Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I know there was a content warning at the beginning of the book, but I did not anticipate that to be the metaphor of the entire story.
That being said, my review has content warnings because this book is an enormous content warning.
This book was beyond triggering once the pieces came together.
I came in for a werewolf book, I was so excited for a werewolf book, and I left with my trauma rehashed.
That being said if you like books about trauma and raw emotions, PTSD, etc. then this is it for you.
Are there werewolves?
Sure-ish.
But this book was rough for a victim of sexual abuse and trauma, for someone who’s been drugged and assaulted. And I think that needs to be better addressed.
I still love this author. I’ll still read his other stories.
I just… did not leave this book feeling very okay.
Merged review:
I know there was a content warning at the beginning of the book, but I did not anticipate that to be the metaphor of the entire story.
That being said, my review has content warnings because this book is an enormous content warning.
This book was beyond triggering once the pieces came together.
I came in for a werewolf book, I was so excited for a werewolf book, and I left with my trauma rehashed.
That being said if you like books about trauma and raw emotions, PTSD, etc. then this is it for you.
Are there werewolves?
Sure-ish.
But this book was rough for a victim of sexual abuse and trauma, for someone who’s been drugged and assaulted. And I think that needs to be better addressed.
I still love this author. I’ll still read his other stories.
I just… did not leave this book feeling very okay.
That being said, my review has content warnings because this book is an enormous content warning.
This book was beyond triggering once the pieces came together.
I came in for a werewolf book, I was so excited for a werewolf book, and I left with my trauma rehashed.
That being said if you like books about trauma and raw emotions, PTSD, etc. then this is it for you.
Are there werewolves?
Sure-ish.
But this book was rough for a victim of sexual abuse and trauma, for someone who’s been drugged and assaulted. And I think that needs to be better addressed.
I still love this author. I’ll still read his other stories.
I just… did not leave this book feeling very okay.
Merged review:
I know there was a content warning at the beginning of the book, but I did not anticipate that to be the metaphor of the entire story.
That being said, my review has content warnings because this book is an enormous content warning.
This book was beyond triggering once the pieces came together.
I came in for a werewolf book, I was so excited for a werewolf book, and I left with my trauma rehashed.
That being said if you like books about trauma and raw emotions, PTSD, etc. then this is it for you.
Are there werewolves?
Sure-ish.
But this book was rough for a victim of sexual abuse and trauma, for someone who’s been drugged and assaulted. And I think that needs to be better addressed.
I still love this author. I’ll still read his other stories.
I just… did not leave this book feeling very okay.
3.5/5 rounded up.
Merged review:
3.5/5 rounded up.
Merged review:
3.5/5 rounded up.
Quizá 1,5...
No sé, no me ha gustado nada. Creo que gran parte del problema es el marketing que le han hecho como una novela de licántropos queer que usa el tema de la licantropía para explorar los traumas propios de la adolescencia... Suena a coming-of-age con licántropos. Well. No. Es trauma porn superoscuro, absolutamente falto de todo rayo de esperanza y lleno de violencia y discriminación. Parece una de esas novelas de hace 10-15 años que te dejaban con la sensación de que ser queer era estar condenado a vivir una existencia de mierda... Y lo que es peor: no hay licántropos. Y es aburridísimo. No pasa nada, todos los personajes son odiosos y el "giro" final de cierto personaje es obvio desde el minuto uno.
Merged review:
Quizá 1,5...
No sé, no me ha gustado nada. Creo que gran parte del problema es el marketing que le han hecho como una novela de licántropos queer que usa el tema de la licantropía para explorar los traumas propios de la adolescencia... Suena a coming-of-age con licántropos. Well. No. Es trauma porn superoscuro, absolutamente falto de todo rayo de esperanza y lleno de violencia y discriminación. Parece una de esas novelas de hace 10-15 años que te dejaban con la sensación de que ser queer era estar condenado a vivir una existencia de mierda... Y lo que es peor: no hay licántropos. Y es aburridísimo. No pasa nada, todos los personajes son odiosos y el "giro" final de cierto personaje es obvio desde el minuto uno.
