{Review, Guest Post + Giveaway} Amarok by Angela J. Townsend

Today on Seeing Night Reviews I have reviewed Amarok by Angela Townsend for the tour! I also have a special post from Townsend and a giveaway!

Amarok by Angela J. Townsend
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

GENRE: YA Fantasy
THEME: Shifters/Magic/Romance
RECEIVED: Tour
AUTHORS BLOG: Angela Townsend's Blog

BLURB:

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:
Amarok is a book full of emotion; each character has to over come something from their past that forever changed their life. Townsend wrote a fast paced and well written journey of two young people trying to survive and protect one and other.

Emma’s life in a nutshell is horrible, her mother was taken from her at a young age after a tragic accident and she is left with an abusive stepfather. Escaping is her only goal but when she does her luck doesn’t continue. A man in the woods who is cruel and angry takes her and Emma doesn’t know what he wants. Luckily he has a wolf that seems to understand her, but as she gets closer to her wolf she realizes there are many secrets behind him and the woods she’s traveling in.

Emma is a girl that the reader will definitely root for, she really just can’t catch a break and I felt for her all the way to the end. Her story is full of sadness but she stays strong even with the cruelty of this strange man, cant compare to what she left behind. I loved her strength and connection she has with Amarok the wolf and that she wont give up helping him.

Amarok, even though he’s a wolf for most of the book Townsend digs deep into his past life and how he came to be. He too had a sad life, a Shaman who trapped him in his wolf form and he’s lived a life always thinking about the loss of his family. What I liked the most was his protectiveness for Emma, he knew that he could save her from his master and would do anything to keep her safe. His kindness to Emma was what brought her to care for him. In the end she would risk a lot to save him as well and try to help him stay human.

Overall this was a wonderful story, even with the sadness and cruelty of some of the characters, Emma and Amarok have a sweet story. There is hope for them and they will do anything to help each other. There were bits that confused me with the folklore and I would of liked to know more about Emma’s past. But I still very much enjoyed this short tale. I hope that Townsend continues with their story but in the end everything wrap up so I’m not sure if it will continue. I recommend this book for those who like sweet romance, a quick read and an emotional story.

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What Amarok Means To Me

To me, Amarok is a symbol of freedom. He is a character that desires more than anything to be free from oppression, to be free of his wolf form, and to be free to love the girl he so desperately wants to be with. Like Amarok, I believe that there are many people in our society that have the desire to be themselves but are trapped in a world that forces them to be something else, trapped in cultural constrains and trapped in the responsibilities of life.

I feel that at the core of everyone is the desire to be free. What freedom means to everyone is different. But, I think we all have the basic desire to be able to make free choices, to do what we want, to do what makes us happy, what feeds our souls.

Even though Amarok is a slave to his lifestyle, he can still recognize beauty, experience compassion and appreciate the small comforts that come his way. 

I hope everyone enjoys reading Amarok!

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