Moonglow

The Darkborn Legacy #1

by Michael Griffo

From the author of the acclaimed Archangel Academy vampire trilogy comes a stunning new series about a girl determined to defy her fate—and reclaim her future…

Something strange is going on with Dominy Robineau. All her friends in Weeping Water, Nebraska, have noticed—and it’s way beyond teenage blues. As weeks pass, Dom grows consumed by anger, aggression, and violence, and she seems powerless to stop it. Then she turns sixteen, and things get really dangerous.

When her best friend is murdered, Dominy’s father is compelled to reveal the truth behind the darkness that threatens to both overtake and empower her. Her boyfriend, Caleb, swears they’ll find a way to change her destiny. But others are hiding secrets too, and gifts that are far more terrifying than hers. And even as she struggles to control her new abilities, Dom must contend with an enemy who wants her to use the beast within to destroy all those she loves, before she destroys herself…

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural, Werewolves, Ebooks, Paranormal Romance

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Michael Griffo was born, raised, and has since relocated to New Jersey. He is an award-winning playwright and all of his plays have been produced throughout the country and in London. Two of his plays -- CLOUDY and 5G/10B -- have been published in Smith & Kraus's Best 10 Minute Plays for 2 Actors: 2005 and CLOUDY is licensed by Playscripts, Inc.

His first novel, BETWEEN BOYFRIENDS, was written under a pseudoymn, Michael Salvatore (which is actually the author's middle name) and is a hilarious piece of gay fiction that is best described as Sex & The City meets Will & Grace. He has also written a novella published in REMEMBERING CHRISTMAS, a gay Christmas anthology.

UNNATURAL, written under the author's real name, is the first book of the Archangel Academy series that also include UNWELCOME and UNAFRAID. UNNATURAL is a young adult novel that explores the relationship of two young outcasts who meet at an all boy's boarding school in north western England. Set against a backdrop of vampires and the supernatural, it is a coming of age story that young and old alike will be able to relate to.

Reviews

[Amber at Fall Into Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

Moonglow is the most racist piece of crap that I have ever read in my entire life. I am so offended by this book that I'm not even sure if I can get through this review without cursing up a storm. I am appalled that this book is going to be released since it is so blatantly racist and insensitive. It makes me sick, honestly. Since the awful racism was directed toward American Indians, as usual, it's looked over and treated as acceptable. Well, let me make something clear right now... Racism against any group of people is not acceptable and neither is publishing books for teens that condone and promote blatant hate.

I really went back and forth on whether or not I should even review this book. I don't enjoy writing bad reviews, and I have never hated a book more than I detest this one. However, American Indian rights are so important, and not many people know anything about them. I had to say something. Thanks to settler colonialism at its finest, America's Master Narrative has omitted American Indian history to the point that people don't know the difference between a Cherokee and a Navajo. This is problematic. Education is the only way to combat this, so I hope that something good can come out of this racist garbage I had to read, and that I can share a little of what I know about what's happening in Indian Country today.

The Native American character is depicted in a stereotypical and horribly racist way. Also, sacred indigenous objects are made fun of (such as turquoise, which is written off as ugly and "reservation jewelry," as if that's its only function. Turquoise is sacred to the Navajo, and I cannot for the life of me figure out why all these ignorant people in the world - I'm looking at you Urban Outfitters - keep picking on the freaking Navajo), and the characterization of the indigenous character is awful. This type of overt racism would not be allowed towards any other group of people, but American Indian racism is constantly ignored, condoned, and even supported. It makes me sick, and I am incredibly disappointed in the people who enjoyed this racist crap (all two of them), the publishing company for publishing something this awful for TEENS nonetheless, and the writer for being so blatantly racist against a group of people he has probably never even come into contact with.

Griffo is also the worst writer that I've ever read. Let me be clear on this... The guy can't write to save his horribly racist life. He's probably too consumed with hate to write anything worthwhile, but still. This book was the biggest waste of time I've ever read. He describes things way too much, which runs everything into the ground. The language is clunky, and the sentences do not flow. I could barely make myself finish it.

The character development is non-existent and the plot is boring and predictable. This is the most yawn-worthy book I've read all year. The only emotion I felt while reading this was increasing anger at the horrible racism.

