Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky

 In this second book of The Final Architecture trilogy, Tchaikovsky picks up right where Shards of Earth left off. Both books have interesting characters and compelling storylines.

The Architects have returned after eighty years, following an uneasy, peaceful reprieve for the planets that house the humans and aliens who inhabit them. An Architect is attacking Arc Pallator, a Hegemonic world that contains a vast collection of Originators artifacts. The crew of the Vulture God is on the planet when the attack begins, and Idris is kidnapped once again. This time, his kidnappers want him to use his Intermediary skills to unlock the mystery of unspace and help find the origins of the Architects.

Tchaikovsky does an excellent job of world-building and creating alien cultures. In this fast-paced novel, he advances the main storyline of the series — finding ways to defeat the Architects — and moves into a more cerebral context, exploring the creation of unspace. There is still plenty of action, however, to satisfy even the most ardent space opera lovers. This is a wonderful series, and I'll be sad when it wraps up. 

4.5/5 stars.

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Whidbey by T Kira Madden

 

This is a book whose characters and their lives will haunt you long after you've finished it. It comes with a warning; the subject matter is sexual abuse and its effects on the victims. At times disturbing, it also raises questions about our justice system and rehabilitation methods.

Birdie, sexually abused by Calvin at age nine, is fleeing the publicity of a recently published book about Calvin's victims. She heads to remote Whidbey Island, Washington, as far from her New York City home as she can get. On the ferry to the island, Birdie meets a man who offers to kill recently paroled Calvin, thus removing the threat and satisfying her need for revenge.

Calvin's mother, Mary-Beth, is a victim of circumstance. Shunned in the small community for proclaiming her son a victim of promiscuous girls, her mother's love blinds her to the truth. When Calvin is brutally murdered, Mary-Beth again becomes a victim, this time by what she sees as inaction on the part of the police to find the killer. 

Linzie, famous for her meltdown on a reality TV show, is another of Calvin's victims. She has just published a tell-all book about her and other victims' experiences. Her thinly disguised descriptions of other victims make them easy to identify, leading Birdie to go into hiding.

Told from multiple points of view, this is about how the trauma of a sexual assault can have life-changing repercussions. I considered not finishing this book because of how upset I got over what happened to Birdie and Linzie.  Although Madden deftly handles the description of the assaults both girls suffered, it was still depressing. But I read on because it's an important topic and one that needs exploring. I could have done without the explicit descriptions of Birdie and her partner's lovemaking. I'm not a prude, but it was just too much information. 

4/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Mariner Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is March 10, 2026.

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The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

 

The last Dan Brown book I read was The Da Vinci Code, and I enjoyed it. On a whim, I decided to read this latest book, number six in the series. I was pleasantly surprised to find it read as a standalone and was almost as good as I remembered The Da Vinci Code being.

Robert Langdon and his romantic partner, Katherine Solomon, are in Prague for a conference where Solomon is presenting a paper on the nature of human consciousness. Solomon is ready to submit her book on the same topic when her publishing house comes under attack, and all copies of her book are deleted. Simultaneously, Langdon finds the body of a prominent Czech scientist, who has been brutally murdered. Katherine disappears, and Langdon is on the run from the Czech police, who think he killed the scientist. The murder appears to be tied to Solomon's discoveries, and it's up to Langdon to find the link and the missing Katherine.

This is a well-researched book that lays out the theory of human consciousness in an understandable way. It explores the science and moral implications of this thought-provoking theory in a manner that captures the imagination. I especially enjoyed the moral implications of using the findings as a military weapon. Brown explores both the positive and negative aspects of this moral dilemma, but leaves it up to the reader to draw their own conclusions. The Secret of Secrets is a suspenseful, thought-provoking read. 

4.5/5 stars.

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When I Kill You by B.A. Paris

 

B.A. Paris, the queen of thrillers, is back with another suspenseful novel. When I Kill You is a disquieting look into the mind of two stalkers and their victims.

Twenty-two-year-old Elle Nugent witnesses a young woman getting into a car with a man Elle has just run into. When the woman is later found murdered, Elle, frustrated by the lack of progress by the police, begins to stalk the man--with devastating consequences.

