Moonlight (Dark Guardian, Book 1)
Grade 7 Up—Kayla Madison is excited about spending the summer as a sherpa in the dense national forest. She gets to reconnect with her friends from last year's guide group, including the mysterious and extremely attractive Lucast. Kayla is also hoping that the park is a chance to come face to face with the demons from her past. It was here that, at the age of five, she witnessed her parents' accidental murder by hunters who mistook them for wolves. Kayla's adventures begin with her 17th birthday and the opportunity to lead a group of scientists under the guidance of Dr. Keane into the park to study wolves and their behaviors. Things soon begin to spin out of control as Kayla discovers what Dr. Keane and his group are really up to. She faces difficult choices that not only make sense of her past but will also have life-altering effects on her future. Hawthorne expertly weaves romance with the supernatural, cloaking them with danger and suspense. The plot is fast paced and full of action but ends a little too neatly and at times seems a bit rushed. However, the author does a good job giving readers a natural view of the legends and myths behind werewolves and their evolution. This is a good series to watch and a must-have for those libraries with a vampire/werewolf following.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.