Wolf Claw

Howling Twenties #1

by Jes Drew

Jane Delane has always lived an unusual life, having survived a freak wolf accident and then growing up in the woods completely sequestered from 1920s society. But as her seventeenth birthday draws near, her life becomes even more unusual when her father falls ill and her brother goes missing. When she decides to go searching for her absentee sibling, she joins leagues with a werewolf hunter named Amos Hood. Together they plunge into a world completely new to her- all the while she begins to learn of a darker one that has haunted her since childhood. And as she continues her hunt for her brother, it soon becomes apparent that something is hunting her.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Werewolves, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Christian, Historical Fantasy

136 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2016

About the author

Jes Drew is the author of the Cursed Fae of Orphydice Manor Series, the Sunset at Dawn trilogy, The Samurai's Student saga, the Ninja and Hunter trilogy, the Howling Twenty trilogy, the Kristian Clark saga/The Man on the Run series, the Castaways trilogy, The Dystopian Takeover trilogy, Summers of Yesteryear series, The Clockwork Faerie Tale Novellas, the Legends of the Master Spy series, The New ESE Files series, Tales from Parallel Worlds, Genie and Serena, Accidentally on the Run, This Side of Heaven, and The Death of a Hero.


She has three degrees, including a Master of Arts in Behavioral Counseling. Also, she has about five million houseplants (and counting— the plants and not the degrees . . . unless she relapses). She is still debating if having a fae husband is worth the hassle.


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Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rural United States, 1926—
Ten years ago, when Jane Delane was but seven years old, her mother vanished, and Jane herself was attacked by a werewolf.

Now Jane’s brother Thomas has disappeared and apparently been turned. Our heroine must go to New York to find him, with no choice but to leave her eccentric mythologist father in the care of a scattered nurse…at least the nurse wants Jane to think she’s scattered…

Jane meets allies—a handsome but arrogant young monster-hunter, Amos Hood, and his family.
She meets enemies—vampires and wolfmen, including the one who marked her years ago and now speaks inside her mind. Huh...



She’ll learn just where her absentee mother has been all these years, why she herself has an aversion to silver, which dangerous stunt a number of NYC cabbies have always wanted to try with their newfangled automobiles, and who throws the best parties in West Egg…

Content Advisory
Violence: Characters, including a little kid, get mauled by werewolves. A vampire corners a girl at a party but is caught before he can bite her. No gore to speak of.

Sex: Amos needs an excuse for why he and Jane urgently need a cab and the first thing he can think of is “We eloped.” A vampire tries to lure a young lady away from her friends. The werewolf, whom we have not yet met in his human form, appears to have been stalking Jane for several years, noting that even when he met her as a child, he knew she’d grow up to be beautiful.

Language: None.

Substance Abuse: At a party, Jane bumps into some rich girls who have clearly been hitting the champagne.

Nightmare Fuel: The unnamed Wolf telepathically shares memories with Jane, many of which involve hunting and killing people/things. Nothing too graphic.

Politics & Religion: There’s a cute scene where a Catholic priest warns Jane that she’ll be vulnerable to monsters in a Baptist church, due to the lack of sacramentals.

Conclusions
This brief little novel zooms by, ending with an irresistible sequel hook.
Drew introduces us to an endearingly quirky cast of characters in a race against their own inner darkness as well as the literal monsters around them. She is clearly fond of Jazz Age cars and costumes and throws in some delightful literary Easter eggs.

Some of the dialogue is a wee bit anachronistic (a few phrases like “anger management”) but that’s really the only problem…

Lots of fun, quick to read, and perfect for Halloween. Looking forward to the rest of this trilogy.

[Elizabeth Dragina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars ~

I wasn't supposed to read this whole thing in one night!! I wasn't supposed to!!

Going into the book I knew there were going to be werewolves (but I'm currently obsessed with werewolves right now . . . so I don't believe their is a cure for that), but I didn't know there was vampires. I can't do vampires, I don't like vampires . . . . and if the vampire element had been anymore displayed I would have been tempted to set the book aside. It would have affected my perspective on the book entirely.

