Torn between two destinies?Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.
As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?
Review:
This book has been sitting on my TBR pile for over a year and I finally got around to reading it this month. I'm glad I picked Claire de Lune up because it was an exciting and unique debut novel filled with exciting twists and turns and a sweet romance. The werewolf lore in this book was unlike any other- Christine definitely made Claire de Lune her own and I enjoyed learning more about the history of the wolves and the different packs.
Claire's sixteenth birthday is unlike any other. Matthew, the boy she likes, keeps flirting with her and her pool party is packed. Unfortunately, that evening Claire's mother reveals some startling news- Claire is a werewolf. Claire's small town is also being rampaged by a rogue werewolf and Matthew's father is leading the hunt against werewolves. Nothing about Claire's life will ever be the same.
The plot of Claire de Lune was a fresh take on werewolves and I enjoyed learning about the wolves Christine Johnson created. Claire's pack contained an interesting assortment of women (since werewolves can only be female) and each of them was a complex character. I would have liked to get to know the other women a little better, as well as Claire's best (human) friend. Claire was a well developed character and she had believable reactions to all that was going on. She was brave and determined and her relationship with Matthew was developed and believable, as well.
There were a lot of twists in the plot and a mystery that kept me guessing. While some clues were obvious, I was on the edge of my seat at some points, and I liked how Christine threw the reader for a loop at the end. The ending was surprising and left me all the more eager to get started on the sequel, Nocturne, which releases this month.
While there was room for improvement in Claire de Lune, I am looking forward to reading the sequel. This was a fast paced and mysterious debut that presented werewolves in a new light. For those of you looking for an entertaining paranormal read, I definitely recommend checking this one out!
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
May 18, 2010/Simon Pulse/336 Pages/Young Adult/Book One
Source: Publisher (ARC)
Other books in this series: Nocturne
I met the author at a book signing in Ann Arbor, MI last week. She was lovely! Here's the details of her Girls Taking Over the World book tour with a few other YA authors., in case she'll be in your area. http://gtotw.saundramitchell.com
ReplyDeleteYeah thats what drew me in...I mean when you that werewolves you think about a strong alpha male. Thought that was pretty cool and empowering that females r the only werewolves. Great Review!
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