The Devouring Wolf

By: Natalie C. Parker

Narrated by: Jeremy Carlisle Parker

"A perfect read for every kid and every kid at heart who's ever felt like they weren't enough. This story of family in all its many forms is as deliciously fun to read as it is deeply relevant." —Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Sweet Pea

A queer tale about kid werewolves, big bad mistakes, and terrifying creatures, perfect for fans of Katherine Arden and R.L. Stine.

Little wolf, little wolf, here I come.

It's the eve of the first full moon of summer and twelve-year-old Riley Callahan is ready to turn into a wolf. Nothing can ruin her mood: not her little brother Milo’s teasing, not Mama N’s smoth-ering, and not even Mama C’s absence from their pack’s ceremony. But then the unthink-able happens—something that violates every rule of wolf magic—Riley and four other kids don’t shift.

Riley is left with questions that even the pack leaders don’t have answers to. And to make matters far worse, it appears something was awoken in the woods that same night.

The Devouring Wolf.

The elders tell the tale of the Devouring Wolf to scare young pups into obedience. It’s a terrifying campfire story for fledging wolves, an old legend of a giant creature who consumes the magic inside young werewolves. But to Riley, the Devouring Wolf is more than lore: it’s real and it’s after her and her friends.

Critic reviews

An Amazon Best Book of the Month!

“Every reader will be desperate to find their pack after sinking their teeth into Natalie C. Parker’s The Devouring Wolf. Brimming with unique magic and an abundance of heart, this enchanting tale is not to be missed. A classic in the making.” — Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Marvellers

"From first page to last, The Devouring Wolf shines with friendship and found family, humor and heart, laughter and love. I've been waiting all my life for an adventure like this!" —Adib Khorram, Award-winning author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay

"An easily devoured, chilling, and suspenseful adventure." —Kirkus Reviews

"This book utterly devoured me. It’s exactly the kind of story I needed when I was younger. Riley’s tale of longing, acceptance, and community is thrilling, mysterious, and just as much heartbreaking as it is healing. Don’t miss this!" —Mark Oshiro, author of The Insiders

"A compulsively-readable, big-hearted story that assures us that there is a path to surviving when the monsters come—find your magic, build your pack, and embrace your inner wolf." —Anne Ursu, author of The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

"A fast-paced, action-packed fantasy with memorable characters who conjure up their strongest magic and greatest power only when they work together." —Laura Ruby, Two-Time National Book Award Finalist and author of the YORK trilogy

"A perfect read for every kid and every kid at heart who's ever felt like they weren't enough. This story of family in all its many forms is as deliciously fun to read as it is deeply relevant." —Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Sweet Pea

Enchanting and mystical

Love these mysteries and the author has reAlly brought out the whistles and bells and Jeremy c Parker is the icing on the cake!! Love and yes. I recommend this book for young readers !

Did not finish

I loved the Seafire series and therefore was looking forward to this book. But ultimately I didn't finish it. I took a break and kept dreading going back... I wanted to finish it just for the sake of finishing it. When I realized I wasn't enjoying it I just stopped and never came back.

The pros: Natalie C Parker is a brilliant writer and the book started off great. Most of the characters seemed well rounded, and there was plenty of great LGBTQ+ representation.

The cons: Biggest one was the main character, hands down. Maybe, ironically, that she was so realistic as a petulant child was personally my main turnoff. Riley is immature, annoying, whines and is generally unpleasant. I found myself way more interested in the other characters, but unfortunately we're stuck with Riley as the main character. I guess a minor critique other than the main character, is that the world didn't seem as fleshed out as I was hoping it would be. But I know that there is another book in this series so perhaps more things are explained in that book... But I won't be reading it because I don't want to get stuck with Riley again.