One thousand years ago, the Elduari conquered the country of Varen in a brutal war. Now, every few generations they subject their one-time enemies to a terrible tradition: bloodthirsty monsters are unleashed across the land, attacking indiscriminately, keeping the population in a perpetual dark age. For Argo, fear of another Release is something he has always lived with. When his friend is killed by a monster during a routine patrol, Argo suspects that another Release is coming, and sooner than everyone thinks. But in a country built on fear, getting answers is dangerous. Elduari spies are hiding behind the most familiar faces, and any hint of disobedience could lead to the death of thousands. As whispers of dissent circulate, rebellion grows in the villages. Argo's beloved sister Simna leaves town without warning. Masked figures stalk the alleys at night, offering dangerous gifts. When tragedy strikes a second time, Argo and his new ally, Ana—a mysterious monster hunter in disguise—set off on a dangerous journey to stop the next Release. But what if it’s already too late? From Stefan Bachmann, the internationally renowned author of The Peculiar and Cinders & Sparrows, Release the Wolves is an atmospheric, suspenseful, and haunting novel about friendship, trust, power, and the monsters all around us.
Author
Stefan Bachmann was born in Colorado and spent of most of his childhood in Switzerland, where he graduated from the Zürich University of Arts with degrees in musical composition and theory. He's lived in Tokyo, Prague, and Berlin, and now divides his time between Zürich and a small town on the Dutch border. He's the author of several books for young readers, including his debut, THE PECULIAR, which was an international bestseller, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, and was translated into eight languages. His latest book, CINDERS AND SPARROWS is a Bank Street Best Book of the Year and a Golden Dome Award finalist. His other books have been named a VOYA Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, a New York Times Editor's Choice, a New York Public Library's 100 titles for reading and sharing, and have been selected multiple times for the Junior Library Guild. website | insta | blog | twitter (Note about my reviews: I use Goodreads to keep track of the books I read, and to rave about books I love. Not rating a book doesn't mean I *didn't* love it, but five stars - which is pretty much the only rating I use - means I really, really did.)
