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Changeling #1
Changeling
Trey thought he was an ordinary teenager. Then he meets a mysterious stranger, Lucien Charron - luminously pale, oddly powerful, with eyes that seem flecked with fire and skin that blisters in sunlight.
Somehow Trey finds himself in a luxury London penthouse, like a Bond villain's lair. It's the heart of a sinister empire, built on the powers of the netherworld - werewolves, vampires, sorcerers, djinns. And Trey himself has a power that's roaring to break free. Is he a boy or is he a beast?
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2009
About the author
Steve Feasey
17 books157 followersSteve Feasey was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, UK in 1968. From a modest background, he found escape in books, and spent much of his time in his local library. Always an avid reader, he only began writing in his late thirties, but was fortunate to land a publishing deal for his very first book, Changeling.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
March 4, 2010
Fourteen year old, Trey Laporte woke up one day with pain radiating through out his entire body, feeling like he was in a train wreck he looked around to see that his room looked the exact same way.
Living in a care house, since he's been orphaned with no family three years ago, Trey was about to be sent to a correction services -aka The Tank- when an unexpected visitor, claiming to be his uncle, has come seeking Trey.
Lucien Charron is a man of mystery, and not all quite what he seems. He convinces Trey to come away with him, warning him that his life is in immense danger and that he can provide safety and answers to all of the questions that are buzzing in Trey's mind, for his life is about to change and he doesn't even know the half of it...
Steve Feasey has written a wonderful and highly imaginative world that I couldn't get enough of. I had a great experience with Changeling, which btw is also known as Wereling.
It was a fun, exciting read and I found myself fascinated and intrigued from the very first page!
The characters are all very defined and likable. I love the way the book started!
Trey's reactions are very realistic, going through a long range of emotions as he discovers what he is and what kind of world he really lives in. Lucien is great, and I very much enjoyed his riddle-like speech and mannerisms. He's a great role. Tom and Alexa brings relief to most situations, which makes the teams combination very enjoyable.
I loved the pace of this book, the way that it brings you in Trey's life, fitting the story around you while not going to fast or to slow. At times it's action packed and entertaining while others times it's interesting and intriguing learning this world.
The writing is simply but yet exceptional, I felt very involved while I was reading.
I'm not a huge werewolf fan, but this was probably the most fun I ever had with them! And the beauty of this book is that it's not just werewolf's, my other paranormal pals are in it as well;)
This book may not appeal to everyone, the concept as been repeated in many different books, but if your a paranormal junkie like me, then this book should provide enough amusement and entertainment for you.
An awesome start at a new captivating and fun series that I intend to devour!
A Great Read!!
Living in a care house, since he's been orphaned with no family three years ago, Trey was about to be sent to a correction services -aka The Tank- when an unexpected visitor, claiming to be his uncle, has come seeking Trey.
Lucien Charron is a man of mystery, and not all quite what he seems. He convinces Trey to come away with him, warning him that his life is in immense danger and that he can provide safety and answers to all of the questions that are buzzing in Trey's mind, for his life is about to change and he doesn't even know the half of it...
Steve Feasey has written a wonderful and highly imaginative world that I couldn't get enough of. I had a great experience with Changeling, which btw is also known as Wereling.
It was a fun, exciting read and I found myself fascinated and intrigued from the very first page!
The characters are all very defined and likable. I love the way the book started!
Trey's reactions are very realistic, going through a long range of emotions as he discovers what he is and what kind of world he really lives in. Lucien is great, and I very much enjoyed his riddle-like speech and mannerisms. He's a great role. Tom and Alexa brings relief to most situations, which makes the teams combination very enjoyable.
I loved the pace of this book, the way that it brings you in Trey's life, fitting the story around you while not going to fast or to slow. At times it's action packed and entertaining while others times it's interesting and intriguing learning this world.
The writing is simply but yet exceptional, I felt very involved while I was reading.
I'm not a huge werewolf fan, but this was probably the most fun I ever had with them! And the beauty of this book is that it's not just werewolf's, my other paranormal pals are in it as well;)
This book may not appeal to everyone, the concept as been repeated in many different books, but if your a paranormal junkie like me, then this book should provide enough amusement and entertainment for you.
An awesome start at a new captivating and fun series that I intend to devour!
A Great Read!!
May 27, 2016
I honestly couldn't MAKE myself finish this book. Throughout the whole book, I kept noting every little thing I really didn't like about not only the story, but the characters as well!
This book starts out with fourteen year old Trey Laporte in an orphan home when suddenly he wakes up to his room being trashed, which(SURPRISE)gets resolved only a few pages later where his supposed uncle, Lucien- who is conveniently a rich vampire -shows up and tells Trey that he is a werewolf and to completely trust him with his life. Um, excuse me? Trey says in the book that he shouldn't trust this guy since he's only just met him, but hey, why not get into his really dark car and drive off to a whole new place where there are MORE people to trust! What's up with that? I really don't understand how this kid just immediately trusts someone only because they tell him to. I mean, if that evil guy, Caliban wanted to destroy him, he could LITERALLY(I can't say that with enough force) just go up to him and tell Trey he was his father and Trey would totally trust him and love him no questions asked. I think I just solved the whole book.
This is what REALLY annoys me. It's only been what, seven hours since Trey got to the apartment? And hey, there's a super hot girl in there who has been watching him sleep. Haven't heard that one before. And right as he wakes up, Lucien tells him that they have to begin his werewolf training WAY too soon.
The author needs to understand that you can't force stuff like this. Meeting someone and trusting them right off the bat is just sloppy work! It's not going to happen! That's what make this book feel so fake! Almost no thought has been put into the characters' actions and feelings.
I mean, only a few chapters later, Trey expresses his "love" for Alexa, the hot supermodel chick, who loves to waste money just to feel like a normal person(normal people don't go on shopping sprees 24/7). And that whole fake love stuff? PUH-LEASE! This kid has absolutely no idea who this girl is. Really the only thing he even remotely knows about her is that she shops, her mother died and was a sorceress, and that Alexa knows some magic too. You can't build a relationship on that. What is Alexa's favorite color, Trey? What does she hope to become? Heck, does he even know her last name? And when she got kidnapped by Caliban, I swear I lost it. I was sitting here reading the book and thinking, wow there actually some adult decisions going on here! Sending him off to a safe house since Trey is inexperienced and rash is probably the best idea anyone has had in this book. But no! He convinces two adults(one who is over 200) that he should tag along since he's in danger either way! And since there was a blackmail in the note that was found when Alexa was kidnapped, Trey has the great idea to say that he should come and save her too! Fake love. Fake bravery. Who are you to say you can fight off the greatest evil of all, even though you've only known what you are for less than a week.
One last complaint. Who the heck does Trey think he is just going off running these demons down? It seems like Lucien and Tom(I don't even want to get started on that topic) are perfectly fine with Trey just deciding to go off and hunt down two demons just because they stole the dress. Sure he bought it for Alexa, but he's loaded, so what does it matter? Risking your life for something like that is plain dumb. And of course, he miraculously kills both of them with the help of a train.
Overall, I really hated this book. No thought process at all. No development. Nothing. The characters are so bland and the wording makes everything seem so sugar coated, I couldn't get past chapter 20. So yeah, I guess I didn't read the whole thing, but I read enough to know that this book was too thoughtless for a middle school library. Needless to say, it was probably the most disappointing thing I've ever read.
This book starts out with fourteen year old Trey Laporte in an orphan home when suddenly he wakes up to his room being trashed, which(SURPRISE)gets resolved only a few pages later where his supposed uncle, Lucien- who is conveniently a rich vampire -shows up and tells Trey that he is a werewolf and to completely trust him with his life. Um, excuse me? Trey says in the book that he shouldn't trust this guy since he's only just met him, but hey, why not get into his really dark car and drive off to a whole new place where there are MORE people to trust! What's up with that? I really don't understand how this kid just immediately trusts someone only because they tell him to. I mean, if that evil guy, Caliban wanted to destroy him, he could LITERALLY(I can't say that with enough force) just go up to him and tell Trey he was his father and Trey would totally trust him and love him no questions asked. I think I just solved the whole book.
