Book Review: Grey Stone by Jean Knight Pace and Jacob Kennedy

Rating: ★★★★★

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Publisher: Ink Smith Publishing

Publication Date: July 22, 2016

The race of wolves have ruled the kingdom mercilessly for many thousands of years, walking all over the dogs and humans that live there, but is equality really worth fighting for, with everything that would be lost?

When a dog and her pups are attacked by a wolf sent to dispose of them, Pietr doesn’t hesitate to grab the one pup that’s set at his feet, the only one of the litter he can save, and take it back to his village. When the mother arrives not long after and collapses at his doorstep, his mother tends to her wounds and soon buries her after the dog succumbs. But in the attack, one of the King’s wolves is killed, and it’s a crime to kill a wolf, punishable by death. As the dog is no longer around to pay for her crime, guilt falls on the shoulders of those who aided her, and Pietre hides, helpless, as his father is carted away to what will surely be his death.

On the other side of the kingdom, Prince Wittendon is gearing up for the Motteral Mal, a massive tournament held among the wolves every hundred years. As the king’s eldest, it’s his job to win against the fierce competition. Only, there’s one problem: he’s verlorn. He has no magic. It’s practically a death sentence against all the powerful magic users he’ll be facing in the tournament, and as talented as his best friend and mentor Sarak is, not even his training can fix that.

It is Wittendon who is sent to the village to retrieve Pietre’s father, who sacrifices himself rather than letting the wolves take his wife. When he leaves, he touches foreheads with his wife—a gesture that is inconceivable among the wolves. Wittendon is intrigued by this closeness and warmth share between family members. This interest only deepens when he notices Pietre risking his life to sneak to the mines to visit his father. The more Wittendon thinks about it, the more it seems these humans aren’t the weak, pathetic animals wolves consider them to be.

All the while, a storm is brewing that’s been centuries in the making. There’s unrest among the humans, but they’re too weak to fight. There’s unrest among the dogs, but they refuse to fight. There’s unrest among the wolves, but they have no reason to fight. Yet somehow, something must be done before the wolves become too powerful and the other two races are crushed beneath their paws.

• There is something about this writing style that I’m just absolutely in love with. I said this when I read Grey Lore, and I’ll say it again. It’s very folklore-ish and just invokes a wonderful feeling that transports me into the plot and takes me along for a ride. There weren’t any major scenes that jumped out at me as being dull or boring. It moved along quick enough to keep my attention and always leave me wanting more, but slow enough where I wasn’t lost in the lack of details somewhere.

 

• Zinnegael is an easy favorite, since her character is just brilliant. She’s smart and witty and powerful and obviously has it all figured out. I love the cat-and-mouse game she plays with the king. She’s a bit overpowered, but it’s not overdone and she has her limitations. I just really enjoyed her. I’d go have tea with her any day, if only I were invited.

 

• I need a Humphrey. He’s such a good boy. He’s loyal to Pietre, but strong and adorable. He knows there’s no place for him in this world, as the dogs won’t take him and the wolves want him dead, yet he’s determined to make one for himself and refuses to give up. 10/10 would give a bone.

 

• The lore is really marvelously done. Worldbuilding isn’t easy, but I slipped into this world quite nicely and loved the way it was built up and the lore and tales that are told about the world. It really brought the setting to life, and they were foreboding and lovely to read.

 

• The moral questions that are raised in this are poignant and meaningful. Because nothing comes easy, right? Not even for Wittendon and especially not for anyone else in the kingdom. There were so many issues that were explored, from class issues to race issues to loyalty and sacrifice and love and destiny. None of them felt like lectures or after-school specials, but they arose naturally because that’s what the characters themselves were facing. There was just so much depth there, and because these are pertinent issues in life, it made me connect to the characters all the more.

 

• I laughed. I cried. I swore a few times. As I said before, I was pretty invested in these characters because I connected with them, and they pretty much run the gamut personality-wise. Each character had their own personal challenges and backstories that were slowly drudged up and placed nicely into the plot in the appropriate places, right where they tugged at my heartstrings the most. Everyone has secrets, and nothing is as it first seems.

• I was already familiar with this world and still ended up confused at the beginning. The feeling didn’t last long, but it did take a little while for me to get my bearings when I started the book and get a feel for the setting. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and since it’s a high fantasy, it took a little time for it to actually make sense.

 

• I was a bit disappointed with Zinder’s role. I won’t say much because spoilers, but it seemed like he was going to play this major, pivotal role, and he sort of did, but it wasn’t really what I was expecting. Maybe I just misread where it was going, but I didn’t like the way his arc ended. It felt sudden and anticlimactic, considering how it was built up. He seemed to be shaping up to be a really interesting character, and I felt like he ended up more as a deus ex machina than anything.

 

• The plot twists were somewhat predictable. Then again, I’ve been told I’m really good at spotting plot twists or predicting how something is going to end, so there’s that. However, by the time the most pivotal moments came, it was old news. Most of the time, I already knew what the big reveal was going to be. Still, that didn’t make the scenes any more boring. Actually, I was almost more excited to see how it was going to go down, since I knew it was coming.

So, I read Grey Lore first because I didn’t realize they were related, which is probably not a great idea. The two books can stand alone, but some of the characters make a reappearance in Grey Lore, so it makes more sense to start here. I mean, that being said, I was very excited to see the old characters I loved from that have a place here. Writing this review was hard, because while I really enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it, I feel like everything is woven so tightly together that I can’t boil the plot down all that easily and I’m not sure how much I can give away without actually ruining it. Everything works together like a well-rehearsed dance, where everything happens exactly when and where it needs to, and I don’t want to be the clumsy oaf barreling through knocking everyone else over. So all I can say is that it was a great read, and I would highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.