the_novel_approach's review against another edition
3.0
When I first read the blurb for Bad Moon Arising, I figured it sounded intriguing and seemed to meet the criteria that generally makes me eat up a paranormal story in no time flat. Tension? Check. Plenty of that between Clay and Damian. Different spin on the shifter world? Check. The way the pack operated as well as the whole puppy thing (more on that later). Humor? Check. Though, admittedly, not quite as funny as some early reviews had led me to believe.
Bad Moon Arising is interesting, especially the shifter world dynamics. Born shifters are treated different than made shifters, and the change with all its experiences is also unique too, depending on whether they are born or made. Though one thing is the norm for all—there is no immediate shift for grown adults into an adult wolf. Oh no. Each new shifter becomes a puppy. Yup. When the wolf first comes, it is that of an infant pup and then grows from there, making the wolf essentially a separate entity since the thoughts of the wolf are even that of a pup. This is also where most of the humor came from. Clay becomes a pup on his first shift; he is cognizant of what is happening, but there is another being controlling his body that is distracted by objects and lacks the knowledge that it is not okay to go to the bathroom indoors, loves cuddling with people (which Clay is so not a cuddler), licks faces, and enjoys puppy piles. I can admit I found it adorable as it was the only time I truly liked Clay’s character, and I would definitely call it unique. Also, the writing itself was well done, and nothing stood out as far as editing or grammar.
So where did it come up short, if it has my three main requirements? Well, I forgot about my biggest requirement in all my stories that have a romantic plot—Connection. There wasn’t one, really, between Damian and Clay, barely even got a blip of it from either of them until close to the end, but even then, it was more of a truce, somewhat, and Damian feeling responsible for Clay rather than a true feeling that these two belong together. Honestly, I’m not sure they do.
Damian and Clay, I didn’t really like them that much. Especially Clay. I couldn’t stand him, initially, and that remained my feeling all the way until the end. I didn’t like them together from their first encounter. No sparks. No warmth. No possibility. I kept waiting for the moment that would change, but it really didn’t. Their romance was not a romance at all; rather, it was two guys getting off and little to no feelings involved. Damian wasn’t as bad as Clay; there were actual moments where I found myself empathizing with him, and there are little snippets dropped about his past that don’t give much away but made me interested in finding out. Yes, Damian was closed off, but at least there seemed to be a reason for his actions, and he wasn’t horrible, more like a little emotionally lost. Damian wasn’t mean; he came off in the beginning as brutally honest and closed off, which is somewhat explained towards the end, with even more hinted at. But Clay? He was just plain mean. He was selfish. It had nothing to do with the shift, and everything to do with his personality. He was that way before he even entered the shifter world. The only time he was even remotely likable to me was when he was in puppy form.
The plot itself and how it all played out was thought-provoking. The pack law about immediately having a mate, if they were made, was crappy and yet it made sense in this world as a wolf pup really does need an experienced wolf to teach them to do things like pee outdoors and not try to attack Maine Coons. Though why they can’t have a sponsor and instead have to mate is…well, it’s a paranormal book and shifter law in them doesn’t always make sense, so I will just go with at least I understand the reasons why. Pack law plays quite a big role in this story, and it worked for the most part. It gave the story just enough angst to make me wonder how it would play out. It would have worked better for me if I’d liked the two MCs as a couple, and I was hoping for them to find their way to one another.
The story ends on an interesting note that did pique my curiosity on what is going to happen to Damian and Clay as well as the Outkast Pack. I assume there will be another book because so much is left unanswered, and the end is more like a beginning. I still have lingering questions floating around, especially about Damien’s past. If there is a second book, part of me wants to give it a go, but I would have to find a way to get past my irritation at Clay and Damian. Who knows? Maybe another book will do what this book failed to do in the romance department. It would take quite a bit to redeem Clay and form a connection between these two, but I wouldn’t say it is impossible; it will just take some really good storytelling to make that happen and to make me like Clay.
In the end, I’m torn. While I did like some of the concepts and spins on the shifter world, found humor in the whole puppy aspect, am interested on what happens next as well as what happened in Damian’s past, it didn’t quite live up to its full potential for me, especially in the romance.
Reviewed by Lindsey for The Novel Approach
Bad Moon Arising is interesting, especially the shifter world dynamics. Born shifters are treated different than made shifters, and the change with all its experiences is also unique too, depending on whether they are born or made. Though one thing is the norm for all—there is no immediate shift for grown adults into an adult wolf. Oh no. Each new shifter becomes a puppy. Yup. When the wolf first comes, it is that of an infant pup and then grows from there, making the wolf essentially a separate entity since the thoughts of the wolf are even that of a pup. This is also where most of the humor came from. Clay becomes a pup on his first shift; he is cognizant of what is happening, but there is another being controlling his body that is distracted by objects and lacks the knowledge that it is not okay to go to the bathroom indoors, loves cuddling with people (which Clay is so not a cuddler), licks faces, and enjoys puppy piles. I can admit I found it adorable as it was the only time I truly liked Clay’s character, and I would definitely call it unique. Also, the writing itself was well done, and nothing stood out as far as editing or grammar.
