Zach Trewick always thought he'd become a writer someday, or maybe play baseball for the Texas Rangers. What he never imagined in his craziest dreams was that he'd find himself dodging bullets and crashing cars off mountainsides, let alone that he'd ever be expected to break the ancient werewolf curse which hangs over his family.
Even worse, his parents are determined to fight him tooth and nail to keep the Curse intact, his friends are not much help, and he's not quite sure his girlfriend isn't secretly trying to kill him.
And that's just for starters.
But Zach is the last of the werewolf hunters, the long-foretold Curse-Breaker who can wipe out the wolves forever, and he's not the type to give up just because of a few minor setbacks. . .
No matter what the cost, Zach must somehow find the courage and the faith in God to make an end.
I am the author of several adventure novels for young adults and middle graders, mostly within the fantasy and science fiction genres.
All my stories contain mild Christian themes. They are inspirational and heartwarming tales, without being preachy.
Almost every reviewer has said my work is unlike anything else they've ever read. It's hard to judge my own work, so give it a try and see if you agree. :)
My website contains free samples of all my books and some free short stories, for those of you who are interested.
As I read these stories, I was struck by how much they felt like a paranormal version of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. The voice had that down-to-earth, southern charm that instantly makes the reader feel like she's listening to a friend tell a tall tale on the back porch or perhaps lying next to the young man on the cover, listening to his life story.
The conflicts in each of the stories were rather simple and easily resolved by the characters, though they do grow increasingly challenging in each book. This was something I thought was perfect for the age range the books are written for.
Along with a compelling story is a strong message of a young person finding and growing into an understanding of his relationship with God. Due to the character voice, the Christian message comes off as a sharing of ideas rather than a sermon and adds to the charm of the entire series.
The Not-so-good...
The only thing I could really find fault with is the overuse of cliches. However, given the main character's background it's a natural extension of his personality and therefore acceptable.
The Overall...
In my opinion the combination of down-to-earth story-telling in a classic style and near effortless conflict resolution made The Last Werewolf Hunter: The Complete Series by William Woodall a perfect middle grade read.
THE LAST WEREWOLF HUNTER by William Woodall is a set of three short stories. Book one is about a boy named Zach Trewick who is destined to be a loup-garou (werewolf). He is not happy with his family and their decision to make him a monster and he decides to run away. Zach tries to find his uncle Justin the only person close to home who denied the werewolf gene in the family. In his travels he finds more than he hoped for and found a spiritual relationship with God. The story continues in book two introducing Zach’s cousin Cameron. Zach learns about love, family and trust. Book three is probably my favorite. It has myths and legends and gives the background story of wolves & wolf hunters. This set of books is not all about mean, violent, and bloody wolves, so if that is what you are looking for this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a story about a boy who learns valuable lessons about family, love, friendship and God this is the book for you. I recommend this book to a pre-teen or adult. I truly enjoyed this book.
Move over, Harper Lee. William Woodall has created one of the most realistic child characters since Scout Finch. Zach's a real, simple, intelligent, determined boy. There are good reasons to run away from home and he's found one. His family's shifts from chilling to normal are very well done. Some things, like the silver bullets, seem skimmed over, even though the pacing of the book was almost slow, like life in the South, where the book is set. But sometimes, however urgent a need is, things just can't be hurried. The story is "real time", not skipping days or weeks. Hope the series answers some of the questions the first book raises, but it's a well-told tale.
The story is told from Zach's point of view so you get to know him and his family secret pretty quickly. It's a story filled with courage, love and friendship. I've never been taken on a journey quite like this one before. I'm glad I read it.
Young Zach Trewick comes from a long line of loup-garou, (werewolves), but he will do anything to escape the transformation. Unfortunately, his family does not feel the same way, pushing him towards his genetic destiny. So Zach has no choice but to flee his home and seek his excommunicated uncle Justin, whom he has never met, to break the "curse". Along the way he learns the history of the loup-garou, the true meaning of family, the strength of courage, love and trust, and finds a spiritual relationship with God that aids in his quest for normalcy.
