Rhiannon
This post-apocalyptic novel of a United States that has been overrun with werewolves is a fast, adventurous read that has light horror elements and (mostly) great storytelling. This is set in an alternate recent history – 1950s America – where after swift and brutal ‘invasion’ of just 12 werewolves a mere decade earlier, the only remaining human settlement is that of besieged Manhattan, which is now a walled city (à la Escape From New York) housing 6 million folks and bursting at the seams while running out of food and resources.
The story begins with our main character, Salem Burr, who is a soldier on the wall when the city is overrun one full moon and she is bitten. The harsh rules of the city say that a bite or even a mere scratch from a werewolf is an immediate death sentence and so she must make a choice. But she’s also piecing together the attack and it seems there is more at stake than just her future as it appears the wolf attack may have been planned from inside the human settlement.
The action was fairly steady throughout, with a brisk, intriguing story. The characters, particularly the werewolves, have interesting, complex and rich lives. I had to give only 4/5 though as there was a significant plot inconsistency that I can’t see past (to do with a Private Willbond, who having been bitten the same night as Salem, should not have made it to Chapter 38, based on the novel’s ‘rules’ and Salem’s brother being very focused on eliminating anyone exposed). Hopefully the author sees the issue and remedies that quickly as it’s not something I could overlook in an otherwise great book.
I look forward to reading the sequel to in 2026!
𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 @mjgraysmith 𝒂𝒏𝒅 #booksirens 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏.
Originally posted at www.instagram.com.
This post-apocalyptic novel of a United States that has been overrun with werewolves is a fast, adventurous read that has light horror elements and (mostly) great storytelling. This is set in an alternate recent history – 1950s America – where after swift and brutal ‘invasion’ of just 12 werewolves a mere decade earlier, the only remaining human settlement is that of besieged Manhattan, which is now a walled city (à la Escape From New York) housing 6 million folks and bursting at the seams while running out of food and resources.
The story begins with our main character, Salem Burr, who is a soldier on the wall when the city is overrun one full moon and she is bitten. The harsh rules of the city say that a bite or even a mere scratch from a werewolf is an immediate death sentence and so she must make a choice. But she’s also piecing together the attack and it seems there is more at stake than just her future as it appears the wolf attack may have been planned from inside the human settlement.
The action was fairly steady throughout, with a brisk, intriguing story. The characters, particularly the werewolves, have interesting, complex and rich lives. I had to give only 4/5 though as there was a significant plot inconsistency that I can’t see past (to do with a Private Willbond, who having been bitten the same night as Salem, should not have made it to Chapter 38, based on the novel’s ‘rules’ and Salem’s brother being very focused on eliminating anyone exposed). Hopefully the author sees the issue and remedies that quickly as it’s not something I could overlook in an otherwise great book.
I look forward to reading the sequel to in 2026!
𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 @mjgraysmith 𝒂𝒏𝒅 #booksirens 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏.
Originally posted at www.instagram.com.