However, I love werewolves . . . . and hopefully Jes Drew will continue to show their good qualities and bad qualities. For me, going into this series I'm really hoping (unrealistically) that the werewolf and Jane actually do get together . . . . because I really don't like Amos. :P I just can't picture the werewolf as the antagonist, because I want him so much to be Jane's partner somehow. (trust me, I already understand how phoney my hope is)

Setting ~ I feel like for the time era (1920s), cities, and the forests we were placed in weren't very accurately described. The time era is okay . . . . (it's not my favorite place in history) but my main problem is with the extreme detail loss. We could've had such a magically described setting. . . .but being as this was my first time reading anything from Miss Drew I didn't know what to expect.

Plot ~ Haha, I found it all very dramatic, but that's okay because I was really hungering for drama in this book. There were a lot of creepy moments (and had more detail been present I would have been far more scared. WHY AM I READING THIS STUFF AT NIGHT???) that hinted at plot twists, however, sometimes disappointingly I found the characters understood what was going on and I was left wondering what they had discovered. I didn't like that feeling.

Details ~ UMMM ...... yeah. I could see lots of growth in this area. (John Flanagan isn't big on description either--except for his fight scenes--and he is still popular, however, I'm certain he could have also done better with more details!!) So work on the book's description and drama elements is needed, even though I was loving the drama, most people wouldn't. :)

Romance ~ Well it's not inappropriate. And it felt very, VERY insta-lovey . . . which is why I really, REALLY want the Wolf and Jane to be together. But I fear my ship isn't sailing. 😥 There is some awkward touches, which are unintentional. Nothing that bothered me personally.

Content ~ It has werewolves and vampires in it . . . . It contains mention of blood. No actual scenes with blood descriptions in it. There is a lot of subtle hints, but nothing is outright said in every department. Also includes religious beliefs, Christianity. (Haha, I loved that element!!)

Characters ~ Well, I didn't feel like they were developed very nicely. But the book was only 136 pages long . . . hopefully the next edition with expand their personalities more.

Jane ~ She's stubborn, very resistant to Amos's desire to protect her. I like the mystery surrounding her, the way her MC was formed, and her long hair. (KEEP IT JANE!!) And I want the Wolf to win her heart. 😬

Amos ~ I really don't like him or the fact that he's a hunter. (Die Hunter!! Diiieeeeee!!!) Just please disappear . . . your causing so many holes to form in my ship. 😭 I don't like his personality. . . .it's just my personal preference. And how he immediately decided to protect her and then, soon, both Jane and him were "accidentally" touching. Ugh!! He's getting under my skin.

Wolf ~ I love him so much for his darkness!! 💕 Don't ask why, I'm really obsessed with him. *strained laugh* I want his anger to go away, I want his pain to stop, I want to hear his backstory, I want him to love Jane, I want Jane to love him, I want them to be good werewolves, I want him to not listen to his bloodlust, I want him to turn from dark to light . . . . I want him to not break my heart.


Overall ~ Miss Drew needs to stop putting holes in my ship and let the drama keep rolling so I may continue to die in suspense and laughter. For all the cons I'm surprised it jumped so high in my feels, but the drama and MC really won me over. The author's strong points are definitely in witty conversation and humor between characters . . . also drama. But I was hungry for drama so it fulfilled that in me. xD xD

**NOTE** I received an eARC of Wolf Claw. I was not asked to do anything besides give a review. My opinion didn't have to be a nice one. Thank you Jes Drew for letting me read your little piece of artwork . . . it was a masterpiece in it's own way.

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Roaring Twenties were a wild time. Dresses got shorter, morals loosened up a bit, and dances became wilder, all among the tighter restraints of Prohibition.
But for our heroine the roaring came from wolves. Having survived an attack as a child, she was sequestered into the woods while her father searched for a cure to her impending turn into a werewolf.
Her quiet life is thrown into chaos when her brother doesn’t return from a hunting trip and her father falls ill.
Excellent story by an excellent author!

