Blog Tour: Wildest Hunger – Laura Laakso

Steph Warren - Bookshine

Nov 7

*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author, Louise Walters of Louise Walters Books and Claire Maxwell of Maxwell PR. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Blurb: "Blood is all there is."

"What happens when the blood is not enough?"

The oldest and gravest of the Wild Folk laws dictates that human flesh must not be consumed. When half-eaten bodies start turning up between Old London and the North, Yannia Wilde knows the killer can only be one of her kind. When Yannia's betrothed, Dearon, insists on joining forces with her and Karrion, things get even more complicated.

While Yannia tries to balance tracking down the killer with the tension between her, Dearon, and Karrion, another case in Old London draws her attention. A West Mage Council member, whom Yannia exposed as a Leech only days before, has gone missing, and his girlfriend is found murdered in his flat. Is the Leech, a master of deception, capable of murder, or has someone framed him?

Caught in the web of Old London's political intrigue, Yannia must learn to play the game and to choose her allegiances with care. But to catch a predator of her kind, she must also embrace her wildness and set aside everything that makes her human.

The brilliant fourth novel in the paranormal crime series Wilde Investigations.

Well, this book was so amazing that I'm still suffering from a reading hangover days after finishing it and was very reluctant to move on to anything else... I want more!

This is the fourth full novel in the Wilde Investigations series (and there is also a novella set between book 3 and this one), and the series just continues to get better and better. I do suggest reading them in order, as each story builds on what came before.

The familiar characters all return, and we get to know Dearon a little better in this book as he finally steps away from the conclave briefly and into Yannia's Old London world, in order to aid her investigation into a series of deaths that appear to have Wild Folk involvement. Plus her ongoing investigation into Leeches on behalf of Lord Ellensthorne suddenly bears fruit with some unexpected consequences. And she has a new puppy, Sinta, to train up. Busy, busy!

I just couldn't put this book down, not even to eat or sleep. I was gripped from the very beginning on both the mysteries and the way the characters are developing and evolving, getting drawn deeper into the murky waters of politics and the machinations of the Fae, with ever-rising stakes. There is plenty of action and intrigue, but it is perfectly balanced with the exploration of Yannia's relationships (romantic and otherwise) and her dawning realisation that her magic may have more elements than she ever realised.

Honestly, I could have cried when I turned the last page and realised I would need to wait for book 5 to find out what would happen next!

If you enjoy exquisitely-crafted urban fantasy, perfectly blended with mystery, drama and romance, then I couldn't recommend this series more.

'Those are from some sort of canid.' He zooms in. 'Make that a wolf.'
'That would be my guess too, though it's impossible to say for certain from the photo.'
He moves the cursor around the photo as he speaks. 'There's a bear, a fox, a lynx, a weasel, an eagle, a wolverine, a wild cat, and a buzzard. Too many animals for such an unspoilt carcass.'
'Not to mention it doesn't look like she died in the wilderness.' I turn to Dearon. 'But you left one out.'
The cursor moves to cover the print of a hand-sewn boot. Our eyes meet.
'Wild Folk.'

- Laura Laakso, Wildest Hunger