The Wolf Princess by Cathryn Constable
Genres: Adventure, Mystery
Intended Age Group: Middle Grade
Publisher: Scholastic/ Chicken House
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-545-52841-2
Rating: 1.5/5
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Description from the Book
Sophie always dreamed of winter…
…of sparkling snowflakes, silver birch forests, and air so crisp and cold it brought a blush to her cheeks. But Sophie’s days in London are filled with rain. Only the friendship of bookish Marianne and glamorous Delphine makes it better.
Then, as if by magic, the girls find themselves traveling deep into wintery Russia. Abruptly abandoned in a blinding blizzard, they fear for their lives. But just like in a fairy tale, a princess comes to their rescue: the beautiful, imperious Anna Volkonskaya, who brings them to a winter palace that was magnificent – once upon a time.
At first, Sophie is enchanted by Princess Anna’s tales of glittering gray diamonds and wild white wolves. But she soon grows concerned. What is her place in the sinister mystery that surrounds the place? Even as the wind and wolves howl outside, is Sophie in more danger now than she ever was lost in the snow?
Personal & Info
This is one of the many books I purchased at a large pre-owned book sale. There’s finally snow on the ground, so I thought it would make a good winter read. The book itself mentions a blizzard, so, fitting enough, right?
There is a small glossary of Russian words and expressions in the back of the book. I don’t think it’s necessary to reference it. The story tells you the meaning of pretty much all of the words that come up or gives enough context to figure them out.
I’m not very familiar with Russian words or names, so if I make any typos or misuse any words, I apologize.
Content Warnings
-Death. A person dies “on-screen” and one seemingly “off-screen.”
-Animal hunting/abuse. One or more animals gets hurt and there is a description of a cruel way to hunt for sport.
Characters
Sophie Smith is the main character. She is an orphan, and attends school at the New Bloomsbury College for Young Ladies in London. Her current guardian travels frequently, and tends to be stingy with her money, so Sophie’s clothes are old and full of holes.
Marianne is Sophie’s smart friend. She’s the type with good grades, scholarly interests, and logical thinking. It’s clear early on that she has no interest in trying to look more feminine.
Delphine is Sophie’s fashionable friend. She loves clothes, grooming, and meeting important people. She can also be a bit selfish at times, if the situation involves any of those three things.
Princess Anna Feodorovna Volkonskaya is the sole survivor of her family lineage. She has an alluringly charming quality about her that makes people want to be around her and make her happy.
Ivan Ivanovich is a former military man who works for the princess. He is grateful to her, because she took him in when he had nowhere else to go.
Dmitri and Masha are siblings whose family works for the Volkonsky family. Their family has been loyal to the Volkonskys for generations.
Story & Thoughts
This book feels like it starts slow. It’s only 309 pages, so when I say slow, I mean it feels like nothing significant is happening until about halfway through. The entire first half of the book is introducing the characters, their lifestyles, their personalities, and setting up the plot. The gist of that being that the girls are going on a school trip to Russia.
Some unusual events happen to the girls after arriving in Russia. The description covers most of it, but it had been months since I read the description, so I was going into it blind. The series of events after arriving in Russia were just barely intriguing enough to keep me reading. I picked up the book three times, and the only reason I actually finished it was because it’s so short that I was close to the end, anyway.
The girls meet the princess halfway through, and that’s where the real meat of the story starts. Unfortunately, I still didn’t find it very interesting after that, either. I wasn’t invested in the story, just mildly curious about the end result. I was hoping for something more paranormal, like one of the characters turning out to be a shifter, but that didn’t happen.
In regards to the mystery, it’s simple. It’s probably a little more quizzical for people of the intended age group. I’m not the intended age group, so the answer was obvious to me. So obvious, in fact, that I can’t help thinking that Sophie is a little dense. She’s clueless for basically the entire book, and most of her thoughts and actions are based on some instinctual reaction.
This is not something I would recommend to anyone, nor is it something I think I would read again. It’s so mediocre to me that I’m surprised I even finished it. I really didn’t think I would.