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mellhay's review against another edition
4.0
A mystery! This is a shifter town where a murder has happened. Actually, we find out this is the third murder. Jane has the ability to read items with a touch, so she becomes important in helping with the case. Her mom and her best friend (who's sister was murdered) want her to help with the case, and clear her brothers name. Jane's visions help point her in directions, but don't give her the complete answer. So she works the case, looking for answers with the clues she finds.
I found that even though this is a mystery story, I found the story relaxing with Jane's personality and small jokes and puns.
****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****
I found that even though this is a mystery story, I found the story relaxing with Jane's personality and small jokes and puns.
****FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW****
theaurochs's review
1.0
Truly execrable. A hackneyed collection of tropes, snark, attempted witticisms and outdated popculture references, suffused with a hint of repressed sexuality and uncomfortable sexualisation, there is very little to excuse this miserable piece of work. I got this book for free, and feel deeply ripped off, wishing I hadn’t spent the few hours of my life that I did reading this rubbish; really it’s a lesson to me to give up on books when I’m disliking them this much. At least it fits the r/fantasy bingo square for shapeshifters. And in possibly the only true bit of inspiration in the book, it casts Kristen Bell as a were-sloth. Pretty sure that’s all the good points.
Let’s start at the very beginning with the first few sentences: “I was a teenage weredeer. Specifically, I ceased to be a teenager as of eight o’clock that morning. I was an adult, eighteen years of age.” So you’re still eighteen? So you’re still a teenager you fuckwit. Now we’re very early on here, maybe we should give this book the benefit of the doubt that it is meant to be written from the perspective of an insufferable idiotic teenager, but unfortunately as we progress we very quickly discover that every character is just as brain-dead. They are all equally interchangeable in terms of personality, being little more than props upon which we hang our terrible puns, snarky comments and dated references; absolutely no concern is given to whether any of these make sense for the characters in context. The bare bones of the plot are tedious and predictable, but the finer details make it baffling in places and incomprehensible in others; borne of our truly idiotic cast making truly idiotic decisions. The writing style is truly dreadful, attempting to channel teen procedurals like Buffy or Veronica Mars while utterly failing to understand what makes these shows interesting- the solid and well-defined characters that drive the plot forward. The snarky banter only works in the context of these characters going through the difficult times and reacting to them in immature, defensive ways. In VM great pains are taken to show how everyone reacts to Veronica’s attitude, and its not well. The key is that these are not comedians joking about everything that’s going on, but helplessly lost kids doing their best to cope in a weird world. Attempting to isolate just the humour and taking none of the pathos leaves the whole thing completely void and soulless.
A seriously poor book, on pretty much every level. Save yourself the time and effort.
Let’s start at the very beginning with the first few sentences: “I was a teenage weredeer. Specifically, I ceased to be a teenager as of eight o’clock that morning. I was an adult, eighteen years of age.” So you’re still eighteen? So you’re still a teenager you fuckwit. Now we’re very early on here, maybe we should give this book the benefit of the doubt that it is meant to be written from the perspective of an insufferable idiotic teenager, but unfortunately as we progress we very quickly discover that every character is just as brain-dead. They are all equally interchangeable in terms of personality, being little more than props upon which we hang our terrible puns, snarky comments and dated references; absolutely no concern is given to whether any of these make sense for the characters in context. The bare bones of the plot are tedious and predictable, but the finer details make it baffling in places and incomprehensible in others; borne of our truly idiotic cast making truly idiotic decisions. The writing style is truly dreadful, attempting to channel teen procedurals like Buffy or Veronica Mars while utterly failing to understand what makes these shows interesting- the solid and well-defined characters that drive the plot forward. The snarky banter only works in the context of these characters going through the difficult times and reacting to them in immature, defensive ways. In VM great pains are taken to show how everyone reacts to Veronica’s attitude, and its not well. The key is that these are not comedians joking about everything that’s going on, but helplessly lost kids doing their best to cope in a weird world. Attempting to isolate just the humour and taking none of the pathos leaves the whole thing completely void and soulless.
A seriously poor book, on pretty much every level. Save yourself the time and effort.
abeckstrom's review
4.0
This review is for the audiobook version of I Was a Teenage Weredeer read by Ariel DeLisle.
Phipps does YA? Yup, and it's above average. It's not as gritty and dark as many of his other tales, but his trademark sense of humor shines through in abundance (as long as you can stomach deer puns).
Jane Doe is the titular Weredeer in the second foray (in my knowledge) into the PLU (Phipps Literary Universe), Straight Outta Fangton, being the first. None of the characters from the latter appear in Weredeer, but events from it and that precede both of these books are referred to throughout. I felt the shared universe concept was thoughtfully used. There's no requirement to have read both books series, but if you do, you'll definitely get more out of it.
Jane is surrounded by a growing cast of shapeshifters, wizards, elementals, vampires, etc. The cast really seems to round out especially towards the end. Fans of Jim Butcher's Dresden or Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series should find plenty to enjoy here.
Ariel DeLisle grew on me as a narrator. At first, I thought she sounded too whiny for my taste, but then I realized that was the character. Ariel's narration matured a bit as Jane did as well. A solid performance overall.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Phipps does YA? Yup, and it's above average. It's not as gritty and dark as many of his other tales, but his trademark sense of humor shines through in abundance (as long as you can stomach deer puns).
Jane Doe is the titular Weredeer in the second foray (in my knowledge) into the PLU (Phipps Literary Universe), Straight Outta Fangton, being the first. None of the characters from the latter appear in Weredeer, but events from it and that precede both of these books are referred to throughout. I felt the shared universe concept was thoughtfully used. There's no requirement to have read both books series, but if you do, you'll definitely get more out of it.
Jane is surrounded by a growing cast of shapeshifters, wizards, elementals, vampires, etc. The cast really seems to round out especially towards the end. Fans of Jim Butcher's Dresden or Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series should find plenty to enjoy here.
Ariel DeLisle grew on me as a narrator. At first, I thought she sounded too whiny for my taste, but then I realized that was the character. Ariel's narration matured a bit as Jane did as well. A solid performance overall.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
mxsallybend's review
4.0
What an odd, and yet oddly entertaining, read I Was a Teenage Weredeer proved to be. Not that I am entirely surprised. I’ve been reading C.T. Phipps for about 4 1/2 years now, following him from the urban fantasy of The Red Room through the superhero humor of The Supervillainy Saga, the post-apocalyptic Lovecraftian horror of Cthulhu Armageddon, the epic fantasy of Wraith Knight, and so much more, and he has never once failed to entertain. He has an imagination to match his wit, and while he plays to the familiar tropes, he does so in ways that are always surprising.
This is a book that plays very much in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer realm of storytelling, as told by way of an Agent Cooper/Agent Pendergast sort of hybrid. It’s a weird, eccentric, quirky tale that often manages to be funny and horrifying at the same time – and completely pulls it off. Seriously, there are scenes here that will give you emotional whiplash, especially when dealing the Jane and Emily’s respective families and their dark, violent, sometimes abusive histories. The whole subplot about dealing vampire blood as the latest illicit drug was particularly creepy and inventive.
There were at least three points in the opening chapters where I figured I had my finger on what kind of story this was going to be, only to have some thematic twist thrown at me a few pages later. At its heart, I Was a Teenage Weredeer is a mystery but it’s one with so many facets, suspects, and storytelling tangents that it really becomes something of a soap opera where you are more inclined to settle in and enjoy the drama than you are to obsess over solving the murders.
Personally, what tickled my fancy right from the get-go is the fact that Phipps & Suttkus drape this in puns as much as they do blood – and that’s not just narrative license. The entire shifter community is rather pun-obsessed, leading to things like Jane Doe of the Deerlightful Diner, who, despite her distaste for puns, ends up wearing a Got Deer t-shirt with a horny buck, all while fending off threats of “bleating some answers” out of people, some of whom get “more bang for their buck“, and others who are not “fawn” of such puns. It’s self-aware punning, which somehow makes it even more amusing.
In a world where vampires and shifters are recognized and legally accepted, you might think there wouldn’t be a lot of tension to explore, but racism abounds both within and outside the community. It’s nothing heavy-handed, but it is prevalent, and it does have a bearing on so much of the story. Some of that is humorous (like doing a find/replace on the Narnia books to make Aslan into a stag), some of it is kinda of faery tale meta (such as the racist jackasses who killed the Red Wolf’s family), but even more of it is Jane calling out casual racism and institutionalized persecution, especially when she’s at fault.
As for the characters, Jane Doe is a fantastic heroine, a strong young woman full of wit and empathy. Her narration is really what moves the story along, and her power to pick up on visions or psychic impressions from others is what reveals so much of the backstory. Emma, her best friend, was a little bit all over the map, and I had trouble deciding whether I liked her or not, but she has her moment. Lucien Lyons, the beautiful tattooed crime lord, is an interesting character who plays against the usual tropes, and his connection to Special Agent Alexander Timmons (my favorite character next to Jane) makes them both that much more interesting.
If I were to have one complaint about I Was a Teenage Weredeer, it would be that the pacing and balance felt a bit off in the middle of the story, but that’s the critic in me talking and not the fanboy. I feel kind of guilty about it, but even as I knew the story had stalled, I was enjoying the characters and the humor so much that I was willing to give it a pass – especially since the climax, with all the spiritualism and revelations about loved ones was so unexpected and so well done that it really caps a strong story.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2019/12/17/book-review-i-was-a-teenage-weredeer-by-c-t-phipps-michael-suttkus/
This is a book that plays very much in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer realm of storytelling, as told by way of an Agent Cooper/Agent Pendergast sort of hybrid. It’s a weird, eccentric, quirky tale that often manages to be funny and horrifying at the same time – and completely pulls it off. Seriously, there are scenes here that will give you emotional whiplash, especially when dealing the Jane and Emily’s respective families and their dark, violent, sometimes abusive histories. The whole subplot about dealing vampire blood as the latest illicit drug was particularly creepy and inventive.
There were at least three points in the opening chapters where I figured I had my finger on what kind of story this was going to be, only to have some thematic twist thrown at me a few pages later. At its heart, I Was a Teenage Weredeer is a mystery but it’s one with so many facets, suspects, and storytelling tangents that it really becomes something of a soap opera where you are more inclined to settle in and enjoy the drama than you are to obsess over solving the murders.
Personally, what tickled my fancy right from the get-go is the fact that Phipps & Suttkus drape this in puns as much as they do blood – and that’s not just narrative license. The entire shifter community is rather pun-obsessed, leading to things like Jane Doe of the Deerlightful Diner, who, despite her distaste for puns, ends up wearing a Got Deer t-shirt with a horny buck, all while fending off threats of “bleating some answers” out of people, some of whom get “more bang for their buck“, and others who are not “fawn” of such puns. It’s self-aware punning, which somehow makes it even more amusing.
In a world where vampires and shifters are recognized and legally accepted, you might think there wouldn’t be a lot of tension to explore, but racism abounds both within and outside the community. It’s nothing heavy-handed, but it is prevalent, and it does have a bearing on so much of the story. Some of that is humorous (like doing a find/replace on the Narnia books to make Aslan into a stag), some of it is kinda of faery tale meta (such as the racist jackasses who killed the Red Wolf’s family), but even more of it is Jane calling out casual racism and institutionalized persecution, especially when she’s at fault.
As for the characters, Jane Doe is a fantastic heroine, a strong young woman full of wit and empathy. Her narration is really what moves the story along, and her power to pick up on visions or psychic impressions from others is what reveals so much of the backstory. Emma, her best friend, was a little bit all over the map, and I had trouble deciding whether I liked her or not, but she has her moment. Lucien Lyons, the beautiful tattooed crime lord, is an interesting character who plays against the usual tropes, and his connection to Special Agent Alexander Timmons (my favorite character next to Jane) makes them both that much more interesting.
If I were to have one complaint about I Was a Teenage Weredeer, it would be that the pacing and balance felt a bit off in the middle of the story, but that’s the critic in me talking and not the fanboy. I feel kind of guilty about it, but even as I knew the story had stalled, I was enjoying the characters and the humor so much that I was willing to give it a pass – especially since the climax, with all the spiritualism and revelations about loved ones was so unexpected and so well done that it really caps a strong story.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2019/12/17/book-review-i-was-a-teenage-weredeer-by-c-t-phipps-michael-suttkus/
namaria's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
gnashchick's review against another edition
5.0
The first thing I loved about this book was that it didn’t take itself too seriously. My usual fare is horror and dark SF, but every now and then, I need to read something that makes me laugh. I got a kick out of “Straight Outta Fangton” and a return to this world where supernatural creatures could be lurking behind the counter of your local gas-n-go, just trying to make a buck, was a welcome opportunity. Or in this case, working at the Deerlightful Diner. It’s not hard to figure out that puns abound in this book. Most are eye-rollingly bad (as they should be) but that’s a big part of the charm.
The story revolves around a mysterious death, old family rivalries, small-town nastiness and the magic that makes everything that much weirder…or weredeer, depending on your point of view. Jane Doe and her friend Emma O’Henry, a werewolf, are embroiled in the search for Victoria O’Henry’s murderer. Jane’s brother, Jeremy, is the prime suspect and she’s determined to prove that he’s innocent of murder. Her natural powers of foresight and magic, a posse of friends and a wizardly FBI agent lead them all down a frightening path of mystery, intrigue, and danger.
The second thing I loved was the cast of characters and how their shifter natures played off each other. For example, when werewolves are around, Jane is keenly aware that she’s a prey species. The banter between characters is smart, funny and reeks of teenage angst. Like Fangton, this is our world, only more magically delicious, so the riffs and references to pop culture made the book more immersive for me. I was slightly put off by a bit too much banter during tense scenes, though.
Lastly, don’t let the jokes and puns fool you. This story gets darker as the clues unfold. It’s not just a whodunit, and the deeper the investigation goes, the more complicated the situation becomes. Like any small town, Bright Falls has its own microcosm of societal ills, and those rise to the surface no matter how hard people try to keep them secret. I absolutely don’t want to spoil anything, but I will mention a content warning for abusive behavior.
My main complaint is rather like my waistline – it sags a little. It happens. Pacing is tough, and I understand that some chapters need to be there to give readers a chance to breathe, get to know a character, or enjoy a little comic relief, but there was a little too much of that right around the middle of the book. However, the wind-up to the end fixed all of that and left me thoroughly satisfied.
I recommend this for people looking for an entertaining read that offers humor, thrills, and touches on serious subjects. I’m looking forward to more from Jane Doe, and other stories from this magical world.
The story revolves around a mysterious death, old family rivalries, small-town nastiness and the magic that makes everything that much weirder…or weredeer, depending on your point of view. Jane Doe and her friend Emma O’Henry, a werewolf, are embroiled in the search for Victoria O’Henry’s murderer. Jane’s brother, Jeremy, is the prime suspect and she’s determined to prove that he’s innocent of murder. Her natural powers of foresight and magic, a posse of friends and a wizardly FBI agent lead them all down a frightening path of mystery, intrigue, and danger.
The second thing I loved was the cast of characters and how their shifter natures played off each other. For example, when werewolves are around, Jane is keenly aware that she’s a prey species. The banter between characters is smart, funny and reeks of teenage angst. Like Fangton, this is our world, only more magically delicious, so the riffs and references to pop culture made the book more immersive for me. I was slightly put off by a bit too much banter during tense scenes, though.
Lastly, don’t let the jokes and puns fool you. This story gets darker as the clues unfold. It’s not just a whodunit, and the deeper the investigation goes, the more complicated the situation becomes. Like any small town, Bright Falls has its own microcosm of societal ills, and those rise to the surface no matter how hard people try to keep them secret. I absolutely don’t want to spoil anything, but I will mention a content warning for abusive behavior.
My main complaint is rather like my waistline – it sags a little. It happens. Pacing is tough, and I understand that some chapters need to be there to give readers a chance to breathe, get to know a character, or enjoy a little comic relief, but there was a little too much of that right around the middle of the book. However, the wind-up to the end fixed all of that and left me thoroughly satisfied.
I recommend this for people looking for an entertaining read that offers humor, thrills, and touches on serious subjects. I’m looking forward to more from Jane Doe, and other stories from this magical world.
kirkw1972's review
4.0
Well I've never seen Veronica Mars but I hae seen Buffy so when I saw that all the reviews liken this to those programmes I have half an idea what they meant. This was fun and packed with some cool magic. There were shape-shifters, spirits, and so much more. The story had plenty of humor and a bit of action and mystery.
There's so much originality in this book complete with an ancient legend and spells. So many twists and turns. Really enjoyed it.
Thank you to CT Phipps for the ARC
There's so much originality in this book complete with an ancient legend and spells. So many twists and turns. Really enjoyed it.
