Author Spotlight: Ryan Graudin

Author Spotlight: Ryan Graudin


I decided to do posts featuring the authors of my favourite books so that I could really dig into what I loved about the novels most. My first post shines the spotlight on Ryan Graudin. I absolutely adore the writing, Wolf by Wolf being the first novel I read and discovered Graudin. I particularly enjoy how Graudin writes tightly packed books that are such fun to read. Below are a few of my favourites. 










Wolf by Wolf (Wolf by Wolf #1)

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Published: October 2015
Genres: YA, Historical, War, Alternate History
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I love history so obviously it’s no surprise that I love historical fiction. My absolute favourite era to read is the World Wars (or anything to do with Asian history) and Wolf by Wolf ticks all the boxes. BUT! What I like most is that it carries a special twist! Have you ever asked: what if the Nazis had won WWII? Wolf By Wolf follows an alternate timeline of history and the story of Yael. Yael, a former death camp prisoner and the survivor of human experimentation, has a mission: win the annual motorcycle race commemorating the victory of the Third Reich and kill Hitler. To do this, Yael must use her skin shifting powers to impersonate Adele Wolfe, the only female racer. However, her mission becomes complicated as she comes under the scrutiny of Adele’s brother and her former lover.

This book remains one of my all time favourite historical YA books. Graudin creates such a distinct and vivid timeline that I’m eager to learn more about. Yael is one of the coolest characters you’ll meet. I adored every page with her; she’s smart, strong, completely badass and most importantly ruthless. Her complex characterisation and back story makes the story 100x more interesting.

There are so many twists and with an even balance of greatly paced action and world building, you’ll be reaching for the second book in no time! This book is fresh and absolutely exhilarating!



Blood for Blood (Wolf by Wolf #2)

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Published: November 2016
Genres: YA, Historical, War, Alternate History 
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This book was definitely not as fast paced as WBW and rather more emotional. I do admit that I loved WBW more but it was very interesting seeing Yael shed her disguise of Adele to become herself again. I’m not one for romance in historical books and prefer not to read it at all- hey I’m here for the cool history- so I wasn’t too keen on the romance in the novel. However, Graudin does a good job of keeping it as a subplot. What I did like about this book, especially towards the end, is how emotional it got. The last chapters definitely tugged at my heart strings. To sum up BFB, buy yourself a tub of ice cream before you start because you’ll be crying buckets. 



Invictus 

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Published: September 2017
Genres: YA, Sci-Fi
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Time travelling, sciency concepts, a tight knit team and heists? COUNT ME IN! What I love about Graudin’s books is how versatile her writing is. This is her take on sci-fi and time travelling aND IT IS DONE JUST AMAZINGLY!!

This books was wonderful and I pretty much finished it in a day. The novel follows the story of Farway Gauis McCarthy, who was born out of time. The son of gladiator from ancient Rome and a Recorder from 2354 AD, his birth defies every law of nature. After failing his time travelling exam, he takes on a black market operation with his team. However, during a heist *squeals* on the Titanic, he meets a girl who will lead him through time armed with a difficult truth.


Honestly, this book was just such fun. It had great actions and awesome characters. I loved turning each page to see what the gang were going to tackle next and, of course, the history was an epic bonus! It’s definitely a light hearted, fun and easy read! 





The Walled City

RATING: ~



Published: November 2014
Genres: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
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I decided to include this on my list despite not having read it yet! I was super bummed when I realised that this is set in Hong Kong and I could’ve read it while I was there but oh well! I’m super excited to finally start this. It follows the story of Dai, Jin and Mei Yee as they try to escape The Walled City. It looks like an epic and action paced book and I’m ready to devour it! 




And that's my Author Spotlight post done! I hope you enjoyed and consider picking up one of these books. I loved reading them so give them a chance!

Do you have an author whose books you've all read? If so, who is it? 

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