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Waxing Off: A Novella
"Waxing Off is a fresh, engaging new take on the werewolf mythos, expertly probing themes about gender and loneliness while still making sure the reader enjoys a satisfying, bloody romp. Fans of Gretchen Felker-Martin and Chuck Tingle will find a lot to love here. E.E.W Christman is an exciting new voice in the queer horror space whose future work I'm definitely looking forward to!"
-Liz Kerin, author of the Night's Edge Duology and The Phantom Forest
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Welcome to Cat's Cove
A struggling Pacific Northwest fishing town teeming with transphobes and werewolves... but not the ones you are thinking of.
Drew is a non-binary werewolf, but hardly by choice. Having made a home for themself working in a fish fry joint and trying to hide their secret, their heightened sense of smell leads them to Gab - a female werewolf who is about to change their life in more ways than one. Coming from a family that did nothing to make Drew feel comfortable in their own skin, their immediate connection with Gab is intimate and unexpected.
But a collective of TERFs lurks nearby, and an attack makes it clear that they would prefer it if Gab fell in line, and Drew simply ceased to exist. Little do they know what is coming for them.
Filled with ferocity, carnage, and the enduring power of queer love and acceptance, Waxing Off is a werewolf horror story with heart, and a testament to what it means to fight back, fight for yourself, and fight to exist.
For fans
HorrmanceWerewolvesQueer HorrorQueer RomanceAtmospheric Northwest SettingUnderdogs Fighting Back
-Liz Kerin, author of the Night's Edge Duology and The Phantom Forest
---
Welcome to Cat's Cove
A struggling Pacific Northwest fishing town teeming with transphobes and werewolves... but not the ones you are thinking of.
Drew is a non-binary werewolf, but hardly by choice. Having made a home for themself working in a fish fry joint and trying to hide their secret, their heightened sense of smell leads them to Gab - a female werewolf who is about to change their life in more ways than one. Coming from a family that did nothing to make Drew feel comfortable in their own skin, their immediate connection with Gab is intimate and unexpected.
But a collective of TERFs lurks nearby, and an attack makes it clear that they would prefer it if Gab fell in line, and Drew simply ceased to exist. Little do they know what is coming for them.
Filled with ferocity, carnage, and the enduring power of queer love and acceptance, Waxing Off is a werewolf horror story with heart, and a testament to what it means to fight back, fight for yourself, and fight to exist.
For fans
HorrmanceWerewolvesQueer HorrorQueer RomanceAtmospheric Northwest SettingUnderdogs Fighting Back
- GenresHorror
147 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 7, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 3, 2025
Full disclaimer : I receive a free copy in exchange of a honest review.
First, I really loved the universe and the main characters of that book. It's an original way to write about werewolves, about their biology, origin... and I really liked that. The characters are relatable and likeable and, of course, I'm absolutely a fan of making TERFs the villains. That's a good and well-made idea. Also, I'll always be a fan of painful transformation in werewolf stories, and I am absolutely convinced with this one.
So, I appreciated my reading from the beginning to the end but I wished it were longer. I think the book will be a little more immersive if it introduces more of the universe, the lore and the relationship between Drew and Gab (they were super cute and I liked their relationship, I wanted more of them)...
At the end, I recommend it if you like queer werewolf stories with a cute love story and some splashes of gore.
First, I really loved the universe and the main characters of that book. It's an original way to write about werewolves, about their biology, origin... and I really liked that. The characters are relatable and likeable and, of course, I'm absolutely a fan of making TERFs the villains. That's a good and well-made idea. Also, I'll always be a fan of painful transformation in werewolf stories, and I am absolutely convinced with this one.
So, I appreciated my reading from the beginning to the end but I wished it were longer. I think the book will be a little more immersive if it introduces more of the universe, the lore and the relationship between Drew and Gab (they were super cute and I liked their relationship, I wanted more of them)...
At the end, I recommend it if you like queer werewolf stories with a cute love story and some splashes of gore.
September 5, 2025
I found myself wanting more of this world!
September 2, 2025
Everything I could have wanted in a queer werewolf story!
November 3, 2025
Waxing Off is an absolute standout! It’s so refreshing to dive into a story told from a perspective we rarely get to see, which is that of a nonbinary, gay protagonist. It’s also a fascinating twist on the werewolf mythos, using it as both a physical and psychological metaphor for gender, isolation, and the struggle to belong. Alongside these powerful themes, it also delves into love, self-discovery, and empowerment - all unfolding at a steady, compelling pace that allows every moment to resonate beautifully.
I’m usually not a fan of werewolf stories, but this one won me over. I found myself rooting for Drew, the main character, who starts off a little guarded and distant but gradually opens up into someone you can’t help but love. Their connection with Gab and their fight against those who reject them is both empowering and heartfelt.
