SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
Sophie thinks she is luckiest girl in the world when she and her friends get invited to spend their school trip in Russia. But things get confusing when they end up in a castle in the middle of nowhere (the last place they expected). And although the princess who lives there seems thrilled to see them, things are not what they seem.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Sophie is an average girl who doesn't have much money because of her family situation. She loves to daydream and gives the appearance of someone who doesn't care much about her looks. She is rather naive and easily manipulated.
Delphine is a pretty and elegant teenager. Her family is wealthy and she is into fashion and used to spending time with the upper classes.
Marianne is a plain and bookish girl. She has read a lot about Russia and often shares this information with her friends.
Princess Anna is beautiful and charismatic woman who promises the girls a great time. But her behavior is erratic at times and its obvious she is not who she seems.
Dmitri is a young Russian man who works at the palace taking care of the animals and cleaning.
PACING
There is suspense regarding Sophie's parentage. It's not revealed right away if she has a mother or a father and information trickles out in the first few chapters. There is also odd behavior and certain occurrences that add suspense to the story as well.
This isn't an action story, more of a mystery story. And there are plenty of moments where the reader becomes curious.
CHARACTER DEPTH
A big problem is the lack of depth for the characters. They all feel like generic stereotypes. I am fine if you want to start with that but you have to add depth.
Delphine is pretty and wealthy but does that make her stuck up? How does she end up being friends with someone so different like Marianne? Shouldn't there be more tension between them since they are such opposites?
They girls are just roommates with nothing in common, but they get on like friends who came together naturally.
There are scenes where they show off their personalities, but again, it's just shallow surface level stuff. Marianne gifts facts on Russia because she read about it. Delphine says she is used to hanging out with the wealthy.
There are some strange attempts at adding character depth, like one scene where they mention they must stand up for themselves, referencing a bully back at school (who had never been mentioned before, or if it had, only vaguely).
Also, Anna argues with a man and only Delphine can tell. Apparently, since her parents are divorced, she knows what passive aggressive arguing looks like. Even though the argument in question is obviously an argument.
Lastly, there is one scene where an attempt is made to flesh out Marianne where she explains that she doesn't want to try to look pretty, because it's no use. No one addresses it, and it just kind of hangs there. Like, look, Marianne shared her feelings. Now lets move on.
SOPHIE'S PAST-SPOILERS
We learn rather fast, but I suppose it's still a spoiler. Sophie is an orphan. She lost her father and instead lives with her guardian. And her guardian isn't exactly caring, so much to the point where Sophie will not bother her and ask for any money.
It does sound kind of overkill and its obvious that Sophie is supposed to be sympathetic to the reader. Poor, an orphan, missing her dad and being abused by her guardian. But because this isn't dwelt on and really only mentioned in the beginning, Sophie does not come off as a helpless victim. In fact she doesn't talk much about her problems, nor does she try to think of her father.
SOPHIE'S PERSONALITY
The fact that Sophie doesn't dwell on her problems can be seen as a bad thing though. Because although we don't feel like she is constantly vying for a title of victimhood, this is never delved into further. It could have been revealed she has a martyr complex that has to be dealt with as it may put her in danger in the future. Or that she has had to put on a happy face but deep down she is resentful.
But the story just doesn't have that kind of depth. In fact, there is one scene where she says she wonders what it would be like to have a family. But the others just look awkward and it's never brought up again. Not that I wanted a long, drawn out discussion, but some kind of acknowledgment would have been nice.
There is another scene, where she meets Dmitri's family and thinks she doesn't want to leave, because they feel so close. Unfortunately it feels forced, just to remind us she has no family. I didn't need to be told that Sophie admires their closeness, all I needed was to see her linger, not wanting to leave or observing the family with the attitude of someone who didn't have one.
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
The fact that Sophie dreams of Russia and then gets to go there is a bit spot on the nose. I mean I know she likes snow and really wants to see it, but her desire to actually go to Russia seems out of nowhere. She doesn't have any real reason, she just thinks its a romantic place or something, full of history.
I wish they had made her watch a movie, or read a book about it that had a profound impact. Or some sort of explanation that wasn't so vague. I get it that she dreams of snowy woods but it's not like it cannot snow in England. For instance, a girl who grew up reading manga would obviously love to go to Japan, or an American girl who grew up reading Jane Austin novels could dream of seeing London. That would make sense.
FOREHADOWING
There is a big reveal near the end of the book (although it's predictable) and it's not really set up. I mean just because I know how the story is going to end doesn't mean the author still shouldn't try to put it together like a puzzle. There is a princess, and it has to be Sophie, because she loves Russia and needs a home as her current one is rather bad.
We learn a story about the princess that made people think she was crazy. This story comes back into play and helps Sophie figure out where the lost jewels are.
PREDICTBLE PLOT
We all know that nothing is going to be what it seems when it comes to the princess. After all, absolutely nothing makes sense about how the girls end up with her at the palace.
And quite honestly, the story has all of the makings of a horror story rather than a romantic one (people being manipulated into going somewhere they didn't plan to go, in the middle of nowhere with no contact with the outside world).
It's not that I mind knowing where a story is going. I don't and I can enjoy a story with an obvious ending if the journey is made fun and the genre is a favorite of mine.
CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?
After the girls get tricked into being in the wrong place and left alone, they find a cabin filled with food and a roaring fire. It's completely empty and it's all rather creepy. As if you were in a horror movie and just happened to find what you needed when you needed it.
