The Wolf King — Laura Palphreyman || Book Review

Make it ACOTAR, but with

Werewolves instead of Faeries.

Book Content Warning — explicit sexual content, profanity, Underground fighting, human trafficking

Post Spoiler Level — Mild

The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman was an interesting read. It’s been a while since I read a werewolf/shifter romance, so this read wet my appetite again. Since the last time I dove into this genre, I was pleasantly surprised that The Wolf King didn’t take place in the modern world. It was refreshing, as was the Scottish roots within the story and its lore.

Shadow: IV | Fire: Flare

The Wolf King

Laura Palphreyman — The Wolf King, Book 1

Hardcover — 485 pages

High Romantasy — High Stakes

January 7, 2026 — January 10, 2026

Buy on Amazon

Musings

Enthrallment

I found the curse was one of the interesting takes on werewolf lore; full-blooded wolves were born with the ability to shift, while the half-blooded wolves’ inner wolf was dormant until they were bitten by one of the cursed. So they’d go on with their life thinking they’re human, only to get bitten and cursed to shift under the full moon. That does raise the question of what would happen if a full-blooded human were bitten? Do they turn or die? That question may have been answered, but I listened to the audio while deep cleaning my house, so my brain may not have processed everything. If you read it, correct me in the comments.

Foley

The romance of the story was good…

Okay, so I might have a hot take since this book has been popping off online.

I felt as if I were reading a sped-up version of ACOTAR, but with werewolves instead of fae. It followed the same basic plot and character structure. A naive twenty-year-old, Aurora, fell in love with her savior/captor, Callum, who happened to be a huge blonde male like Tamlin’s character.

Then they introduced the sarcastic, brooding, manipulative, and morally grey male character, Blake, who was lean with dark hair like Rhysand. The latter was cruel to her, while also slyly helping her was another character point that mirrors Rhys.

Once I caught onto this, it was difficult for me to get attached to either of the male interests. I think I’m remembering why I hate love triangles. I love Callum, I do, but what makes me lean more into the possibility that she’ll choose Blake is that he challenges her. He forces her out of her shell and provokes her to be stronger, thus being the one who will better her. Callum is a protective golden retriever who just wants to keep her safe and sound. Which was not what she needed. Thus lowering his chances, according to the trope.

Then adding in the bond between Blake & Rory?? Solidified my theory.

It was also predictable that Rory was a wolf (well, half-wolf), as, again, it followed the “naive chosen one” trope. I got that impressed based on the fact that Rory constantly dreamt of a wolf watching her from the woods. Now, this could be Blake, who I suspect is her mate, or it could be her inner wolf waiting for the curse to trigger.

Finale

Coda

The Wolf King was an enjoyable and spicy read filled with jaw-dropping banter, an immersive castle setting, and a romance that had me holding my breath and sighing dreamily. ACOTAR meets Blood & Chocolate.

The only thing holding it back from being amazing is how closely her characters follow the arcs of ACTOR’s characters. I wanted to fall in love with Callum, but with the trajectory of this story, Blake will be the endgame. I hope The Night Prince will give us more info on Blake since Rory will be able to feel what he feels. (side note: that’s gonna make spicy time super awkward). If this is true, it would once again follow the structure of ACOTAR.

Have you read The Wolf King? What did you think? Have you also read ACOTAR? Did you see the same similarities as I? What are your thoughts on that? Think you’ll read the next one, The Night Prince, when it releases on February 10th? I probably will. The story was good enough to hook me, and I also want to see if my theory is correct.

Anyway, thank you for reading! 🙂

♡

The Keeper