Fantastically written and truly original, Waxing Off stands out as something special. Since it’s a short novella, I won’t spoil the plot, but I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a queer love story about acceptance and identity, wrapped in a fierce, thrilling werewolf horror that’ll leave you breathless.
I’m usually not a fan of werewolf stories, but this one won me over. I found myself rooting for Drew, the main character, who starts off a little guarded and distant but gradually opens up into someone you can’t help but love. Their connection with Gab and their fight against those who reject them is both empowering and heartfelt.
Fantastically written and truly original, Waxing Off stands out as something special. Since it’s a short novella, I won’t spoil the plot, but I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a queer love story about acceptance and identity, wrapped in a fierce, thrilling werewolf horror that’ll leave you breathless.
December 3, 2025
I enjoyed this book, love a good queer werewolf story <3
January 14, 2026
[3 stars]
Drew has been the only werewolf they have ever known. After a final fight with their aunt (and having been disowned by their mother years before), they have been traveling up and down the West Coast for the last several years in an old sailboat. They pick up work in the form of fast food positions wherever they end up before they inevitably have to move. Now, they’ve ended up on Cat’s Cove, a PNW island fishing town. A local man has been found mauled in the woods and Drew, for the first time, is smelling other werewolves nearby.
I didn’t at all dislike this novella but it ultimately never stuck out to me. Despite the eeriness that a struggling Washington state coastal fishing town filled with mysterious maulings and animal encounters in the woods should have, I found that there was a real lack of any atmosphere building in this novella. Other than the prologue, which was excellent and captured the feeling that I wanted the rest of this story to have, there’s a distinct lack of tension and dread at most places (though it definitely starts to ramp up at parts just before the climax - - but then fizzles out).
A lot of this novella felt quite underdeveloped and underwhelming. I’m sure most of that is by virtue of this being a novella and not a full length novel - which I somewhat agree with but I also know that I probably wouldn’t have picked this one up if it was any longer, make of that what you will - but even with the length there are some kinks that could have been ironed out. Hen is introduced so extremely late into the story considering the role she ends up playing. I love her and what she represents, but she blinks in and out so quickly in contrast to the importance she plays. There’s also the told-not-shown problem that I felt throughout this novella (I feel this in most novellas that I read and at this point just accept it). We have to be told that the old ways of werewolves were violent and cruel unlike now. We have to be told upon meeting her that Victoria seems nice but is actually very passive aggressive (though I loved the next descriptor of her being the type of person to smile as a dog is euthanized for biting in self defense after she was the one to kick it). Also, I’m still a bit lost on how Victoria’s pack got onto the Gomez without notice. Gab and Drew only noticed when someone else was on the boat. Did they swim? Did a second boat pull up besides the moving sailboat somehow? Did I skip a line that stated what happened to allow at least four people to sneak onto a moving sailboat out on the water? I really liked the scene while it played out and thought that it was the best in the novella, but getting it to happen then in that location felt a bit forced.
With that being said, I did like both Drew and Gab. I felt that they remained very distinct from one another (a common complaint I have with many other novellas with duel POVs) and their interactions with one another are really fun. I never got the two confused for each other and each of them had nice contrasting viewpoints. I don’t fully buy into the sudden love-at-first-sight with both of them (actually, it makes sense on Drew’s end with Gab being the first other werewolf they had ever met, but I never bought that Gab would feel the same back so quickly). However, their budding relationship is nice and fits into the rest of the story quite well without feeling tacked-on.
If you’re on the lookout for a short LGBT werewolf story or a horror-romance novella, then this is a good one to pick up. Despite it not quite being for me I think that others would still enjoy it a lot.
Also, nothing about Victoria’s group of women screamed TERFs to me. Those were just regular old transphobes.
Drew has been the only werewolf they have ever known. After a final fight with their aunt (and having been disowned by their mother years before), they have been traveling up and down the West Coast for the last several years in an old sailboat. They pick up work in the form of fast food positions wherever they end up before they inevitably have to move. Now, they’ve ended up on Cat’s Cove, a PNW island fishing town. A local man has been found mauled in the woods and Drew, for the first time, is smelling other werewolves nearby.
I didn’t at all dislike this novella but it ultimately never stuck out to me. Despite the eeriness that a struggling Washington state coastal fishing town filled with mysterious maulings and animal encounters in the woods should have, I found that there was a real lack of any atmosphere building in this novella. Other than the prologue, which was excellent and captured the feeling that I wanted the rest of this story to have, there’s a distinct lack of tension and dread at most places (though it definitely starts to ramp up at parts just before the climax - - but then fizzles out).
