Ummm...Mixed Feelings.

Spoilers ahead! love this series and eagerly look forward to each book. Now, I've always found Lance annoying and borderline unlikable. Then comes Timo. I barely finished this installment because of my severe dislike of this character. He's a lying, manipulative, arrogant, immature character. The dishonesty really grated on me. He literally lied about random things throughout the entire book. Nothing about him was worthy of Zeus, who is kind and shy. The romance was lacking between the pair. I didn't like that Zeus leaves Mad Creek to live in the wilds of Alaska with that a-hole.

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Disappointed After a Long Wait

I had been really looking forward to this book, but ended up really disappointed in pretty much all of it. I think I am getting sick of the "clueless character" that Eli seems dead set on making a main focus of every book. I didn't like the "white man/civilization saves the day" trope. I didn't like how even in a world set very apart from shifter tropes, and with an author that seems to be aware of the actual familial relationship of a real wolf pack, they still fall into the same "alpha" trope. I don't like how the Qimmig tribe gets to play the role of "too naive to help themselves", but at the same time apparently knowing enough that they shouldn't really be in the state they are in. I don't like how Timo is inept for the sake of being inept. There were a lot of places where he demonstrated that he has more sense than to approach ideas or situations like a clueless "fish out of water". I don't like basically every time Zeus fell back into the "I'mma dog. I don't get why people are X/Y/Z" when he grew up with Lance and had a very similar background, so while he doesn't have to relate to it the same way, he sure as heck should understand it.

I really, really don't like that an Inuit quickened tribe, so removed from civilization as to basically not speak English, used the term "Alpha" at all. There are several words in the native language that would have suited more, and it's certainly not hard to make "pack leader" a hard concept to grasp, no matter the title used. It seemed like lazy writing; using a culture as a convenient story detail but not doing much of anything to bring that culture forward in any way.

In my opinion, this book has a bad premise, follows the same "clueless character" through the world, and comes off as nothing but filler. There were so many things that could have made this book good. But it just comes off completely boring, average, and annoying.

3 people found this helpful

A Magical Series, Matthew Shaw is Wonderful

Eli Easton’s extraordinary Howl at the Moon series comes to a close with How to Run with the Wolves. Fans of these characters are going to especially enjoy this one, because a good part of the story takes place within the community of Mad Creek. To me, these guys are dear after five books, and this is a particularly sweet way to say goodbye. If you haven’t delved into this magical world, start with the first novel, How to Howl at the Moon, and read them in order!

The entire series is available in audio, performed by the marvelous Matthew Shaw. I’ve been impressed by the multitude of voices this talented narrator has come up with for the extremely diverse supporting cast! Plus, throughout the series Mr. Shaw has continued to find unique traits in all of the main characters to make each of them special. It’s been a true pleasure to listen to Matthew Shaw’s rich, warm voice as he brought these characters to life.

When Mad Creek’s Search and Rescue team head to Alaska to help after an earthquake, they discover a unique group of shifters. Structured more like a wolf pack, the Quimmiq tribe have purposely cut themselves off from the modern world. They look down on technology and want nothing to do with the ways of man. However, the Quimmiq aren’t thriving, and the pack is at risk of becoming extinct.

Though Zeus was born in Mad Creek, he’s always preferred small groups and wishes for a more low-key life. When handsome Timo invites him to spend a few days immersed in the Quimmiq’s more basic existence, Zeus finds he can definitely appreciate the way this tribe lives. Of course, Timo is curious about Zeus’ world too, and a trip to Mad Creek shows him all the amazing and wonderful things modern technology can provide.

The negative aspects of the human world have been ingrained in Timo his whole life, and he has trouble understanding why the Mad Creek shifters would actually choose to live among men. Zeus tries to help Timo understand how it’s natural for dogs to be drawn to men, after all it’s only through this connection that dogs can get “the spark” and become shifters. His understanding will be the only way to save the Quimmiq tribe.

While each of the novels in the Howl at the Moon series has been completely unique, there’s been a common thread running through all of them. As the various breeds of dog shifters work together to build a community in Mad Creek, they learn to accept and embrace each other’s differences. This support network becomes particularly important once they share their secrets and include humans in their world.

What a wonderful thing it would be if beloved pets could get “the spark” and become quickened! I’ve enjoyed seeing all the ways Ms. Easton has explored so many aspects of this marvelous world. Listening to Mad Creek blossom and grow into the place it is at the end of the Howl at the Moon series, with How to Run with Wolves, has been a delightful experience, and I’m tempted to start at the beginning and do it all over again.

2 people found this helpful

The start of something new

How to Run With the Wolves is the last instalment in the Howl at the Moon series. A series I’ve been completely in love with for about five years now. I’m sad to see it end, because I’ve truly had a wonderful and quirky time in Mad Creek. It’s brought me many, many smiles over the years and they have been books I’ve come back to again and again when I needed some extra smiles in my life.

This time we meet Zeus, a St Bernard shifter who’s happiest on his own out in the woods. He’s not fond of crowds and enjoys the simple things in life. So when he’s offered the chance to be a part of the Mad Creek Search and Rescue team he eagerly accepts, not knowing it would change the direction of his life forever. On an assignment in Alaska he meets Timo, a husky shifter from a struggling Alaskan pack. The two are immediately fascinated with each other, and in order to help his pack out, Timo follows Zeus back to Mad Creek in search for answers.

