I've been a huge fan of Katherine Rundell ever since I read 'Rooftoppers' many years ago now. There's such a vivid quality to her writing which makes me invested in the story from the very opening pages. 'The Wolf Wilder' was no exception. This is such a unique and beautiful book, with a peculiar setting and subject matter. I was immediately transported.

The story features Feodora, who alongside her mother works as a wolf wilder - teaching tame wolves to get re-acquianted with life in the wilderness. There's a lovely description of the relationship that the heroine has with the wolves in her care:

Feo could not remember a time when she had not known and loved the wolves. It was impossible not to love them: they were so lean and beautiful and uncompromising. She had grown up picking pine needles out of their fur and old meat from their teeth. She could howl, he mother used to say, before she could talk. Wolves made sense to her; wolves, Feo thought, were one of the few things worth dying for.

Feo loves her life and her work, but everything changes when the Tsar sends his general Rakov to her house, accusing her wolves of harming an elk, and announcing that they are dangerous savages. He orders Feo's mother to kill all the wolves that are sent to her. She refuses and is taken to prison in St Petersburg.

Feo decides to take action - she travels across the frozen lands to free her mother and fight the men who have locked her away. She meets wonderful friends along the way, including ballet dancer Ilya, who support her in her quest. With their help, she gathers all of her strength to defeat the enemy.

'The Wolf Wilder' is a moving story of adventure, bravery in the face of adversity and the importance of standing up for what you believe in.