And while I'm at it, let me just remind Griffo and all the other racists out there... You are living on stolen land. This country is not yours. America's Indigenous peoples have been here for thousands of years and they are still here. They have survived. They have adapted. They are now distinct nations within the United States, and they are human. They deserve respect, just like any other group of humans does. The fact that racism against Indigenous peoples continues simply because of the horrendous Hollywood and sports mascot stereotypes does not make it okay. It is not okay, and these stereotypes are extremely harmful to Indigenous peoples. By condoning and perpetuating these stereotypes and this racism, you are continuing the genocide that the US government started in 1776, and that is disgusting.

Here are some facts:

1 in every 3 Native American women is sexually assaulted, mostly by non-native men who come onto their reservations and rape them. The Indian Nations cannot press charges because the US government believes that they are incapable of handling the "seven major crimes," which include rape and murder. Therefore, their rapists get off scot-free.

American Indians only make up one half of one percent of the US population. Therefore, it's extremely difficult and time consuming for them to fight off these horrific stereotypes.

[Lora]

Wow, two different books, two different authors, but look at the similar cover designs:

[harlequin {Stephanie} · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read from 18% to 'bout 20%. Can't go on. I don't think I've even gotten to the, racist parts, so can't comment on that.

My problem is with the character, Dominy. She goes from average teen stuff to bouts of extremely specific aggression. Towards her best friend no less. If I started having rage fantasies about decapitating friends / family I would have my head examined by a very expensive white coat. Perhaps, I haven't read far enough. The logic could have a very delayed reaction... Just don't care enough to find out.

Very little logic involved here, I'm done. Also, if your planning on a monster book with a mystery of 'guess the creature', for the love of puppies, don't pick the most obvious thing on the market.

I am very thankful that my library wasted money on this instead of me. Yes, I realize that after I paid my taxes I technically bought it anyway, but I'm being an optimist today. See logic. => Not rocket science people!

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Read using Kindle Unlimited)

I am so sick of reading boring books.

Dominey wakes up naked in the woods beside her dead best friend. Oh no! What happened? Dominey decides that she must have killed her, because obviously she was there and her clothes are ripped. Hmm.



Dominey goes home to tell her father (who is the head of the police department) that she killed her best friend. ‘Never mind’ he says, ‘I’ll take care of the body’.



‘Thanks Dad! But why aren’t you more shocked?’,
‘Because I killed a Native American Indian woman’s husband and she cursed me – she said that my firstborn would be a werewolf. Congratulations! That’s you.’



And of course, this poor pregnant Native American Indian woman was obviously horrible for doing this. Never mind that Dominey’s father had just killed her husband. When I was pregnant I’d have cursed you for eating the last jaffa cake, never mind killing the father of my unborn child!



But never mind, we then get a load of crap about sticking her in a cage whilst she’s a werewolf, and her dead best friend comes back as some kind of Japanese Sun Goddess, whilst I try not to die of boredom. Ugh.
4.5 out of 10

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Excessive description, poor analogies, and negative (racist) representations of Native American character.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like reading young adult books, but maybe this was just too young for me. I grew very impatient with the foolish, naïve choices the characters made.

[Ursala · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like this book was racist. First, and the most, was against the Native Americans. Holy crap. Everything Griffo said about the Natives was some stereotype or flat out racist.

Second, he made this "wolf" refer to every one by the color of their skin, except for white people. The Albino jokes were classless, as were the references to wigs worn by the POC. He was definitely inclusive. Gays, albinos, POC and biased against all of them.

I didn't think I would make it through this book. The excessive prologue nearly took me out. But I soldiered on, and was NOT rewarded.

The writing was filled with metaphors that droned on forever🤦🏽‍♀️. I couldn't stand it. The characters were lame. Dom, the protagonist, is cursed to be a wolf. And unbelievably whiney. Her BF, Caleb, is sweet and a doormat. All her friends just decide that she can kill her bff and it's cool🙄.

The story is predictable, but drawn out. This didn't need to be a series...one racist book is enough.

[Emi えみ Takami 鷹見 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hated Dominy before she turned into a werewolf. I hated her after she turned into a werewolf. My favorite character was a side character who wasn't even present throughout half the book. But that surprise at the end may be enough to get me to read the next one since my library owns the whole series.

[Jill Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hesitant to really get into this book- I haven't ever really been into the werewolf thing, but I feel like this one is well written with lots of detail without too much, and it really feels like it is reving up for an action packed second installment.

