Claimed
by J. R. Ward
Lydia Susi loves her job at the Wolf Study Project. She also hates the hotel that is being built right next to the wolves’ territory. In fact, her studies have shown that the wolves are being poisoned. When Daniel Joseph comes into town, the Wolf Study Project is going under with the lack of funds, Lydia’s boss is acting strange, and things just aren’t adding up. Plus, she is incredibly attracted to Daniel and very tempted to break her rule of not dating anyone she works with. The only question is what will happen to her next, and does Daniel want her as much as she wants him?
J.R. Ward’s Claimed is the start of a new series set in her well-known Black Dagger Brotherhood world. I have read a few of Ward’s books before reading this one, and once again, her writing style is really great. She is a very sophisticated writer that has depth and complexity to her storytelling while still being easy to read. She crafts her plot to build tension at chapter endings, and is excellent at not telling the reader anything she doesn’t wish them to know until the proper time. In fact, there were several things that surprised me as I neared the end when she finally revealed the true nature of things.
Unfortunately, the book as a whole was very disappointing. This book is supposed to be a paranormal romance. However, neither the paranormal nor the romance were very present in this novel. It starts off strong. The two main characters are introduced, the basic problems happening with the Wolf Study Project are discussed, and there are hints from the narration that werewolves will be in this novel somehow. Lydia and Daniel are immediately attracted to each other, and it looks like the start of a typical paranormal romance. Sadly, as the book continues, the romance becomes very minimal throughout most of the story. It mainly flourishes within the last fourth of the book, and it doesn’t even make sense at that point. Instead, the book is much more of a mystery story where Lydia is trying to figure out what is going on at the Project with Daniel’s help.
For the paranormal part, it is honestly hard to classify this as a fantasy of any kind. There are a few moments where the paranormal comes into play, but ninety percent of it happens at the very end. I don’t mind if a book tries to be coy and keeps the reader wondering exactly how and when the fantasy elements will manifest, but I expect those elements to be more essential to the plot, world, or characters. I would have liked it much better if some kind of fantasy element established itself at the halfway mark and allowed the characters to change or evolve based on those additions. Instead, I was beginning to wonder why it was classified as a fantasy novel at all. The world in this series is supposed to be the same as Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and that series is all about vampires. So, it was sorely disappointing to feel like I was reading a regular mystery novel with a lack luster romance subplot.
I would also like to note that Lydia and Daniel’s plot line is not the only one going on in this story. Ward has added in another sub plot dealing with one of the characters from her Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It appears to be related to what Lydia and Daniel are doing, but honestly, I just found the whole thing confusing. I have read a few books from the other series, but I didn’t know the character (Xhex). I also had no clue what she had to do with anything in this book. Anytime that the focus shifted to Xhex, I was completely confused. There was no connection to Lydia and Daniel even by the end of the novel, so I often found myself wishing I could skip over those sections. I would say that if you decide to read this book, it might be important to have read her other series completely in order to understand Xhex’s role.
I am very sad to say that I can’t recommend this novel. I was very hopeful since I have liked some of Ward’s other books, but this one fell very flat to me. The actual writing and storyline is very well done and thought out. I was even genuinely surprised by the ending (though I can’t say that I feel like those events fit the story). But, it truly didn’t feel like an urban fantasy or a paranormal romance, so if that is what you are looking for, I would try something else. It is unlikely that I will read the next book when it is released.
Pros
- Great writing style
- Unexpected plot points
Cons
- Very minimal fantasy elements
- Weak romance
- Confusing secondary plot line
- Unsatisfying ending
Recommended for readers who like:
- Third Person Point of View
- Mystery
- Romance
- Other J. R. Ward series
Book Details:
- Published: July 27, 2021
- Series: Lair of the Wolven
- Book Number: 1
- Pages: 525
- Publisher: Gallery Books