This is what REALLY annoys me. It's only been what, seven hours since Trey got to the apartment? And hey, there's a super hot girl in there who has been watching him sleep. Haven't heard that one before. And right as he wakes up, Lucien tells him that they have to begin his werewolf training WAY too soon.
The author needs to understand that you can't force stuff like this. Meeting someone and trusting them right off the bat is just sloppy work! It's not going to happen! That's what make this book feel so fake! Almost no thought has been put into the characters' actions and feelings.
I mean, only a few chapters later, Trey expresses his "love" for Alexa, the hot supermodel chick, who loves to waste money just to feel like a normal person(normal people don't go on shopping sprees 24/7). And that whole fake love stuff? PUH-LEASE! This kid has absolutely no idea who this girl is. Really the only thing he even remotely knows about her is that she shops, her mother died and was a sorceress, and that Alexa knows some magic too. You can't build a relationship on that. What is Alexa's favorite color, Trey? What does she hope to become? Heck, does he even know her last name? And when she got kidnapped by Caliban, I swear I lost it. I was sitting here reading the book and thinking, wow there actually some adult decisions going on here! Sending him off to a safe house since Trey is inexperienced and rash is probably the best idea anyone has had in this book. But no! He convinces two adults(one who is over 200) that he should tag along since he's in danger either way! And since there was a blackmail in the note that was found when Alexa was kidnapped, Trey has the great idea to say that he should come and save her too! Fake love. Fake bravery. Who are you to say you can fight off the greatest evil of all, even though you've only known what you are for less than a week.
One last complaint. Who the heck does Trey think he is just going off running these demons down? It seems like Lucien and Tom(I don't even want to get started on that topic) are perfectly fine with Trey just deciding to go off and hunt down two demons just because they stole the dress. Sure he bought it for Alexa, but he's loaded, so what does it matter? Risking your life for something like that is plain dumb. And of course, he miraculously kills both of them with the help of a train.
Overall, I really hated this book. No thought process at all. No development. Nothing. The characters are so bland and the wording makes everything seem so sugar coated, I couldn't get past chapter 20. So yeah, I guess I didn't read the whole thing, but I read enough to know that this book was too thoughtless for a middle school library. Needless to say, it was probably the most disappointing thing I've ever read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2014
I must admit, I picked this book up with more than a little bit of hope. I'm a great fan of Urban Fantasy novels, and I was hoping that in this series I would find a welcome respite to a sad, and too long "dry spell" of good books.
Needless to say, I was severely disappointed.
I finished the book on principle, since leaving it unfinished is a punishment I reserve for truly awful books only. This one was merely boring, devoid of any and all literary devices, and the characters were all so, so, SO very unbelievably stupid.
Not to mention, of course, the seemingly random "by the way" moments.
And of course, a special mention to the various Mary Sues and Gary Stues:
All in all, I think this book could only be enjoyable if you have exceedingly low standards. Sorry, Mr. Feasey, but this book was a strike.
Needless to say, I was severely disappointed.
I finished the book on principle, since leaving it unfinished is a punishment I reserve for truly awful books only. This one was merely boring, devoid of any and all literary devices, and the characters were all so, so, SO very unbelievably stupid.
Not to mention, of course, the seemingly random "by the way" moments.
And of course, a special mention to the various Mary Sues and Gary Stues:
All in all, I think this book could only be enjoyable if you have exceedingly low standards. Sorry, Mr. Feasey, but this book was a strike.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2010
Right from the start I have to say that above all else, reading Wereling has reminded me that trying something different often times ends up being a fantastic idea! Reading a male point of view is not something I'm used to, nor do I usually seek it out. I'm not quite sure why I picked this book up, I know it wasn't the cover (that kind of scared me) but whatever the reason, I'm just glad that I did.
It was a nice change of pace for me and a good break in routine from what I normally read. Feasley's writing is quick and gripping. He sets a break neck pace from start to finish and had me stressed out through most of it...but in a good way. It was suspenseful and addicting.
With characters like Trey, Lucien, Alexa and Tom, I never knew what to expect but enjoyed myself the whole way through. It was a great cast of characters and they were incredibly entertaining the entire way through. I found myself easily relating to each of them and felt concern and empathy for them as they went through their struggles within the novel. But along with the suspense and anxiety, Feasley managed to throw in a good bit of humor and kept things light when I found myself needing a short break from all the stress.
I did however find that I needed to know what would happen to Trey and how he would handle all of these new revelations that were being thrown his way. I wanted to learn more about Lucien and whether his intentions were good or not, how dark was his past really? Is Tom as easy going as he seems, and how can he possibly survive with everything that's going on around him? And of course I wanted to know if anything would develop between Trey and Alexa beyond a platonic friendship...this might not be a romance but in some ways I'll never change, I'm always a sucker for a little bit of young love, lol!
Feasley kept me on the edge with these questions in my head and although some were answered by the end of the novel I found the my list continued to grow. I've always loved a series as opposed to a stand alone novel because I hate to say goodbye to the characters that I grow so attached to, and Feasley has not disappointed me. I think I have a very good chance to see Trey and this bunch more in the future.
It was a nice change of pace for me and a good break in routine from what I normally read. Feasley's writing is quick and gripping. He sets a break neck pace from start to finish and had me stressed out through most of it...but in a good way. It was suspenseful and addicting.
With characters like Trey, Lucien, Alexa and Tom, I never knew what to expect but enjoyed myself the whole way through. It was a great cast of characters and they were incredibly entertaining the entire way through. I found myself easily relating to each of them and felt concern and empathy for them as they went through their struggles within the novel. But along with the suspense and anxiety, Feasley managed to throw in a good bit of humor and kept things light when I found myself needing a short break from all the stress.
I did however find that I needed to know what would happen to Trey and how he would handle all of these new revelations that were being thrown his way. I wanted to learn more about Lucien and whether his intentions were good or not, how dark was his past really? Is Tom as easy going as he seems, and how can he possibly survive with everything that's going on around him? And of course I wanted to know if anything would develop between Trey and Alexa beyond a platonic friendship...this might not be a romance but in some ways I'll never change, I'm always a sucker for a little bit of young love, lol!
Feasley kept me on the edge with these questions in my head and although some were answered by the end of the novel I found the my list continued to grow. I've always loved a series as opposed to a stand alone novel because I hate to say goodbye to the characters that I grow so attached to, and Feasley has not disappointed me. I think I have a very good chance to see Trey and this bunch more in the future.
June 15, 2024
had so much fun with this! ps the cover is awful :D
May 21, 2010
Review by my brother Jake Kirk
This is one of those good news/bad news situations. Wereling is well written with complex characters, imaginative creatures and vivid description. On the other hand, it was slow and lacked action and suspense.
The first 70 to 100 pages sets up the story and that was just too long for me. His uncle has a lot of explaining to do and he takes his time about it. Our hero doesn't even change into a werewolf until half-way through the book.
By the time we find out the big bad guy's dastardly plan I was kind of like "Okay..." There was no build-up, no suspense.
The same problem occurred when they went to his hideout. The bad guy gives them the location of the hideout, they know it's a trap, and we get the old B-Horror Movie trick of building you up....and then nothing happens. Yikes, what could be behind the door? Cue scary music...Oh, nothing's behind the door. Yikes, what's behind that other door? Cue scary music...Oh, nothing again.
Okay, eventually there was something behind the door (metaphor for potential scary moment) but by the time we got to the door that had something frightening, I shrugged a "Whatever" and moved on.
Wereling is actually a three book series that is already out in the UK under the titles Changling, Changling: Dark Moon, and Changling: Blood Wolf. I definitely felt that this was a set-up book.
For more on the plus side, Trey and Alexa's romance is cute, although doesn't go anywhere...yet - did I mention the set-up book idea? - the vampire "uncle" (he's really an old friend of Trey's parents) mentoring his werewolf "nephew" was a clever twist, and the monsters are intriguing.
Another great bit is the Demoncylopedia: A Guide to the Netherworld and Its Creatures at the end of the book. It has fascinating history and description of the various creatures and even a blurb on Flora and Fauna of the Netherworld. Very clever and engaging
The Cover: I like it. He looks creepy. You've got the moon in the clouds thing going on and the capitalization of WERE in Wereling is a nice touch. The UK cover is good too - a bit darker and more of a comic book feel.
