, etc., almost like a fairy tale retelling but with mental health issues.

A unique way of describing Anxiety and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), Counting Wolves made me look at a different side to OCD. I've seen people suffering from OCD in real life but I think what I've seen are the stereotypical side to OCD where one is obsessed with cleanliness and get paranoid when one sees disorganized things and dirty stuff. But with this book, I learned how different people suffer from OCD in different ways.

In this book for instance, our main character is obsessed with counting 1 to 100 before opening a door, before taking another bite of her food, before talking and before doing other things. If she doesn't do this, she feels that the wolf will catch her and that something bad might happen not to herself but to someone else. This was her way of protecting those who she cares about.

As a reader, I know it's all just in her head and our main character, Milly, knows this as well. That it's all just in her head but with OCD and anxiety, she can't help herself from obsessing and being anxious. It feels so real to her, that she can almost touch the wolf.

At first, I was annoyed by the counting and it made me impatient. I can imagine how the people around Milly felt when she had to count to a hundred before responding but as the story progressed, I slowly understood her and came to enjoy every bit of the book. You can see the growth of the main character as well as the supporting characters and not only them, but as the reader, you grow along with them too.

I like how the counselors handled them and the techniques used and how trained they are. I'm happy for Milly that she was brought to the care of professionals who really know what they're doing and who are dedicated to doing their jobs because it is not always 100% guaranteed that when you go to a professional to seek for help with regards to your mental disorder, they will be able to help you. Countless lives were taken by suicide because not even therapy have helped them and a lot of sufferers have given up. It's a sad fact but true nonetheless. But this book makes us realize that as long as there's life, there is hope.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16…...59, 60, 61, 62, 63...95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100.
The title, COUNTING WOLVES, is perfect for this book. I really can’t explain more without a spoiler, and I won’t do that. I do think you will agree with me after you have finished the book.

The characters have to be my favorite aspect of this book. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16…...59, 60, 61, 62, 63...95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 in writing Milly, Stewart helps the reader feel her frustration by having the numbers 1-100 that she must count before each activity in the book. As the reader, you are ready to move on, but you must wait until she reaches 100. Your frustration rises as the counting continues again, again, again, and again. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16…...59, 60, 61, 62, 63...95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 Each character is written in such detail, and they are so realistic. Yes, there is some adult topics and language but how can you realistically address life without the dialogue and actions being believable? Not very many authors can pull off having so many mentally ill characters. They each have issues they need to overcome. I love how each character is a perfect stand-alone but works so much better in unison with one or more of the other characters. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16…...59, 60, 61, 62, 63...95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 Each character contributes so much to the book. I found myself going through such a vast range of emotions. I believe I hit them all: pity, rage, sadness, joy, hatred, understanding, frustration… The character will find a special place in your heart-some at the bottom others right smack in the middle.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16…...59, 60, 61, 62, 63...95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 COUNTING WOLVES is another book that address mental health issues in young adults. There are so many issues addressed but each is handled with sensitivity and respect. I like how Stewart doesn’t just touch and go with some of the illnesses. He dives right in and exposes them for what they really are. I believe it will open some eyes as to what some young adults face. I think exposing young adults to situations like the ones covered in the book will help them understand mental illness and the people that suffer from them. It is time we stop sweeping mental illness under the rug!!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16…...59, 60, 61, 62, 63...95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100 I believe that after you read COUNTING WOLVES you will be a changed person. I know I was! This book is now on my top books I have read list.

This book was so hard to put down! I read it in two sittings only because I HAD to sleep. This story is so magical and so is this author's writing style. The story just flows so beautifully. Yes, fairy tales are a huge part of Molly's story and so is her mental illness. I don't want to spoil anything for you in this book but it is intriguing, eye opening and life changing. It will stick with you. I highly recommend this novel, you won't be disappointed! I absolutely loved this book!

Copy given by publisher and NetGalley for a fair & honest review.

I am so glad I purchased this book for my library. It is so different from any other teen book dealing with mental illness, that I have ever read. It's heartbreaking, clever, and funny all at the same time. There are times when you will think that maybe you shouldn't be laughing, but you won't be able to help yourself. I love how the author intertwines fairy tales with the main character's mental illness and ties it all together. The main character feels so real that I felt like I was going through everything with her! So many feels!!! All of the other characters in the book will win your heart too! In the end, this is an important book for teens and adults to read. I look forward to purchasing more books by this author in the future!

Thank you to Michael F. Stewart and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

I picked up this book as it reminded me of a book I read when I was younger, Kissing Doorknobs by Terry Spencer. It was a book that opened my mind to OCD and mental disorders, anxiety, and also fueled my interest in Ellen Hopkin's wonderful works as well. Stewart's novel reminded me of all these novels I devoured but was so well written that it felt like a fairytale itself.

This story did not disappoint. It was filled with the disillusion of fairytales the hyperawareness of anxiety and the struggle that people face when diagnosed. I loved the idea Stewart created with the wolves and constant counting as a magical spell. It was beautifully written and something I will highly recommend to any all readers out there.

I would like to give a huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed reading it. ❤

Counting Wolves utterly took my breath away. I went into this novel without knowing what I should expect. That makes the things which I take away from the novel to be much more meaningful and precious. The author has done a fantastic job in using fairytales as an avenue to portray the image and importance of mental illnesses.

The world which Michael F. Stewart crafted feels so real and lifelike. Not only that, we get to see the world from the perspective of Milly’s eyes, thoughts, and beliefs. By stepping in her shoes, I’m able to see the world in a different light and feel her fears, thoughts, distrust, and things which haunt her. The novel also shows how painful and harmful mental illnesses could affect Milly. Sometimes, all we have to do is to just see the situation from another angle to see it from a different light. There are also times where we are so blinded because of fear and/or anger and that impedes us from thinking rationally.

Every single character in this novel has their own struggles and hurdles to overcome. In a way, the author portrays their personality and character so brilliantly that I’m able to relate to them. Counting Wolves is definitely a beautiful and eye-opening novel which will stick with me for years to come.

I’m not going to spoil the story for others who have yet to read this novel. I strongly recommend those who have yet to pick up Counting Wolves to do so soon as this novel is definitely a must-read. Michael is an amazing author for writing this novel in such a unique way that makes it such an easy read while addressing and portraying such an important message.