Review Detail

Where to begin with this one? Yikes… I knew pretty early on that this was going to be a big, steamy pile of werewolf poo. It was an easy read, so I was able to fly through it, but the story never got better. By the end of the first chapter, my mind was made up. Unfortunately, I read the remainder of the book because I was hoping that it would get better and I would have an awesome werewolf tale to push for a meme in a few weeks. That did not happen.
My first complaint: the characters. I loved Brandon. He was mysterious, caring, and overall sizzling. He was the only one, however. This story was told from Celeste’s point of view, which added to my annoyance. I have a MAJOR issue with whiny, wishy-washy female characters. She couldn’t make up her mind as to what she wanted. It was a constant flipping back and forth between her feelings for one guy or another. Gag me. Please. Then she was trying to be the peace keeper between the rich “Eastsiders” and the poor “Riversiders.” What-ever (insert annoyed Buffy voice here). The stereotypes were just too much! It was ridiculous. “Oh, I don’t like you because you wear gloves with cutout fingers and I’m an awesome jock.” LAME! That could seriously be a line from the book—that’s how badly written these characters were. Oh, I also couldn’t stand how every time Brandon was mentioned, Celeste was drooling over him. I kept wondering if she was in heat or not. It was overkill.
Then there was the issue of the plot itself. WTH?! So much randomness. The story starts with three couples telling spooky stories in the woods. (Um, can we say Blair Witch Project?) The uber-jock, Nash, gets freaked out because he hears a wolf. Why? Who knows! There is so much talk about his fear of wolves and canines, but no insight as to why. Chased by a dog at a young age? Maybe. Part werewolf? Could be. Lame as a three legged cat character? BINGO. And then there was the issue with the gullible nature of the characters, which added to the nonsense of the plot. Am I really supposed to believe that a group of high school kids instantly believe in werewolves because one prankster tells a werewolf story in the middle of the woods at night at the same time wolves howl? Seriously? I understand that I am supposed to suspend my understanding of reality when I read fantasy. However, I expect the book to make that possible. If it’s fantasy, it needs to read like fantasy. If I’m supposed to believe this crap could really happen, make me believe it. Don’t jump back and forth between contemporary and fantasy elements. Oh, and do I even need to mention my annoyance with how neatly the plot is wrapped up with a little sparkling bow? Ugh.
Obviously, this one falls short for me. I really hope it’s not the first in a series. I can’t imagine this story continuing on without being dreadfully painful. Maybe if the wolves eat most of the characters (except Brandon of course) it would improve. I am so disappointed that I wasted 3.25 hours reading this mess. Now I have to continue my search for a great werewolf book. Consider yourself warned: reading this book is equivalent to pouring salt in an open wound.