[Jeanille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was ok

2 1/2 stars. I went to start reading this on my kindle and it came up at the end. I skimmed through the book skipping some parts because I have read this and once was enough. If I ever get book 2, I will skim through it again.

[Jeninne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is downright terrible. I say this having already read Griffo’s first series, and having liked it enough to recommend it to a few friends. I didn’t have any preconceived notions going into this book, and I had no expectations. I wasn’t even really sure what the book was about. I just knew it had a dark cloud of negativity hanging over it from some reviews I’d read after purchasing the book, but I was determined to give it a fair shot.

No, this book is really, really terrible.

We might as well address the topic of racism right off the bat, because it’s the biggest controversy surrounding this book. I don’t, or at least really hope, think that the author was directly or purposefully writing racism into his book. I don’t think it was deliberate that a specific ethnicity or culture was targeted here. But unfortunately, the book does come off as disastrously racist in its depiction of Native American characters. And face it, when you’re dealing with the sensitive issue of race, you have to be extra careful, or even extra critical.

Whether it was the author’s intention or not, portraying a Native American as the villain, and then going on to create this negative connotation with the character’s culture, is a BAD IDEA. And worse than that, it’s unnecessary. Why take the time to make sure your audience knows the villain is Native American, just before you let them know that she’s obviously a witch of some kind, very evil, and the root of the entire issue our beautiful, wonderful, very Anglo-Saxon character is dealing with.

There’s also this entirely weird section where Dominy and her father are arguing about what the Native American woman who “cursed” them looked like. It’s odd, it feels weird, and it’s uncomfortable to read.

Then there’s the completely disrespectful, racist and disgusting fact that as if this book weren’t suffering from enough racism already, we have our heroine referring to the Native American character as a psycho Squaw. This is pretty much the point that I decided the sheer amount of ignorance and stupidity I’d read thus far was too much to handle.

But there are more issues with this book, including a remarkably unlikable female protagonist. Dominy, is overly critical of everyone, she’s abrasive, rude, selfish, ridiculously narrow minded, and pretty much a bitch. I don’t like to use that word to describe female protagonists, but it really fits here. This is the girl you’d avoid at all costs. She’s whiny and feels entitled, and has no filter.

I don’t have enough time in the world for some of the other issues this book has. How about the fact that Griffo seems to need to slam home that Archie is gay, and stereotype the gay community in general as being feminine. Sure, Archie plays football, but it was a ploy for romance, he and Dominy have “girl time” and go shopping, and I’m baffled by this ridiculous generalization, considering Griffo’s last series.

There’s a lot of unacceptable physical violence in this book that bothered me. The father character physically assaults his son at some point in the book, and it’s completely dismissed as not being important. Dominy and her brother had altercations that are never dealt with. Then Dominy starts beating up her boyfriend. But of course this isn’t a valid concern to the author because girls are allowed to physically assault other people as long as they’re boys. This nonchalant idea of physical violence is really worrying.

In the end, whether this book tries to be or not, racism drips from the pages. The characters are unlikable and poorly flushed out. The writing is subpar, the generalizations are lazy, and there’s nothing likable to be found here. Because of the racism, and because of how offended this book made me feel times, the automatic rating is a one star and even that feels generous. I’m really surprised this book squeaked through the publishing process, and I’m saddened to think that so many people could find the content acceptable. This book needs a reality check, and a lesson in cultural delicacy.

[Chapter by Chapter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read the entire Archangel Academy series by author Michael Griffo and getting to read the first novel in his latest series The Darkborn Legacy I was pleased with getting to read all of his YA works so far. Where the Archangel Academy series focuses on vampires, the novel Moonglow is one that focuses on a different part of the YA supernatural spectrum: Werewolves. Werewolves? You heard right werewolves. I was ready to start reading and I wanted to know just what lengths Dominy and her friends would go to, to cure her of her lycanthropy.

Moonglow takes place in the first person and focuses on the life of main character Dominy Robineau who on the night of her sixteenth birthday discovers that she is cursed to become a werewolf on the night of every full moon. Before discovering her curse, Dominy’s life seems almost perfect. She has the best boyfriend ever, a great best friend (who has an obsession with all things Japanese) and a circle of friends that would do anything for her. When Dominy’s sixteenth birthday arrives she wakes up the following day in the woods with her best friend Jess’s mauled corpse and comes to the only logical conclusion: She killed her best friend. Dominy’s friends as well as her father all work to help her discover how to end the curse that is ruining her life. All the answers Dominy has been getting lead up to a Native American woman named Luba, a vengeful woman who cursed Dominy’s father for killing the man she loved.

