Wake Forest

by Charlotte Jackanicz

Della is just like any other young woman, struggling to discover who she is and who she is meant to be. She's a student at an unusual school in which orphaned children are taught to manage the beast within. Della and her classmates live with what is known as the Moon Sickness, and as a result, her life is anything but normal. Della and her friends strive to lead normal lives. For them, life as a teenage Turnskin is difficult, to say the least-and Della tends to find trouble without ever looking for it. When she comes across a baby screaming in the middle of the forest, Della is horrified. She takes the child into her own care, at great personal risk to herself and the child. With the school's director breathing down her neck and keeping a close eye on Della, however, taking care of the baby and keeping it hidden becomes increasingly difficult. The director believes that Della can control her Moon Sickness, but the groundskeeper Yancy is lurking around every corner; Della finds herself sinking further into trouble. She discovers things about the school that the director and others thought they had hidden. She also learns truths about herself that she never expected-things that were meant to stay secret. Filled with secrecy, deception, and plenty of teen werewolves, Della's life is a journey where finding out who you really are means questioning everything you thought you knew.

156 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2011

Reviews

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

A ridiculous premise mixed with homophobic content is a no from me. The word homo is used as a slur, which is never okay. It made me incredibly uncomfortable.


*SPOILERS**

I also thought how the baby thing was handled was ridiculous. She should have turned it in right away. I kept expecting the baby to be dead every time they checked on it. If it was a real life situation it would be. Babies need so much attention and care. They were doing less than the basic minimum needed to keep a baby alive. Just really irked me.

[Mary Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book that I was lucky enough to win. The book gripped me right at the beginning as I was trying to figure out what was going on. I never really figured out what was Yancy's story, and I think it would have been nice to have a little more background on him. I enjoyed the storyline about the puppy/baby, and the insight on the perspective of being a wolf. I was really dissappointed that the book ended when it did. On reflection, I think that I liked the way it ended. It opens up to the possibility of a sequel.

[Stephanie Perry Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is a great book for those readers like myself who are adults but love young adult books. It is well written and the author does a superb job in describing the characters as well as the setting. If you like to read fantasy novels especially those like the Mortal Instrument series, the Shiver trilogy, or the House of Night series, you will like this book. It sucks the reader in with the action and emotion of the characters.

[Nancy Luebke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably for the middle school age or slightly older reader, Della is pretty self absorbed and has soom reasoning skills but not ona high school level. A lot was attributed to "Moon Sickness". Considering they were sheltered from most outside influences, may be reasoning enough. It was a little bit of a fun read with a surprising ending.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this quick read. Great characters and a plot that left me hanging. When will the sequel be coming out? I love that I know the author - great book Charlotte!

[Kim Agnitsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

looking forward to the next book.