Review: Fast and enjoyable read, gritty and funny
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 17, 2011
This is a paranormal novella written in the first person with protagonist a young woman turned into a werewolf. The voice of the narrator grabbed me from the start because it rang real and funny, and let's face it, the voice is the first thing that captures a reader's attention.The language is plain and clear, the descriptions bare-bones but enough to visualize everything and true to the point of view and the heroine's personality.The main characters of the story were well developed and distinct. Dreama - Dree - the protagonist is a very dynamic young woman, likable and easy to relate to. I liked her both for her realistic but courageous reactions to the strange events around her, her way of taking things into her own hands and making decisions. This is no whiney, screaming female lead; she is a strong person, with opinions (such as on discrimination against women), self confidence but also consideration for the others.PJ, her best friend, is a funny and strong character, there when Dree needs her but also of the more frivolous and partying type. She jumps off the page and adds a humorous note to the narrative. The alpha wolf who takes Dree under her wing is mysterious and quiet and also very real. I felt that I got to know these characters as people in real life.Apart from the good voice and characterization, I really enjoyed the gritty portrayal of Dree's reality as painted by the author. He doesn't mince his words when it comes to the transformation of Dree into a werewolf - the blood, the pain, the fear, the loss of control, the regret. He is exceptionally good, in my opinion, in describing how her body changes each time she loses control of her feelings due to anger or excitement and the way he has the heroine deal with this problem ranges from funny to heart-breaking. I have rarely if ever seen such an honest portrayal of this transformation which is normally glossed over and made into something magical and beautiful. I really liked this aspect of the novella.The book also contains several explicit sex scenes which play an important role in the story as they both help develop the relationship between Dree and a man she goes out with, and provide the ground for her transformations.The character arc is good, with Dree's perception of the world shifting as her body changes, and as she begins to accept she cannot go back to what and who she was. The plot should have been predictable but it had me on the edge of my seat because I was so involved in the characters.However, I admit that I found the last scene too open-ended, the ending too abrupt, so much so that at first I thought this had to be book one of a series. When I checked, though, I saw no reference to a series, therefore I must say this was an issue for me. Too much happens in the last chapters and very little is resolved to call the story finished.I think this book fits well in the tradition of the Anita Blake series (in the sense of mystery, and shifters, humor, and female first person narrator).In all, this was a fast and enjoyable read, gritty and funny, and I recommend it to fans of the paranormal.Note: A Free Review copy was provided by the author.