What I really enjoyed most about Moonglow was the powerful prologue that starts the novel. It introduces the reader to the curse that is going to plague Dominy for the rest of the novel and it also left me thrilled and excited to read more. I was hoping that the novel would keep that pace, but when Dominy wasn’t a werewolf and trying to kill everything in sight, I felt like every other chapter that involved Dominy and her friends focused more on petty high school drama than the actual problem at hand. There was a variety of characters in the novel and I do think that a lot of people will find somebody that they can relate to in the novel. With those characters also came a lot of different personalities and I have a prediction about the characters Nadine and Napoleon.

However there were a few things that had me irked. The first being that there is a bit of racism in the novel towards Luba and while I do understand that everybody would be upset at her cursing Dominy I found it unnecessary and that it took away from the plot. The second being that listening to the teenaged characters talk was getting me upset, I’m a teenager myself and I know what teenagers sound like when we talk and we don’t sound as immature as the ones portrayed in the novel. The third thing was that I felt like a lot of characters in the novel weren’t taking anything seriously (except for Dominy’s father) and that led to the plot feeling like it didn’t have as much depth as it could have. Also, I felt like there was a full moon every second day… when there’s usually only one full moon a month on Earth (unless it’s a blue moon situation).

I hope that in the sequel to the novel all the loose ends will be tied up and that Dominy might be able to catch a break (she definitely deserves one). Maybe there will even be a second potential love interest added to the mix just to shake things up a bit and test her relationship? Just some things that I would want to see. I would recommend Moonglow to fans of the YA werewolf scene and to readers who have read Michael Griffo’s past works.

[Avry15 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit that I’m very excited with this book, just look at that cover and the premise, plus this book came from the same writer of The Archangel Academy which was my very first book review in Bookshelf Confessions. But rest assured that this is an honest review.

The cover is very gorgeous. I love everything about it except maybe the model’s expression. I love her red/orange hair, the big moon behind her, her dress and the title’s font. But more than that, it reflect what the story really is.

The prologue is very engaging and tension-filled, it would definitely grab any reader’s attention. However Chapter 1 goes back to “3 months ago”. Although Part 1 (the book composed of the Prologue, Part 1, Part 2 and Epilogue and comes with a sneak peek of Sunblind, the 2nd book) is a little bit slow, I understand that this is needed to help us know Dominy, the protagonist more, her friends, her family and the town/school she grow up with. But when Part 2 jumps in, I was already hooked, and I can’t put the book down. This part consists of Dominy questioning everything she thought she was, uncovering mysteries about herself and the curse, balancing between the guilt of her dead bestfriend –whom she thought and knew she killed, her jeolous boyfriend, and finding a way to change her fate- this book is action-packed and a lot of things are going on.

Michael Griffo has done it again—making an extraordinary story from the ordinary. Everyone of us know how common werewolf tales are ( I’m spilling it since you’d probably read it anyway from other reviews that Dominy is curse to be a werewolf once every full moon), but this book isn’t just another werewolf story, there is actually a plot of how it all started; there is world-building, this is an original take on a modern-day myth—and I love every inch of it.

There is however some points where the author is carried with words and descriptions. And some of the names are hard to remember or just very unique.

The characters are realistic although you might not love them. Dom is vain-she’s concern about pimples and her being ugly, which I guess depicts a normal teenager. She’s also aggressive, bitchy and has a bad temper-which was attributed to her “changing”. Jess is obssessed with Japan, and I’m not against it.. sure, the characters all have issues, but no one’s perfect.

I’ve read some reviews saying the book is racist, maybe it’s a matter of opinion but I didn’t find any racism in it. Just because the antagonist is referred to as evil and happens to be an American-Indian who does curses and magic, doesn’t mean it’s racist. Would it make a difference if it wasn’t an Indian woman? Off course it’s expected she should be seen as evil by the main heroine, who wouldn’t if she cursed you, right?

MOONGLOW is a page-turner with lots of twist and mysteries in every corner. And contains an ending that would left you astounded. It’s mainly a story of friendship, trust and family despite everything that has change. I’m so happy that I won’t have to wait for long since I already have Sunblind. Watch out for my review soon :)

If you love paranormal, especially werewolf tales and doesn’t overanalyze things, then this book is for you. The target audience mainly are teens.