First Lines: Trey Laporte opened his eyes, wincing against the assault of the late-morning sunshine on his retinas. Sitting up in bed, he clutched his hands to his head as a mortar shell of pain exploded inside his brain.
When I read the first line, I thought, "Great, another beginning with a teenager waking up in bed. Boring. But the second line lets me know something's wrong so I want to read on. And I like the "...mortar shell of pain..." line.
Bottom Line: Wereling didn't deliver as much action and adventure I like but for those who aren't as needy in that area, the premise, writing and characters are solid.
This is one of those good news/bad news situations. Wereling is well written with complex characters, imaginative creatures and vivid description. On the other hand, it was slow and lacked action and suspense.
The first 70 to 100 pages sets up the story and that was just too long for me. His uncle has a lot of explaining to do and he takes his time about it. Our hero doesn't even change into a werewolf until half-way through the book.
By the time we find out the big bad guy's dastardly plan I was kind of like "Okay..." There was no build-up, no suspense.
The same problem occurred when they went to his hideout. The bad guy gives them the location of the hideout, they know it's a trap, and we get the old B-Horror Movie trick of building you up....and then nothing happens. Yikes, what could be behind the door? Cue scary music...Oh, nothing's behind the door. Yikes, what's behind that other door? Cue scary music...Oh, nothing again.
Okay, eventually there was something behind the door (metaphor for potential scary moment) but by the time we got to the door that had something frightening, I shrugged a "Whatever" and moved on.
Wereling is actually a three book series that is already out in the UK under the titles Changling, Changling: Dark Moon, and Changling: Blood Wolf. I definitely felt that this was a set-up book.
For more on the plus side, Trey and Alexa's romance is cute, although doesn't go anywhere...yet - did I mention the set-up book idea? - the vampire "uncle" (he's really an old friend of Trey's parents) mentoring his werewolf "nephew" was a clever twist, and the monsters are intriguing.
Another great bit is the Demoncylopedia: A Guide to the Netherworld and Its Creatures at the end of the book. It has fascinating history and description of the various creatures and even a blurb on Flora and Fauna of the Netherworld. Very clever and engaging
The Cover: I like it. He looks creepy. You've got the moon in the clouds thing going on and the capitalization of WERE in Wereling is a nice touch. The UK cover is good too - a bit darker and more of a comic book feel.
First Lines: Trey Laporte opened his eyes, wincing against the assault of the late-morning sunshine on his retinas. Sitting up in bed, he clutched his hands to his head as a mortar shell of pain exploded inside his brain.
When I read the first line, I thought, "Great, another beginning with a teenager waking up in bed. Boring. But the second line lets me know something's wrong so I want to read on. And I like the "...mortar shell of pain..." line.
Bottom Line: Wereling didn't deliver as much action and adventure I like but for those who aren't as needy in that area, the premise, writing and characters are solid.
September 17, 2010
WERELING is the story of Trey, for all intents and purposes an ordinary boy. Until he isn’t. After one night where he wakes up aching and sick, he is suddenly whisked away by a stranger claiming to be his uncle. All too soon, Trey is living with the reality of vampires, demons and werewolves. The werewolf? Trey. His life? In danger from a power hungry vampire.
WERELING starts off strong. The description is great and Trey’s emotions come through bright and clear. Right from the start, we’re thrown into the action of the story and it seems that the reader is in for an intense and fun ride. It fell flat all to soon (for me, at least). As soon as Trey guesses that his “uncle” is a vampire, I was thrown for a loop. Trey comes to that conclusion very quickly, and seems to accept the idea as fact right away. I can live with that, though, even if it’s a little abrupt. The writing is still good, I’m liking Trey and the promise of action is still there.
So everything’s going pretty good, until I reach the end of the book. Although written in third person, the narration focuses on Trey…until two chapters near the end that disregard Trey completely and focus on Lucien, Trey’s vampire “uncle”. A little odd, but ok. But the end! It made me feel like I had been watching a tv show. The main plot of this first book was wrapped up nicely, everyone’s back home and sitting around (though Lucien is a little worse for wear), when suddenly…big reveal, and off they must go on another adventure. Very episodic feeling and it just didn’t sit right with me.
Something I did enjoy – the blurb on the back of the book mentions Trey falling in love with a half-vampire. While this mini-romance is present, it’s incredibly realistic and I enjoyed that aspect of the story. Trey acknowledges that he thinks Alexa is beautiful and that he likes her, but they don’t immediately start going out, being in love, etc. In fact, they can argue pretty well with each other. It’s nice to see a book with a romance aspect still rely on the action part to drive the story. Trey’s transformations to a werewolf are perfect, too. Instead of the actual wolf most werewolf books are sporting today, Trey turns into more of a wolfman – still standing on two legs, just covered in fur and with a wolf’s head.
Overall, WERELING is a good book with an awesome werewolf and some great action, and I enjoyed it. Definitely worth a try if you like werewolves!
WERELING starts off strong. The description is great and Trey’s emotions come through bright and clear. Right from the start, we’re thrown into the action of the story and it seems that the reader is in for an intense and fun ride. It fell flat all to soon (for me, at least). As soon as Trey guesses that his “uncle” is a vampire, I was thrown for a loop. Trey comes to that conclusion very quickly, and seems to accept the idea as fact right away. I can live with that, though, even if it’s a little abrupt. The writing is still good, I’m liking Trey and the promise of action is still there.
So everything’s going pretty good, until I reach the end of the book. Although written in third person, the narration focuses on Trey…until two chapters near the end that disregard Trey completely and focus on Lucien, Trey’s vampire “uncle”. A little odd, but ok. But the end! It made me feel like I had been watching a tv show. The main plot of this first book was wrapped up nicely, everyone’s back home and sitting around (though Lucien is a little worse for wear), when suddenly…big reveal, and off they must go on another adventure. Very episodic feeling and it just didn’t sit right with me.
Something I did enjoy – the blurb on the back of the book mentions Trey falling in love with a half-vampire. While this mini-romance is present, it’s incredibly realistic and I enjoyed that aspect of the story. Trey acknowledges that he thinks Alexa is beautiful and that he likes her, but they don’t immediately start going out, being in love, etc. In fact, they can argue pretty well with each other. It’s nice to see a book with a romance aspect still rely on the action part to drive the story. Trey’s transformations to a werewolf are perfect, too. Instead of the actual wolf most werewolf books are sporting today, Trey turns into more of a wolfman – still standing on two legs, just covered in fur and with a wolf’s head.
Overall, WERELING is a good book with an awesome werewolf and some great action, and I enjoyed it. Definitely worth a try if you like werewolves!
November 25, 2010
I understand that paranormal YA lit is in right now, but it's bad when publishers begin selling crap like this. Wereling was possibly one of the worst werewolf books I've read. It begins when Trey decides to run away from the foster home he lived at with a random guy he literally just met, who tells him less than an hour after that he's a vampire, and Trey's a werewolf. Later that night, Trey is explained that the teenage-boy-kidnapper, Lucien, has a evil vampire brother who wants to kill Trey and killed his parents. A couple of pages later, Trey and Lucien begin Trey's werewolf training and a few more pages later, he suddenly gets a blackmail note from the evil brother after he's conveniently gotten enough training to participate in a final fight sequence. And that's really all you need to know about this scary(scarily written) werewolf book.
I have a long list of complaints on this book, so I'm going to start with what kid is stupid enough to run away with some guy who just showed up at his house and asked him to leave with him?!? Seriously, this story takes place in London, but I thought those little British kids were smarter than our fat American kids. And then, the author (I can't even remember his name; It was that forgetable) went way to fast through some key scenes. Trey got to Lucien's house and like two pages later, Lucien was all, I'm a vampire, you're a werewolf, my brother wants to kill you, we're going to start training tomorrow. What was up with that? Also, something that really got to me was Lucien's skin disease that made him get boils any time he was in the sun. So he couldn't go outside, yet he could have normal windows and still be in a regular car and stuff. Yeah, that makes total sense. And I know it was 99% fictional, but Wereling was very unbelievable and it had no charm and no gripping-ness. I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the plot, and I just hated the book in general. This author needs to realize that his love of paranormal creatures will not make up for his lack of good writing skills.