Fourteen years later. Elle has changed her name to Nell Masters and is successfully running a nonprofit. When Nell begins to feel like she is being followed, the shoe is on the other foot. Fearing for her life from her stalker, Nell thinks her past has caught up to her and desperately tries to find out who her stalker is and why they are after her.

Initially told through the perspectives of Elle, Nell, and Nell's stalker, the book examines why Elle became a stalker. Later, when Nell is being stalked, the reader is taken into the mind of a terrified woman who no longer trusts those around her. This is a fast-paced book that is both eerie and frightening. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but Elle's incredibly poor decisions were so off-putting that I had no sympathy for her. I did figure out who Nell's stalker was early on, but it was interesting to watch how paranoid Nell became. 

3.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is February 17, 2026.

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Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

 

This is the first book in The Final Architecture series, and it's a winner. With an intriguing plot, excellent world-building, and imaginative characters, it kept me reading late into the night.

Idris, as a much sought-after Intermediary navigator, and Solace, a warrior of the Parthenon sisterhood, have survived the Architect war. Now, years later, they encounter one another again when Solace joins the ship Idris pilots in hopes of enticing him to join her and the Parthenon. But Idris, Solace, and the Vulture God's crew, who have found a missing ship that shows evidence of an Architect attack, are suddenly on the run from gangsters and others who may benefit from the return of the Architects. The Architects, moon-sized entities that attack populated planets and reshape them into desolate works of art, have been missing since Idris and other Intermediaries deterred them to end the war. If they are back, it signals the beginning of a new war. 

This is a well-crafted space opera. The story is easy to follow, and the characters and alien species are distinctive. The suspense is riveting, and the action scenes are not overly drawn out. This is the first Adrian Tchaikovsky book I've read, and I can't wait to explore more of his books. 

5/5 stars.

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The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

 

I'm always a bit wary of books that other readers rave about. I think that I'm more critical than many and am often disappointed by what others consider an outstanding read. That is not the case with The Correspondent. It captured my attention from the first page, and I read late into the night to find out what happened next.

Sybil Van Antwerp is now in her seventies. A lifelong letter writer, she believes in the written word, shuns email, and saves all of the letters she receives. Many of her letters are to fellow book enthusiasts, with some to authors whose books have moved her. A former lawyer and law clerk, Sybil, divorced mother of two, now faces a bleak future. Her eyesight is failing, and to the independent Sybil, this is tantamount to a death sentence. 

We follow Sybil through the years as she confronts her challenges, faces up to her mistakes, and reaches out to help others--all through her correspondence. We come to know her best friend, Rosalie, her brother, Felix, a product support person, and many others who touch her life. This is a charming story, while exploring the pain of the death of a child, and the challenges that face us all as we age. I highly recommend this book. 

5/5 stars.

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The Final Problem by Arturo Perez-Reverte

 If you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes and the Golden Age of movies, you'll love this book. With a nod to Agatha Christie and her locked-room mysteries, this book has it all.

In June 1960, a storm stranded an eclectic group of travelers on a remote Greek island. When one of them is found dead in a locked boat house, an apparent suicide victim, the remaining members turn to Ormand "Hopalong" Basil, a fading actor best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, to look into the death. With a Spanish dime-novel writer, Paco Foxa, as his Watson, Basil quickly determines that the woman was murdered. After a second body is discovered, the surviving members begin pressuring Basil for answers. Basil and Foxa realize that the killer is taunting them and their amateur crime-solving abilities. Relying on the Sherlock Holmes books and their own deductive reasoning, the pair begin to unwind the murders. 

Both main characters have encyclopedic knowledge of the Sherlock Holmes stories and frequently quote them to each other. This can be tedious at times, but it fits the novel's theme. I enjoyed the transition from Basil as a has-been actor to a crime solver. From his initial bumbling attempts, he becomes a formidable detective. With its fast pace and red herrings, Perez-Reverte does an excellent job of keeping the reader on their toes. 