I would recommend this book!

*** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review***

More reviews on: Bookshelf Confessions

[Stéphanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit, at the beginning of this novel, I wasn’t sure if I would end liking it or not. For me, MOONGLOW started off a little slow but after the first 100 pages or so, things really picked up. However, the prologue certainly grabbed my attention since the scene describes how the main character, Dominy Robineau kills her best friend. Obviously, the author goes back in time to describe what happened to lead up to this monumental scene. It sounds quite chilling and evil, I know, but it’s not really her fault because Dominy has been cursed to transform into a werewolf every full moon.

Personally, werewolf books will always be a guilty pleasure of mine, as long as the writer bring his or her own twist to the story. Michael Griffo certainly succeeded with his own werewolf mythology. I thought his take on the werewolf curse was very original and unlike anything I’ve read before. Dominy was literally cursed before her birth because of a tragic mistake her father made when he was sixteen years old. A curse created by a vengeful aboriginal woman who seems to haunt Dominy and her father throughout the book.

Dominy had no clue she was going to transform into a werewolf on her sixteenth birthday, let alone kill her best friend. I was kind of mad at her father for not warning her about the possibility, even if he didn’t truly believe in the curse before seeing it with his own eyes. However, I was able to forgive him once I realized how much guilt he carried around with him. Only when he really decided to be proactive in finding in helping Dominy did I start to admire his dedication to his daughter and his family. Along with her father and her friends, the real dilemma is trying to find a way to cure her lycanthropy before she does something else she regrets, or worse, kill again.

Dominy is a good main character and narrator but she isn’t without her flaws. A little too obsessed with pimples (I kid you not) and a little too vain for my taste, as a character she’s actually quite realistic when it comes to regular teenage-life stuff. I mean, her reaction when she realizes she’s growing a mustache and has a lot of unwanted arm hair is pretty much how I would expect a teenage girl to react. She’s far from perfect even though her boyfriend Caleb almost is. Intelligent, star football player and hot, he’s almost too perfect, but I think they balance each other out quite nicely. I love how dedicated he is to Dominy, even after he realizes she’s a werewolf. Overall, the cast of characters is quite original and it even includes an albino gay friend, an annoying brother, a freakish aboriginal woman and a mischievous set of twins.

MOONGLOW was an easy and enjoyable read. The author took the werewolf idea into a new direction without compromising the myth as a whole. Obviously, with that title, the moon is a very important symbol in the book, and the imagery is done perfectly, to the point where I could almost feel the moon’s attraction myself. I’ll definitively be checking out the rest of the series and I’m quite happy the next book, SUNBLIND, will be released quite soon (only 6 months after the release of MOONGLOW!).

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Find this and other reviews on Tynga's Reviews
An electronic advance reader's copy was provided by the publisher

[Kt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

Dominy's been going through some very unsettling changes lately. She's quick to anger and violence has become like a second nature and it's only getting worse. Then on the night she turn sixteen the unspeakable happens and her life is forever changed and her father finally reveals the truth behind what has been happening to her. The answer is more shocking and unbelievable than she ever could have imagined. Suddenly life becomes centered around the mystical and everything holds more questions than answers. With limited time, Dominy must learn to control herself before her darkside consumes her and everyone around her.

While the characters in MOONGLOW weren't completely flat and two dimensional, I can't really say that they were three dimensional either. I mean there was romance, but I definitely didn't feel anything about it as it was just kind of laid out there. Honestly, the only character who had any depth at all was Dominy's best friend, Jess, and she gets killed off in the very beginning. In fact the entire time I was reading this book, I couldn't really figure out the characters' motivations for anything they were doing. So, I was rather blaze about their whole plight. At least that was something happened later in the book that absolutely appalled me to the point where I literally disgusted with Dominy. She made an absolutely inexcusably selfish decision that came back to bite her in the butt anyway. To be honest I felt that she deserved the negative turn of events, and honestly when you start wishing ill towards the main characters, it really shows the lack of connection.