Thank you to CT Phipps for the ARC
vissara's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
mebius's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
queenterribletimy's review
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5
I've got a copy from C. T. Phipps in exchange of an honest review. The full stuff can be found on my blog as well: starlitbook.com/2018/06/19/i-was-a-teenage-weredeer-by-c-t-phipps-and-michael-suttkus/
The story is set in a small town in Michigan called Bright Falls, after the Revelation – the vampires decided it was time for a coming out and humanity had to face the reality of the supernatural. Michigan is one of the few places where shapeshifters can live in peace without being hunt down without any reason. Although the focus of the story lies elsewhere this conflict itself would be worth a novel. So Jane lives in Bright Falls and she wants to get as far away from it as she can get. Until, that is, the Revelation, which doesn’t leaves too much choice for her. She could follow in her mother’s footsteps, who is the shaman of the town, but she doesn’t have enough magic for that. Or so she thinks. In the shapeshifter society every race has its own role to play: the weredeers (Jane’s family) are the magic wielders, the ones who acts shaman for the community, the werewolves are the leaders, etc. However, times are changing, and now the Old Ways aren’t the only set of rules they have to obey to. The government laid out new laws regarding the freshly arisen situation and things are still rocky and uncertain. Hence, not everyone is happy with how things are. If that wasn’t enough (and you can never have enough trouble in a fantasy/mystery book) someone decided it was time to commit some ritualistic murders.
One of the victims is Victoria, Emma’s sister, who happens to be Jane’s best friend, member of the werewolf clan. Actually, the granddaughter of the werewolf clan’s head, Marcus O’Henry. I give you a moment to process this: a deer and a wolf as best friends. Yep. And that’s not all, Jane’s sister dates Emma’s brother, while Jane’s brother, Jeremy dates Victoria. Thus Jeremy becomes the prime suspect in Victoria’s murder. Emma begs to Jane to help her find out what happened using her physic abilities. She agrees more to help his brother than care for Victoria. Nonetheless she ends up flank deep in the investigation and the mystery surrounding the Darkwater Preserve, while everyone ends up dumping long kept secrets on her.
The pace of the book is a bit uneven, sometimes you wish the characters would move on from standing around and exchanging snarky comments and puns. Although the humor saves it and there are some really clever deer puns added. On the other hand, sometimes it feels like the author tries too hard to be funny and witty or explain the joke wich totally ruins the effect it could have. Also, there were too many pop cultural references for my taste, and while it might appeal for the geeky types out there, for me it was overdone. I especially liked the banter between Maria, Emma and Jane. And Kim Su! She was my favorite character, too bad she didn’t have more role. Maybe in book 2.
And since we are talking about characters. They are the weak points of the book. By the end Jane grew on me with her snarky, sarcastic comments (her calling herself racist about every two page in one of the chapters really ticked me off though), and because I could absolutely sympathize with her on this:
“I don’t want to be inconsequential. I don’t want to be who I am. I want to be someone who matters. That requires being more than just a person who eats leaves three days a month.”
Well, okay, maybe not the leaves eating part. However, I struggled to feel anything for Emma or Jeremy or the others. And they all had some crappy memory to carry with themselves too. I Was A Teenage Weredeer works with stereotypical characters – all women are gorgeous, except our MC of course, all the males are handsome or at least those who have important roles – which would be cool, if it managed to put on them a twist which would make them interesting enough. And that’s where it fails. Sure, every one of them is a shapeshifter or a mage, has their Gifts and own dark or not so dark secrets, but that hardly makes it easy to tell them apart from each other. At least the guys are more separable with the quite lunatic FBI agent and the “bad guy” crime lord. I just wish Jane wouldn’t act like a school girl around them. The complicated relationships/family ties aren’t helping much either, and probably would’ve been better if it was left out completely. However, it should be noted that there are a lot of serious topic being discussed underneath the YA-ish surface: tolerance towards each other regardless of our race, political views or sexual interests, abuse, dealing with death and guilt, etc. Also has thoughts like this:
“America is a study in contrasts. It is a nation founded on the principles of equality and democracy but built with slavery as well as genocide. We must acknowledge both sides of our heritage to forge the future.”
Which is pretty actual if you think about it.
I Was A Teenage Weredeer is a rather light, fun read with pop cultural references from Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Buffy and many others fan probably will deerly love and enjoy. Those who like YA will find this an enjoyable read with a snarky heroine, several supernatural species and a mystery that holds a few twists. When you think it’s over, well, you have to think again. Underneath the cheesy, sarcastic surface however, are some thoughts which sets this book apart from the typical YA crowd. Plus the fact it has weredeers! And puns. Don’t be surprised if you end up saying deer puns for a few days after reading I Was A Teenage Weredeer. It has that effect on you whether you liked it or not. Accept it.
I've got a copy from C. T. Phipps in exchange of an honest review. The full stuff can be found on my blog as well: starlitbook.com/2018/06/19/i-was-a-teenage-weredeer-by-c-t-phipps-and-michael-suttkus/
The story is set in a small town in Michigan called Bright Falls, after the Revelation – the vampires decided it was time for a coming out and humanity had to face the reality of the supernatural. Michigan is one of the few places where shapeshifters can live in peace without being hunt down without any reason. Although the focus of the story lies elsewhere this conflict itself would be worth a novel. So Jane lives in Bright Falls and she wants to get as far away from it as she can get. Until, that is, the Revelation, which doesn’t leaves too much choice for her. She could follow in her mother’s footsteps, who is the shaman of the town, but she doesn’t have enough magic for that. Or so she thinks. In the shapeshifter society every race has its own role to play: the weredeers (Jane’s family) are the magic wielders, the ones who acts shaman for the community, the werewolves are the leaders, etc. However, times are changing, and now the Old Ways aren’t the only set of rules they have to obey to. The government laid out new laws regarding the freshly arisen situation and things are still rocky and uncertain. Hence, not everyone is happy with how things are. If that wasn’t enough (and you can never have enough trouble in a fantasy/mystery book) someone decided it was time to commit some ritualistic murders.
One of the victims is Victoria, Emma’s sister, who happens to be Jane’s best friend, member of the werewolf clan. Actually, the granddaughter of the werewolf clan’s head, Marcus O’Henry. I give you a moment to process this: a deer and a wolf as best friends. Yep. And that’s not all, Jane’s sister dates Emma’s brother, while Jane’s brother, Jeremy dates Victoria. Thus Jeremy becomes the prime suspect in Victoria’s murder. Emma begs to Jane to help her find out what happened using her physic abilities. She agrees more to help his brother than care for Victoria. Nonetheless she ends up flank deep in the investigation and the mystery surrounding the Darkwater Preserve, while everyone ends up dumping long kept secrets on her.
The pace of the book is a bit uneven, sometimes you wish the characters would move on from standing around and exchanging snarky comments and puns. Although the humor saves it and there are some really clever deer puns added. On the other hand, sometimes it feels like the author tries too hard to be funny and witty or explain the joke wich totally ruins the effect it could have. Also, there were too many pop cultural references for my taste, and while it might appeal for the geeky types out there, for me it was overdone. I especially liked the banter between Maria, Emma and Jane. And Kim Su! She was my favorite character, too bad she didn’t have more role. Maybe in book 2.
And since we are talking about characters. They are the weak points of the book. By the end Jane grew on me with her snarky, sarcastic comments (her calling herself racist about every two page in one of the chapters really ticked me off though), and because I could absolutely sympathize with her on this:
“I don’t want to be inconsequential. I don’t want to be who I am. I want to be someone who matters. That requires being more than just a person who eats leaves three days a month.”
Well, okay, maybe not the leaves eating part. However, I struggled to feel anything for Emma or Jeremy or the others. And they all had some crappy memory to carry with themselves too. I Was A Teenage Weredeer works with stereotypical characters – all women are gorgeous, except our MC of course, all the males are handsome or at least those who have important roles – which would be cool, if it managed to put on them a twist which would make them interesting enough. And that’s where it fails. Sure, every one of them is a shapeshifter or a mage, has their Gifts and own dark or not so dark secrets, but that hardly makes it easy to tell them apart from each other. At least the guys are more separable with the quite lunatic FBI agent and the “bad guy” crime lord. I just wish Jane wouldn’t act like a school girl around them. The complicated relationships/family ties aren’t helping much either, and probably would’ve been better if it was left out completely. However, it should be noted that there are a lot of serious topic being discussed underneath the YA-ish surface: tolerance towards each other regardless of our race, political views or sexual interests, abuse, dealing with death and guilt, etc. Also has thoughts like this:
“America is a study in contrasts. It is a nation founded on the principles of equality and democracy but built with slavery as well as genocide. We must acknowledge both sides of our heritage to forge the future.”
Which is pretty actual if you think about it.
I Was A Teenage Weredeer is a rather light, fun read with pop cultural references from Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Buffy and many others fan probably will deerly love and enjoy. Those who like YA will find this an enjoyable read with a snarky heroine, several supernatural species and a mystery that holds a few twists. When you think it’s over, well, you have to think again. Underneath the cheesy, sarcastic surface however, are some thoughts which sets this book apart from the typical YA crowd. Plus the fact it has weredeers! And puns. Don’t be surprised if you end up saying deer puns for a few days after reading I Was A Teenage Weredeer. It has that effect on you whether you liked it or not. Accept it.