aimsmeee's review against another edition
2.0
So on a whim, I read Feral Nights, because I wanted to read something but had very little mental energy and all my other current books are nonfiction. And... I'm kind of disappointed? Like, I went in with low expectations, but the werecreature society idea could have been really really good! It's exactly the kind of idea I'd read 100 trashy stories about and be delighted by each and every time. There were wereopossums and werearmadillos and a werebear/wererabbit cop duo that I was fully prepared to stan... but then all that got kicked to the curb in favour of Sexy Male Werecats Fighting Over Girls.
Also demons. And yetis. And vampires. And again, I'd love to read a book about any of the above genres (with the exception of Sexy Male Werecats Fighting Over Girls), but all of them smushed together needed a lot more coherence than Smith gave it.
Finally, while billed itself as the first book in a trilogy, it quickly became clear it was actually a sequel to another novel Smith wrote, which explained why I felt like I'd been dropped into the middle of the action, rather than the beginning, but did nothing to make up for it.
Also demons. And yetis. And vampires. And again, I'd love to read a book about any of the above genres (with the exception of Sexy Male Werecats Fighting Over Girls), but all of them smushed together needed a lot more coherence than Smith gave it.
Finally, while billed itself as the first book in a trilogy, it quickly became clear it was actually a sequel to another novel Smith wrote, which explained why I felt like I'd been dropped into the middle of the action, rather than the beginning, but did nothing to make up for it.
inkygirl's review against another edition
5.0
A perfect summer YA read! Love the tongue-in-cheek humor, fun banter between quirky characters, plots twists. I listened to the audiobook version, and the different narrators are excellent.
pickett22's review against another edition
I'm DNFing this one. I don't think I'll rate it because I don't have any specific complaints except that I'm not interested. I got this one out of a free box at the library, and I really like urban fantasy and shape-shifter stuff, so I thought I'd try it. I got about 50 pages in and was just not into it, so I'm gonna move on.
niklit's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
dairyqueen84's review against another edition
3.0
This companion novel to the Tantalize quartet reintroduces supporting characters from the earlier novels now in leading roles, werecat Yoshi, human Aimee, and werepossum Clyde. Yoshi comes to Austin, Texas to find his sister Ruby, who he learns is wanted for murdering Travis, a werearmadillo, by the police, as well as by Clyde and Aimee, who were close friends with him. Aimee and Clyde want to avenge Travis’s death. Clyde has a crush on Aimee and Aimee crushes on ladies-werecat Yoshi. Told in alternating chapters by each of the trio, Yoshi convinces Aimee and Clyde that Ruby had nothing to do with the murder and they follow clues to find out where she is when they are ambushed and kidnapped. They are brought to a tropical island somewhere in the Pacific where the shapeshifters will be hunted by wealthy people who pay a lot for the privilege and Aimee will serve the Yeti-like sentient creatures that run the “Homo deific” enterprise. Aimee and the other kidnapped workers repeat a mantra in English or Spanish: “Every day, in every way I will contribute to the profit margin of Homo deific.” The satisfying climax resolves some of the aforementioned issues and Clyde discovers something interesting about himself that helps save them. The character development is strong and the dialogue is sharp and funny which will draw in fans of this new series.
schomj's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
Fun. Not sure if I want to finish this series first or go back and start at the beginning.
Fun. Not sure if I want to finish this series first or go back and start at the beginning.
sionna's review against another edition
2.0
If a reader goes into this book, not expecting a serious book, but more of a fluffy read to fill the time, then I think they will enjoy this one.
One interesting aspect of this book is how there are so many different shifter types. This is not a common place trope, so I was excited to start reading this one. In fact, I think this is the first book I have read with a werepossum. There is also mention of vampires, demons, witches and wizards, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the supernatural creatures in one book, but did wish that the world-building had not been so weak. This is the first book in a series, even if it is a spin-off, so the reader needs more background information about what is going on. We are told that humans know about shifters, but what else is going on? What is the human reaction? Where is the human aspect? Do Aimee's parents not care or do they not know she hangs out with shifters? These are some questions I would have wanted answered.
There are also multiple perspectives we read through: Aimee, Clyde, and Yoshi. This helps the reader learn about the characters and potentially connect with them more. These three were definitely distinct. The side characters are the ones I kept getting confused, especially when they ended up on the island. Even before that, though, I was mixing up the name of the sheriff with other people.
The plot is pretty thin. There is a story line and the mystery is there, but it felt really passive since things happened so easily for the main characters.
One interesting aspect of this book is how there are so many different shifter types. This is not a common place trope, so I was excited to start reading this one. In fact, I think this is the first book I have read with a werepossum. There is also mention of vampires, demons, witches and wizards, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the supernatural creatures in one book, but did wish that the world-building had not been so weak. This is the first book in a series, even if it is a spin-off, so the reader needs more background information about what is going on. We are told that humans know about shifters, but what else is going on? What is the human reaction? Where is the human aspect? Do Aimee's parents not care or do they not know she hangs out with shifters? These are some questions I would have wanted answered.
There are also multiple perspectives we read through: Aimee, Clyde, and Yoshi. This helps the reader learn about the characters and potentially connect with them more. These three were definitely distinct. The side characters are the ones I kept getting confused, especially when they ended up on the island. Even before that, though, I was mixing up the name of the sheriff with other people.
The plot is pretty thin. There is a story line and the mystery is there, but it felt really passive since things happened so easily for the main characters.
crystalisreading's review against another edition
3.0
This is a cute, funny, fast-paced read. There was nothing urgent about it; I wasn't dying to finish it or know what happened. and I never felt like any of the characters were in danger. But it was fun and lighthearted and young. It reminded me of a better written Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters (both authors are Texan--coincidence?), except with a very complicated were-animal hierarchy instead of demi-gods and gods. Were-armadillos and -opposums felt a bit far fetched, but didn't significantly detract from the story. After reading heavy YA, like the His Dark Assassin and Girl of Fire and Thorns series, this was almost startling in its light-heartedness, but probably a healthy change of pace. I'm not dying to read the second book in the series, or the prequel series, but I do think I'll read them eventually, next time I need a fun and easy read.
rachelyrun's review against another edition
3.0
So lets just state the obvious first - Leitich Smith has a lot of talent working for her, but this title is terrible and I blame some genius in her publishing house. Google any other books with "feral" in the title and you don't exactly get other YA supernatural thriller genre fiction.
Anyhow. That aside. This is the kind of book that makes me wish I had the option to give half stars. It's fairly lightweight, both in length and in deep content (which is why I dropped a star, and wished I could keep half of that star for how much fun this was to read) but the world-creation and action were spot on. I immediately believed in an American South where werepeople and vampires and ghosts mixed freely with humans. Keeping the characters straight was tricky when the action moved so quickly (and every chapter was from someone else's first-person point of view - ugh, pet peeve!) but I never had trouble picturing the supernatural stuff she described. That takes a deft touch with description and Leitich Smith show unusual skill.
I definitely went straight back to my library and got the other 2 books in the trilogy... unfortunately named "Feral Pride" and "Feral Curse." Wow. Sometimes a bad title just comes back to haunt you... again and again.
Anyhow. That aside. This is the kind of book that makes me wish I had the option to give half stars. It's fairly lightweight, both in length and in deep content (which is why I dropped a star, and wished I could keep half of that star for how much fun this was to read) but the world-creation and action were spot on. I immediately believed in an American South where werepeople and vampires and ghosts mixed freely with humans. Keeping the characters straight was tricky when the action moved so quickly (and every chapter was from someone else's first-person point of view - ugh, pet peeve!) but I never had trouble picturing the supernatural stuff she described. That takes a deft touch with description and Leitich Smith show unusual skill.
I definitely went straight back to my library and got the other 2 books in the trilogy... unfortunately named "Feral Pride" and "Feral Curse." Wow. Sometimes a bad title just comes back to haunt you... again and again.
damsinnerx's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t think I’ll continue the series, but I would say the book is fast paced and enjoyable, but you shouldn’t expect a lot from it. There’s stuff that came out of nowhere. And I would actually like to praise the author because she tricked me lol. After all I didn’t get attached to any of the characters and it was just a book to distract myself, a fluffy read (2.5)