So where did it come up short, if it has my three main requirements? Well, I forgot about my biggest requirement in all my stories that have a romantic plot—Connection. There wasn’t one, really, between Damian and Clay, barely even got a blip of it from either of them until close to the end, but even then, it was more of a truce, somewhat, and Damian feeling responsible for Clay rather than a true feeling that these two belong together. Honestly, I’m not sure they do.
Damian and Clay, I didn’t really like them that much. Especially Clay. I couldn’t stand him, initially, and that remained my feeling all the way until the end. I didn’t like them together from their first encounter. No sparks. No warmth. No possibility. I kept waiting for the moment that would change, but it really didn’t. Their romance was not a romance at all; rather, it was two guys getting off and little to no feelings involved. Damian wasn’t as bad as Clay; there were actual moments where I found myself empathizing with him, and there are little snippets dropped about his past that don’t give much away but made me interested in finding out. Yes, Damian was closed off, but at least there seemed to be a reason for his actions, and he wasn’t horrible, more like a little emotionally lost. Damian wasn’t mean; he came off in the beginning as brutally honest and closed off, which is somewhat explained towards the end, with even more hinted at. But Clay? He was just plain mean. He was selfish. It had nothing to do with the shift, and everything to do with his personality. He was that way before he even entered the shifter world. The only time he was even remotely likable to me was when he was in puppy form.
The plot itself and how it all played out was thought-provoking. The pack law about immediately having a mate, if they were made, was crappy and yet it made sense in this world as a wolf pup really does need an experienced wolf to teach them to do things like pee outdoors and not try to attack Maine Coons. Though why they can’t have a sponsor and instead have to mate is…well, it’s a paranormal book and shifter law in them doesn’t always make sense, so I will just go with at least I understand the reasons why. Pack law plays quite a big role in this story, and it worked for the most part. It gave the story just enough angst to make me wonder how it would play out. It would have worked better for me if I’d liked the two MCs as a couple, and I was hoping for them to find their way to one another.
The story ends on an interesting note that did pique my curiosity on what is going to happen to Damian and Clay as well as the Outkast Pack. I assume there will be another book because so much is left unanswered, and the end is more like a beginning. I still have lingering questions floating around, especially about Damien’s past. If there is a second book, part of me wants to give it a go, but I would have to find a way to get past my irritation at Clay and Damian. Who knows? Maybe another book will do what this book failed to do in the romance department. It would take quite a bit to redeem Clay and form a connection between these two, but I wouldn’t say it is impossible; it will just take some really good storytelling to make that happen and to make me like Clay.
In the end, I’m torn. While I did like some of the concepts and spins on the shifter world, found humor in the whole puppy aspect, am interested on what happens next as well as what happened in Damian’s past, it didn’t quite live up to its full potential for me, especially in the romance.
Reviewed by Lindsey for The Novel Approach
haunted_by_humans's review against another edition
2.0
There were a few moments that I really enjoyed throughout this book, but for the most part it was a bit disappointing because I’ve heard so many great things about it. I’ll be giving the sequel a go, hopefully this series can redeem itself.
pagesandprozac's review against another edition
4.0
*(3.5 stars, rounded up - for once.)
this was very fun, but it just felt like a fanfic rather than a published book. not that there's anything wrong with fanfic; some of it is fucking masterful. i just mean it falls into the trap a lot of fanfic does, where you get a couple of tropes you like and string them together with writing that might be good, but is clearly rather unpractised and mostly unedited. that's fine when it's a free thing online, but from an actual book i'd want the writing to be more polished.
the sex scenes were also not that great. explicit, but ridiculously brief. either fade to black or commit to your sex scenes, dammit. i'm not saying you need to go full erotica but i want something a little more than "i thrust my cock in him and spilled my seed." (okay, that's paraphrasing, but it did only last for like one kindle page, which is probably half a paperback page.
there's definitely potential here, i think. unfortunately, the raw potential was taken and published, rather than refining it into something that unleashes the writer's full potential. if this was self-published i might be a little more lenient, but if you're a publisher - even a small indie publisher - i do expect some level of editing and refinement, otherwise what's the point of publishing with them in the first place?
although it was all a wee bit too amateur, i definitely think the writer has skill. the characters were actually pretty well developed, and i liked the humour running through the novella. i'm a big fan of books that don't take themselves entirely seriously, but the writing needs to be top-notch otherwise it comes across as amateur. this came quite close to being very good, but unfortunately, it didn't quite make it.
the grammar and spelling was mostly fine; by "unedited" i just mean it feels a little choppy at times, and certain things should probably be elaborated on - such as clay with blaine - and more detail needed.
*also, clay as a lil puppy werewolf is the cutest thing in the universe. this is the first werewolf story where newly turned wolves are puppies for about a year or so, and i'm not gonna lie, i'm obsessed with it. yes, i led with the cute wolf cub gif to get people's attention. no shame.