No sé, no me ha gustado nada. Creo que gran parte del problema es el marketing que le han hecho como una novela de licántropos queer que usa el tema de la licantropía para explorar los traumas propios de la adolescencia... Suena a coming-of-age con licántropos. Well. No. Es trauma porn superoscuro, absolutamente falto de todo rayo de esperanza y lleno de violencia y discriminación. Parece una de esas novelas de hace 10-15 años que te dejaban con la sensación de que ser queer era estar condenado a vivir una existencia de mierda... Y lo que es peor: no hay licántropos. Y es aburridísimo. No pasa nada, todos los personajes son odiosos y el "giro" final de cierto personaje es obvio desde el minuto uno.
Merged review:
Quizá 1,5...
No sé, no me ha gustado nada. Creo que gran parte del problema es el marketing que le han hecho como una novela de licántropos queer que usa el tema de la licantropía para explorar los traumas propios de la adolescencia... Suena a coming-of-age con licántropos. Well. No. Es trauma porn superoscuro, absolutamente falto de todo rayo de esperanza y lleno de violencia y discriminación. Parece una de esas novelas de hace 10-15 años que te dejaban con la sensación de que ser queer era estar condenado a vivir una existencia de mierda... Y lo que es peor: no hay licántropos. Y es aburridísimo. No pasa nada, todos los personajes son odiosos y el "giro" final de cierto personaje es obvio desde el minuto uno.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I saw this recommended by someone on a TikTok, and they framed it as a YA horror story. It’s more of a coming-of-age story that has a scary event that happens to the main character. Of course, the MC doesn’t remember it, so we only get bits and pieces. Bummer.
But this felt like a typical coming-of-age story. Kid moves to new town, the cool kids bully the new kid, he struggles, but then finds his place in this new environment.
I appreciated the backdrop of the “monster” attack as a way to get at the story, but it sort of lost its impact quickly. It eclipses the MC, so all you’re really learning is that he has trauma from this attack. And that made those 400+ pages drag on.
I also struggled with the MC. He is incredibly frustrating in his decisions (as most teenagers are),” and his general neglect of his actual friends.
You could see the ending/twist from a mile away, which made this build up that much less satisfying. And once you find out what happens, the decisions the antagonist made doesn’t really make sense.
Overall, fun enough, but not my favorite.
But this felt like a typical coming-of-age story. Kid moves to new town, the cool kids bully the new kid, he struggles, but then finds his place in this new environment.
I appreciated the backdrop of the “monster” attack as a way to get at the story, but it sort of lost its impact quickly. It eclipses the MC, so all you’re really learning is that he has trauma from this attack. And that made those 400+ pages drag on.
I also struggled with the MC. He is incredibly frustrating in his decisions (as most teenagers are),” and his general neglect of his actual friends.
You could see the ending/twist from a mile away, which made this build up that much less satisfying. And once you find out what happens, the decisions the antagonist made doesn’t really make sense.
Overall, fun enough, but not my favorite.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
pacing of this was very odd and i think it could be about 100 pages shorter and still achieve the same effect but everything comes together just enough for me to still have had a really good time
A werewolf horror novel with a much deeper message. Our trauma does not necessarily define us, we don’t have to become monsters just because we’ve been attacked by monsters. Break the cycle of abuse, break the silence, and the monsters die. At first I thought it was just about Virgil and the homophobic attacks from the kids in this small Florida town where he doesn’t know anyone, but then it became a broader scope after girls had been assaulted, other boys, and even adults shared their stories of surviving attacks. The monsters are all around us and sometimes even within us, but we have to keep going.
Merged review:
A werewolf horror novel with a much deeper message. Our trauma does not necessarily define us, we don’t have to become monsters just because we’ve been attacked by monsters. Break the cycle of abuse, break the silence, and the monsters die. At first I thought it was just about Virgil and the homophobic attacks from the kids in this small Florida town where he doesn’t know anyone, but then it became a broader scope after girls had been assaulted, other boys, and even adults shared their stories of surviving attacks. The monsters are all around us and sometimes even within us, but we have to keep going.
Merged review:
A werewolf horror novel with a much deeper message. Our trauma does not necessarily define us, we don’t have to become monsters just because we’ve been attacked by monsters. Break the cycle of abuse, break the silence, and the monsters die. At first I thought it was just about Virgil and the homophobic attacks from the kids in this small Florida town where he doesn’t know anyone, but then it became a broader scope after girls had been assaulted, other boys, and even adults shared their stories of surviving attacks. The monsters are all around us and sometimes even within us, but we have to keep going.
dark
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is such a good book but it is so very difficult to read. And it should be, it's a story of trauma and a metaphor for so much more. I was really blown away by the absolute gut punch this was.
