Review of Lost Wolf by Stacy Claflin

Lost Wolf by Stacy Claflin

This is Book 1 of 6 in the author’s Curse of the Moon series (all published 2016/2017). It has a 4.3/5 star rating with over 1,100 ratings. At this time of this review, it’s around #700 in the free kindle store. These are self-published and Claflin has a 5-book spin-off series called Valhalla's Curse featuring one of the characters in the Moon series. The cover art seems appropriate for the genre.

I think I came across a free copy of this e-book via a Bookfunnel promo where you get a freebie in exchange for signing up for the author’s mailing list. It’s a ‘shifter’ paranormal romance novel of about 300 pages and relatively clean and chaste. So a sweet YA werewolf story (though a bit violent at times) and not a ‘New Adult’ novel where the subject matter is supposedly more spicy. (I wouldn’t know!)

With freebies, I usually give the e-book about 10 percent to grab my interest. Some e-books I abandon right away; definitely by 20 percent it’s off to the DNF pile if I’m not hooked. Lost Wolf almost lost me at the beginning. It starts with a female protag (Victoria) who wakes up and has no memory of her past. Not my favorite trope or literary device. The other 1^st person POV is Toby, supposedly her former love.

The writing is generally fair and the set-up interesting enough, so I kept going little by little. Plus, I’m thinking about writing a PNR novel and this was part of my research. (grin) While I wouldn’t say this story was all that gripping (I read it off and on over about 6 months as a bedtime read – a few pages before I nodded off to sleep), the plot wasn’t quite as predictable as I first reckoned. So I eventually finished it, more out of curiosity than excitement.

Overall, then, I’d give Lost Wolf a 3’ish out of 5 stars. It’s a ‘book one’ structured story so not all the plot threads are tied up at the end. In fact, as I read other reviews this was the biggest complaint. It’s overly long (at 300 pages) and doesn’t really satisfy the mystery of Victoria’s memory loss or her tragic background. Too many implausible situations as well. Plus, a lot of daily life description that just wasn’t very interesting and didn’t advance the plot.

Maybe for KU readers, the length and loose strings are good things. They can binge the series ‘for free’ (monthly fee to read all the e-books you want) and they can automatically move to book 2 to find out the answers. For me, I likely will not continue the series. But at 1000-plus ratings, Claflin must have a nice sized following, so more power to her.

Review of Auckland Allies by Mike Reeves-McMillan

Review by Lyn Perry

Teens with magical powers, contemporary urban setting, good v evil subtext - all expected elements of your typical YA lit that's out there today. But somehow Auckland Allies by Mike Reeves-McMillan is different. Better and refreshing. First, it's set in Auckland, New Zealand, so there's a bit of out-of-the-ordinary feel to the story right off the bat. Which is good. Then, the characters come across as real and their magic isn't a superpower substitute so the predicaments and solutions the 'allies' go through are realistic as well. And overall the storytelling is clean, maybe a few swear words, but refreshingly not "new adult" which is a sad trend in a lot of contemporary YA (i.e., the inclusion of sex and swearing for no good reason). Fortunately, I could recommend this book to middle and high schoolers alike without embarrassment.

 As for the writing, it's solid. I enjoyed the 1st person snippy narrative of Tara, whom I consider the main character. I just wish the whole story was told from her POV. Instead, the book alternated between the three friends, all in the 1st person, and it got confusing at times. I'd put the kindle down then pick it up a few days later and forget who's telling the story at that point. And like a lot of books, it started to drag in the middle. Once the situation was figured out and the solution was in sight, the "getting there" was a bit on the slow side. But overall, a pretty quick read and enjoyable.

One more thought: I don't want to sound overly critical, but the cover art didn't grab me at all, nor did the title. If this was on a shelf at B&N I would probably have skipped it altogether without a second glance. Which has me wondering how I picked up the ebook in the first place. Maybe it was a gift, maybe part of a story bundle, maybe just a random purchase to support indie writers (which I recommend, btw). But after reading this, I'm inclined to see what the rest of the series holds. (Three books in this series, I believe, all stand alone novels.) Which is what all writers want, right? Us coming back for more? So three and a half stars for this one and recommended if you like clean, not too heavy, urban magic novels.

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Review of Saint Death by Mike Duran

Review by Lyn Perry

Reagan Moon is a paranormal investigative reporter and a sceptic. Or at least he used to be. But ever since having a tau (a cross-shaped magic totem) emblazoned into his chest, he's become more open to the reality of the supernatural realm. That, and he's personally met his guardian angel. Oh, and the fact that he has some innate but mysterious powers. After his adventures in Mike Duran's first urban fantasy novel, The Ghost Box, Moon has now become a reluctant believer.

So he's not completely surprised to discover, in Duran's second outing in this series, Saint Death, that there are others out there like him. They're called the Imperia, a kind of paranormal 'justice league,' a rag tag team of earth guardians charged with countering the evil forces slipping into the natural realm. And what a variety of evil forces there are to battle!

One of Duran's strengths as a writer is to pull back the curtain on a spiritual dimension that is usually treated, well, two-dimensionally, by so many others. In a typical urban fantasy there are werewolves and vampires galore, but in Duran's imaginings the paranormal realm is much more interesting and diverse. We're dealing with a truly evil realm that gives some real depth to the good vs evil trope so prevalent in the traditional horror genre. You get a sense when reading these encounters that the battle between heaven and hell really matters - even when the one fighting on the side of heaven isn't a confirmed believer.

When it comes to describing these climactic spiritual encounters, Duran shines. It's almost as if he's telling a 'been there done that' story (ever hear of 'write what you know'?) that brings the reader into the scene itself. Though this is not a Christian fantasy (it's written for the general market), a savvy reader will pick up on the supernatural realities and worldview the author holds to. It's subtle, but there. As it should be with most good storytelling.

In fact, Saint Death is the kind of story Left Behind could have been. No, it's not a post-rapture apocalyptic tale. But it hints at the demonic forces at work in our world today that are preparing the way for an ultimate antichrist. The novel is not heavy-handed. It's a story, first and foremost. But it has a bit of weight and a positive theme undergirding a kind of modified superhero quest adventure. Now about a third of the way in, it does bog down a bit with some background exposition and some predictable elements. But don't let that section fool you; keep reading and you'll realize half way through that there's a whole lot of story left that you had no idea was coming.

Note on Genre and Rating: Urban fantasy, paranormal noir, supernatural suspense. This is not YA, but mature late middle graders would enjoy it. Due to occult themes and swear words, I'd say it rates between PG and PG-13. Four and a half stars. Highly recommended for those who enjoy paranormal urban fantasy but are tired of the same old same old. (Note: I received a free advanced reader's copy of this novel from the author.)

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