How to Run With the Wolves has a different feel to it compared to the previous books in the series. It’s not as cutesy and fun and the romance part is mostly absent and comes a bit out of nowhere. I didn’t feel any genuine romantic feeling between them, friendship – most definitely, but the rest felt forced.

I loved Matthew Shaw’s brilliant performance of this book. It was spot on, just as it has been for the previous four books in the series. For some reason he really nails that human/dog duality of each character. Making both natures feel so present and real. He’s as much part of Mad Creek as any of the quickened and their mates.

Conveying the feelings of the characters is something Shaw really excels at, be it Timo’s curiosity of Zeus and his need to learn anything and everything to save his pack, to how overwhelming Mad Creek was. Also Zeus was clear as day, how his eagerness and need to be a part of the Search and Rescue team, his fascination with Timo and his need to help. Shaw does it all, and brilliantly. I do believe he can enhance any story he narrates.

There was a scene at the very end that I think is my absolute favourite in the book. It was truly emotional and touching on all levels. The meeting between Zeus and the Inuit man was full of so many emotions. They were plain to hear in Shaw’s voice. It was heartbreaking and filled with so much hope and promise. It was incredible moving and touched me more than anything else in the book did. Shaw made you want to take that first step to mend what had been broken so many generations ago. He made you wish for more.

This book isn’t so much a goodbye to Mad Creek as it is an introduction to the Quimmiq pack and the cold Alaskan country. It will be interesting to see where Eli Easton will take us next.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.

2 people found this helpful

Old Beginnings

Zeus has not felt like he totally belongs. Timo has been trying to stretch his wings too. An emergency leads to an encounter that changes both of their lives forever. In the process the lives of their packs are changed as well. Both men are strong and stubborn. Timo has a lot of tradition to reconcile his feelings. I hope we will get to see more of Alaskan pack. And I so want Yuki's mate to have a healthy pup. Listened to the Audible version. It was so well done. I would never had got the names right.

1 person found this helpful

A sweet story; loved the audiobook.

Listening to the audio of a book that I've already read often increases my appreciation for the original story. Matthew Shaw's wonderful performance of How to Run with the Wolves has me increasing my rating from 4 to 5 stars. The many different voices he does are really great and I found myself enjoying the story more the second time around.

A copy of my original review follows:
I really enjoyed reading How To Run With The Wolves. It's a sweet story with one of the main characters being a bit naïve about how city dwellers live. This is the fifth story in the Howl at the Moon series but it's also the beginning of a new series that will be centered around the Qimmig of Alaska.

The Qimmig are featured prominently in this story. They are a small group of dog shifters living in Alaska and their number is diminishing every year. The females have trouble carrying their babies to term and there are also a high number of still-born babies.

Zeus is a member of the Mad Creek pack but he often feels like an outsider. When the Search & Rescue group he is part of goes to Alaska he loves it there. It's also where he meets the Qimmig – a group of dog shifters. Timo is part of the Qimmig pack and he brings Zeus to the pack Alpha so that he can mate with one of their females. This doesn't go over too well with Zeus.

There is really a lot going on in this story and the romance between Zeus and Timo has kind of a minor role until near the end of the book. We get to revisit several characters from the previous books in this series but you won't be lost if you haven't read them.

While some of the technical/medical information in the story was a bit tedious at times, I do believe it was necessary to help explain the plight of the Qimmig and eventually end up connecting them to the Mad Creek pack.

I think the story didn't grab me as much as book four did because it was necessary to explain so many things to Timo that he didn't understand about the Mad Creek pack. It took me longer than usual to feel a connection to the characters. Still, all-in-all, this was a good book and it has me looking forward to the real beginning of the new series about the Qimmig of Alaska.

A copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author/narrator.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com*** (posting on April 15, 2020)

1 person found this helpful

by dog I love it.

It's review time 🎧

Narrator score🎧 ; I love this series with this narrator he's amazing and lovely. I liked a lot the voice of Zeus it was so good.

Level of steam🔥: it's a slow slow slow burn.... the story isn't about steam we discover new things here... and its incredible.

Level of anxiety and sadness0😱😢: not a sad book at all... full of warmth and kindness.

The book itself📖: what can I even say about this author and series that I didn't said already? Apparently a lot!!!
This book was freaking incredible!
Wow we discovere so much in this story. I already said how much I was in awe of the LNG that the author used in this series but she never stops to surprise me. By dog Iove every book. Yes the 2dn and the 4rd books are still my favorite..mm but this book shows us how the Quiqen (I hope I wrote it right) are not the only ones... and we learn to understand a new species from the beginning... and when the two intertwine its absolutely amazing.
I think that this book is full of sociological theories ( because I learned a bit) and it's so deep and its rapt in a great story of love friendship and doggy love.

1 person found this helpful

Wonderful

Such a great story and characters. I love this while series and really hope there will be more!

thoroughly enjoyable

I really enjoyed proud mischievous Timo and big hearted Zeus. There is just so much warmth and gentle humour in these books - I know I will be returning to them. Excellent narration.

My favorite series

I love this series, the narrators voice, absolutely everything! I found Eli's work back in January and since then I've been looking forward to the release of the newest addition of the Howel at the moon series💖 I listened to the first 4 books again before listening to this one and it's just as good to listen to the 2nd time- the story and characters are so sweet and Eli is really good about setting up plot points /staying consistent with little details from novel to novel which brings the whole town to life! I hope there's more to come with the series, but I've also fallen in love with all of her work in general 😊💖