Storm of Sharks

Wereworld #5

by Curtis Jobling

The epic Wereworld saga continues as Drew Ferran—werewolf, leader of people, and the rightful king of Lyssia—battles the evil Catlords who seek to oppress the kingdom. As the war’s scope widens, Drew and his allies take the fight to the high seas. But just as many terrors await them on the water as on land, with pirates and scoundrels abounding and a host of previously-unknown werelords emerging to take sides in the war that threatens to destroy the Seven Realms. Called “Game of Thrones for the tween set,” (School Library Journal), the Wereworld series hits a new high in this fifth book!

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Middle Grade

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Curtis Jobling is an author and illustrator based in the UK. Working in publishing and animation he is possibly most (in)famously known as the designer of the BAFTA winning "Bob The Builder", as well as creator of CBeebies "Raa Raa the Noisy Lion" and CBBC's "Frankenstein’s Cat". Early work in animation included model and puppet painting on Wallace & Gromit’s "A Close Shave" and Tim Burton’s "Mars Attacks!" He’s also the creator/director/producer of Nickelodeon’s "Curious Cow" interstitials, a series of animated shorts featuring the varied and hilarious deaths of a bewildered bovine.

As a published author and illustrator of children’s books, Curtis’s works include Dinosaurs After Dark (with Jonathan Emmett), Skeleton in the Closet (with Alice Schertle), My Daddy, Cheeky Monkey and perhaps his most notorious character Frankenstein’s Cat, now an animated series in its own right commissioned by the BBC and sold to broadcasters worldwide.

The Wereworld series of novels were first published by Penguin in the UK in January 2011, with "Rise of the Wolf", the first in the fantasy horror, shortlisted for the Waterstone's Book Prize. Penguin/Viking first published the debut novel in September 2011.

Reviews

[Suzan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Can't believe the next book will be the last in the series! I've enjoyed this series so much! I love that Hector was getting a redemption in this book but Vincent has to ruin it, I do wonder if Hector will win out in the next book before it's too late and get his redemption after all.
I love a lot of the progressions in this book, couple of events/deaths I wish hadn't happened cause of how much I love the characters but I love the new alliances that have been formed for the wolf! I'm also happy that Drew and Whitley seem to be getting closer and he seems to have chosen her even if he hasn't said how he feels about her and I like the pairing of Gretchen with Trent but I also love how though those romances are being recognised they aren't taking over the story and it's still very much focused on the allegiances between the Werelords and freeing Lyssia!
I loved finding out that Casper was therianthrope though I'd suspected as much after the last book, I didn't however expect him to be the type of therianthrope he was! He is one of a kind though, just like his dad, I'm glad he knows about his heritage now and who his father is though he's yet to be told who his mother is.
I'm hoping we see all the Werelords (that are still alive!) that we've met so far in the next book, like Taboo and Shah. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends and hoping that Trent will be ok and be reunited with Drew at last. I'm looking forward to the brothers reunion. I'm really hoping for a good outcome for Trent, yes I'm being vague but I don't want to give anything major away and spoil the book for anyone that hasn't had a chance to read it yet!
This book was so addictive and ,as with the previous books in the series, I didn't want to put it down! The book is one I feel can appeal to adult readers as well as the younger YA group it's aimed at as it's really well written and the story is excellent. The plot goes from strength to strength and the appeal does not lessen in any way as the books progress. Each book is every bit as good as the last! If you haven't picked up the series yet I'd recommend it!

[♥Jessica, ♥Lady of the Library♥]

i wAS IN THE BOOKSTORE AND I SAW THIS BOOK AND I LITERALLY WAS IN TEARS BECAUSE THE SHARK IS HOLDING A SWORD
LOO KAT HIS LIL ARMS
THE EMPLOYEE BROUGHT ME A PAPER CUP OF WATER
I WAS CRYING
I WAS ON THE FLOOR

[Rick Stuckwisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really an amazing and surprisingly good series. The excitement never stops or even lets up. And despite the fact that things seem to go increasingly from bad to worse, with very few exceptions, hope springs eternal and the anticipation builds. The large ensemble of "main characters," both good and bad, are distinctive and interesting, and they have endeared themselves to me and my listeners. The world building in this series is as solid and compelling as anything I've read, reminiscent, as I've said before, of the Rangers Apprentice series, but even more realistic and believable, even though the story is obviously one of fantasy fiction. One book left in the series, and I am eager for the conclusion. It can't help but be exciting, given all that has happened up to this point. This fifth book was certainly no disappointment or exception. Good stuff.

[Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wereworld book #5, Storm of Sharks, is a amazing book, and is a great addition to an already awesome series. This book, like others in the series can get a little violent, so I would recommend it for older readers.This book starts off right where the previous book ends. The book is very interesting and exciting to read with multiple different story lines from different prominent characters in different areas of the world, but yet not taking anything away from the main character, Drew. It was a quicker read than I would have hoped, but left me feeling “I want to read the next one!” All in all, a great book.

[Elizabeth Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

WELL WELL WELL this review is so difficult to write because there is so much to say. The series is so good there are no words in the dictionary to describe how I feel. I'll just have to do my best.

