Full review to come, but this was a thrilling and emotional instalment brining the overall series to a final close. By the end I was a mess. Michelle has really outdone herself with this one. I’m just so sad that this is actually the end. Can we get another 3 books in 10 years time like we have with Viper’s Daughter, Skin Taker and Wolfbane?! Please. 😭🐺💫🌳🌲 Torak and Wolf, aided by Naiginn's father, Marupai and a young halfman (girl) named Shamik from the Narwhal clan, trace Naiginn and Renn to the Edge of the World, a volcanic opening where an opening to the demonic Otherworld can be found. Naiginn wants to use the power of the Edge of the World to allow Renn to break his curse, but the proximity of flames (counter to Naiginn's nature as an ice demon) weaken him. Renn escapes and Wolf summons the ancient spirits of the long-dead mammoths to hunt the demons, who fear them. Naiginn disappears and Torak, Renn, Wolf and Shamik (eager to escape the abuse she suffers from the Narwhals) return to the Forest. However, although they promise to tell each other the truth from that moment onwards, Renn does not tell Torak that she is still seeing visions of Seshru.

As well as loving the main plot with Torak, Renn and Wolf, I got great joy from getting to see more from Dark (which I have loved in this continuation trilogy as we met him so late in Ghost Hunter). In this book Dark gets a beautiful personal plot which was wonderful to read, especially in a much loved childrens series and I’m glad that it was something Paver thought to include for him. I don’t think that I’ve ever cried to much at any book, I’m glad that I chose to read the last 20% alone because I was a mess! I am very eager for my final copy to arrive at the end of April so I can reread this story with the art and maps that usually accompany these books. Michelle Paver is well known for her meticulous research and this shines through in every story she crafts. The settings are authentic, her descriptions of nature are incredible and every situation she places her characters in, is one that she has experienced herself in some way. I love the fact that she includes an author's note at the end which gives the reader a small glimpse into the research that she has carried out in the process of writing the book.During a "Michelle Live" live stream on YouTube and twitch on 30 March 2020, Paver herself revealed that she has just completed a deal with Kindle Entertainment and Lionsgate and that a live action TV series will be made based on the series. Paver said "I've had more meetings with producers about Wolf Brother than I can remember but Anne Brogan and Melanie Stokes from Kindle Entertainment stood out from the very first time I met them. They knew the series inside out and – a big plus for me – their children were fans. Wolf Brother fans have extremely high expectations for a television series and Anne and Mel share the same burning desire to create a legendary series. I'm entrusting them with the lives of Torak, Renn and Wolf! I know they will be in safe hands." I've thought a lot about howmany books I would like to try and read this year. I am setting myself up a reading journal... as if I don't record my reads in enough places. I use Goodreads, obviously... I use an app called Bookly which has changed my life. It records how longyou read, tells you how fast you read, gives you so many stats... I LOVE IT! I also have a note open in my notes app which I update with what I've read as I finish it, but I wanted somewherephysically to hopefully keep a couple ofyears worth of reads all in one place together.Whether I keep it running or not will be something elsealtogether but we'll see...

Wolfbane is the emotional and intense conclusion to The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. Following Wolf, Renn, Torak and Dark in their final battle against the evil plaguing the Forest, Naiginn the ice demon. Chronicles of Ancient Darkness is a series of historical fantasy novels by the British author Michelle Paver; her first books for children. [1] The books chronicle the adventures of Torak, an adolescent boy, and his friends Renn and Wolf. The main story arc revolves around Torak and his quest to defeat the Soul Eaters, a group of power hungry mages who seek out to destroy all life in the forest. Paver has called it simply "a single story: the tale of Torak's discovery of himself and his world." [1] Fin-Kedinn is the wise leader of the Raven Clan, Renn's uncle and eventually Torak's foster father. In the past he was best friends with Torak's father and his brother Tenris, both of whom were ambitious to become mages. Fin-Kedinn was in love with Torak's mother, but she loved Fa, Torak's father, and followed him into exile when they fled the Soul-Eaters. Fin-Kedinn has won the respect of all the clans and even that of Wolf, who admire the 'lead wolf who smells of raven' because he has the habits of a wolf, such as only sleeping for short periods of time. Although impassive and refusing to show emotion, Fin-Kedinn cares deeply for both Renn and Torak. Can easily be read as a standalone novel, so skilful is the storytelling... Paver powerfully presents a world view that's magical but never primitive' Financial Times on Skin Taker The actual ending itself was so beautifully written. As the book races to a thrilling conclusion, it's obvious that the danger is too high. People are going to get hurt. Again, no spoilers but I said to Michelle during a live stream event that she needed to campaign for her publishers to make Wolf branded tissues because they would be needed and I still stand by that. I've read the book twice now and I have to say I cried as much the second time reading it as I did the first and I am not ashamed to admit that! I have spent so much time with these characters, within this world. 18 years. It is hard not to form an attachment. This series has been so influential for me. I've met Michelle several times and every time I have gushed about how much these books have

Paver researched extensively while developing the book. In addition to academic study, she travelled to north-eastern Finland, where she trekked with a field guide over 300 miles across the forests. To understand life in the New Stone Age, they used tools and clothing that would have been available 6000 years ago, slept in a traditional laavu shelter in a sleeping bag made of reindeer skin, and ate only foods that Stone-Age hunter-gatherers would have. In addition, she spent time at a wolf reserve studying the wolves and observing their behavior, and also named the main character "Torak." From the one of the wolves in the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. [7]