Review:
The Last Werewolf Hunter is a three-part supernatural novel, (Cry for the Moon, Behind Blue Eyes, and More Golden than Day), with a Christian twist. I really loved William Woodall's writing style, his clever phraseology kept me rapt with interest throughout the entire book. The level of action was moderate and there was little-to-no violence or gore, however I still found the story to be a page-turner, especially due to the dialogue. I found the characters well-developed, realistic and relatable, Zach, Justin, Eileen, Cameron, Edith and Jolie were some of my favorites to read about - particularly in book three. I thoroughly enjoyed all three parts of the series, although I really liked books two and three, where Zach started to "grow-up" and make decisions about his own destiny. I approve of the message it conveys to the young adult crowd, and wish that there were more books out there like this one. Everyone has their own "inner monster" to deal with, but it is up to the individual to choose how to manage it; with or without faith. I will definitely be looking out for more of William Woodall's books! Recommended for middle school through adult readers.
Rating: On the Run (4.5/5)
*** I received this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Cry for the Moon is the first part of a three-part trilogy, “The Last Werewolf Hunter”. Cry for the Moon was published in 2009 and it is intended for young adults. It is a delightful fantasy adventure, told from Zach Trewick’s twelve-year-old point-of-view. It details his very early transformation into a loup-garous, and his narrow escape before he can be expected to make his first kill as a loup-garous. Zach makes his way from Tennessee to Texas, to his uncle who has long been alienated from his family. Zach survives his journey, by working and supporting himself, and ironically, making a temporary home in a doghouse. Together they make a new life together. Zach’s introduction to faith is nicely done, however, there is a hint of future adventure when Zach finds silver-tipped bullets in Justin’s home.
For those who may enjoy a “Twilightesce” story, this is a nice introduction into Christian fantasy. I enjoyed this light read and gave it four stars – because it written for a young adult audience and it delivers nicely. This is set up nicely for the sequels. I would have enjoyed it more with a little more development of the Justin’s story – other than leaving it for the next two books. All together I liked it and would recommend it, especially for a young adult reader.
I really can't say enough about this outstanding series. I read books 1-3 back to back, mesmerized by the Woodall's weaving of the tale. With the ingredients of an epic mixed into a boy's launch into middle years, The Last Werewolf Hunter has survival elements like the boy classic "Hatchet" mixed with the paranormals- among-us and coming of age stories that resonate throughout time. I saw one of the other reviews mention Huck Finn. "Oh yes," I thought in complete agreement.
I have four sons myself an often long for more young protagonists like this one. As soon as I finished it, I bought an ebook of it for one of my students. Then I discovered I could loan the first episode "Cry for the Moon" for 14 days--and I've started doing that.
Middle Readers and all who enjoyed Percy Jackson, Cryptids and the like MUST dive into The Last Werewolf Hunter.
Review: I really enjoyed this series. I read it in the span of 2 days . I was unable to put it down. I am a huge fan of the paranormal craze with shifters, vampires and whatever else the movement thinks up. I have to say though it is a rarity to find a book that contains the Biblical principles I believe in and the werewolf mythology I love. This book is a beautiful blending of both without being preachy for the non-believer, that in itself is a great feat. I connected with Zach, the story is told through his eyes, but it really didn’t matter that I am twice his age and female; I, still, enjoyed his viewpoint. It’s also a human story. The werewolves are there but they are only part of Zach’s coming of age story. The only thing lacking is that I wish there were more of an epilogue. I’d like to see what happens to see what other adventures Zach has. If that’s the chief complaint this book has well earned my 5 Flower rating. Upon doing more research I found that True Silver: Book 4 of the Series is availble. I definitely need to put it in my book budget.
I was given a copy of the full series of "The Last Werewolf Hunter" by the author, William Woodall, in exchange for an honest review. First of all let me say that this isn't your typical supernatural book. It is written from a Christian viewpoint, there is no swearing or sexual content, and there isn't a lot of blood and/or fighting (there is some). The book manages to not be "preachy" at all. Second of all, it is mostly written in a narrative, so if you don't like that type of writing these books aren't for you. Told through the eyes of a young man, age twelve in book one and age 16-18 in the last books. I found them humorous, and insightful. However reading them all in one straight shot was a little tedious. I would recommend breaking them up. They can feel a little slow and there isn't a whole lot of action, but you can't skim or you will miss a lot. Good morals, clean enough for Jr. High. I give them four stars. I really liked them. I have read one other series by this author and all three of his series tie together in some way.
I was quite surprised as a pagan and a lover of supernatural books to have really enjoyed this Christian paranormal. If you have kids who like to read but are worried about language or graphic content then you should get them this series its pretty kid friendly minus a very small amount of violence do I'd say young adult. I really loved this series can't wait to get more from this author.