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grav_ityA while ago, I put out a general call for "magical realism", which included any books where things like dragons, selkies or kelpies were common knowlege (even though not technically magic). No one suggested CLAIRE DE LUNE, but fortunately it was already on my reading list, so here we are.
On the surface, this story is very normal: girl discovers she is werewolf, girl has forbidden love with son of werewolf hunter, girl fights trouble within her own pack. And it is, but there is SO MUCH MORE and I kind of love it.
I think this calls for a numbered list!
1. I love books that are set in summer. I have no good reason for this, but I love books that make you feel the heat in a weather sort of way.
2. Claire was very smart. I mean, she lied a lot, but she never over shot and she used her brain very WELL, quickly figuring out which battles not to fight and how to fix them afterwards. Also, she's dead practical (my favourite example of that is the gag with the car at the end!).
3. Matthew was just SUPER ADORABLE. Kind of over-perfect sometimes, but I never stopped BELIEVING him, because he just wants everything to go well.
4. Claire's mum was also smart! She had a good income and Plausible Explanations for Everything. I appreciate that.
5. For most of the book, Johnson did an EXCELLENT job of setting it up so that either Lisbeth or Zahlia could have been the bad guy. It was well balanced and perfectly done. At one point, I actually thought "Okay, either Lisbeth is evil or she has a secret boy-friend". :)
6. EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT THE WEREWOLVES. I can't even TELL you how thrilled that makes me. I also love the twists on the myth Johnson wrote, the disinformation, THE FACT THAT THERE ARE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS... *swoons*
7. Okay, the romance was cute. I'VE ADMITTED IT. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? :)
(Seriously, they were smart and respectful of each other. What's not to like?)
8. I should also say that I adored Emily. She's our "real world" lens, and a lot of her story was flat out funny, but yes. I adore her.
9. I love the ending. I am sure none of you are surprised.
10. THE SEQUEL IS ALREADY OUT, AND WAITING FOR ME AT THE LIBRARY!
8/10 for a great twist on werewolves, for musical titles, for healthy relationships and for how down to earth about everything Claire was.
On the surface, this story is very normal: girl discovers she is werewolf, girl has forbidden love with son of werewolf hunter, girl fights trouble within her own pack. And it is, but there is SO MUCH MORE and I kind of love it.
I think this calls for a numbered list!
1. I love books that are set in summer. I have no good reason for this, but I love books that make you feel the heat in a weather sort of way.
2. Claire was very smart. I mean, she lied a lot, but she never over shot and she used her brain very WELL, quickly figuring out which battles not to fight and how to fix them afterwards. Also, she's dead practical (my favourite example of that is the gag with the car at the end!).
3. Matthew was just SUPER ADORABLE. Kind of over-perfect sometimes, but I never stopped BELIEVING him, because he just wants everything to go well.
4. Claire's mum was also smart! She had a good income and Plausible Explanations for Everything. I appreciate that.
5. For most of the book, Johnson did an EXCELLENT job of setting it up so that either Lisbeth or Zahlia could have been the bad guy. It was well balanced and perfectly done. At one point, I actually thought "Okay, either Lisbeth is evil or she has a secret boy-friend". :)
6. EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT THE WEREWOLVES. I can't even TELL you how thrilled that makes me. I also love the twists on the myth Johnson wrote, the disinformation, THE FACT THAT THERE ARE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS... *swoons*
7. Okay, the romance was cute. I'VE ADMITTED IT. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? :)
(Seriously, they were smart and respectful of each other. What's not to like?)
8. I should also say that I adored Emily. She's our "real world" lens, and a lot of her story was flat out funny, but yes. I adore her.
9. I love the ending. I am sure none of you are surprised.
10. THE SEQUEL IS ALREADY OUT, AND WAITING FOR ME AT THE LIBRARY!
8/10 for a great twist on werewolves, for musical titles, for healthy relationships and for how down to earth about everything Claire was.