Considering the length of this book I really very surprised that things weren't developed more than they were. In fact more time was spent on lengthy descriptions rather than really developing the plot or characters. The "big bad" was one of those in your face evils, yet the reasoning behind that evil was completely unsatisfying. In fact the whole circumstances surrounding the issues with Dominy really felt like they were just slapped together without any real cement to bind it all together. For a book to be really enjoyable for me, it has to have both strong characters and a well developed mythology/plot. Unfortunately MOONGLOW fell short in both of those categories.

As I look back over this review, I realize that I didn't really have anything positive to say about the story. It wasn't that MOONGLOW was a terrible book, it just had a really hard time keeping my attention due to the issues I talked about above. In fact, because of those problems, I found myself skimming more often than not as I tried to find anything that would grab my attention. But unfortunately those moments were far and few between. All in all MOONGLOW was a rather mediocre read for me as there just wasn't anything memorable about it. I highly doubt I'll be continuing on with this series. Perhaps this book will appeal more to others, but for me it's a pass.

[Joana Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read more reviews at my blog, Words and Tea Bottles.

I had mixed feelings about Moonglow. Of course there’s the usual reaction, that authors are just trying to cash-in on the werewolf phenomenon after Twilight brought them and vampires to the forefront of the supernatural mind, though I myself didn’t think about that. In many ways this book is a pretty original take on a modern-day werewolf tale, and it does deserve a lot of credit.

I think most of the problem I had with it were two things: the details kind of sucked sometimes, and it was just way too overdramatic more than once. For the first detail, there are such things as Jess’ obsession with Japan. She names her dog Misutakiti or something like that, which is supposed to “translate” to Mr. Kitty but… is just Engrish. There’s also the fact that Dom’s father’s story seems contrived, mostly because what man would let his heavily pregnant wife go on a hunting trip with him? Let alone be right out there with him to the point where she hears a gunshot and automatically knows that her husband was shot rather than some animal he was aiming for? And of course, Luba is often referred to as insane, and evil, but… yeah there’s not a lot there to prove she was anything but a grieving woman who believed she had the power to curse others and wanted to do something to make the boy who killed her husband suffer as she was bound to.

The second point, about it being overdramatic, is mostly in conversations. Dom spends a lot of time exclaiming and shrieking, especially with Archie. And then there’s the sequence where Caleb proclaims his undying love for her, which is after another rather dramatic sequence where he bursts in, having followed them to the Jaffe cabin thinking Dominy was there cheating on him with another boy. Conveniently forgetting the fact that if he had followed them, he would have seen her father and realized she was there with him.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that the base of the story is interesting and it’s worth a read, but it’s contrived in places and some of the details that were likely put in to try to make it seem more real and relatable just fell flat. It could’ve been a lot worse, but it could’ve been better for what it was.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted on my blog http://bookhoardermom.blogspot.com/20...

Dominy Robineau hasn't been herself lately... She's been so full of rage and having disturbingly violent thoughts. She's starting to think shes losing it, especially the morning after her sixteenth birthday when she wakes up beside her dead best friend . She has no idea what happened except for a vague memory of hearing a wild animal. She soon finds out that wild animal is her and she is cursed to a lifetime of turning into a werewolf. Now her best friend is dead, her dad has a deep dark secret, and she still can't figure out if Nadine is friend or foe.

Moonglow is riveting, with excellent pacing and a wonderfully ecelectic cast of characters. I feel as though I really got to know Dominy as I watched her go through the darkest time in her life and each of her friends added something unique and essential to the story. I know werewolf books have become quite popular but I believe Moonglow has some very unique aspects that really make it stand out in the crowd. Michael Griffo has once again proven himself to be an amazing writer with a story that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end wondering what would happen next. I love that this book both suprised and excited me on a sometimes very predictable topic. I am hooked and am so anxious to read book two. Not only to find out where Dominy will go from here but also to find out more about those mysterious twins. I know there is much more yet to be uncovered.

** I received this book in exchange from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. **

[Jessy Fares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dominy Robineau is a normal teenager, living a normal life, until one day she figures out the truth behind everything. Like, the reason her mom is in a coma, or why she has been acting weird to everyone in a ferocious way, and even why her dad was taking caution on every step she took. After revealing the secret, she does whatever she can to stop the curse, even if she has to kill the person who created the curse and her best friend.
I think this is one of the best books I've read. To all of you people who think the author is racist or it was boring, think again. Okay, maybe the author was a LITTLE racist, even though I didn't find this book include racism, but it was definitely not for your age. How old are you? in the 20's or above, well this book will definitely be enjoyed more by teenagers than adults!
This book is ALMOST like twilight, which is also enjoyed by a couple of teenagers more than adults. Its pathetic to write all these horrible reviews to a book which had NO RACISM AT ALL! Yes he mentions some indian woman, but its just in a book, called FANTASY! You sometimes have to chill over some little things that occurred in the book. Yes there's an Indian woman in the story, but the author is referring to her as the kind of women that were involved in making magic and curses...it was in the past! You don't find weird people doing some weird things with pots, so get over it!
So please, if you're not a teenager who likes fantasy, don't read this book!