[Joan Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book of the Howling Twenties series, Wolf Claw is the story of a young woman who is marked by a wolf at an early age. Now the wolf has come to claim her for himself. There is plenty of adventure and intrigue, as well as a dash of romance, in this fantasy novella and the characters are well portrayed. I found the mind connection between the main character, Jane, and the wolf a particularly interesting and well-developed part of the story. The book has some subtle underlying Christian themes, which I found thought-provoking.
I was not really transported into 1920's America, as one would expect to be in a series called the Howling Twenties, but overall I enjoyed the story and the characters. I can recommend this book for Young Adult readers who enjoyed the Twilight series or other fantasy books containing vampires, werewolves and fairy tale elements.

[Jes Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane is your average sheltered home schooled girl. Except that she's never seen someone other than family and a sort of uncle. And she lives in the woods with no rid leading to the house. And, oh yes, she was scarred by a wolf as a child.

But she's not child anymore, and after another freak wolf attack, she must leave the woods alongside a boy who calls him a werewolf hunter and who is most definitely not her relative.

Homeschooling field trips just got AZ log more exciting.

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun if a bit chaotic, lol. I love the combination of urban fantasy set in a historical time period, it’s really unique and brings about questions of how people back then would have regarded or believed in such supernatural creatures and/or powers. Admittedly there wasn’t much of that exactly in this book, as first and foremost it’s a fun YA adventure, but elements are touched on here and there, especially with churches being safe houses from werewolves and vampires and Jane’s father’s views on legends and fairy tales which I found super fascinating.

On characters I don’t really have much to say because I didn’t really get much of a feel or attachment to any of them; even though I’m in Jane’s head the whole time all I can tell you about her is that she’s spunky and loves her family and that’s basically it. We’re also told she’s a genius but based on some of the stupid decisions she made I’m a little doubtful on that, lol. Amos I have even less of an opinion on because I don’t know anything about him aside that he’s a monster hunter and wants to protect those he cares about. Though one thing I can say for both of them is that if they’d actually COMMUNICATE a lot of their issues would probably go away, but what do I know, lol. Everyone else is just okay and the villain I want to punch because what a SCUMBAG, ugh!

The plot did feel a little all over the place and, again, I wish characters would just TALK about things rather then being vague all the time, but the way the book ended has me curious as to how and where things will go. Overall a fun story with a few wonky places but shows a lot of creativity and promise for the future books. It also taught me that flashlights and backpacks existed in the 1920’s; who knew?


‼️Content‼️

TRIGGER WARNING: a werewolf marks a young girl as his future bride/mate then telepathically and physically stalks/grooms her her whole life

Language: wench

Violence: injuries and blood (not detailed); a werewolf scars a child’s face (not detailed); fighting with weapons, teeth, and claws (not detailed); a vampire tries to bite a couple characters

Other: werewolves/vampires/other supernatural creatures/races; magic; a character has a vision like telepathic connection with a werewolf; a werewolf tries to force a character to shift into a werewolf against their will; past death of loved ones and grief over it; a character is turned into a werewolf (action not shown); a character is a monster hunter

[Grace Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to the author who gave me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. The author did not pay me for a review and all the thoughts here are my own honest opinion.

Werewolves and vampires disturbs me. There is something about people-like creatures that suck blood which is not very appealing to me. So, for that reason alone, I normally avoid all books that contains that sort of content.

I picked up this book, because it was supposed to be clean and Christian and I have wanted to read some books by the author for a while. I honestly had no expectations for this book.

But obviously I had a pleasant surprise, this book was actually good. I mean I gave it four stars, so it must have been good. In fact, I really enjoyed it. Like a lot.

First off, I like how the werewolves were presented in this book. To me, it was almost like good versus evil. There was the constant struggle that the main character had. And the fact that werewolves in this book had a lot to do with anger and so on. And the fact that churches were considered sacred ground where werewolves couldn't go.

I love the writing style, it felt fairytale-ish. I love how a lot of fairytale legends was incorporated in this book, and made it so much fun to read.

I also liked the setting of the 1920s. It gave the story some more worldbuilding that is like our own world today but not too much so.

The Characters:

Jane, she was our main character. I liked her spunk, how she reacted to things. She is a very pleasant character to spend time with. I liked how she talked to the werewolf, lol. I just can't figure out if she never had put on makeup before then how does she put it on without looking ridiculous. Doesn't putting on makeup take practice??? (asks a girl who has never really wore the stuff.)

Amos Hood!!! He was a gentleman. I love this character.

Debra Hood.... I'm still trying to figure her out. Her backstory though.... it makes sense why she is the way she is. I mean, I didn't dislike her, I actually did kinda like her, I just haven't figured her out yet.

Thomas.... I don't know what to think about him yet.

The werewolf.... Kinda creepy, but he makes a wonderful villain.

Content in Book:

1. Violence related to werewolves and vampires. A little disturbing at some parts, but not overly so.

2. Some magic. Nothing really dark.

Will I Read The Other Books in the Series???

Yep! I actually have already started Wolf Curse and might have it read by the time this review gets posted! =) (Can't wait to know what happens next, because of that cliffhanger from this book :p)

Who I Would Recommend This Book To:

Those who want a try with a clean Christian take with werewolves and vampires.

[Lara Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wolf Claw is a short young adult fantasy novel about a girl who is marked by a wolf at a young age. The story moves very quickly and has the feeling of a television episode, especially in the way it has an open ending. There are Christian undertones and lots of mystery throughout the story. It was easy to read, and I pretty much read the whole thing in one sitting.

My complaint is the open ending. The character does accomplish one goal, so I don't call it a cliffhanger (which I hate). Instead, we are left with more mysteries than answers at the end even with accomplishing her one goal. It does lead into a sequel and can't stand alone without it. There are many people in which this complaint means nothing to them. So if you like a series of short novels that lead into each other, this will work fine for you.

Overall, the characters were interesting, the mysteries were engaging, and the action consistent. Lots of fantasy elements fill the story with some hints at fairy tale callbacks. There wasn't a single boring part. Not much hints about the 1920s outside world until they reach a city, but I didn't mind that. I suspect that more of it will come up in future books. I also suspect more Christian themes will come up as well since scripture is used as a cure for a mental attack. The character who uses the scripture isn't given much of a chance to explain why it worked, so this is one of the mysteries left to the sequel. I would recommend this book for teenage girls who don't mind the open ending.

[Allen Steadham · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Wolf Claw" by Jes Drew is a fascinating beginning in a Young Adult werewolf trilogy. Set in the 1920s, young Jane Delane has led a sheltered life after being attacked by a wolf as a child. She has an ailing father, a missing mother who only sends flowers, and the brother she looks up to leaves to protect the family from a new threat. Then Jane meets Amos Hood, a self-proclaimed monster slayer and she's not sure whether she likes or hates him. But she does need his assistance and protection.

Jane is spunky, clever and smart. She's also dangerously naive, dealing with terrible burdens for a sixteen-year-old. It's easy to relate to her and most of the other characters in this book. What's not fully expounded on is the mystery behind the werewolf who is stalking her family (and her in particular). Hints are given and secrets revealed but there's obviously a lot more going on here.

The pace varies but overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read with good characters. It made me very curious about the remaining installments in this series. There are also some good Biblical references and a well-defined struggle between good and evil in the story.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow.
I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. I wasn't sure what to expect, honestly, but the story was so much better than I ever would have thought. From the very beginning, I was pulled into Jane's world and the mysteriousness of her being connected to a werewolf. I've never read any stories with werewolves and vampires and such, so it was very refreshing to be able to read something that was not super predictable.
There were a few things I noticed that could be improved, one of those was the sentence structure. I noticed throughout the book that some of the sentences were awkward and did not flow well and could be rewritten fairly easily in order to made the story flow better. These, however, did not distract too much from the action.
I also would have loved to see more thoroughly developed characters to go with this story. To me, Thomas, Amos, Debra, and even Jane seemed a little flat. I didn't really get to know THEM throughout the novel, I just got to know what they DID. I don't think all the characters should be extremely developed, but I at least expected it with Jane, her being the main character and all, but I was a little disappointed when that didn't happen.
All in all, this was a good book and very enjoyable read. I loved the story itself and the uniqueness of it; I was also very pleased to see some sarcastic humor sprinkled throughout. The element of Jane being connected to the werewolf was also very fascinating. It kind of added a creepy vibe to the story and it also helped me get to know the wolf a bit better throughout the duration of the novel.

