Review: 4.5 stars for a debut werewolf novel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 15, 2011
I read a lot of werewolf and shifter stories because they are my favorite paranormal creatures, so I'm always excited to find a new author. I was very impressed with Hunting Human and I find it hard to believe that it was a debut novel. For one thing, the pacing was excellent. There were no slow parts, the action moved right along and kept me reading. I loved the way Beth's back story was doled out slowly. The flashbacks seemed organic rather than forced. You knew something terrible had happened to her right from the beginning, but you didn't know (and really didn't need to know) the details until they were finally revealed later.Beth was a great lead character and I loved that she was so strong. She didn't need anyone to save her. She saved herself when she was initially attacked and had worked hard to get over the trauma and get on with her life rather than breaking down and losing her mind or being unable to function. Braden, therefore, was a lovely surprise for her, but not necessary to her well-being. You got the sense that she would have managed to continue on, even if she hadn't met him. Braden was a typical guy. I loved that he wasn't perfect in the way he reacted to things. He definitely had faults, and that made him human.As others have mentioned, my only criticism would be that the climactic confrontation with Markko at the end seemed pretty rushed, but that's a minor fault in this novel. I'm really hoping that the author plans to write more, either continuing on in this world, or something new entirely.