Book Review: Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen

Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen is the third book in the Royal House of Shadows series, which is made of books each by different authors known in the paranormal romance genre. Each of the books starts with a spell intended to save the four royal children of the Elden monarchy as the castle is under siege. The queen's intent scattered the four to safety while the king's filled them each with a desire for vengeance.

In Lord of the Wolfyn readers meet Dayn, the prince that had hunted the dangerous creatures found in the woods around his home in order to protect people. When the spell is cast he has a brief mental conversation with his father to receive his instructions and is then sent through a vortex to a neighboring world that is home to the very creatures he was renowned for hunting. Reda is a police officer that is traumatized by an incident in which she froze and her partner died. She is on leave and trying to make sense of her life when she finds a woodcutter, and then a book, that is identical to a book her mother had shared with her as a child. She is torn between the love and imagination her mother fostered in her, and the order that her father subscribed to with the loss of her mother. She recites the 'spell' her mother taught her from the book returned to her possession and is transported to the same world where Dayn has been awaiting her as his guide for twenty year. This was a promising start to this installment of the series.

Lord of the Wolfyn is the first book I have read from Jessica Andersen, and in general I enjoyed her writing style. I liked the flavors of Little Red Riding Hood in the story, and the use of the old book. I liked that Reda was primed for the adventure through the legends and fairy tales her mother taught her, but she seemed a little stuck in her own head debating each and every move possible and the emotions that she felt. Dayn is also a little too lost in thought, constantly looking to keep Reda around, or send her away to keep her safe. The each realize that they are repeating mistakes from their pasts, which is good, but there is just a little too much introspection, and in some cases paranoia, for my tastes.

That might sound like I did not like the book, but that is not exactly the case. It was a fun, quick read. However, I just thought that there was so much potential in the story that I was a little disappointing with some character aspects of the book. Lord of the Wolfyn is still a good read, just not a great one. I recommend reading it to anyone following the series, or for those that are fans of Andersen. I do plan on looking at least one more book by Andersen to see if her voice still strikes a chord with me, and if her character style holds true in other books, one of her other books just might wow me. I am greatly looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh.