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annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I always say that I don't do cover buys and that's true. I always read the blurb too. In this case however it wasn't the cover speaking to me. It was the title. Debussy's Clair de Lune is one of my favorite classical pieces ever. A book based on that title? That was a book I had to check out. Since I've always been a vampire girl, I haven't read that many werewolf novels either, so when I read the blurb I grew quite curious.
From start to finish I quite enjoyed this book. Yes, at a lot of points it's quite cliche and therefore quite predictable too. Although, I have to admit that the book did manage to surprise me eventually in some way. I have, however, still high hopes that maybe in the sequel my theory will still be proven true. We will wait and see. However, despite the fact that the story wasn't too original, it was well written, addictive and captivating.
That was mostly because of the two main characters in this story. Firstly we have of course Claire. Claire is a typical YA 16-year old. Right after her birthday weird things start happening and then she discovers that she's a werewolf in a world that hates werewolves. Her reactions were natural and realistic, just like her development and the journey she took. Did she always do the right and smartest things? No, but her choices were easy to understand, which made her easy to like and root for.
And then there's Matthew. I might like Matthew even better, mostly because he's actually a great and good boyfriend. He's the kind of guy I would like to date myself. Of course, there is this Romeo and Juliet element going on where he is the son of a famous werewolf hunter, but I loved how Matthew actively had thoughts of his own and dared to voice them. He too makes mistakes and does things hurting others, but just like with Claire his choices are easy to understand.
I'm really curious to read the sequel and will get it with my next book buying spree!
From start to finish I quite enjoyed this book. Yes, at a lot of points it's quite cliche and therefore quite predictable too. Although, I have to admit that the book did manage to surprise me eventually in some way. I have, however, still high hopes that maybe in the sequel my theory will still be proven true. We will wait and see. However, despite the fact that the story wasn't too original, it was well written, addictive and captivating.
That was mostly because of the two main characters in this story. Firstly we have of course Claire. Claire is a typical YA 16-year old. Right after her birthday weird things start happening and then she discovers that she's a werewolf in a world that hates werewolves. Her reactions were natural and realistic, just like her development and the journey she took. Did she always do the right and smartest things? No, but her choices were easy to understand, which made her easy to like and root for.
And then there's Matthew. I might like Matthew even better, mostly because he's actually a great and good boyfriend. He's the kind of guy I would like to date myself. Of course, there is this Romeo and Juliet element going on where he is the son of a famous werewolf hunter, but I loved how Matthew actively had thoughts of his own and dared to voice them. He too makes mistakes and does things hurting others, but just like with Claire his choices are easy to understand.
I'm really curious to read the sequel and will get it with my next book buying spree!
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
CLAIRE DE LUNE, Christine Johnson’s debut novel, is a good but not standout addition to werewolf lit. The simple way that this twist on werewolf lore is presented will make it a quick and satisfying read to ardent werewolf lovers, though it will have a tougher time winning the hearts of others.
In CLAIRE DE LUNE, Christine Johnson introduces us to a different type of paranormal world, in which only females can be werewolves. It’s not a feminist book, per se, but the dynamic that this sets up allows Claire to grow into a strong and self-reliant girl/werewolf. Here, it’s the girl protecting the boy, not the usual way around.
Having a girl be the strength in a relationship would be a great story, but the book unfortunately never fully lives up to its potential. Outside of Claire, I found the characters difficult to get to know, most of them only fitting “roles” expected to appear in a paranormal romance: the tensions among the werewolf group members, the love interest’s villainous father, the head-butting mother, etc. I never found myself fully immersed in Claire’s family dynamics, with her mother’s Type A “bad parent” personality and their rather inconsequential au pair (who’s more a red herring than a useful character, perhaps?). And all of Matthew’s father’s supposedly malevolent machinations and campaign against werewolves remained in the distant background and never fully took on immediacy.
I guess I’m just sort of extra cynical when it comes to paranormal romances nowadays: it’s going to take a lot to make something stand out for me. CLAIRE DE LUNE never reaches that point for me, but I have no doubt that it will find its audience as scores of werewolf lovers prowl the shelves for something equally supernatural and romantic after watching Twilight for the twenty-eighth time.
In CLAIRE DE LUNE, Christine Johnson introduces us to a different type of paranormal world, in which only females can be werewolves. It’s not a feminist book, per se, but the dynamic that this sets up allows Claire to grow into a strong and self-reliant girl/werewolf. Here, it’s the girl protecting the boy, not the usual way around.
Having a girl be the strength in a relationship would be a great story, but the book unfortunately never fully lives up to its potential. Outside of Claire, I found the characters difficult to get to know, most of them only fitting “roles” expected to appear in a paranormal romance: the tensions among the werewolf group members, the love interest’s villainous father, the head-butting mother, etc. I never found myself fully immersed in Claire’s family dynamics, with her mother’s Type A “bad parent” personality and their rather inconsequential au pair (who’s more a red herring than a useful character, perhaps?). And all of Matthew’s father’s supposedly malevolent machinations and campaign against werewolves remained in the distant background and never fully took on immediacy.
I guess I’m just sort of extra cynical when it comes to paranormal romances nowadays: it’s going to take a lot to make something stand out for me. CLAIRE DE LUNE never reaches that point for me, but I have no doubt that it will find its audience as scores of werewolf lovers prowl the shelves for something equally supernatural and romantic after watching Twilight for the twenty-eighth time.
charms1976's review against another edition
2.0
I have had this book for a while now, and finally took the time to read it. The cover is actually what attracted me to this book in the first place and that alone made me want to buy it.
When Claire turns sixteen, she is expecting a car. Well, she doesn't get the car but gets fur instead. It seems her mom has been keeping Claire's true heritage a secret until now. After finally getting the attention of Matthew at her birthday party, Claire discovers that she is actually a werewolf. With a rogue werewolf hunting people, a hot boy who wants to be more than friends, and a mother who refuses to embellish on the details of her heritage, Claire is confused and wondering what to do.
I really had a hard time enjoying this book. While I think the plot was a great idea, I feel the book to be just written in the 'okay' category. I never could get into Claire's character because at times she was whiny and weak, then she would be strong and independent. Her personality was flat, and the relationship between Claire and her mother felt forced. Her mother was hardly around and when she was, she acted cold and unloving to me. The secondary characters were not much better in my opinion. They seemed like characters that just filled text on pages with no reason at times.
The mystery of the book was fairly easy to figure out early on which left the story lacking the suspense it needed to keep the book going from beginning to end. Overall a book that passed the time and was okay, but not a memorable read that leaves me anticipating the next book.
When Claire turns sixteen, she is expecting a car. Well, she doesn't get the car but gets fur instead. It seems her mom has been keeping Claire's true heritage a secret until now. After finally getting the attention of Matthew at her birthday party, Claire discovers that she is actually a werewolf. With a rogue werewolf hunting people, a hot boy who wants to be more than friends, and a mother who refuses to embellish on the details of her heritage, Claire is confused and wondering what to do.
I really had a hard time enjoying this book. While I think the plot was a great idea, I feel the book to be just written in the 'okay' category. I never could get into Claire's character because at times she was whiny and weak, then she would be strong and independent. Her personality was flat, and the relationship between Claire and her mother felt forced. Her mother was hardly around and when she was, she acted cold and unloving to me. The secondary characters were not much better in my opinion. They seemed like characters that just filled text on pages with no reason at times.
The mystery of the book was fairly easy to figure out early on which left the story lacking the suspense it needed to keep the book going from beginning to end. Overall a book that passed the time and was okay, but not a memorable read that leaves me anticipating the next book.
patke's review against another edition
1.0
This book did not live up to my expectations at all. I heard good reviews and bad review about this book so I reluctantly read it. I expected more from this book. It was very predictable and there wasn't much action. The action that was there seemed really rushed and it was over before I was able to get into it. The characters were pretty flat. The relationship between Claire and her mother seemed forced. I mean, her mom barely talked to her before she turned 16 and then all of a sudden she tells Claire that she's a werewolf. Her mom should have at least built a proper relationship and trust before springing that on her. I kept reading the book in hopes that it would get better but it didn't happen. I finished the novel feeling like I missed a whole chunk of it. That being said, I must admit that I liked the romance between Claire and Matthew. I looked forward to their relationship more than the werewolf part of the plot. The book was alright, nothing to get worked up over.
vikingwolf's review against another edition
3.0
It is Claire's 16th birthday and she is excited by the attention of Matthew, but the party breaks up suddenly when a werewolf is sighted nearby. It is then that her mother breaks the news to her that Claire is a werewolf like her mother, and their pack is trying to find the rogue wolf who is attacking people. It gets worse when she realises that Matthew's father is in charge of the werewolf hunt.
This was a decent enough read but I just felt it was lacking something to make it a great book. It focused more on Claire learning to be a werewolf and her romance with Matthew which was all nicely written. It did seem a bit obvious to me who the rogue was going to be but there was enough in the book to keep me reading it. It was also difficult to like the pack for their inaction or Claire's mother for being so cold.
It did pick up towards the end as the hunt for the rogue leads Claire and her mother into danger, and Matthew starts to question his fathers methods. I think this is one of those 'introduction' books and there might be more action in the next book. I'm willing to give it a try.
This was a decent enough read but I just felt it was lacking something to make it a great book. It focused more on Claire learning to be a werewolf and her romance with Matthew which was all nicely written. It did seem a bit obvious to me who the rogue was going to be but there was enough in the book to keep me reading it. It was also difficult to like the pack for their inaction or Claire's mother for being so cold.
It did pick up towards the end as the hunt for the rogue leads Claire and her mother into danger, and Matthew starts to question his fathers methods. I think this is one of those 'introduction' books and there might be more action in the next book. I'm willing to give it a try.
kristid's review against another edition
3.0
Claire de Lune is a unique idea on werewolf mythology. Although personally I would have liked to know a little bit more about the history and a deeper explanation of the ties to their 'goddess'. It doesn't necessarily take away from the story, but it would have been a much appreciated addition.
Claire was a fantastic character. Even if your not a fan of paranormal elements, you can't help but relate with Claire and her struggle to fit in and be a normal teenager. I mean, sure Claire has that whole, I just found out I'm a werewolf, and I can't tell anyone... I'm a big freak. But I think everyone has moments where they feel like they don't fit in, without the whole werewolf thing. I loved Claire's relationship with her best friend. It was refreshing to see that strong of a bond between two girls, who really do genuinely care for each other. Perhaps I'm a little burnt out on the whole backstabbing best friend trend.
I could not figure out the identity of the killer, until Johnson pretty much spelled it out for the reader. Lots of eye popping plot twists in this one!
The relationship between Matthew and Claire was the only thing that I was a little disappointed in. Matthew as a character just didn't leap of the page like Claire and the other secondary characters did. He felt a little flat to me and he was just a little too perfect. I hate to think that I prefer some sort of conflict between the love interests, but there was just something missing between those two.
The ending wraps up nicely, although a little too convenient for my tastes, there is definitely the groundwork for a sequel.
Claire was a fantastic character. Even if your not a fan of paranormal elements, you can't help but relate with Claire and her struggle to fit in and be a normal teenager. I mean, sure Claire has that whole, I just found out I'm a werewolf, and I can't tell anyone... I'm a big freak. But I think everyone has moments where they feel like they don't fit in, without the whole werewolf thing. I loved Claire's relationship with her best friend. It was refreshing to see that strong of a bond between two girls, who really do genuinely care for each other. Perhaps I'm a little burnt out on the whole backstabbing best friend trend.
I could not figure out the identity of the killer, until Johnson pretty much spelled it out for the reader. Lots of eye popping plot twists in this one!
The relationship between Matthew and Claire was the only thing that I was a little disappointed in. Matthew as a character just didn't leap of the page like Claire and the other secondary characters did. He felt a little flat to me and he was just a little too perfect. I hate to think that I prefer some sort of conflict between the love interests, but there was just something missing between those two.
The ending wraps up nicely, although a little too convenient for my tastes, there is definitely the groundwork for a sequel.
thenovelnook's review against another edition
2.0
[originally posted at The Novel Nook]
Review
Having been out of my teens for a couple of years, when I started reading, the idea of a 16 year old girl with a secret crush and who wanted to be normal seemed kind of foreign to me. But, I never leave a book half read, so I continued, waiting for the action to start. Sorry to say, the action did take a while. The majority of the book was spent with Claire meeting up on secret rendezvous with her love interest Matthew Engle, while sneaking off with her mother at night to secret werewolf meetings.
At the beginning of each chapter, there where small ‘thoughts’; to whom they belonged was not made explicit, but I did figure out the basic concept fairly quickly. During the last quarter of the book was when, for me, it started to get interesting. With werewolves attacking werewolves, werewolves being captured by humans, and the prospect of Claire’s entire world being exposed, I actually found myself Wanting to read more. I had already kind of predicted the ending, but it was still good to come to the end of the book. *sidenote: this is not the end of the story, Nocturne, coming August 2011, is the sequel to this book.
Rating
Overall, I found it hard to connect with the characters and situations in this story (yes, I do understand it's fiction). The book was very slow reading, with a dramatic, yet unfinished ending. If I had to recommend this book, I’d suggest a reader audience of 13-16yrs. I would also suggest an interest in werewolves.
Review
Having been out of my teens for a couple of years, when I started reading, the idea of a 16 year old girl with a secret crush and who wanted to be normal seemed kind of foreign to me. But, I never leave a book half read, so I continued, waiting for the action to start. Sorry to say, the action did take a while. The majority of the book was spent with Claire meeting up on secret rendezvous with her love interest Matthew Engle, while sneaking off with her mother at night to secret werewolf meetings.
At the beginning of each chapter, there where small ‘thoughts’; to whom they belonged was not made explicit, but I did figure out the basic concept fairly quickly. During the last quarter of the book was when, for me, it started to get interesting. With werewolves attacking werewolves, werewolves being captured by humans, and the prospect of Claire’s entire world being exposed, I actually found myself Wanting to read more. I had already kind of predicted the ending, but it was still good to come to the end of the book. *sidenote: this is not the end of the story, Nocturne, coming August 2011, is the sequel to this book.
Rating
Overall, I found it hard to connect with the characters and situations in this story (yes, I do understand it's fiction). The book was very slow reading, with a dramatic, yet unfinished ending. If I had to recommend this book, I’d suggest a reader audience of 13-16yrs. I would also suggest an interest in werewolves.
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
4.0
Claire De Lune is another debut novel that I have read nothing but great reviews for but I didn't like it as much as I hoped I would. There was just something about it that I didn't like and it got in the way of me fully enjoying the book.
Claire Benoit is finally happy with her life. She didn't get the car she wanted but she did get a date with the guy of her dreams. The summer of her sixteenth birthday couldn't be better. That is, until she finds out she is a werewolf. How can things possibly work with Matthew when his father is trying to hunt her down? And who is the werewolf that is really killing humans?
Claire was a pretty good main character. She was kind of shy and nervous with Matthew but brave when she was a wolf. I love characters that have more than one side to them. The only problem that I had with her was that she was whiny sometimes. I guess it was understandable though because she had just found out she was a werewolf. Other than Claire, I didn't like any of the wolves, not even Claire's mother. They were rude and seemed to look down on Claire just because she was younger. It got old after a while.
The plot was kind of boring a lot of the time which I was not expecting. The most entertaining parts seemed to be when Claire was with Matthew and I found myself looking forward to those parts more than anything else. It did pick up towards the end though.
Overall, Claire De Lune was pretty disappointing to me but I know others have enjoyed it. If you are a fan of werewolf stories than it's probably a book for you. This was just one that I could not get into.