[Randa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this the greatest book ever written? No? But man you guys are harsh on this book. Maybe I'm more inclined to like this story because I live in Nebraska and I'm obsessed with werewolves, but it is a pretty good book. It's hard to get through the first half because it's mostly dealing with Dom's pure hatred and aggression towards people she used to love, and after 150 pages of that...yahhh let's get a move on. But I really liked the mythology behind it. SPOILER: For those of you who read it, did it bother you how casual Dom was about killing her father? After a week of deliberating, it's like, yah sure I'll kill my father so I don't have to turn into an amazing, powerful, supernatural creature one night a month. Throughout the whole book, Dom is probably the most selfish protagonist I've ever read about. She didn't even consider how this would effect her little brother, who is trying to deal with his mother being in a coma. I don't think one reader will be able to understand why she would do that.

[Micaiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I found "Moonglow", by Michael Griffo, it was priced at $7.99. It was published February 26th of this year, 2013. It would be categorized as a fantasy, or fiction novel. Dominy Robineau is the main character of the story. She has a brother and her parents. Her best friends are Jess and Archy. She also has a boyfriend named Caleb. Her mom is a comatose patient at the nursery home in town, which Dominy calls "the Retreat". Her father has been hiding something from her, and she needs to find out what it is. The book is full of suspense, I couldn't put it down. It will have you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next. The information is organized in a different way. It will tell you one thing, with little information, then progress giving more details as you continue. It gives the book more mystery. This is one of the best books I've read, and I will be counting the days until the next one in the series, "Sunblind" which will be published August 27th of this year.

[Miki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you goodreads for the advanced readers copy!

3.5

This book was not amazing especially in the beginning but my the middle I was hooked in to it. I just had to finish it no matter how irritating the main character seemed sometimes. There was barely any romance in it which made me enjoy it more since I am not really fan lo lovey-dovey books. Somethings in the plot were obvious to know but over all it was a good read (even though I felt Caleb and Archie made a better couple than Dominy and Caleb). I was kinda shocked when I finished the book and sat in silence while digesting what happened. I am definitively excited and to read the next book when it is realeased!

[Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

it took me a while to get through this book, but once you get through the first 200-300pp (i know, it's a lot), it does pick up and start to grab you in more. i will go on to read part two when i get a chance. the author did hook me in.

(as for some of the comments about racism, etc ... i really dont think the author was intentionally trying to offend anyone or present a negative tone. in fact it's obvious he goes out of his way to try and make the main characters have positive attributes. he is practically hurting himself to make it clear dominy has a moral compass for example.)

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I appreciated the new take on the werewolf thing but it seemed so teenage angsty and just so full of odd stereotypes and then purposefully trying to bust stereotypes - the albino, gay, football star. I wound up liking that character but they way he was introduced seemed like it was trying so hard to not be the stereotypical gay best friend thing. It was alright and good enough for the free from local library and not too serious to read while being sick. But I'm not sure if I'll read anymore of the series. (I know right?)

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. It is a nice easy book to read if you want some mystery and thrill books to read during the summer. It is not a typical book where good conquers evil but I guess we will have to wait and see for when the next book comes out.

[Heara-Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't think it was actually this possible to hate a book this much. It kinda ticked me off in the end. I don't even want to read the rest of the series, maybe I'll just troll other reviews to get the gist of how it ended.

[Tia · Rating 1 out of 5]

okay i hate giving books 1 star ratings cause i know how much work goes into it but this book was terrible and i didn't even finish it. The book was just so slow and one scene would go on for pages. Anyway i think the ideas there just lacking the correct writing style

[Read for your future! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Mecheles review here:
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't like this book. It was just no.

[Mechele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review at readforyourfuture.blogspot .com

[Lianne Mei]

Too much going on and not enough explanation.