I have a long list of complaints on this book, so I'm going to start with what kid is stupid enough to run away with some guy who just showed up at his house and asked him to leave with him?!? Seriously, this story takes place in London, but I thought those little British kids were smarter than our fat American kids. And then, the author (I can't even remember his name; It was that forgetable) went way to fast through some key scenes. Trey got to Lucien's house and like two pages later, Lucien was all, I'm a vampire, you're a werewolf, my brother wants to kill you, we're going to start training tomorrow. What was up with that? Also, something that really got to me was Lucien's skin disease that made him get boils any time he was in the sun. So he couldn't go outside, yet he could have normal windows and still be in a regular car and stuff. Yeah, that makes total sense. And I know it was 99% fictional, but Wereling was very unbelievable and it had no charm and no gripping-ness. I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the plot, and I just hated the book in general. This author needs to realize that his love of paranormal creatures will not make up for his lack of good writing skills.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2010
WEREling was one of those books that struck all my sensitive areas at once, so to speak. Shapeshifter hero? Got it. Paranormal conflict? All over it. Blossoming teenage love interest. More, please. Male protagonist who isn't a creep or a bizarrely perfect weirdo? Excellent. The raw material was all there but at the end of the day I found that WEREling had a tough time delivering on its promise.
I think most of my issues stemmed from the erratic pacing of this story. We start off meeting Trey as he's waking up from an incredibly ordeal in his room at the group home; all of his things are destroyed and he's in the midst of the migraine from hell. When the mysterious Lucien Charron shows up and, like Calgon, takes him away, he's thrust into a world that he couldn't imagine before and is frankly having an understandably difficult time imagining now. There's a lot of infodumping going on, whether it be about Trey's life, if he chooses to stay with Lucien and his daughter, Alexa; about the mythology surrounding Trey, his existence, and why the bad guy, Caliban, hates him so much; about the resources that are now available to Trey since he's no longer a ward of the state; hell, about anything. Just when I started to get engrossed in the story, the emergency brake got put on and we started talking about something else.
Also, two words: sputum djinn. Enough said.
I'm not saying that this is a terrible book, because it isn't. I wish we'd spent a lot more time exploring Trey's powers as the only naturally-born werewolf on the planet and a little less time doing the "oh by the way" stuff (is there anything Alexa CAN'T do? I'm just asking.) I've read many glowing reviews of this book and wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it, but it definitely wasn't my cup of tea.
Overall Grade: C-
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I think most of my issues stemmed from the erratic pacing of this story. We start off meeting Trey as he's waking up from an incredibly ordeal in his room at the group home; all of his things are destroyed and he's in the midst of the migraine from hell. When the mysterious Lucien Charron shows up and, like Calgon, takes him away, he's thrust into a world that he couldn't imagine before and is frankly having an understandably difficult time imagining now. There's a lot of infodumping going on, whether it be about Trey's life, if he chooses to stay with Lucien and his daughter, Alexa; about the mythology surrounding Trey, his existence, and why the bad guy, Caliban, hates him so much; about the resources that are now available to Trey since he's no longer a ward of the state; hell, about anything. Just when I started to get engrossed in the story, the emergency brake got put on and we started talking about something else.
Also, two words: sputum djinn. Enough said.
I'm not saying that this is a terrible book, because it isn't. I wish we'd spent a lot more time exploring Trey's powers as the only naturally-born werewolf on the planet and a little less time doing the "oh by the way" stuff (is there anything Alexa CAN'T do? I'm just asking.) I've read many glowing reviews of this book and wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it, but it definitely wasn't my cup of tea.
Overall Grade: C-
Check out more reviews at What Book is That?
January 8, 2019
Loved the series, couldn't put the books down. Such an interesting take on the Super natural world and yet so full of ordinary life. Wonderfully written, would recommend to anyone
October 22, 2021
2.5 stars, I guess. I mean, it's better than that other "teenage boy wakes up after his first werewolf transformation" story that I gave two stars this year. I would recommend this if, like me, you're desperate for werewolf stories that aren't paranormal romance or outright porn, and I will read at least the next book in the series. The story is actually fine, it's just that it feels like they published the first draft of it.
A lot of reviews have mentioned the first big plot problem: Trey runs off with Lucien immediately, even though he has no reason to trust him. The thing is, that actually has a very simple fix. Lucien was close friends with Trey's father, and even met Trey when he was too young to remember. What if we just established that Trey did remember Lucien, or that Lucien had some way to prove that he knew Trey's parents? Then Trey leaving with him would have made more sense. A lot of this book's problems are like that: they feel wrong but could have been resolved pretty easily.
I want to focus on a different scene from about halfway through the story (spoiler-tagged it, though it's not anything too huge or dramatic):
Part of the problem is that, up until this point, we haven't really gotten to know Trey—we've had Lucien semi-kidnap him, gotten some infodumps about the magic stuff and met our side characters, but I'm not quite sure what Trey's personality is supposed to be. The above scene might have worked if we had already established that he was reckless and hotheaded. (I guess running off with Lucien could count, but again, that seemed forced, too.) He also mentions how powerful and alive he feels as a werewolf, even if it also scares him, so it could also have been played off like he was subconsciously looking for an excuse to transform again. But it's not really elaborated on, so all I can really do is scratch my head at that sequence.
The pacing is a problem overall; there are long stretches where we just get lots of information (and have it laid out clearer in the appendix), but when the plot moves it's way too fast. Everything that I described above, from the argument to the battle, seems to come out of nowhere. A lot of little character moments and lines sacrifice realism for drama. The narration can also be clunky, repeating the same word in sequential sentences, and at times it's trying too hard to be poetic.
The ending also falls into that "doesn't work but could have with a minor change" thing for me. I'm no medical expert, but
Like I said, I actually am planning to read the next book, so I hope that things will improve. This is an okay read if you're not quite as nitpicky as I am.
A few other, minor notes:
- To help him understand his condition, Lucien gives Trey a copy of The Book of Werewolves by Sabine Baring-Gould, an actual book that was basically the first attempt to chronicle werewolf legends. The thing is, it's a chronicle of many diverse and contradictory werewolf legends, and this series has its own version of lycanthropy which doesn't really fit any of them; in fact, Feasey even lists some "myths" from the book, which is basically the only time that he's taking actual information from it. Thiess of Kaltenbrun is also important to this series' mythology, and while I don't mind the BS prophecy to make Trey the Chosen One, we're told that Thiess was burnt at the stake. He was not. He was flogged and exiled, and even that was more because he practiced non-Christian folk magic. (The judges didn't know what to do about his werewolf claims.)
- As I mentioned a bit in the spoilered section, Trey loses his clothes when he transforms, and there's this weird tendency for him to forget/not notice when he's naked. He never thinks about it before he transforms, he only belatedly remembers it in the first chapter, and after his training session he has a whole page-and-a-half conversation and doesn't realize it until it's pointed out to him. Is this supposed to be a running gag? Speaking of the training session, why didn't the others tell him explicitly that this would be an issue, and why did Trey fail to notice their hints? And why did they invite Alexa to watch?
- Apparently Alexa doesn't know who the mole is, despite him/her luring her into a trap? Also, Hopper being a traitor would have been more effective if it had been revealed more than five minutes after we met him, and if he had any personality traits other than "weaselly." (Why did he even run back to Caliban so quickly? He could have waited an extra five minutes and the heroes wouldn't have realized he was gone.)
A lot of reviews have mentioned the first big plot problem: Trey runs off with Lucien immediately, even though he has no reason to trust him. The thing is, that actually has a very simple fix. Lucien was close friends with Trey's father, and even met Trey when he was too young to remember. What if we just established that Trey did remember Lucien, or that Lucien had some way to prove that he knew Trey's parents? Then Trey leaving with him would have made more sense. A lot of this book's problems are like that: they feel wrong but could have been resolved pretty easily.
I want to focus on a different scene from about halfway through the story (spoiler-tagged it, though it's not anything too huge or dramatic):
Part of the problem is that, up until this point, we haven't really gotten to know Trey—we've had Lucien semi-kidnap him, gotten some infodumps about the magic stuff and met our side characters, but I'm not quite sure what Trey's personality is supposed to be. The above scene might have worked if we had already established that he was reckless and hotheaded. (I guess running off with Lucien could count, but again, that seemed forced, too.) He also mentions how powerful and alive he feels as a werewolf, even if it also scares him, so it could also have been played off like he was subconsciously looking for an excuse to transform again. But it's not really elaborated on, so all I can really do is scratch my head at that sequence.