I was never really interested in Werewolves, they seemed pretty dull and unoriginal but these book with their fantastic character and world building creates a new twist on werewolves that is exciting and interesting from beyond down to the core. Not to mention the introduction of other WereSpecies like WereLions and WereRats AWESOME!!! .

The series has such a simple concept that flourishes into something amazing, which is not so easily done except with a greatly skilled and imaginative Author. The books will lift you up and bring you down, they will make you laugh and they will make you cry, they will make you sit up fraught with tension and they will make you eager for more. These books will definitely not disappoint.

When I first picked up this book series I was in year 8 of high school and read 'Rise of the Wolf' and 'Rage of lions' in one day. Obviously I was hooked from the get go. Unfortunately, my school did not have the rest of the books so I had to wait.

The worst years of my life, Year 11 and all books bought in a box set on Kindle...
... if only i hadn't of had my GCSE exams!!!!

THE EXCRUCIATING HORROR AND PAIN!

After all this time and exams had passed I had months to read the series and boy did i, it took me less than a week (one book a day) and then I re-read it and then I re-read it again.

I think you can work out from what I have written so far that it was definitely worth the wait, but don't do what I did, get your hands on the books as soon as possible. Also make sure you buy them as proper books rather than on Kindle, certainly one of my greatest regrets and therefore I would love to receive all the books in paperback with this front cover (talking to you Curtis Jobling or future boyfriend, id love you forever).

If I could I would give it 100 stars.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a while since I have read a book in this series so I really appreciated the character list at the beginning. I enjoyed this book but not as much as previous installments.

I recently saw a review of this series that likened it to Games of Thrones and I find I agree with that assessment. There are similarities, even though audiences are likely of different ages. Many of the events in Wereworld are dark and violent with grim outlooks. However, I still find I have hope and I believe that certain characters will survive and everything will turn out okay and the land will be able to recover. I never felt that enduring optimism while reading Game of Thrones. However, one thing that did bother me is Jobling's discarding of characters. He introduced new people and then kills them horribly, sometimes in the same chapter and sometimes within three or four chapters. I understand that there are many characters already and there isn't time to continually develop more. I just ended up feeling depressed when new people were introduced and not inclined to commit their details to memory since I don't expect them to last very long.

I enjoy the differing points of view used in the writing style and I liked viewing events through the eyes of many different characters. I love Drew and Whitley and Gretchen and Trent and I agonize over Hector. I am excited to see what will happen to them as the series concludes in the next book. This book also held some great turns in the plot (Bast!) that were a lot of fun.

Also, considering it is called "Storm of Sharks" I expected more sharks. One to the next book!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better and better. I have never read about a character more brave, noble and honest than Drew Ferran. I still love Vega the most though and love his relationship with Casper, especially when you find out a little more of their back story. Opal is very much starting to grow on me even though her honour is kind of forced out of her by her bargain with Vega, you get that it was in her all along and I really want to find out more about her. There are way too many characters to comment on in this series because the richly detailed story keeps introducing new ones but my favourites are Vega, Drew, Gretchen, Whitley, Trent and Casper. The storylines of each character across the different continents and lands are so intricately woven but without taking anything away from the main plot surrounding Drew. Whether the story is set on sea or land, the battle scenes are epic and so exciting, brutal and brilliantly written. I am so sad to be on the last book as I would like to read more about these characters for so much longer!

[Keven Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saying Storm of Sharks is an excellent book is an understatement. It's complex story is well delivered with the characters putting on a show further emphasizing their evolving character. While the story might get too dark for some it is riveting to say the least. It also continues the trend of cliffhangers that the series has been known well for. Despite this Wereworld's unbelievable ability to make you think about morality is quite impressive even for the series. The story is full of twist and turns and you will never know a character's true intentions. If you're any type of book lover you should pick this one up.

[Mad about · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waited so long for this and there wasn't enough Vega in it as I thought there'd be but he's finally out for book 5! I knew from previous books what would happen with him and Casper but it's still nice reading about it but I wanted more.
For a YA it's quite gorey but I love the whole world and adventure Jobling has created.

Drew is definitely the deserved King but apart from fighting for what's right he doesn't take the position too seriously so watch this space with him definitely

[Cealan Wind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storm of Sharks

Great wrighting, I found myself done with book after 4 days of non-stop reading. The ending was not the best, it left me with " I kinda want to read the next " where I would have rather left with " wow, this was a great book, " I'm buying the next right away "

[Keillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storm of Sharks was storming on the sea! With pirates, blindness, and lots of sea therians, this book deserves an A for Argh! This will make you feel like your a SEAfarer yourself! This was a good read!

[Rohan Kale]

There were a lot of naval battles and there weren't as many land battles. The gladiator subplot makes the book interesting. The plot twist of one of the gladiators being the daughter of a general. This and the themes of survival of the fittest and betrayal make the book interesting.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the rest in this series, an awesome adventure. I'm sorry to see that the next book is the finale.

[Lauren Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Storm of Sharks was a great book. It had lots of energy and excitment. I wish that this series would last forever because I never want it to end. I can't wait for the sixth book!

[Vishaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was extremely thrilling and hard to put down.One of the best books in the series

[Jdtolbert2003yahoo.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as previous books but a must read to keep up on a lot of changes leading into the last book.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastico

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

sharks don't rain from clouds - unless there was a typhoon or a tsunami. Count Vega is just cool. (he's on the cover and is a sharklord)

[Robbi Fritz Portela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked this book!

[Elliott.Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great book by a great author

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Hector, and I've heard rumors that my friend Drew is still alive. It seems he's ventured out to sea where the pirates and Baron Bosa are wreaking havoc upon the Bastian navy. Too bad I was forced to kill the Wereshark Vega, but I couldn't trust Drew's buddy. I left the Council when Drew first disappeared, and I've done many things I'm not proud of. He may be destined to become the new king, but he'll need to accept me as I am, or become my enemy. It's taking more effort to stifle my brother's spirit, and I sometimes fear I'll lose control to my necromancy. I don't trust Onyx, the Werepanther, or King Lucas, the Werelion, and I sense there's trouble brewing between them. I'm sure they'll try to invade my Icegarden, and I'm expecting treachery from my "allies" the Crows. However, they should all fear my ability to summon an army of dead.


This book has a couple of elements I don't enjoy, but the story is compelling enough to keep me coming back to finish the series. This book finally evokes hope in the efforts to place Drew on the Lyssian throne. It still has more violence and killing than I usually tolerate, it's told from many points of view, and there are a variety of settings and many characters. Characters are starting to break alliances, and Hector's character is becoming especially complex. I understand why the author has done these things, but it's still a bit much. However, I've followed Drew's story since the beginning, and I'm curious to see how everything turns out in the series' conclusion, War of the Werelords. Drew's endearing quality is a compassion for his friends and his followers. He finds it very difficult to ignore injustice, even when it jeopardizes his missions. He's a formidable warrior when he takes on his wolf form, but he's not indestructible. This keeps him from becoming a literary superhero and allows his character to be more "human". He has flaws and weaknesses just like anyone else. While many characters, not all, can transform into animals, they usually remain in human form when not fighting. These creatures range from bears, to cranes, to a squid, to a crab. Overall, you should enjoy the plot if you can tolerate war and the abominations that come with it.

[Sean Bai · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked the Ranger's Apprentice series or the Redwall series, you will like this.

This series had me hooked right from the start. The characters were likable, and felt real. Characters had real motivations, and I was with the characters through their ups and downs. The main character is an underdog, in more ways than one, and I was rooting for him the whole time, hoping he could defeat all odds thrown his way.

The battles were intense. This is military fantasy at its best, and we're thrown into the story through the eyes of a young man who finds out his parents were not his actual parents. He goes on a journey of self-discovery, and asks himself questions about whether he is fit to be the true King or not.

The villains are evil. This is more of a PG-15 read for all its violence, and it's not too depressing, but can be. It's war, and people will die.

Curtis Jobling's strength is in his imagination. The worlds are wonderful and well drawn out. There's a map to accompany the story. Characters go from place to place, and it's a very majestic world. If you are tired of werewolves, look no further, because this series has werestags, werebears, werehogs, werelions, weresharks, and many other types of creatures that can transform at will. In this series, these man-beasts are royalty, not beasts to be hunted.

I will be leaving the same review for all six books, because I've read all of them, and they are all five stars. I hope the author will be writing more like this in the future.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled more in this book than the previous 4. I keep reading to see how it all works out in the end but so many die I wonder what there is left to save. I also find some of the characters inconsistent and some of the dialogue poorly done. As with the previous books there is a lot of violence, gore, and torture, which I do not feel is appropriate for younger teens, but that's my opinion. There are some twists and turns in the story line that keeps things moving and peaks my interest, so I'll read the 6th and final book but will be glad to finish this series when I do.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the past books I would say poor Drew as he just suffered constantly from the Murphy's Law with going blind, getting kidnapped, enslaved, losing an arm, and losing most of his family. But now I think that belongs to Hector and the stuff that happens to him but I am glad that everything seems to be coming to an end as many of the plot lines seem to be tying up and I am glad that they still do some good world building and damn this book makes you want to punch Lucas for the stuff he has done.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continues the story of the deposed werewolf boyking and moves the adventure to the high seas. I’m enjoying this middle school series that would be great for anyone who loves animal fantasy adventure. This cool introduces Bosa the Whalelord and Ghul the Kraken King (among others). The book ends by taking us to Bast, the jungle continent to set up for the final book in the series.

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again such a great fit for the series as count Vega is and always will be one of my favorite chapters of all time, his progression is just immaculate and the pacing and setup that this series has is quite worth it.

[Zak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book in the series was more enjoyable than the rest. I could picture what was going on, and it flowed nicely. There were a few spots in the story where I didn't agree with how it was written. The tides are finally turning in this war for the bitter.

[Ethan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok. There were some moments which could have been really cool (Onyx fighting Henrik) but were done shallowly or poorly that they didn’t matter as much. Another only ok entry for this series.

[Katie]

Loved this !!

[Jaiprakash]

Entertaining