Sable Sorensen ● Dire Bound ● The Wolves of Ruin ● Book 1

Date Started : 14th February 2026

Date Finished : 16th February 2026

Star Rating : ✨✨✨✨✨✨ 6/5

Spice Rating : 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5

I was going to wait patiently for my special edition that I have preordered from the US through The Grimoire (New Zealand Website), but I decided that I couldn't wait and purchased it through kindle to read now and then some time down the track I will re read my physical copy. And I shall be completely honest with you all, another reason for why I decided to not wait is because I want to apply for Sable's arc and street team. 

Genre :

Dark romance, military fantasy, fantasy, romance. "Sable Sorensen"

Who would love this book :

If you loved fourth wing, hunger games, divergent and all those kind of books then you are going to more than love this book.

Tropes :

Slow burn romance, found family, morally grey characters, touch her and die, secret royals, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, hidden powers, fated mates, deadly trials, vampire vs wolves, military academy, kick ass heroine. "Sable Sorensen"

Mood & Vibes :

Unputdownable, spicy, page turning, intense, emotional, banter, slow burn romance, hooking & reeling.

There are a few reasons for why I choose this book, and I will tell you anyway. But when I seen how pretty the special edition was I thought to myself omg I need this on my shelf. And that was one reason, but then reading the amazon write up about the book there was a few sentences that reeled me in and made me want to read it. And here was some....

                "Only the worthy survive the bonding trials. She'll risk her life - and her heart - to be one of them."

                "It's bond or bleed. Duel or die. Failure is ruin."

Meryn : 

Will die for her sister, will kill for her sister, stubborn, bad ass fighter, never gives up. "Sable Sorensen"

Stark:

Vicious & menacing, covered in kill tattoos, alpha of Daemo's pack, legendary warrior, has it out for Meryn. "Sable Sorensen"

                "The siphon's might be our enemy, but I'm certain this man is the true face of evil.

Meryn's fighting personality also reminds me a little of myself from when I would play competition pool (a 8 ball game on a pool table, very popular in New Zealand), why I thought this was because of this statement....

                "I'm not going for a kill; I fight dirty, but not like that"

One thing that I love in a book is the descriptions, the describing of the gruesome parts with lots of details. Now this book had them perfect down to a point, the details were so good that it actually made me want more. I am a sucker for in-depth, gruesome, yucky, shivering details.

                "He's trapped, and when he escapes, he's going to tear the world apart." 

We learn that Meryn is the main strong, fighting female character in the story, the way she has been made out makes you want her as your bestie and she is the kind of person who I would have within a heartbeat in my life. She is this person who will do anything, and everything to protect those that she loves and other innocent people around her. 

                "I'd trade the sun and sky and light itself to know I'd never have to lose him." 

Wow, I really don't understand how a war can go on that long, for that period of time and no one has won. I guess it really can be possible though but it's a shame, especially when there are innocent lives being dragged and killed in it.

                

                "The war has been going on for five hundred years, but between our country's Bonded and their dire wolves and Astreona's Siphon strength, it's rare for either side to take much ground." 

The book itself explains very well and easy to understand, that the one who is kidnapping the children are

              

                "Siphons, our ancient, monstrous enemy from the neighbouring country of Astreona." 

Meryn, her character was amazing and I loved her, who she was and the personality that she bought to the book. Her character as a person are the kind of people who I let into my life.

The plot well this was amazing, it was so well written to the point where it makes you unable to put it down. The banter within the book was also really good, there wasn't to little and there wasn't to much it was just the perfect amount.

                "But I'm not a polite woman. I'm hard edges & impulse & self-destruction. I don't care if this world hates me for it; I wouldn't have myself any other way."

If you are new to my blog then you will learn that I never ruin a book for people, I don't go all out there saying what happens and so forth. I am one of those ones who will look at the brief on a book on the website (amazon, Goodreads etc.) and if the cover and or the brief reel me in then I read it. 

                "I almost forgot how devastating grief is. How it leaves you husked and raw., but never numb. The pain is like a gaping wound - one no dressing can cover, no shield can truly protect."

I am also one of those readers who loves to go in blind, not reading reviews and ruining it for me, I also never want to ruin it for other people by putting in spoilers and what happens. But I do add bits and pieces from the book a lot to my reviews in between paragraphs to reel other readers into reading it.

                "Wasn't a request, princess."

I loved this book so much, I'll be honest with you I actually loved it more than I enjoyed the hunger games, divergent, Harry Potter and a few other collections. I can't answer about Fourth Wing as I'll be frank I haven't yet read this series, but it is sitting on my bookshelf in physical copy as one of my TBR books. This book was amazing, everything about it makes me so excited that I will be able to re-read it as if I've never read it before with my US special edition copy that I have pre-ordered.

                "Confidence makes men sloppy. & Sloppy men are easy targets."

Ohhhh and also what a darn cliff hanger you have left me with, im so sad but I'm also very happy that I don't have that long to wait for Fury Bound! Because right now I am in one of those I need this book now, I would sell my kidneys etc just to have it in front of me so I can carry on.

                "Make me your instrument of vengeance. Let my hands act out your every savage, depraved thought. Use me, I'm your's."

Please note where I have put "Sable Sorensen" in this review under the tropes, genres & also the details of the characters. Her name is there because I had got these of her page to add into my review. The "italic writing with " (double primes" are quotes that I have gotten out of the book itself. 

                "Give me the word & I'll tear out his throat. All the lives I've ever taken were just training for this moment, my queen."

Thank you for being here until the end of my review, I really do appreciate that you have taken the time to read it. And I'll admit now that I have finished writing my review, and looked at it in preview format I have realised that it is very very long. I really hope that I haven't ruined it by having this so long, if anyone can tell me if I have done the wrong thing by having it so long then please 🙏 do tell me.

                "Use me, I'm yours..."

Love Cathy

Ps there are some videos on my instagram, TikTok and Facebook (bookstall) pages of the book during my time reading as well as a video with my final review and some images from google and Sable's author page. The review video though will be up in the next 24 hours after this has been published.