It would make anyone suspicious. But the girls hesitate only for a moment, realize they have no choice, and then think nothing more. I understand realizing you had no choice, but they should have stayed anxious and alert. At least have been slightly more wary.
WOLVES IN RUSSIA
The idea of a wolf princess is set pretty early, when we learn that there are wolves in the woods and it's dangerous. Then later on something confusing about them is revealed. Also, Ivan says they used to guard the palace and the royal family.
Later, Sophie sees on outside at night from her room.
And then Sophie witnesses one outside, but no one else sees it. It doesn't hurt her but disappears. Also the name of the royal family means “wolf” in Russian. The connection feels tenuous.
The idea of wolves being tamed is rather fanciful and is the only element of the story that feels like a fantasy novel. I was kind of expecting more from the title.
CHARISMATIC ANNA
We all have that singer or actor that we think the world of. They always seems to be charming, beautiful, funny and kind no matter where they go. We can't imagine them every being anything other than nice. And then we hear a story about how they mistreated some employee and how their secretly a condescending narcissist with a huge temper.
The problem with me is that Anna never came off as charming. We are told how beautiful she is, but it's not as if she comes off as likable. She isn't seen doing anything nice for anyone except for Sophie, and it's obvious from the get-go that she wants something from her.
I just wish she had been wrote better, so that for a moment I liked her and was deceived. Or at least wished she wasn't really that bad. But I didn't care. The main reason we can assume that Sophie even likes her is the sympathy she develops when she learns of a predicament. Unfortunately this didn't work on me either and I just kept thinking that Sophie was really gullible.
THE GENERAL
An older man shows up demanding money from Sophie. He says things about the girls, asking why they are still there if they don't “know anything”. It's obvious that Anna is using them but no bothers to ask her why and how. I suppose they are too stupid.
Also, there is a short scene where the general compliments Marianne and Delphine who instantly like him for some odd reason. Only Sophie has any brains, as she tells the reader that he is manipulating them. But Sophie cannot tell that Anna is manipulating her?
It was inconsistent with her previous gullible nature. I know she adores Anna and instantly hates the general, but her reasons should have been emotional, not portrayed as perceptive and logical.
WE'RE LEAVING!-SPOILERS
Sophie's friends finally realize that Anna is nuts and that they should leave. They pack and intend to go but the fact that it took them so long is kind of crazy. I would have preferred they discussed leaving earlier on, and even planned to somehow escape only to have it all fall apart.
Anyway, Sophie is still heartsick over Anna's suffering and tries to convince the girls to stay. At this point, I kind of thought she was an idiot. Didn't she realize how upset her friends were? What's more important, her naive daydream of a princess bestie, or her friends' safety and fears?
CLIMAX
Sophie attempts to help the princess with her newfound knowledge only to be shocked at the outcome. She gets a revelation about her past while the Princess gets out of the picture. The girls return home while Sophie has to make an important decision about her future.
REMEMBER?-SPOILERS
Near the climax Sophie learns a song that she mentions sounds familiar. And when Anna reveals the truth about her goals and Sophie's real identity...Sophie just kind of remembers. I mean she vaguely remembers her father earlier on in the book but even then it kind of feels out of the blue.
Anna speaks of an old Russian woman and suddenly Sophie remembers visiting an old Russian woman. Well, that's convenient.
Also, the old woman lost her memories and didn't know she was descended from royalty. But couldn't the parents have lied and said she was their own and not found? If this was like a hundred years ago, they could have easily lied and forged documents. The odds of finding her seem slim and rather unbelievable.
I almost wished they had found some DNA in the palace (I know, still rather iffy) and then Sophie's school had some program where her DNA had been taken an on record. Then their computers had been hacked (along with hundreds of other schools across the country) and that was how Sophie was found by Anna and her cohorts. I know, still stretching and rather fantastic, but somehow more believable then what we got.
SOPHIE'S CHOICE-SPOILERS
As if finding out you are a princess isn't amazing enough, Sophie makes a last minute decision to stay and live in the dilapidated old palace with it's few servants. I suppose it is supposed to be freedom and the desired outcome, but I kind of found it outlandish.
She speaks no Russian. The palace is in the middle of nowhere. It's falling apart. I wish there had been some discussion with the girls, like them revealing how Sophie could sell the jewels, restore the palace, and reveal her identity. Some sort of attempt at fleshing out her future so it would make sense.
Instead it's like, “follow your heart” and things will just be great. The end.
Also, side note: Dmitri says when he saw her he wished she was the wolf princess and not Anna. But why her? He wished this when he first saw her arrive with the girls in the sleigh. Why not Delphine? Or Marianne? Why was Sophie so special when he first saw her? It makes no sense at all.
CONCLUSION
The idea is not original, but that's okay. It's just the fact that the book hits you ever the head with everything, as if you haven't already figured it out.
The characters are not very deep and never seem as anything more than shallow archetypes.
There is some suspense regarding the princess and waiting for clues about her true identity. But not much thought seems to have gone into why Sophie loves Russia and the characters seem dumb at times.
The only real twist comes with Sophie finding out where the missing jewels are, and its not as though there are many clues and ideas to have, so the answer is like, oh, yeah. That's the only option.
Oddly enough, the story could have been better if the fantastic elements were expanded upon (the wolves) or the story became a horror story (with Anna clearly being evil and nuts).
I give “The Wolf Princess” two stars.
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