The pacing is a problem overall; there are long stretches where we just get lots of information (and have it laid out clearer in the appendix), but when the plot moves it's way too fast. Everything that I described above, from the argument to the battle, seems to come out of nowhere. A lot of little character moments and lines sacrifice realism for drama. The narration can also be clunky, repeating the same word in sequential sentences, and at times it's trying too hard to be poetic.
The ending also falls into that "doesn't work but could have with a minor change" thing for me. I'm no medical expert, but
Like I said, I actually am planning to read the next book, so I hope that things will improve. This is an okay read if you're not quite as nitpicky as I am.
A few other, minor notes:
- To help him understand his condition, Lucien gives Trey a copy of The Book of Werewolves by Sabine Baring-Gould, an actual book that was basically the first attempt to chronicle werewolf legends. The thing is, it's a chronicle of many diverse and contradictory werewolf legends, and this series has its own version of lycanthropy which doesn't really fit any of them; in fact, Feasey even lists some "myths" from the book, which is basically the only time that he's taking actual information from it. Thiess of Kaltenbrun is also important to this series' mythology, and while I don't mind the BS prophecy to make Trey the Chosen One, we're told that Thiess was burnt at the stake. He was not. He was flogged and exiled, and even that was more because he practiced non-Christian folk magic. (The judges didn't know what to do about his werewolf claims.)
- As I mentioned a bit in the spoilered section, Trey loses his clothes when he transforms, and there's this weird tendency for him to forget/not notice when he's naked. He never thinks about it before he transforms, he only belatedly remembers it in the first chapter, and after his training session he has a whole page-and-a-half conversation and doesn't realize it until it's pointed out to him. Is this supposed to be a running gag? Speaking of the training session, why didn't the others tell him explicitly that this would be an issue, and why did Trey fail to notice their hints? And why did they invite Alexa to watch?
- Apparently Alexa doesn't know who the mole is, despite him/her luring her into a trap? Also, Hopper being a traitor would have been more effective if it had been revealed more than five minutes after we met him, and if he had any personality traits other than "weaselly." (Why did he even run back to Caliban so quickly? He could have waited an extra five minutes and the heroes wouldn't have realized he was gone.)
Read
June 30, 2012lost the the assignment guide so I'm putting just answers. I will redo this later if i can. Kinda confused about this project still.
1. Q: What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?
A: Trust, Faith, not everything is what it seems
2. Q: In what ways do the events in the book reveal evidence of the author's world view?
A:That the author thinks there is more to the world than meets the eye.
3. Q: Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so why did you feel that way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life you might not have thought about before?
A:No
4. Q: Do you recommend this book? Why or why not?
A:Yes, I recommend this book, it's hard to put down and always has a twist. It goes into great detail creating great imagery. He also explains the things you wonder about the supernatural that other books don't give up. There is another one on the way I cant wait for.
1. Q: What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?
A: Trust, Faith, not everything is what it seems
2. Q: In what ways do the events in the book reveal evidence of the author's world view?
A:That the author thinks there is more to the world than meets the eye.
3. Q: Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so why did you feel that way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life you might not have thought about before?
A:No
4. Q: Do you recommend this book? Why or why not?
A:Yes, I recommend this book, it's hard to put down and always has a twist. It goes into great detail creating great imagery. He also explains the things you wonder about the supernatural that other books don't give up. There is another one on the way I cant wait for.
June 18, 2012
Pleasantly surprised with Changeling. It was a little slow in parts but yet kept me hooked. Im looking forward to book 2.
March 19, 2013
How I Stumbled Upon this Book
I was browsing through the young adult section of my library, skimming over the titles for something that caught my eye. If it were the title alone, I wouldn't have picked up this book. I'm not really into vampires, werewolves, or other paranormal creatures.
Actually, it was just after I had picked up Fahrenheit 451 that I saw this sitting on top of a stack on the bottom shelf. It should've been invisible to me, yet I pulled it off, looked at the title and scoffed that it was about werewolves. Then I reshelved it properly.
Then I pulled it off again, read the back, and decided to read it.
Overall Impression
I really liked the opening of the book, but after the first few chapters it fell into a typical storyline.
The Cover
Closeup of teenage boy. Full moon peeking through dark clouds. Title: "WEREling." Hmm. Must be about werewolves, huh?
Masculinity
I'll admit, the one thing that drew me to read this book was gender. The author and main character are male.
That must mean... no crazy romance!
Now hold on just a sec, 'cause on the back it says "Trey is falling for a girl who is half vampire, half human, and insanely pretty."
...Yeah, but romance from a guy's point of view usually isn't gushy, hopeless, or the main priority.
I didn't want another paranormal romance. In fact, I think teenage romance is idiotic.
That half vampire, half human pretty girl named Alexa is a stereotype of a teenage girl in that she's a shopaholic, but at least she isn't romance-obsessed.
This book isn't BAM BAM BAM action, but it isn't gushy, touchy-feely, let's talk about how we're so right for each other. I think it has a good balance of the restful parts, "let's talk about what's important" (like what it means to defend yer sorry ass, not "I love you sooo much"), as it does with the training and tracking down the bad guy.
Werewolves
I don't know much about werewolves as I ought to know about vampires, considering I watched Buffy growing up, but I really liked how this book adhered to the mythology of werewolves. A full moon, the process of becoming a werewolf, half-man, half-wolf "bimorph" instead of the "fwah-BAM! I'm a giant WOLF!" that we see nowadays with, ahem...the Black clan.
Anyway, I like how Feasey attempted to explain why Trey hadn't transformed into a beast beforehand. He's only fourteen and his testosterone levels have only begun to rise to werewolf-appropriate levels.
I initially thought the Theiss amulet was a cool addition. Now Trey can control which kind of beast he'll turn into when he's heated up enough! But I thought that gave him too much control. The original charm of werewolves was that they couldn't control when they transformed, because it depended on the phases of the moon.
Werewolves are supposed to be at the moon's mercy. They can't help that they're going to turn into a vicious creature and attack people. Most werewolves don't really want to hurt people.
The amulet had potential, but for me it lost its coolness because Trey could transform when he was in danger and he chose who to attack.
Vampires
Vampires and werewolves always seem to be fighting.
The case is the same for this book--Trey's nemesis is a vampire--but Trey's mentor is also a vampire. (And he's sort of crushing on a girl who's half vampire, but hey, that's nothing new.)
What I found most interesting about Trey and Lucien's relationship is how Trey reacted when Lucien told him he was a vampire.
Both the vampires and werewolves in this book go back to the more classic horror movie type, instead of the more recent "Oh em gee you're a vampire/werewolf!? Do you sparkle in the sun!? Do you have a six pack underneath your shirt? WILL YOU MAKE LOOOVE TO MEEEE!?"
Thing is, they shouldn't be sex objects. They're supposed to be horrible! They aren't scary anymore, because everyone thinks they're sexy!
But clowns are scary!
Oh...wait... I guess some people are into that, huh...
WHAT ABOUT SPIDERS!? Spiders are disgusting!!!
...I don't even know anymore...
Anyway, my point is, even though Lucien is described as handsome (he's gotta be bait after all, right?), a split second in the sun blisters his skin, and a simple stake through his heart will kill him. There's no need to chop him up and burn all the pieces. That's overkill.
And he doesn't sparkle.
See what I did there?
The Structure
So I read book flaps and book backs. It wasn't hard to tell what was going to happen in the book.
This is what it says on the back.
Now tell me that I'm supposed to be surprised that Trey is a werewolf and that he encounters vampires and other demons throughout the book.
I didn't experience the joy of being surprised when the characters were, but it was still entertaining nonetheless.
The Common Final Act
In young adult novels, there's usually a common ending for novels geared toward girls: a dance, a ball, prom, some other soiree.
For boys, it's probably a showdown with the villain.
We had this lead in to the ending with Wereling, and I think these kinds of endings are great. It's like looking forward to a final boss in a video game! The problem with this book is how they came to confront the antagonist.
Bait
Call it what you will.
The damsel in distress is taken hostage by the bad guy.
"Oh no! We must save her! And in doing so, we can also fight the villain!"
Blah blah blah. Did Alexa really have to be so stereotypical? A sensitive shopaholic teenager that gets used as bait.
The Verdict
This is the first YA novel about werewolves that I've read (Twilight doesn't count), and it didn't completely throw me off the genre. I attribute that to the lack of focus on romance. It didn't strike me emotionally, and the "emotional" parts were typical--parents killed long ago by a sworn enemy, teenage misunderstandings, ally in mortal peril... Nevertheless, I was entertained and I am curious about what else happens to Trey.
Read the review on my blog here.
I was browsing through the young adult section of my library, skimming over the titles for something that caught my eye. If it were the title alone, I wouldn't have picked up this book. I'm not really into vampires, werewolves, or other paranormal creatures.
Actually, it was just after I had picked up Fahrenheit 451 that I saw this sitting on top of a stack on the bottom shelf. It should've been invisible to me, yet I pulled it off, looked at the title and scoffed that it was about werewolves. Then I reshelved it properly.
Then I pulled it off again, read the back, and decided to read it.
Overall Impression
I really liked the opening of the book, but after the first few chapters it fell into a typical storyline.
The Cover
Closeup of teenage boy. Full moon peeking through dark clouds. Title: "WEREling." Hmm. Must be about werewolves, huh?
Masculinity
I'll admit, the one thing that drew me to read this book was gender. The author and main character are male.
That must mean... no crazy romance!
Now hold on just a sec, 'cause on the back it says "Trey is falling for a girl who is half vampire, half human, and insanely pretty."
...Yeah, but romance from a guy's point of view usually isn't gushy, hopeless, or the main priority.
I didn't want another paranormal romance. In fact, I think teenage romance is idiotic.
That half vampire, half human pretty girl named Alexa is a stereotype of a teenage girl in that she's a shopaholic, but at least she isn't romance-obsessed.
This book isn't BAM BAM BAM action, but it isn't gushy, touchy-feely, let's talk about how we're so right for each other. I think it has a good balance of the restful parts, "let's talk about what's important" (like what it means to defend yer sorry ass, not "I love you sooo much"), as it does with the training and tracking down the bad guy.
Werewolves
I don't know much about werewolves as I ought to know about vampires, considering I watched Buffy growing up, but I really liked how this book adhered to the mythology of werewolves. A full moon, the process of becoming a werewolf, half-man, half-wolf "bimorph" instead of the "fwah-BAM! I'm a giant WOLF!" that we see nowadays with, ahem...the Black clan.
Anyway, I like how Feasey attempted to explain why Trey hadn't transformed into a beast beforehand. He's only fourteen and his testosterone levels have only begun to rise to werewolf-appropriate levels.
I initially thought the Theiss amulet was a cool addition. Now Trey can control which kind of beast he'll turn into when he's heated up enough! But I thought that gave him too much control. The original charm of werewolves was that they couldn't control when they transformed, because it depended on the phases of the moon.
Werewolves are supposed to be at the moon's mercy. They can't help that they're going to turn into a vicious creature and attack people. Most werewolves don't really want to hurt people.
The amulet had potential, but for me it lost its coolness because Trey could transform when he was in danger and he chose who to attack.
Vampires
Vampires and werewolves always seem to be fighting.
The case is the same for this book--Trey's nemesis is a vampire--but Trey's mentor is also a vampire. (And he's sort of crushing on a girl who's half vampire, but hey, that's nothing new.)
What I found most interesting about Trey and Lucien's relationship is how Trey reacted when Lucien told him he was a vampire.
Both the vampires and werewolves in this book go back to the more classic horror movie type, instead of the more recent "Oh em gee you're a vampire/werewolf!? Do you sparkle in the sun!? Do you have a six pack underneath your shirt? WILL YOU MAKE LOOOVE TO MEEEE!?"
Thing is, they shouldn't be sex objects. They're supposed to be horrible! They aren't scary anymore, because everyone thinks they're sexy!
But clowns are scary!
Oh...wait... I guess some people are into that, huh...
WHAT ABOUT SPIDERS!? Spiders are disgusting!!!
...I don't even know anymore...
Anyway, my point is, even though Lucien is described as handsome (he's gotta be bait after all, right?), a split second in the sun blisters his skin, and a simple stake through his heart will kill him. There's no need to chop him up and burn all the pieces. That's overkill.
And he doesn't sparkle.
See what I did there?
The Structure
So I read book flaps and book backs. It wasn't hard to tell what was going to happen in the book.
This is what it says on the back.
Fourteen-year-old Trey Laporte was "just a kid." Not anymore. Not after the day he wakes up in agony--retina-splitting, vomit-inducing agony. His clothes are torn. His room is trashed.
Now, demons are closing in on every side, and the most psychopathic bloodsucker to rock the Netherworld wants to destroy him. And Trey is falling for a girl who is half vampire, half human, and insanely pretty. Above all, Trey must face one terrifying question: Is he a boy...or is he a werewolf?
Now tell me that I'm supposed to be surprised that Trey is a werewolf and that he encounters vampires and other demons throughout the book.
I didn't experience the joy of being surprised when the characters were, but it was still entertaining nonetheless.
The Common Final Act
In young adult novels, there's usually a common ending for novels geared toward girls: a dance, a ball, prom, some other soiree.
For boys, it's probably a showdown with the villain.
We had this lead in to the ending with Wereling, and I think these kinds of endings are great. It's like looking forward to a final boss in a video game! The problem with this book is how they came to confront the antagonist.
Bait
Call it what you will.
The damsel in distress is taken hostage by the bad guy.
"Oh no! We must save her! And in doing so, we can also fight the villain!"
Blah blah blah. Did Alexa really have to be so stereotypical? A sensitive shopaholic teenager that gets used as bait.
The Verdict
This is the first YA novel about werewolves that I've read (Twilight doesn't count), and it didn't completely throw me off the genre. I attribute that to the lack of focus on romance. It didn't strike me emotionally, and the "emotional" parts were typical--parents killed long ago by a sworn enemy, teenage misunderstandings, ally in mortal peril... Nevertheless, I was entertained and I am curious about what else happens to Trey.
Read the review on my blog here.
December 4, 2018
Vandag by die biblioteek uitgeneem.
'n Seun ontwaak in sy deurmekaar weeshuiskamer, met alles wat onverklaarbaar verskeur is. Hy word sekondes voor die weeshuis en sy inwoners die lug in geblaas word deur 'n stinkryk vampier in sy Lexus "ontvoer".
Trey LaPorte begin nou eers, omdat hy as jong tiener hoër testosteroonvlakke kry, onwillekeurig in 'n Weerwolf tydens volmaan te verander. Dit is die sogenaamde Wolfan-tipe (wat geen beheer oor sy instinkte en drifte het nie). Sy aard en natuur is reeds in sy bynaam "Little Loop" bekend, uit die Franse frase: "Protége mon petit loup" (Beskerm my wolfie).
Die vampier, Lucien Charron, was egter vroeër bevriend met Trey se ouers, self (Franse) weerwolwe. Albei die ouers is vermoor deur die vampier se broer, Caliban. Lucien ontferm hom oor die jong seun, maar soos die verhaal ontvou, word die waarheid stukkie vir stukkie aan die leser en Trey blootgelê. Soos die Changeling-reeks vorder, merk mens hoeveel waarhede doelbewus verswyg is om die karakters te "beskerm". Amper soos skilpoppe of Maroeskapoppe wat uitgepak word.
Die nuwe huis (lees: wolkekrabber) in Londen waar Trey hom bevind, deel hy met die vampier, sy Ierse regterhand Thomas, en die vampier se halfmens-halfvampier-dogter Alexa, wat toevallig ook 'n towenares is. En ander sakebedrywighede op elke liewe verdieping. Die vampier besit ook oor 'n hele winsgewende saak wat deur mense en demone (dis reg, ja) gedryf word. Ondernemings word vroegtydig van onderduimse planne gewaarsku. Lucien se hoofsaak is om die terrorisme van sy broer op die mensdom te stuit, wat heel gerieflik uit Netherworld (die Onderwêreld) regeer word. Vampiere kan nie sonder die bloed van mense klaarkom nie; maar die mens is ook veel slimmer. Aan die ander kant weer het die vampiereryk en die onderwêreld tyd aan sy kant. Dit wil dus lyk of die ewige stryd tussen mens en die onderwêreld 'n stryd is wat die mens êrens in die toekoms net sal verloor.