"i really didn't want to be a bad boy, but i was, because i'd upset the human."NOOO YOU'RE THE GOODEST PUPPY IN THE WORLD SHUT UP
i rounded up from 3.5 (which is something i very rarely do; i usually round down) because i can tell the writer is GOOD, they just got let down a bit by the lack of editing - unless you're in the 1% of excellent writers who are excellent even without editing, you're gonna need some good editors no matter how good you are. so i'm mostly blaming this book's bad points on Ninestar, who should have been able to iron them out, especially with a writer who has clear skill.
i'm really excited to see what c.l. mustafic comes up with next! she hasn't published anything for three years, but i'm still holding out hope - three years isn't that long when it comes to hiatuses (hiati?) of artistic endeavour, after all.
iguana_mama's review against another edition
4.0
I was a little apprehensive going into this story, as the dark, violent, and seriously twisted [b:Backdoor Politics|36114580|Backdoor Politics|C.L. Mustafic|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1504253737s/36114580.jpg|57705043] was my introduction to this author.
It turns out I had no need to worry. This was a fun, unique, and subtly humorous shifter story. A steamy encounter between Clay (the human) and Damian (the shifter) ends with a hard bite and a mouthful of blood. Even though Clay is at fault, he worries about the possibility of disease. Damian is worried for a host of other reasons.
Told in alternating viewpoints by Clay and Damian, we get a glimpse of Damian’s life as the redheaded stepchild of the Outcast wolf pack and Clay working at a boring DMV job and dealing with loneliness after the death of his parents. Though the men don’t start off on the right foot, a case of lycanthropy forces Damian to face his responsibility of taking care of the puppy that Clay has become and see that he is taught the ways of the pack and finds a mate. While Clay is cute and affectionate in puppy form, Clay the human still holds Damian at arm’s length. Matters become even more complicated when Damian’s abusive ex, Blaine, stakes his claim on Clay.
Clay and Damian are fully fleshed, interesting characters, and the story ends well without a dreaded cliffhanger, but I hope the sequel will provide more insight into their backgrounds and the dynamics of the Outcast pack. I very much look forward to the next stage of their lives.
*This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
It turns out I had no need to worry. This was a fun, unique, and subtly humorous shifter story. A steamy encounter between Clay (the human) and Damian (the shifter) ends with a hard bite and a mouthful of blood. Even though Clay is at fault, he worries about the possibility of disease. Damian is worried for a host of other reasons.
Told in alternating viewpoints by Clay and Damian, we get a glimpse of Damian’s life as the redheaded stepchild of the Outcast wolf pack and Clay working at a boring DMV job and dealing with loneliness after the death of his parents. Though the men don’t start off on the right foot, a case of lycanthropy forces Damian to face his responsibility of taking care of the puppy that Clay has become and see that he is taught the ways of the pack and finds a mate. While Clay is cute and affectionate in puppy form, Clay the human still holds Damian at arm’s length. Matters become even more complicated when Damian’s abusive ex, Blaine, stakes his claim on Clay.
Clay and Damian are fully fleshed, interesting characters, and the story ends well without a dreaded cliffhanger, but I hope the sequel will provide more insight into their backgrounds and the dynamics of the Outcast pack. I very much look forward to the next stage of their lives.
*This book was provided by the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.
qace90's review
4.0
This was fun
I enjoyed this more than I expected to. There’s several things that were less okay - there is some stalker-like behavior. This follows Damian and Clay after they hook up and Clay accidentally swallows Damian’s blood, resulting in him becoming a werewolf. A lot of the story is Clay working through his anger about his situation and trying to circumvent the pack laws.
There are many funny moments but also many serious and heavy ones. I really look forward to seeing the continuation of Clay and Damian’s relationship development.
Content notes:
🐾 on page sex
🐾 biting, swallowing blood
🐾 alcohol consumption
🐾 getting hook-up’s name through third party
🐾 stalker-like behavior
🐾 mention of death of both parents
🐾 breaking & entering
🐾 kidnapping
🐾 casual ableism
🐾 g*psy
🐾 vomiting
🐾 violence, fisticuffs, fighting as wolves
🐾 threats of sexual assault
🐾 references to past domestic abuse (physical, sexual, verbal)
🐾 victim blaming
🐾 blood
🐾 paralysis as result of injury
I enjoyed this more than I expected to. There’s several things that were less okay - there is some stalker-like behavior. This follows Damian and Clay after they hook up and Clay accidentally swallows Damian’s blood, resulting in him becoming a werewolf. A lot of the story is Clay working through his anger about his situation and trying to circumvent the pack laws.
There are many funny moments but also many serious and heavy ones. I really look forward to seeing the continuation of Clay and Damian’s relationship development.
Content notes:
🐾 on page sex
🐾 biting, swallowing blood
🐾 alcohol consumption
🐾 getting hook-up’s name through third party
🐾 stalker-like behavior
🐾 mention of death of both parents
🐾 breaking & entering
🐾 kidnapping
🐾 casual ableism
🐾 g*psy
🐾 vomiting
🐾 violence, fisticuffs, fighting as wolves
🐾 threats of sexual assault
🐾 references to past domestic abuse (physical, sexual, verbal)
🐾 victim blaming
🐾 blood
🐾 paralysis as result of injury
More...