Begin the fangirling – A Companion to Wolves

So. This book. Somewhat infamous, mostly because if you read truepenny talking about it at all you will come across her referring to some of the events that happen as ‘semi-consensual homosexual gangbangs’.
And although only applicable once, maybe twice, that description is quite apt.

However, for the other two hundred and ninety pages, it isn’t.

Anyway, I should begin this (somewhat) properly.
It’s very bildungsroman, a very Nordic genre for a very Nordic inspired story. (Okay, the term is German, but close enough.) Isolfr (Njall at the beginning) grows and matures along the course of the story and it pretty much reads like many a shonen manga that way. Except then you have the whole ‘semi-consensual homosexual gangbangs’ part and the fact he ends up with two guys. So it’s kind of shonen mixed up with a lot of BL.

Which leads to my next point. Kind of.
( Isolfr is some weird combination of Kurogane, Fai and Watanuki. Brawny, pale and fun to read about. )

( I should really mention Viradechtis at this point )

( And a bit about Gunnar... )

( Some particularly memorable moments.. )

My verdict on this is that it’s a great read is you like any of the following: shonen manga, yaoi/BL, threesomes, shameless female characters and Viking fantasy.
You won’t be distracted by secondary characters too much, if at all. I didn’t feel guilty about liking Viradechtis more than Isolfr, because she IS the second main character, even if she isn’t human. And well, if you really do find yourself distracted by Tin and the other svartalfar, there’s four? three? other books forthcoming, the first of which is seems to be about them, if the title is anything to go by.

So, definitely recommended.