4/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Mulholland Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is February 10, 2026.

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Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks

Banks plays with the creation myth to excellent effect in this ninth book in his Culture series. This, combined with his world-building and unusual pan-humans, makes Surface Detail one of his best books yet. 

 Lededje is an Intagliated. A person whose tattoos cover not just her skin, but extend to her internal organs as well. She is owned by Jolier Veppers, the wealthiest and most influential man in the Enablement. Veppers thinks he has killed her after another escape attempt, but unknown to either of them, Lededje has had a Culture neural lace implant that allows her to assume a new body. 

 There is a war being waged between those who oppose the generated Pavulean Hell and those who see Hell as both a deterrent and a punishment. Journalists Chay and Prin gain access to Hell to report on what happens there, only for Chay to be trapped after they attempt to escape. 

 Vatueil is a conscript whose job is to help build a tunnel to a castle that is under siege. When the tunnelers encounter a deadly gas, Vatueil is one of the few survivors. He switches sides to join the castle dwellers, only to be tortured and, he thought, killed. 

 The book follows these main characters, and I was left wondering how Banks would weave their storylines together. It took over 600 pages, but he did it! There were quite a few minor characters, almost too many to keep track of, but their roles were essential to the main characters, and they did advance the story. I loved the philosophical discussion about Hell and Chay's experiences. The pacing dragged at times, and I felt there were unnecessary f-bombs throughout, but overall, this is another good addition to the Culture series. 

4/5 stars.

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Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbo

Jo Nesbo has taken a page from his excellent Harry Hole series to craft the character Bob Oz, a flawed detective with a drinking problem, in this stand-alone Nordic noir thriller. Set in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nesbo shows he's just as good at writing a novel set in America as he is in his native Norway.

In 2022, Holger Rudi, an aspiring Norwegian crime writer, sets his eye on an old serial murder case that occurred in Minneapolis in 2016. His interest in the case is complicated and not without bias. He begins his research by visiting the old crime scenes and familiarizing himself with the city and the culture.

In 2016, a police homicide detective, Bob Oz, was the first on the scene of the attempted murder of a gun dealer. Oz learns that another tenant in the apartment building, Tomas Gomez, may be the gunman. Oz begins an unofficial investigation just as another shooting occurs, this time with deadly consequences, and Oz is sure it's Gomez behind the attacks. As Oz looks into Gomez's past, he discovers a tragic history and a man out for revenge. With Gomez seemingly always one step ahead, Oz must figure out who Gomez is going to target next if he has any hope of stopping him.

This is a suspenseful book with a serial killer that I found myself conflicted over. On the one hand, Gomez's tragic history cries out for justice that never came. On the other hand, vigilante justice is never the answer. With two strong characters in Oz and Gomez, Nesbo does a good job of making it hard for the reader to choose sides. The book is intricately plotted, with a dark twist that shocked me. Nesbo is a mesmerizing storyteller, and Wolf Hour is an excellent example of Nesbo at the height of his game. 

5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is February 3, 2026.

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The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso

 I chose this book because it was compared to The Ministry of Time and The Midnight Library, and I can see why. Although not as well written as either of those books, it was good and had an excellent plot.

Lisavet Levy's father is a German watchmaker whose watches enable the wearer to access the realm known as time space, a library filled with books containing memories of both the living and the dead. In 1938, when her Jewish father failed to return, eleven-year-old Lisavet escaped the Nazis by entering the time space--only to become trapped there. When Lisavet sees government agents entering the time space to try to change history by erasing memories, she begins collecting what remains to preserve them. Time passes, and Lisavet grows up in the time space, with only a specter for company, until 1949, when she meets American spy Ernest Duquesne. They fall in love, and Lisavet is torn between the outside world and the safety she feels in the time space. 

Flash forward to 1965 in Washington, D.C., and sixteen-year-old Amelia Duquesne is mourning the disappearance of her uncle Ernest. She is approached by Moira Donnelly, head of the CIA-controlled department for which her uncle worked. Moira enlists Amelia to try to find a book her uncle was looking for in the time space when he disappeared. Amelia wants answers, and working with Moira is the best way to get them. 

