Book Review: Direbound by Sable Sorenson
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Published: February 26, 2025
Series: The Wolves of Ruin
Genres: Adult // Romantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Quick Thoughts: Direbound did everything right. It layered on popular romantasy tropes while still making the story feel entirely new. And the romance? Chefs kiss. If you’re a fan of romantasy, this is a must read.
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Death of a parent
Grief
Mental Illness
Graphic Violence
Self Harm
Torture (Side Characters)
War (minor)
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Love Triangles
Military school setting
Found Family
Betrayals
Secret Royalty
Fated Mates
Deadly Trials
Talking Animal Companions
Secret Relationships
Characters with Disabilities (side character)
What is Direbound about?
Only the worthy survive the Bonding Trials. She’ll risk her life—and her heart—to be one of them…
Meryn Cooper has never dreamed of being one of the Bonded, the King’s elite warriors who form mental links with massive, vicious direwolves. She’s made peace with her life scraping by in poverty in the shadows of the castle. But then her younger sister Saela is kidnapped, stolen across the border by the immortal monsters her country has spent centuries fighting.
And Meryn’s world falls apart.
Desperate to cross the front and save her sister, Meryn enlists in the army—only to discover that there are Bonding Trials this year, where all soldiers are forced to risk their lives in an attempt to connect with a direwolf. It’s too late to turn back; Meryn is thrown into the deadly competition against her will.
Now, she’ll need to survive the next four months of training at the castle if she wants a chance of finding Saela. Everything here is a test, from the brutal classes where one mistake means death, to the glittering court parties where every smile hides a knife.
To make things worse, Meryn is bound to a feral direwolf who refuses to communicate. The other trainees would love to spill her common blood. And her gorgeous instructor, Stark Therion, is as malicious as the wolves himself.
Everyone is out to get her—everyone but the dangerously handsome crown prince, Killian Valtiere. But if she loses her heart to him, she may also lose her life.
And the castle is hiding dark secrets…
Fourth Wing meets The Hunger Games in dark action-packed fantasy series, perfect for romantasy fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses , The Serpent & the Wings of Night , When the Moon Hatched and Quicksilver!
Direbound Review
Tell me to describe my ideal romantasy and it's Direbound. I was surprised to see that it was a debut novel.
Lately, I've been in kind of a romantasy slump because it feels like everyone is just reheating each other's nachos. Admittedly this book has a lot of popular romantasy tropes, but the plot turns them into something that feels fresh.
Plot & Pacing
The plot hit every mark for me. The entire narrative is driven by Meryn's desperation to save her kidnapped sister, which felt refreshingly personal. I've read so many "save the world" plots lately that this laser focus on family made the stakes feel immediate and real. The pacing was perfection—the first half establishes the world and builds tension, but that last 25% had so many twists and turns I wasn't expecting.
Meryn: Our Main Character
Now, Meryn. She annoyed me at times because she was too self-assured and proud to trust the people around her. But her behavior made complete sense for someone who's only had herself to rely on and because of that I'm willing to wait until the second book before forming an opinion on her. She starts as a scrappy street fighter and slowly learns that physical strength isn't the only kind of power. Her character development felt earned and believable, which made me even more excited for the rest of the series.
Romance
And the romance? 10 out of 10, no notes. The slow-burn, love-triangle elements are expertly paced with stolen glances and charged conversations that build anticipation without dragging. The spice levels are steamy without overwhelming the plot. And Stark? Mysterious, slightly dangerous, and a little mean. That's all I need to say.
So, Should You Read Direbound?
If you're here for deadly trials, morally complex characters, found family dynamics, and romance that makes you want to throw your book across the room, Direbound delivers on every front.
If you're looking for something completely groundbreaking or not trope-heavy, this might not be your book. The tropes are layered on thick here—but personally, I loved every minute of it.
I'm already counting down the days until book two.
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Direbound FAQs
The answers that are spoilers are marked with [SPOILER]. If you haven’t read the book, proceed with caution!
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Yes, Direbound is the first series in the Wolves of Ruin Trilogy.
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As of the writing of this post, Fury Bound, the second book in the series, will come out on May 5, 2026.
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Yes, Direbound is spicy. There are multiple spicy scenes throughout the book that go into explicit details.
The spicy chapters are:
Chapter 3 (steamy kissing scene)
Chapter 5
Chapter 26
Chapter 29
Chapter 34
Chapter 39
Chapter 50
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Direbound is 610 pages.
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As of this posting, Direbound is available to read on Kindle Unlimited.
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Yes, there is a love triangle set up in Direbound between Stark, Lee, and Meryn.
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Yes, there is a pretty jaw-dropping cliffhanger at the end of Direbound.
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It’s not definitive. The end of Direbound hints at both Stark and Lee being involved in Meryn’s future.
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Yes, Meryn finds Saela in Direbound but the book leaves Saela’s fate open ended in a cliffhanger.
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At the end of Direbound, Meryn is bound to Killian by a magical bracelet, but the story also hints at a future with Stark.
The irresistible bond between their Direwolves suggest, that Stark and Meryn’s bond will likely be explored in the next books.