Claire Benoit is finally happy with her life. She didn't get the car she wanted but she did get a date with the guy of her dreams. The summer of her sixteenth birthday couldn't be better. That is, until she finds out she is a werewolf. How can things possibly work with Matthew when his father is trying to hunt her down? And who is the werewolf that is really killing humans?
Claire was a pretty good main character. She was kind of shy and nervous with Matthew but brave when she was a wolf. I love characters that have more than one side to them. The only problem that I had with her was that she was whiny sometimes. I guess it was understandable though because she had just found out she was a werewolf. Other than Claire, I didn't like any of the wolves, not even Claire's mother. They were rude and seemed to look down on Claire just because she was younger. It got old after a while.
The plot was kind of boring a lot of the time which I was not expecting. The most entertaining parts seemed to be when Claire was with Matthew and I found myself looking forward to those parts more than anything else. It did pick up towards the end though.
Overall, Claire De Lune was pretty disappointing to me but I know others have enjoyed it. If you are a fan of werewolf stories than it's probably a book for you. This was just one that I could not get into.
ellenpenleysmith's review against another edition
4.0
What a really nice book. Claire de Lune was a quick, easy, funny read with some mystery and that tint of supernatural goodness.
Claire de Lune isn't a typical werewolf story--so don't not read this just because you fear a predictable read. Werewolves are known in Hanover Falls. You have to be born a werewolf to be a werewolf. And the best one yet: there are only female werewolves. Boys born to a werewolf die instantly. We meet Claire at her sixteenth birthday party where she has gained the attention of Matthew Engle--a really gorgeous guy--and semi popular. Not to mention that his dad is all anti-werewolf. But there is only one real topic at the party: the recent werewolf attacks that have the town people staying in after dark and keeping guns by the door. On her sixteenth birthday her usually not there mother introduces Claire to the world of werewolves and how she is now one of them.
I loved the characters in Claire de Lune. While the only major set back was the fact that we didn't see much of the pack (not as much as I would have liked, anyway), despite one of the ending scenes being a really dramatic moment, I felt like the pack had to be introduced more for the announcement to reach its full 'wow' edge.
Claire is great and we see some awesome characterisation from her as she delves deeper into her relationship with Matthew, the relationship with her mother and pack, as well as her coming to peace with her new form, and finding out who is really the murderer (which honestly wasn't much of a surprise). Okay, so the pack wasn't the only set back. The writing, I think, could have improved just a bit. We don't get much of a description of the settings or people and I think it could have improved a bit more. Mainly, the writing was the biggest let down.
Other than that Claire de Lune was a great read and I look forward to reading the sequel.
Claire de Lune isn't a typical werewolf story--so don't not read this just because you fear a predictable read. Werewolves are known in Hanover Falls. You have to be born a werewolf to be a werewolf. And the best one yet: there are only female werewolves. Boys born to a werewolf die instantly. We meet Claire at her sixteenth birthday party where she has gained the attention of Matthew Engle--a really gorgeous guy--and semi popular. Not to mention that his dad is all anti-werewolf. But there is only one real topic at the party: the recent werewolf attacks that have the town people staying in after dark and keeping guns by the door. On her sixteenth birthday her usually not there mother introduces Claire to the world of werewolves and how she is now one of them.
I loved the characters in Claire de Lune. While the only major set back was the fact that we didn't see much of the pack (not as much as I would have liked, anyway), despite one of the ending scenes being a really dramatic moment, I felt like the pack had to be introduced more for the announcement to reach its full 'wow' edge.
Claire is great and we see some awesome characterisation from her as she delves deeper into her relationship with Matthew, the relationship with her mother and pack, as well as her coming to peace with her new form, and finding out who is really the murderer (which honestly wasn't much of a surprise). Okay, so the pack wasn't the only set back. The writing, I think, could have improved just a bit. We don't get much of a description of the settings or people and I think it could have improved a bit more. Mainly, the writing was the biggest let down.
Other than that Claire de Lune was a great read and I look forward to reading the sequel.