A lot of this novella felt quite underdeveloped and underwhelming. I’m sure most of that is by virtue of this being a novella and not a full length novel - which I somewhat agree with but I also know that I probably wouldn’t have picked this one up if it was any longer, make of that what you will - but even with the length there are some kinks that could have been ironed out. Hen is introduced so extremely late into the story considering the role she ends up playing. I love her and what she represents, but she blinks in and out so quickly in contrast to the importance she plays. There’s also the told-not-shown problem that I felt throughout this novella (I feel this in most novellas that I read and at this point just accept it). We have to be told that the old ways of werewolves were violent and cruel unlike now. We have to be told upon meeting her that Victoria seems nice but is actually very passive aggressive (though I loved the next descriptor of her being the type of person to smile as a dog is euthanized for biting in self defense after she was the one to kick it). Also, I’m still a bit lost on how Victoria’s pack got onto the Gomez without notice. Gab and Drew only noticed when someone else was on the boat. Did they swim? Did a second boat pull up besides the moving sailboat somehow? Did I skip a line that stated what happened to allow at least four people to sneak onto a moving sailboat out on the water? I really liked the scene while it played out and thought that it was the best in the novella, but getting it to happen then in that location felt a bit forced.
With that being said, I did like both Drew and Gab. I felt that they remained very distinct from one another (a common complaint I have with many other novellas with duel POVs) and their interactions with one another are really fun. I never got the two confused for each other and each of them had nice contrasting viewpoints. I don’t fully buy into the sudden love-at-first-sight with both of them (actually, it makes sense on Drew’s end with Gab being the first other werewolf they had ever met, but I never bought that Gab would feel the same back so quickly). However, their budding relationship is nice and fits into the rest of the story quite well without feeling tacked-on.
If you’re on the lookout for a short LGBT werewolf story or a horror-romance novella, then this is a good one to pick up. Despite it not quite being for me I think that others would still enjoy it a lot.
Also, nothing about Victoria’s group of women screamed TERFs to me. Those were just regular old transphobes.
August 23, 2025
4.5 Stars - full disclaimer, I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As someone who normally doesn’t reach for werewolf fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Both hardcore werewolf fans and casual enthusiasts will devour this narrative and its use of the Lycan as a metaphor of the queer experience.
The prose in this tale is both intense and vivid, especially in the gore and body horror elements, and the story itself has so many complex and emotional layers that you'll be hooked from the first chapter.
Drew’s story is a familiar one among the queer community. They are a young, nonbinary person who longs for a community to call home and a space where they feel safe and accepted. You immediately feel and/or relate to this character which made it so easily to become invested in their story.
Each character has a distinct purpose that reflects interactions and/or challenges that many queer folks have experienced. This grants the narrative a sense of realism among the supernatural elements, yet it fits perfectly into the eerie setting that Christman has beautifully created.
Also, I always appreciate when authors make TERFs the villains they are; misogynistic, homophobic, and absolutely deserving of their role as antagonists.
My only wish is that this book was longer. It would have been great to explore more of Cat’s Cove, see a more fleshed out development of Drew and Gab’s romance, and maybe get to know the side characters/antagonists a bit more. Such additions in my opinion would have made an already super impactful story hit even harder.
Still, this is a wonderful bite of a book that lovers of queer supernatural fiction will adore.
As someone who normally doesn’t reach for werewolf fiction, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Both hardcore werewolf fans and casual enthusiasts will devour this narrative and its use of the Lycan as a metaphor of the queer experience.
The prose in this tale is both intense and vivid, especially in the gore and body horror elements, and the story itself has so many complex and emotional layers that you'll be hooked from the first chapter.
Drew’s story is a familiar one among the queer community. They are a young, nonbinary person who longs for a community to call home and a space where they feel safe and accepted. You immediately feel and/or relate to this character which made it so easily to become invested in their story.
Each character has a distinct purpose that reflects interactions and/or challenges that many queer folks have experienced. This grants the narrative a sense of realism among the supernatural elements, yet it fits perfectly into the eerie setting that Christman has beautifully created.
Also, I always appreciate when authors make TERFs the villains they are; misogynistic, homophobic, and absolutely deserving of their role as antagonists.
My only wish is that this book was longer. It would have been great to explore more of Cat’s Cove, see a more fleshed out development of Drew and Gab’s romance, and maybe get to know the side characters/antagonists a bit more. Such additions in my opinion would have made an already super impactful story hit even harder.
Still, this is a wonderful bite of a book that lovers of queer supernatural fiction will adore.
August 11, 2025
Waxing Off is such a beautiful and brutal story that touches on the sensitive topic of trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs). The werewolf focus brings something fresh to that niche. E.E.W. Christman writes with such an atmospheric and passionate voice. Publishing this novella through my publisher, Pride with a Bite, has been such an honor. This is the story that the queer community needs right now.
February 18, 2026
So good!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews