Moonlight Gleam's Bookshelf: Amarok by Angela J. Townsend

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Amarok by Angela J. Townsend

Title: Amarok

Author: Angela J. Townsend
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Format: ARC
Publication Date: November 20, 2012
Overall: 5/5
Source: From Publisher For Review

Emma's life has been hell since she moved from sunny California to a remote Alaskan town. Abandoned by her father and living with the guilt of causing her mother's death, she makes a desperate dash for freedom from her abusive stepfather. But when her car skids off the icy road, her planned escape leads to further captivity in a world beyond her imagining.

Dragged across the tundra by an evil mountain man and his enormous black wolf, she learns that love can be found in the most unexpected places. Amarok, as she's nicknamed the wolf, is a young man from the gold-rush era enslaved by an ancient shaman. Emma's gentle touch and kind heart win his love and devotion. When a vicious madman--trapped in bear form by the same Shaman--attacks the travelers and injures Amarok, Emma must find the strength to face her fears and free the wolf she's come to love. But that means she must face down the evil shaman, a Siberian mammoth hunter from the ice age, and he has no intention of giving up his power to her.

Review:

What if you were trapped inside the body of a wolf, and as the years pass, you desperately cling to any humanity that is left within you as it all slowly begins to slip away? How would you hold on to it, and keep from forgetting all that you knew before enslavement?

After running away from an abusive household, Emma is captured by a sinister man and dragged to his cabin deep in the woods. The man is accompanied by a wolf that Emma comes to nickname Amarok. Emotions stir within Amarok when he meets Emma, and as they befriend one another, Amarok discovers that she makes him feel human again. Amarok decides then that he must do everything in his power to protect her from his master. When the tables turn and Emma realizes that Amarok is also in need of help, what will she do?

My favorite aspect of Amarok was that it was written in alternating point of views. This gives readers the whole picture surrounding the main characters as well as it gives readers a sense of all the emotions that each character experiences. The characters had depth and there was a perfect amount of background revealed within the story. I also appreciated that the book cover reflected what was described within the novel, in addition to being attractive.

Amarok is a beautifully written Young Adult novel with a unique Paranormal Romance twist. The characters were engaging and although the novel was short, there was a lot packed into those few pages. I am definitely looking forward to reading more by Angela Townsend, and I am personally hoping that there will be a sequel to Amarok *hint hint Angela!* :).

I definitely recommend Amarok, Young Adult and Paranormal Romance lovers won’t want to miss this!