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Book Review: Family Pack by Kali Metis

Cover art for Family Pack by Kali Metis

Family Pack by Kali Metis

Running Wild Press, 2024

ISBN: 9781960018878

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:  Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

Family Pack is the second novel in this werewolf series, the first being Cure, previously reviewed here.  This is one sequel that matches up to the original and actually improves on it..

 

This time, the story runs three plotlines concurrently, with each chapter changing to a different thread.  The main thread still concerns Luna, the baker who happens to be a werewolf.  Her story involves her training to harness her powers, as well as working with members of the TLG (a werewolf advocacy group) to ensure that werewolves treat others as they would like to be treated, and find a place for themselves among humankind without bloodshed.  Of the other two plotlines, one is a straight history that explains how the werewolves came to be in their present situation, and the other is similar, but told from one person’s perspective, adding more of a personal element.  Surprisingly, in the story context the different plots and perspective changes are not confusing. One reason might be that, unlike in the last book, many of the chapters are longer, making the timeline shifts much less annoying.  The chapters in the previous book were all very short, only a couple pages or so.  Here, they are usually at least five pages or more, and it makes the shifts of perspective between chapters much less jarring.  You have time to get interested and involved in a section before moving onto another one.  Of the three plotlines, the overall history one might be the best, with Luna’s thread running a close second.  The third one, the personal history one, doesn’t match up quite as well, but it’s still decent.

 

The biggest change from book one to book two is that the first one was written in the third person perspective, while here, two of the plotlines (Luna’s and the personal history one) are written in the first person.  For some reason, it works MUCH better for the story.  Allowing the reader access to Luna’s thoughts and feelings makes her a much more interesting and readable character, and fits better with the overall tale.  It also helps explain some of her questionable decisions in a way the first book failed to do.  It feels like the author really hit her stride on this one.

 

I would have liked to see more dialogue to flesh out some of the lesser characters.  As noted in the prior review, this is a bit of a political book, with the two factions maneuvering back and forth for power.  But, on the TLG side, the reader mainly gets conversations between Luna and Birger, her instructor, while the members of the TLG council get shortchanged in dialogue and character development.  Much of the dialogue is reported secondhand, written along the lines of “I spoke to them, and they said that they…”  Considering how important this part is to the story, it would be great to have the other council members actually voice their opinions, as opposed to being told what they said in a synopsis.  The reader knows that there is dissent among the council members: we need to have them voice, in their own words, why they think the way they do.

 

Bottom line: a nice improvement on a story that was already pretty good to begin with.  Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

Posted on December 31, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: Cure by Kali Metis

Cure by Kali Metis

Running Wild Press, 2022

ISBN: 9781955062312

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:  Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com

 

Cure is an entertaining, fresh take on werewolves in today’s world.  It isn’t the standard “bite and claw” wolf-fest, but focuses more on their place in the present.

 

The plot is the best part, due to the nature and overall scope.  Luna Auber is an expert confectioner at a specialty bakery.  She has a normal life, except for the nerve problems and shaking she occasionally experiences.  Her brother’s suicide and last request lead her to Sweden, where she learns of her lycanthropic heritage, which explains her shakes– they’re the first step of her transformation.

 

The tale expands into a country-wide story involving two different werewolf societies, and that’s a big part of the book’s appeal.  This isn’t just one wolf or pack running wild, decimating an area.  Instead, the focus is the competing philosophies of the two groups, and how they believe werewolves should behave in the modern age.  Luna is the lens the reader sees both groups through as she learns more about them, and she  eventually has to choose a path.  This is a bit like a political thriller: it’s an unusual and intriguing way to write a werewolf story.

 

Luna’s character, with her unpredictability and her own doubts, drives the story effectively, She isn’t an anti-hero, but isn’t a fighter for justice either– at least not all the time.  She is emotional, impulsive, and makes some stupid decisions with her newfound abilities, like most people would probably do.  She sometimes uses her powers for her own benefit, without respecting the gift (or curse) she has been given.  This goes a long way towards making her a realistic character, and fits well with the overall narrative.

 

Some minor quibbles: the chapters are VERY short, and there is a lot of back and forth between two timelines in the first half of the book.  That might be good for the short attention span that so many younger people seem to have, but I found it frustrating.  There are also times where the sentences seem fragmented.  Tweaking that would have helped the flow of the reading.

 

Cure is a good story that takes the old  ‘howl at the moon’ model of werewolves and does something different with it. It’s worth reading. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

 

 

Posted on December 22, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: Creatures of the Night: Vicious Vampire Tales (Dark Tide, Book 17) by Simon Clark, Kevin J. Kennedy, and Gord Rollo

Creatures of the Night (Dark Tide, vol. 17) by Simon Clark, Kevin J. Kennedy, and Gord Rollo

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2024

ISBN: 9781964398181

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Amazon.com 

 

With the Dark Tide horror novella series, Crystal Lake Publishing seems to have found a winning formula.  Each volume has three novellas that center around a particular theme, with one story per author.  In this case, the theme is vampires.  Overall, it’s worth the purchase: you don’t need to be a Nosferatu nut to enjoy the stories.  In order, the three stories are: ok, good, and outstanding. The last one alone (which, thankfully, is the longest) is enough to make the whole book worth it.

 

“Return of the Blood Feeders” by Simon Clark, deals with a strange type of Norse vampire. There’s nothing wrong with the writing or plot, but this one just didn’t click for me.  It might be because the last monster seemed a bit over-the-top, and out of place in the story: it just didn’t fit.  Other readers may feel differently.

 

Kevin J. Kennedy’s “Perspective” is one of those stories that attempts to ‘”humanize” vampires, and it does it well. These aren’t goody two-shoes vampires like the undead in Twilight.  In this story, they may have human emotions like love, sadness, and loss, but they know how to kick serious ass-and serious ass they do kick!  There is a wonderfully messy fight towards the end with vampires, werewolves, and demons ripping off heads and sending body parts raining down everywhere, a great smash of a conclusion to a well written tale.  It’s a good combination of drama, mystery, and messiness, as well as a tale of vampires trying to find a reason to exist.  They do find it, and it’s a good reason to endure immortality.

 

Gord Rollo’s “Beneath Still Waters’” is a true house-shaker, a pure rollercoaster of excitement, from beginning to end.  It has all the elements: a remote Canadian town with a tragic past, Native American folklore, and one very unpleasant underwater monster.  There’s a decent amount of the story that takes place on or under a remote lake, and that’s where the writing really shines.  The author knows his stuff when it comes to putting fear and excitement in underwater sequences.  Diving can be nerve-wracking, with the claustrophobia of cave-diving and limited visibility.  The author clearly knows this, and puts the natural dangers of diving to very good use in the story.  There’s also a good twist to the ending.  Sure, maybe the heroes may be a bit foolish with some of their plans to stop the creature, but who cares?  It’s a thrill ride that keeps you hooked, and that’s all that matters.

 

Bottom line: it’s worth it.  Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

Posted on November 10, 2024 by , Reply
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