Wolfbreed by S.A. Swann – review

Wolfbreed is a different genre of paranormal for me to read.  Set in 13th-century Prussia, it introduces us to Lilly, one of a group of young werewolves trained by the Teutonic Order to be brutal killing machines for the Church.  They’re treated as animals, albeit highly skilled and useful animals that do the Church’s dirty business of wiping out pagan heretics.

This is by no means a “light” novel.  Violence, brutality, and some of the worst aspects of humankind are frequently described.  The training that Lilly and her packmates endure is only part of it; the Order’s duty to eradicate heathens, or make them see enlightenment (through Christianity) is perhaps the worse part of things.  There is a constant debate of whether the creatures are intelligent animals or abominations of Satan, but in the end it matters little. Brother Seymon believes they are the perfect way to get heretics to come to heel.

Lilly’s escape offers her a chance to experience the world outside of the Order and training.  The warmth and care that Uldolf–a survivor of an attack 8 years prior who is one arm short–and his family provide her gradually convinces Lilly there is a different way.  Lilly in the beginning is very simple, relying almost purely on instinct and understanding very little of what is happening around her.  I liked that even though Lilly was used as a killing machine, she wasn’t just that.  Even as conditioned as she was, she understood kindness and safety, what it meant to “care” for someone.

The Crusades, as well as other atrocities that were performed in the Church’s name, are nothing new to me.  I grew up on the stories because my father thought it was important to understand the difference between a believer and a zealot.  Brother Seymon, the monk who found Lilly’s litter originally and began the training program, is firmly in the zealot camp.  There is no middle ground for him; you either are a Christian and thereby a “good” person, or you a heathen and thereby a “bad” person.  As Lilly grows as a human, she struggles with the knowledge of the past atrocities she’s committed against “bad” people.  The crushing guilt she feels is a palpable and heart-wrenching thing, and she strives to atone for those past deeds.

The relationship that develops between Lilly and Uldolf at first confused me.  Lilly became attached to him for saving her, then because of his kindness towards her.  In many ways it felt like a pet towards its master, because Lilly didn’t understand her feelings at all, and Uldolf was a confused person to begin with.  He was a mass of bitter regret, fear, fierce protectiveness, and ultimately loyalty.  The shocking revelation about Lilly makes his world even murkier, and it’s a hard time for him to come to terms with things.

The ending is almost poetic in both its savagery and justice.  Loose ends are tied up, and Lilly’s fate is revealed.  Despite the darkness of the book, I always felt there was an underlying hope, and the ending provides that hope quite well.  The second book in the series, Wolf’s Cross, can’t come out quickly enough!