Maar gelukkig het jy weerwolwe en vampiere wat filantropies is. En ongelukkig is daar ook spioene in die Vampiersaak se binnekring wat nuus lek aan die Netherworld. En vica versa. Die seun word touwys gemaak hoe om die vegkuns te bemeester. Maar ook hoe om willekeurig in 'n weerwolf te verander, en die volle verstand van 'n mens te behou. In Boek 1 word Alexa deur Caliban ontvoer. Sodoende is dit twee vlieë met een klap: deur Trey en Lucien om die lewe te bring, kan Caliban die hele mensewêreld oorneem. En dan is die hel (ekskuus, onderwêreld) heeltemal los. Dit voer ons vriende nêrens anders heen nie as net buitekant die destydse woonstad van die vampierkenner Van Helsing (hoe poëties!), Amsterdam.
Londen, die rykmanslewe in die vooruitstrewende Docklands, skuldgevoelens, London Underground, die Teemsrivier, die wispelturige taxi's, en die pikante Britse humor soos geringstellings ("understatements") word pragtig geskets. Soos die meeste tienerboeke staan jy nooit op een plek stil nie: jy bly "IMMER IN BEWEGUNG"!
'n Seun ontwaak in sy deurmekaar weeshuiskamer, met alles wat onverklaarbaar verskeur is. Hy word sekondes voor die weeshuis en sy inwoners die lug in geblaas word deur 'n stinkryk vampier in sy Lexus "ontvoer".
Trey LaPorte begin nou eers, omdat hy as jong tiener hoër testosteroonvlakke kry, onwillekeurig in 'n Weerwolf tydens volmaan te verander. Dit is die sogenaamde Wolfan-tipe (wat geen beheer oor sy instinkte en drifte het nie). Sy aard en natuur is reeds in sy bynaam "Little Loop" bekend, uit die Franse frase: "Protége mon petit loup" (Beskerm my wolfie).
Die vampier, Lucien Charron, was egter vroeër bevriend met Trey se ouers, self (Franse) weerwolwe. Albei die ouers is vermoor deur die vampier se broer, Caliban. Lucien ontferm hom oor die jong seun, maar soos die verhaal ontvou, word die waarheid stukkie vir stukkie aan die leser en Trey blootgelê. Soos die Changeling-reeks vorder, merk mens hoeveel waarhede doelbewus verswyg is om die karakters te "beskerm". Amper soos skilpoppe of Maroeskapoppe wat uitgepak word.
Die nuwe huis (lees: wolkekrabber) in Londen waar Trey hom bevind, deel hy met die vampier, sy Ierse regterhand Thomas, en die vampier se halfmens-halfvampier-dogter Alexa, wat toevallig ook 'n towenares is. En ander sakebedrywighede op elke liewe verdieping. Die vampier besit ook oor 'n hele winsgewende saak wat deur mense en demone (dis reg, ja) gedryf word. Ondernemings word vroegtydig van onderduimse planne gewaarsku. Lucien se hoofsaak is om die terrorisme van sy broer op die mensdom te stuit, wat heel gerieflik uit Netherworld (die Onderwêreld) regeer word. Vampiere kan nie sonder die bloed van mense klaarkom nie; maar die mens is ook veel slimmer. Aan die ander kant weer het die vampiereryk en die onderwêreld tyd aan sy kant. Dit wil dus lyk of die ewige stryd tussen mens en die onderwêreld 'n stryd is wat die mens êrens in die toekoms net sal verloor.
Maar gelukkig het jy weerwolwe en vampiere wat filantropies is. En ongelukkig is daar ook spioene in die Vampiersaak se binnekring wat nuus lek aan die Netherworld. En vica versa. Die seun word touwys gemaak hoe om die vegkuns te bemeester. Maar ook hoe om willekeurig in 'n weerwolf te verander, en die volle verstand van 'n mens te behou. In Boek 1 word Alexa deur Caliban ontvoer. Sodoende is dit twee vlieë met een klap: deur Trey en Lucien om die lewe te bring, kan Caliban die hele mensewêreld oorneem. En dan is die hel (ekskuus, onderwêreld) heeltemal los. Dit voer ons vriende nêrens anders heen nie as net buitekant die destydse woonstad van die vampierkenner Van Helsing (hoe poëties!), Amsterdam.
Londen, die rykmanslewe in die vooruitstrewende Docklands, skuldgevoelens, London Underground, die Teemsrivier, die wispelturige taxi's, en die pikante Britse humor soos geringstellings ("understatements") word pragtig geskets. Soos die meeste tienerboeke staan jy nooit op een plek stil nie: jy bly "IMMER IN BEWEGUNG"!
March 25, 2020
Actual rating somewhere between 3.5-4 stars.
Also, I didn't realize this was an entire series before I started reading it, so that's a thing...
Overall, I think it's a cute "found family" story, though it does have its flaws.
Firstly, the writing feels stiff at times, especially towards the beginning. Trey is supposed to be 14, but his dialogue/inner monologue feels like something an adult would say/think. But then at other times, he reacts how a normal teenager would. So that goes back and forth.
I wish the author had taken time to give us more facts occasionally. Like, Trey says he doesn't believe in vampires after finding out that Lucien is one. But he just... accepts Lucien's word about what he is? Things like that didn't make much sense.
Lucien is such a pushover, too, at times. Like he'll say something once, someone will disagree with him, and he just accepts whatever they say. I wish his character stuck to what he'd originally say.
Then there's Alexa. I hope the rest of the series does her justice because this book doesn't. I mean, she has potential to be the most interesting character. She's intelligent, her mother is a witch and her father is a vampire, and yet she's... the Loves Shopping Kidnapped Love Interest trope. Meanwhile Trey gets to make comments about how she's pretty without heavy makeup and he likes it when she cries because she's "vulnerable" and blah blah.
Then there's the whole fight with the Big Bad that was actually... one chapter. Series or not, there was a whole buildup going and I expected more?
BUT with all that aside, I really did like all the characters and their dynamic. I think it's what really makes the novel work. I'd love to try to finish the series eventually.
Also, I didn't realize this was an entire series before I started reading it, so that's a thing...
Overall, I think it's a cute "found family" story, though it does have its flaws.
Firstly, the writing feels stiff at times, especially towards the beginning. Trey is supposed to be 14, but his dialogue/inner monologue feels like something an adult would say/think. But then at other times, he reacts how a normal teenager would. So that goes back and forth.
I wish the author had taken time to give us more facts occasionally. Like, Trey says he doesn't believe in vampires after finding out that Lucien is one. But he just... accepts Lucien's word about what he is? Things like that didn't make much sense.
Lucien is such a pushover, too, at times. Like he'll say something once, someone will disagree with him, and he just accepts whatever they say. I wish his character stuck to what he'd originally say.
Then there's Alexa. I hope the rest of the series does her justice because this book doesn't. I mean, she has potential to be the most interesting character. She's intelligent, her mother is a witch and her father is a vampire, and yet she's... the Loves Shopping Kidnapped Love Interest trope. Meanwhile Trey gets to make comments about how she's pretty without heavy makeup and he likes it when she cries because she's "vulnerable" and blah blah.
Then there's the whole fight with the Big Bad that was actually... one chapter. Series or not, there was a whole buildup going and I expected more?
BUT with all that aside, I really did like all the characters and their dynamic. I think it's what really makes the novel work. I'd love to try to finish the series eventually.
January 10, 2020
Det her er en super og og ret vild start på serien.
Jeg gik til bogen med et åbent sind - jeg skal blankt indrømme, at det jeg kender til serien på forhånd var meget begrænset af, at jeg har fundet bog 3 og 5 til mit lokale biblioteks bogsalg, og kun valgte dem grundet coveret. Jeg kunne desværre ikke finde resten af serien, og disse er derfor lånt via eReolen. Serien har jeg endnu ikke fundet omtalt andre steder på dansk grund, og den virker underligt under-rated i forhold til, hvor spektakulær min egen læseoplevelse var her.
