Promise of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst

Reading Level: Adult
(4 out of 5) WHAT IS THE PROMISE OF THE WOLF?

Never consort with humans. Never kill a human unprovoked. Never allow a mixed-blood wolf to live. At least that’s what the wolves of the Wide Valley believe. Until a young wolf dares to break the rules—and forever alters the relationship between wolves and the humans who share their world. Born of a forbidden mixed-blood litter and an outcast after her mother is banished, Kaala is determined to earn a place in the Swift River pack. But her world is turned upside down when she saves a human girl from drowning. Risking expulsion from their pack and banishment from the Wide Valley, Kaala and her young packmates begin to hunt with the humans and thus discover the long-hidden bond between the two clans. But when war between wolves and humans threatens, Kaala learns the lies behind the wolf’s promise. Lies that force her to choose between safety for herself and her friends and the survival of her pack—and perhaps of all wolf- and humankind (taken from http://www.dorthyhearst.com/).

I actually put this book on hold thinking it was about werewolves. When I received the book and read the synopsis I realized I had been mistaken. At first I didn't know if I wanted to read a book about wolves, but I started reading the first page and then the next and so on until the book was finished. I really enjoyed this book. The emotions and everyday turmoil that wolves go through, people go through. Kaala is not accepted by her pack but she is determined to earn respect. She fights from a early age for her survival. She wants to follow the rules but by breaking them she learns more and more. What she learns is that not everything is what it seems.