This is an enjoyable book that follows the exploits of Lisavet, Moira, and Amelia across different time lines. The time space realm is especially intriguing. The point that no two people remember the same incident the same way, and whose memories are unreliable, was brought home. It gave me pause about the perspective of those responsible for writing history, and just how fragile truth is. 

4/5 stars.

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The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen

 This is another winner in the Department Q series. With Adler-Olsen's signature humor and interesting characters, I found myself rooting for the killer. Her vigilante justice was, to me, justified.

In the 1950s, Nettie Hermansen was the victim of forced sterilization and unjustified incarceration. Thirty years later, she plots her revenge against those who wronged her. Now she is a wealthy widow whose past may be catching up with her in the form of Carl Morck and his Department Q assistants. 

Carl and company are focused on the cold case of a brothel owner who disappeared in the 1980s. When they begin investigating, they uncover similar disappearances and a link to a current extreme right-wing political party leader. Just how they are connected is a dangerous puzzle they must solve.

I liked how the story used flashbacks to Nettie's life and her later revenge against those who had harmed her to weave the past and present together. Nettie is a sympathetic character pitted against an unjust society that facilitated the despicable treatment of innocent women. The intricate plot, combined with some truly evil characters, made this a book I couldn't put down. The fact that actual events inspired it made it more compelling. 

4.5/5 stars.

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Impostor by LJ Ross

This is the first book in a series featuring psychologist Dr. Alexander Gregory. The series has done well in Great Britain and is now being published in the US. Based on this book, it's a promising psychological thriller series.

Dr. Alex Gregory, a former criminal profiler, is a psychologist at a mental health prison. Cathy, one of his patients who was convicted of killing two of her three children, is an interesting person who is in denial of her role in her children's deaths. She's intelligent and manipulative, and a challenge for Gregory. 

Meanwhile, a brutal murder occurs in a small Irish village, and the mayor appeals to Gregory to help. With no forensic evidence, the police rely on Gregory for help in finding the killer. Initially distrustful of Gregory, especially when he contradicts their theories, they soon realize that they are facing a perpetrator who is likely to kill again.

I found this to be a fast-paced thriller with multiple twists and red herrings. Both cases that Gregory is focusing on are intriguing. Cathy, especially, is a puzzle. The writing is good, the characters well-developed. In this book, Gregory is torn between his patients and his desire to return to criminal profiling. He is a conflicted but well-intentioned character. I look forward to the next book to see what path he takes. 

4.5/5 stars. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is February 3, 2026.

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Never Flinch by Stephen King

 I liked King's Holly Gibney character in the first book she was featured in, Mr. Mercedes; she was unusual and quirky. Over the following books, however, Gibney lost those characteristics. In this book, she is a bland, predictable character, as is the plot. I quit reading halfway through and, as a devoted Stephen King fan, that says a lot. I have read all of his books and have always finished and enjoyed them.

Holly is unofficially consulting with Buckeye City Police Department Detective Izzy James on a case in which the police department received a letter outlining that "thirteen innocents and one guilty" person would die. They assume the letter is related to an innocent man who was murdered in prison. When the bodies begin to pile up, with each left with the name of a jury member who convicted the man, Holly and Izzy gear up to find this vigilante. 

Meanwhile, outspoken women's rights advocate Kate McKay is on tour promoting her controversial agenda with a planned stop in Buckeye City. When threats against McKay's life escalate, she hires Holly as her bodyguard. Now it's up to Holly to help find a serial killer and whoever is behind the threats on McKay's life.

This is a slow-moving book with a predictable plot. As stated above, Holly has become a one-dimensional character whom I no longer care about. I'll pass if King writes another book featuring Holly Gibney. 

2/5 stars.

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The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

The Frozen River is one of the best books I've read in 2025. Based on an actual person, this historical fiction novel is beautifully written and expertly plotted. This is the first book I've read by Ariel Lawhon, and I'm excited to read more of her work.

Set during the winter of 1789, the Kennebec River in Maine freezes, and travelers on the river discover a body in the ice. Midwife Martha Ballard is asked to examine the body and determines he was murdered, but a new doctor in town disputes her cause of death. It is his opinion that he died of natural causes, so Martha decides to defend her conclusion by finding the murderer. Also called into question is Martha's defense of a woman who claimed to have been raped by the murder victim and another prominent man. With her reputation at stake, Martha battles patriarchy and societal norms to ensure the truth comes out.

Lawhon does an excellent job of transporting readers to the period, revealing the roles of women in society and the discrimination they faced. Beautifully crafted with an engaging storyline, The Frozen River deftly handles the emotions of the rape victim and Martha's role in the small town. I highly recommend this book. 

5/5 stars. 

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Twice by Mitch Albom

I love time-travel books, and even though the protagonist in Twice travels back in time, he violates one of the primary rules of time travel: don't change the past. Indeed, the purpose of Alfie's visits to the past is to change it. With his gift, Alfie gets a second chance to undo any moment in time with the caveat that he must live with the consequences of his second chance.

When Alfie is eight years old, his mother dies and passes on the family legacy: the ability to travel to any point in time and change it. He only gets one shot at changing the past and must relive his life from that point forward. His mother warns him not to use the ability for financial gain or to change his love life. While he obeys the first rule, young Alfie uses his second chances to woo the girls. Later, he falls in love with Gianna and is determined to win her over. She's a tough nut to crack, but Alfie is persistent, and it looks like he has gotten his true love. Alfie then finds out why his mother said not to use his power to change his love life — once he undoes a relationship, that person will never love him again. With mistakes mounting, Alfie seems to be constantly pursuing love.

I liked how the book alternated between the present and Alfie's past to tell the story. The reader follows Alfie from his tentative use of his powers as a young boy to his reliance on his ability to change the past to make his life ideal, only to find he perhaps shouldn't have changed it. I raced through the book, only to be puzzled over the ending. I cannot expand on this without giving spoilers, so I'll leave it there. 

4.5/5 stars.

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Dead in the Water by John Marrs

 

John Marrs is the master of psychological thrillers. Each of his books features dark plots, flawed characters, and unusual twists. Dead in the Water is no different. Plus, Marrs brings back a character from his book, The Good Samaritan, to add to the mix. 

When Damon drowns, his ex-wife and best friend, Melissa, revives him. While dying, Damon relives parts of his life, but an unexplained moment featuring a dead boy follows him back to life--as does the dead boy. Tormented by what he has seen, combined with hallucinations of the boy, Damon seeks answers as to why the boy haunts him—convinced that the only way to solve the mystery is to die again. Against Melissa's advice, he drowns himself again, only to uncover more unsettling visions and hallucinations that follow him back to life. With each succeeding death and resuscitation, Damon realizes that his past is not what he believes it is, and he begins his search to uncover the truth. 

The plot is intriguing, the pacing pitch-perfect, and the suspense mounts with every page. As Damon finds out more about his past, it affects him in unimaginable ways. The reader follows Damon down the rabbit hole and witnesses his mental and physical decline. In typical Marrs fashion, all is not as it appears, and as one character says, sometimes the past is best in the past. 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is January 20, 2026.

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Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart

This science fiction book reads like a thriller with its breakneck pacing and twists. I do enjoy both genres, but the format made it clear that the long-term plan is to turn Detour into a streaming series; one of the authors alluded to this in his acknowledgements. I think the writing and character development suffered as a result.

John Ward, the world's richest man and presidential candidate, is partnering with NASA to orbit a spaceship around Saturn's moon, Titan. The goal is to gather information for future colonization. To this end, Ward has assembled an unlikely crew comprising three astronauts, a physicist, a police detective, and a graffiti artist — all of whom have ties to Ward. The story then moves quickly through the details about training the crew, the technology behind the spaceship, and the first year in space. 

The crew is just circling Titan on the way home when a navigation anomaly and two explosions occur. Although unexplained, neither causes harm to the crew nor the ship. Back on Earth, the crew is isolated and told not to communicate with each other, which they, of course, immediately figure out a way to do. Trading stories, they find that each of their lives is not how they left it — relationships have changed, and things are generally different. With Ward and unseen forces trying to control them, the crew bands together to uncover the truth about their circumstances.

I found the plot interesting, but the delivery stilted. The time shifts were not seamless, and not enough detail was given about the many stages needed to complete the mission. I liked most of the characters, and each brought a unique perspective to the storyline. Overall, I liked the book. Had it not read like an episodic television series, I would have liked it better. 

3.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Worlds, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is January 13, 2026.

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The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

About the only genre I avoid is romance. Judging by the number of romance books out now, I seem to be in the minority here. This book, tagged as folklore and fantasy, is primarily a romance novel. An otherwise remarkable story, beautifully written, lost a star rating from me because of this.

Historian Owen Mallory, a former soldier dubbed a coward, is enthralled with the story of Una Everlasting, a knight and dragon slayer who dies for her queen and country. During his scholarly research into the tale, he receives a mysterious book about her, which a war minister then steals. When Mallory tries to retrieve it, his blood spills onto the book, and he is transported back in time, meets Una, and accompanies her on her last quest: to slay the last dragon and retrieve the grail for the dying queen. What he doesn't anticipate is that the two will fall in love, and Mallory is forced to recount and relive Una's death over and over again.

I'm a sucker for time-travel books, and The Everlasting is a good one. As I stated, the writing is exquisite, and I loved the way Mallory and Una tried to change history. The characters are well-developed, and I especially liked Una's horse. I wouldn't have read the book had I known about the romance element, but I skimmed the sex scenes and some of the overwrought narrative, and enjoyed a well-told tale. 

4/5 stars.

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The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave

 In this sequel to The Last Thing He Told Me, Dave delves into the background and motivations behind Owen's sudden disappearance in the first book. There were some loose ends at the end of that book, and this sequel, while not tying them up in a neat bow, did offer some explanations.

It has been five years since Hannah's husband, Owen, went into hiding. Hannah and her stepdaughter, Bailey, have relocated to Southern California when a disguised Owen briefly appears to warn Hannah that they are again in danger. Knowing this day would come, Hannah is prepared and immediately gathers up Bailey and begins their escape. At the same time, Bailey's grandfather, a former lawyer and secret-keeper for a group known as the organization, dies. News of his death devastates them both, and Hannah can't shake the feeling that the threat to their lives and his death are connected. Hannah's goal is to keep Bailey safe and to reunite with Owen by whatever means necessary.

Although engaging, the flashbacks, mainly dealing with the grandfather, made for choppy reading. That, plus the improbability of Hannah's escape plan, made me suspend disbelief at times. The main themes of friendship bonds and forgiveness drove the story. I was expecting a thriller similar to the first book, but this was more background material for that book. Dave did a good job of detailing the relationship between the crime boss and the grandfather, which was pertinent to the plot. Still, despite her efforts, neither character came across as particularly likable, and neither of their past actions seemed forgivable. 

3/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Scribner, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is January 6, 2026.

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The Black Wolf by Louise Penny

This is the second book in the two-book "Wolf" series, The Grey Wolf being the first. This is a classic Louise Penny book — fast-paced and intriguing. The only problems were the many times I had to suspend disbelief and the confusing ending.

After having thwarted a domestic terrorist attack, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is recovering at home in Three Pines. As he ponders a map and a notebook left behind from the attack, Gamache and agents Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste are convinced a second, more deadly attack is coming. But what and where, or who is behind it, they don't know. What they do know is that people high up in the government and their own police force are involved. Trusting very few around them, they seek to uncover the plot and the person pulling the strings, whom they dub the Black Wolf. It's a race against time with a cunning enemy who always seems one step ahead of them.

I love Louise Penny's writing and the characters she creates. The Black Wolf is a ripped-from-the-headlines book with a plot that, while at times far-fetched, is just believable enough to make parts seem plausible. Where it fell apart for me was the confusing ending and the motive of the Black Wolf. I was left scratching my head. 

3/5 stars.

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