Der er fart over feltet og gennem næsten 300 sider var det for mig næsten umuligt at gøre andet end at læse i en udstrækning, hvor jeg glemmer mig selv, jeg glemmer mad og drikke osv.
Mytologien bag de forskellige væsner og samspillet mellem dem virker gennemtænkt og gennembearbejdet, og jeg ser frem til at se, hvordan det udvikler sig gennem resten af serien. Sproget virker naturligt og flydende, og personerne er ægte. Der er ikke meget at sætte en finger på i denne etter, så reelt kan jeg kun anbefale at man læser bogen!
Dog en bemærkning, at det er urealistisk vanskeligt at finde en fysisk udgave af serien andre steder end via biblioteket.. Det er en skam!
Jeg gik til bogen med et åbent sind - jeg skal blankt indrømme, at det jeg kender til serien på forhånd var meget begrænset af, at jeg har fundet bog 3 og 5 til mit lokale biblioteks bogsalg, og kun valgte dem grundet coveret. Jeg kunne desværre ikke finde resten af serien, og disse er derfor lånt via eReolen. Serien har jeg endnu ikke fundet omtalt andre steder på dansk grund, og den virker underligt under-rated i forhold til, hvor spektakulær min egen læseoplevelse var her.
Der er fart over feltet og gennem næsten 300 sider var det for mig næsten umuligt at gøre andet end at læse i en udstrækning, hvor jeg glemmer mig selv, jeg glemmer mad og drikke osv.
Mytologien bag de forskellige væsner og samspillet mellem dem virker gennemtænkt og gennembearbejdet, og jeg ser frem til at se, hvordan det udvikler sig gennem resten af serien. Sproget virker naturligt og flydende, og personerne er ægte. Der er ikke meget at sætte en finger på i denne etter, så reelt kan jeg kun anbefale at man læser bogen!
Dog en bemærkning, at det er urealistisk vanskeligt at finde en fysisk udgave af serien andre steder end via biblioteket.. Det er en skam!
October 31, 2017
A seemingly norman boy whose parents have died has a crazy awakening to his true self.
The first book in this 5 book series starts out with the main character waking up and seeing how his room has been destroyed over night. He gets visited by a strange man named Lucile and they decided to break him out of the government living he is in right now over the claim that he knew his father and can tell him things he never knew about himself. Lucile takes him to his luxury apartment in england and tells him that he is a werewolf and lucien is a vampire. Lucien also tells him that he is the last hereditary werewolf on earth. After this already crazy news to him Lucien tells him that he is also being hunted by his vampire brother who has a deep desire to kill all werewolfs. After this they decide to take action and train to fight his evil brother so that he can live.
The first book in this 5 book series starts out with the main character waking up and seeing how his room has been destroyed over night. He gets visited by a strange man named Lucile and they decided to break him out of the government living he is in right now over the claim that he knew his father and can tell him things he never knew about himself. Lucile takes him to his luxury apartment in england and tells him that he is a werewolf and lucien is a vampire. Lucien also tells him that he is the last hereditary werewolf on earth. After this already crazy news to him Lucien tells him that he is also being hunted by his vampire brother who has a deep desire to kill all werewolfs. After this they decide to take action and train to fight his evil brother so that he can live.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2017
Trey wakes up one morning to find his room in shambles and the window almost ripped from the hinges. HE has no idea how he could have slept through something so huge. Before he can figure it out, the director of the home comes in and accuses him of destroying property. Trey's day is far from over. He has a fake long-lost uncle come out of the woodwork. Lucien tells Trey he knew Trey's father and the two of them leave the home before it's set on fire. Trey's life is in danger. Lucien has one more surprise - Trey is one of the last few werewolves to be born.
This is the first book in a series, judging from the ending. The story isn't bad but there are inconsistencies throughout and some of the story is stilted. Lots of action and fighting makes a lot of fighting scenes.
This is the first book in a series, judging from the ending. The story isn't bad but there are inconsistencies throughout and some of the story is stilted. Lots of action and fighting makes a lot of fighting scenes.
May 31, 2017
i was upset and confused when i found that this and book two have the series title wereling while the rest have the series title changeling, aside from that gripe this is very interesting series so far. the edition i read didn't secure the cover art rights i suppose because the front cover was the excerpt blurb usually used on the back of the book, and has a cut apart section of luciens sparring session. trying to find a edition that lines up well, which is difficult cause of the title change in the original series. the thing that really gets me are the discriptions regarding eyes, like "retina splitting pain" and how luciens eyes are described as having a ragged ring of orange.
January 26, 2025
It definetly was giving me Harry Potter vibes which some may not like but I personally have been in a big harry potter mood. It had that the chosen one trope “you are a wizard (werewolf) harry”,
Orphan teenager, secret demon society, wise mentor, ect. I didn't like how the world building was delivered and the author tended to elaborate AFTER something happened. it was like the author wanted something to happen and decided why it worked in the story afterwards. I wished there was more foreshadowing and less explanation, but it is a YA after all. I understand why authors
switch POV, but this one didn't do it well. It would randomly seem to Switch povs in the middle of a chapter/ paragraph. It would start talking about another character doing something that the pov before it would of have known about. I will continue the series and i liked it, so i have hope it will improve !
Plot 7/10
Enjoyment 7/10
Artistry 4/10
Characters 5/10
Heart 7/10
30/50
3/5
Orphan teenager, secret demon society, wise mentor, ect. I didn't like how the world building was delivered and the author tended to elaborate AFTER something happened. it was like the author wanted something to happen and decided why it worked in the story afterwards. I wished there was more foreshadowing and less explanation, but it is a YA after all. I understand why authors
switch POV, but this one didn't do it well. It would randomly seem to Switch povs in the middle of a chapter/ paragraph. It would start talking about another character doing something that the pov before it would of have known about. I will continue the series and i liked it, so i have hope it will improve !
Plot 7/10
Enjoyment 7/10
Artistry 4/10
Characters 5/10
Heart 7/10
30/50
3/5
May 14, 2017
Czwarty raz czytałam coś co było pisane jako perspektywa nie kobieca, a męska. Bardzo mi się spodobała ta część bo za każdym słowem chce się ja dalej i dalej czytać. Bardzo szybko wciąg. Okładka sama z siebie zachęca do czytania tej książki. Chłopak nie wiedział, że jest wilkołakiem. Lecz po paru rozdziałach, które nie są długie, a wciągają. Chłopak poznaje tam Alekse, która jest czarownicą no tak można na nią powiedzieć według mnie bo ma ona te książki z zaklęciami, ale za mało ich według mnie używa.
February 5, 2017
Werewolves...Vampires...Demons...Witches...Sorceresses...Humans..., that is literally all there is to it, apart from the fact that young Trey Laporte discovers he just happens to be a lycanthrope, finding about all sorts of creatures from the netherworld.. but Caliban is the ultimate protagonist, he must be destroyed or humanity will be broken and enslaved by bloodthirsty vampires...
March 1, 2021
I remember reading this when I was in my teens and the gruesome scenes in it. Now, reading it again, it's not half bad and the cruelty of werewolves versus the humanity within them is interesting to read. Plotwise the many bad people the characters run into does get a bit dreary. It's a fast read and nostalgic for me, and good for a teen, but as an adult I've outgrown this.
December 23, 2017
I mean, this book was alright. I was really bored when I read it. It just didn’t hook me. I didn’t rate it 4 stars because it confused me at some times. I don’t really have any examples because I didn’t really know what was happening. I understood some of the basics, but I just don’t think I’m going to continue reading this series. I was so happy when I finished it. (Also it took me a while to read it.)
August 7, 2018
I remember reading this in 8th grade, and at the time in school there was this para, he looked exactly as the book described lucian. I'm like that's a weird coincidence. I wish they would make this free in the book store. I've been waiting since the last day of 8th grade to read it again
November 6, 2017
It was an interesting book, but I didn't like it as much as I liked other books. Other than that, it was pretty great!
January 9, 2018
Link in bio to review
August 19, 2018
Forbavsende god bog - havde faktisk dømt den ude... pga det ringe cover😳 ikke noget der normalt ligner mig, men det cover gør bare intet godt for bogen - vil bestemt læse serien færdig
March 19, 2019
It was okay, readable. My main problem was that it moved to fast from one thing to the other. Personally, the first half was better than the second.
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