If you're looking for a horror read with lots of monstrous transformations, this isn't it - this is more the suspense of an attack-survivor not being believed, wondering what's happening to them, and worrying about turning into a monster.
After his parents' divorce, Virgil is forced to leave his life and friends in Seattle to live with his dad at his dad's parents' house in the small Southern town of Merritt. Which he HATES. Pushed to go to a teen party before the start of the school year, he ends up attacked by a monster, but of course no-one believes him. They say he was drunk (no), that he's making it up for attention (no), that he shouldn't have been there in the first place, and a video of him stumbling injured into the parking lot quickly racks up cruel comments. So he starts the school year an ostracized target of ridicule, gossip, and cyber-bullying. To make matters worse, his dad is always away at work, and he's having trouble keeping in contact with his boyfriend back home in Seattle, so no support there; and his grandparents' response to the attack is to give him chores as punishment (for being attacked). A couple of popular football players he met at the party seem friendly, but their actions don't always seem that way. And what the heck is going on with his body as the injuries start to heal strangely? Virgil worries that the monster infected him, and if no-one believes what happened, how can he get help? In a town where everyone knows everyone's business and anyone who dares to rock the boat (or badmouth the popular few) faces immense backlash, how can anything be done to stop bad things from happening again?
The drama and struggle with toxic vs true friendships kept me flipping pages. Virgil's anger and worry were very relatable, and little glints of humor here and there kept things from becoming entirely depressing while watching to see how Virgil will get through this situation.
Recommended for readers who like emotionally engaging stories and stories involving social outsiders, toxic relationships, and the dark side of gossipy small-town society, and can stand to feel the frustration and rage against injustice that takes up a large portion of this story.
My one gripe is, when certain facts come out at the very end, I had a major "wtf, grown-ups??" - like, these characters should have found a way to come out with that sooner.
Content concerns: victim-blaming, occasional homophobia, some swearing (nothing gratuitous), occasional alcohol, assault, bullying, cyber-bullying; no sex scenes or on-screen SA but language and implied events that are easily recognizable as similar to SA and the trauma that follows it
After his parents' divorce, Virgil is forced to leave his life and friends in Seattle to live with his dad at his dad's parents' house in the small Southern town of Merritt. Which he HATES. Pushed to go to a teen party before the start of the school year, he ends up attacked by a monster, but of course no-one believes him. They say he was drunk (no), that he's making it up for attention (no), that he shouldn't have been there in the first place, and a video of him stumbling injured into the parking lot quickly racks up cruel comments. So he starts the school year an ostracized target of ridicule, gossip, and cyber-bullying. To make matters worse, his dad is always away at work, and he's having trouble keeping in contact with his boyfriend back home in Seattle, so no support there; and his grandparents' response to the attack is to give him chores as punishment (for being attacked). A couple of popular football players he met at the party seem friendly, but their actions don't always seem that way. And what the heck is going on with his body as the injuries start to heal strangely? Virgil worries that the monster infected him, and if no-one believes what happened, how can he get help? In a town where everyone knows everyone's business and anyone who dares to rock the boat (or badmouth the popular few) faces immense backlash, how can anything be done to stop bad things from happening again?
The drama and struggle with toxic vs true friendships kept me flipping pages. Virgil's anger and worry were very relatable, and little glints of humor here and there kept things from becoming entirely depressing while watching to see how Virgil will get through this situation.
Recommended for readers who like emotionally engaging stories and stories involving social outsiders, toxic relationships, and the dark side of gossipy small-town society, and can stand to feel the frustration and rage against injustice that takes up a large portion of this story.
My one gripe is, when certain facts come out at the very end, I had a major "wtf, grown-ups??" - like, these characters should have found a way to come out with that sooner.
Content concerns: victim-blaming, occasional homophobia, some swearing (nothing gratuitous), occasional alcohol, assault, bullying, cyber-bullying; no sex scenes or on-screen SA but language and implied events that are easily recognizable as similar to SA and the trauma that follows it