Read. Write. Love.: werewolves

Monday, August 13, 2012

Review: Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Taken by Storm
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Pages: 314

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Series: Raised by Wolves #3

Released: May 22, 2012

First Line: "I ran as though my life depended on it."

From Goodreads: "Bryn knows first-hand that being the alpha of a werewolf pack means making hard decisions, and that being human makes things a thousand times worse. She's prepared to give up her humanity, but the wolf who promised to Change her is waiting - though for what, Bryn doesn't know. Still human, she must take her place in the werewolf Senate, the precarious democracy that rules the North American packs. Standing side by side with werewolves who were ancient long before she was ever born is enough of a challenge, but Bryn soon learns that the Senate has been called to deal with a problem: the kind of problem that involves human bodies, a Rabid werewolf, and memories that Bryn, Chase, and the rest of their pack would rather forget. With bodies stacking up and political pressure closing in from all sides, Bryn and her pack are going to have to turn to old enemies and even older friends for help - especially when it starts to look like this time, the monster might be one of their own."

My Thoughts:

Alright, so I really love these books. I just love werewolf books in general. The psychic angle that Jennifer Barnes puts on the story makes things interesting and sets it apart from other werewolf stories. But in this book I was a little thrown, because things got even weirder. I won't say how because it will give things away, but I'm just not sure how I felt about one of the twists. This is the main reason I decided to give this book a 4/5, because the aforementioned twist was just a little too weird for me.

Jennifer Barnes is really good at creating a story that keeps you turning the pages, and there was lots of suspense, mystery, and a few twists I didn't see coming. I like how the books build off of each other in a way that isn't predictable and is based on the character's actions and the consequences they have or the problems they create.

I really love some of these characters! Devon and Lake are probably my favorites, and their dialogue always gets me grinning or laughing. And Bryn is an awesome, strong heroine. But while Jennifer Barnes is strong plot-wise, the romantic elements are definitely her weakness, which is disappointing. Chase isn't developed much as a character at all, and his and Bryn's relationship isn't developed much either. I wish the romance had been better, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story.

The pacing of this story felt a little weird to me. The ending almost felt rushed, like the author was trying to tie up too many loose ends too quickly. But there is still one loose end we never get a proper explanation for, which could potentially lead into another sequel? And while the book does end in a satisfying way, there is somewhat of a cliffhanger that could be suggesting another book.

Recommendations:

I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with the characters and cheered them on. I loved Taken by Storm, and I would recommend the whole trilogy to those who enjoy werewolf stories. I'm not certain if the author is planning another book, but I really hope she is and I will definitely be reading it :]

My Rating:

Writing: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Creativity/Originality: 4/5
Kept me interested: 5/5

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

 Title: Hemlock
Author: Kathleen Peacock
Pages: 416
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Series: Hemlock #1
Released: May 8, 2012
First Line: "Blood ran down my hands in thin rivers."
From Goodreads: "Mackenzie and Amy were best friends.

Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's killer:

A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome--also known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy's boy-friend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock's thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spell-binding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love."

My Thoughts:

"Old people asked each other where they'd been when JFK was shot; my generation asked each other if they could remember the day werewolves officially came out of the closet."

Alright, I'm going to go ahead and warn you that I'm partial towards werewolf books *stupid grin*. So this review may be a little biased because I'm more willing to forgive flaws in werewolf books because I love werewolves so much. I know, I'm hopeless. *sigh*

Anyways, on with the review!

I really liked the world that Kathleen Peacock created that gave a fresh take on werewolves. The government has admitted that werewolves exist, and rehabilitation camps have been set up across the country. Anyone with Lupine Syndrome or LS is required to turn themselves in and are sent to live out their lives in these camps. Of course, not everyone turns themselves in and many live in secret among humans. That's why there are the Trackers, an extremist group that goes around trying to uncover werewolves in hiding and send them to the rehabilitation camps.

The Trackers, and especially their leader, Derby, gave me chills. They were ruthless and cruel and when they made a threat you knew it wasn't a bluff. Several aspects of the story actually reminded me somewhat of WWI. The werewolves are seen as an inferior race and sent to rehabilitation camps, similar to what happened with the Jews with concentration camps (though no horrifying mass killings). The Trackers come to Hemlock and begin recruiting teens, which reminded me of the Natzis and the Hitler Youth. Posters are put up around Hemlock urging people to turn in those who they knew or suspected to be werewolves, just as people were urged to turn in Jews. These similarities to a real-life event made the Trackers all the more frightening and chilling to me. It also made me think about racism and prejudice in real-life.

For the most part I really liked the plot--having the culprit they're looking for be a werewolf gave it an interesting twist to the age-old murder mystery. There was plenty of suspense as well as some action and twists. There was also a touch of romance, but I'm sad to say the romance part just didn't work for me.

A large part of this was because Kyle's character wasn't developed enough for me to become really attached to him. I felt like all I knew about him was that he had been friends with Mac for 3 years, had shaggy brown hair, and a crazy ex. I felt like I didn't really know him. Other characters like Serena and Trey were a bit more developed, but still could have used more work. I felt like the most developed characters in the story were Mac and Jason. I really liked Mac, though at times the drama going on between her, Kyle, and Jason sometimes got annoying and confusing.

Recommendations:

Overall, the mystery/action part of this plot kept me reading late into the night even though the romance didn't work for me. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy werewolf stories, but don't raise your expectations too high for the romance part.