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booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Elena has been trying to live as a human, but it quickly becomes apparent (to the reader, if not to herself) that her life in Toronto among the humans and with a boyfriend has been an exercise in making her smell self small enough to fit into what she thinks a human woman ought to be. When a mutt (a werewolf outside the pack) starts trespassing and leaving dead humans in the Pack's woods, Elena is called back to help them track down the mutt and put a stop to their activities. For all its dangers, she clearly revels in the camaraderie and safety provided by the pack. Her relationship with Clayton is tumultuous, vibrant and toxic by turns, but it's obvious both how much each of them care for the other, and how hard it is for him to change.
I read this because one of my favorite authors recommended the third book in this series, and I'm a completionist who wouldn't be able to stand starting with book three, so I began here. I'm very glad I did. While some of the relationship dynamics haven't aged particularly well, I was pleasantly surprised by how much of it holds up in content, structure, and tone. It's also a snapshot of the 1990's, with cell phones available but low in signal quality, and only a hint of the internet. Elena is the sole female werewolf, a detail that I thought was a bit of a gimmick until I learned that in this series there are fewer than 50 werewolves in the world at any one time. This is possible because hereditary werewolves are all male, interbreeding with humans to produce offspring who then grew up in the pack. It's a neat way of having a small, scrappy species with numbers that edge close to extinction but aren't actually in danger of succumbing to a genetic bottleneck. The other way to create new werewolves is to bite a human, which is what happened to Elena a decade before the story begins. Her survival made her the only female werewolf, as the odds of surviving the bite generally are low, and she was bitten under the best possible conditions to have support through her first few changes.
As the first book in the series, this has a self-contained narrative which arrives at a new status quo by the end. Several major plot points are resolved, but the possibilities created by the ending make me very interested in what the sequels might hold. I like narratives where two very stubborn people gradually try to fit together. While I wouldn't actually want to be in this relationship, it's very fun to read about.
I love the audiobook narrator's performance, especially the voice for Clayton, his tone is captured perfectly. I plan to keep reading the series, and am interested in where it goes next.
I read this because one of my favorite authors recommended the third book in this series, and I'm a completionist who wouldn't be able to stand starting with book three, so I began here. I'm very glad I did. While some of the relationship dynamics haven't aged particularly well, I was pleasantly surprised by how much of it holds up in content, structure, and tone. It's also a snapshot of the 1990's, with cell phones available but low in signal quality, and only a hint of the internet. Elena is the sole female werewolf, a detail that I thought was a bit of a gimmick until I learned that in this series there are fewer than 50 werewolves in the world at any one time. This is possible because hereditary werewolves are all male, interbreeding with humans to produce offspring who then grew up in the pack. It's a neat way of having a small, scrappy species with numbers that edge close to extinction but aren't actually in danger of succumbing to a genetic bottleneck. The other way to create new werewolves is to bite a human, which is what happened to Elena a decade before the story begins. Her survival made her the only female werewolf, as the odds of surviving the bite generally are low, and she was bitten under the best possible conditions to have support through her first few changes.
As the first book in the series, this has a self-contained narrative which arrives at a new status quo by the end. Several major plot points are resolved, but the possibilities created by the ending make me very interested in what the sequels might hold. I like narratives where two very stubborn people gradually try to fit together. While I wouldn't actually want to be in this relationship, it's very fun to read about.
I love the audiobook narrator's performance, especially the voice for Clayton, his tone is captured perfectly. I plan to keep reading the series, and am interested in where it goes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Ableism, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy
kenna92005's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The storyline was very interesting to me. How Elena is the only female werewolf and how it’s impossible that she even exists, but she does.
I actually stumbled upon the show before I knew this was a book and that’s what drew me to it. I couldn’t get through the show, but I thought the book would be better, and it is but not by a lot.
The pace of the story is decently fast, but the narration was jarring at times. There were moments she would speak directly to the reader or it would seem like I’m reading a teenagers diary telling of the events happening.
There were just some gaps that never really resolved for me in the story. I know it’s a series and perhaps those gaps will be filled later on, but I don’t think I will continue on.
If you like werewolves, independent and sassy heroines, a grumpy love interest and somewhat murder mystery this could be the book for you, as long as you don’t mind the narration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Torture, and Stalking
relin's review against another edition
3.0
This book did an interesting thing with werewolves that made me think a lot about how werewolves are typically written. I enjoyed that a lot. I got a lot of feelings from the writing, but struggled with the fact that she never gets to have lasting relationships with another woman.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Medical content, Stalking, Outing, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia and Trafficking
Age gap