I received a free PDF copy of this book from the author and all of the opinions in this review are my own.

[Hepzibah Becca Jael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolf Claw
Jes Drew

Rating 🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺

Favorite Quote:
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise

Review:

A beautiful fantasy novel of romance and a transformation. I love how the author has written a beautiful Christian fantasy fiction, I've never read something like this before and I doubt I ever will unless it's by Jes Drew herself!

This particular book is an amazing one and a great series starter, the author had me hooked from the first scene. Jane Delane is our MC who's lived a life apart from society but now her father is ill and a wolf is on the hunt for her, with no choice left Thomas leaves the cottage with precise instructions only to find that Jane follows a few days later when she doesn't hear a peep from him. But how will she venture out of the forest into society the unknown when they've failed already once in their previous attempts? Will she survive the society? Will the wolf sniff her out? What does the wolf even want?!

A well written book, with perfectly timed chapter breaks, a hint of romance, beautifully constructed characters, in depth plot, gorgeous cover and a perfect title makes this book a picture perfect fantasy.

[Merenwen Inglorion]

Dnf 32%
No rating since I didn't read up to 50%

Why I stopped:
-very much "read it and believe it" type of world building/characterization
-set in gangster era, but I never would have known if it hadn't been stated
-Amos is immediately dubbed good looking/handsome despite Jane having no frame of reference other than her father and brother
-Amos and his entire family (all werewolf hunters) somehow live like a 5min walk (with a sick person) away from Jane's house even though Jane allegedly lives in the middle of the forest and didn't even know society existed until a few years before her 17th birthday...? But then she also relates unspecified timeline visits to a town when she was "younger"...?
-slightly jarring dialogue; sometimes smooth and snappy, but mostly stilted and unspecific

Things I liked:
-the mind/perspective changes were done pretty well (sometimes shown as dreams, sometimes as intrusive thoughts)
-paranormal Beauty and the Beast with a bit of Robin Hood vibes

[Erin Dydek]

This book makes up the approximately the first 25% of the trilogy and focuses on introducing characters and establishing several parameters for Jane’s world and her situation.

I loved the suspense of tracking down Jane’s brother after he goes missing. Jane and Amos have an an adorable connection that slowly starts developing through their head-to-head race to find Thomas first. I also enjoyed the fairytale/legend lore built into the story. It was interesting and allowed for a wide mashup of paranormal and fairytale characters and/or representations to show up along the way. I look forward to finding out what happens next! This book ends with some unanswered questions that had me hooked for the next installment!

If you like witty banter, slow burn clean romance, paranormal creatures, and fairytale theories you’ll enjoy the Howling Twenties.

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane is in search for her brother. What makes the search so dangerous is that she lives in a world of werewolves and vampires. Joining up with werewolf hunter Amos Hood, they must travel through dangers untold. Throughout this journey, Jane discovers there is so much she doesn't understand and that her own life is in danger. This book was a great start to this new series! I can't wait to dive into book 2!

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately I couldn’t quite click with the story and I think it’s just me , writing and characters seemed nice, just not one for me.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting beginning to a werewolf shifter series. Thus far we have fairy tale tie-ins, lycanthropes, monster hunters, unexplained magic, and a hinted existential battle. Excited to read what happens next.

[Kiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

🐾Wolf Claw🐾 by #JesDrew is a fantastical YA mystery thriller full of mythical beasts galore.

** I would like to express my thanks to 🌟Jes Drew🌟 for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. **

Wolf Claw started strong as the author put an effective mystery spin in the prologue which continued to the beginning of the story. I really felt intrigued by the beginning, and I was thoroughly drawn in by the vibe and mood of the story. I felt that something was watching me. I was curious about the motivations of the wolf, as well as the background of the main character’s family members, and for a relatively short read (I think around 100 pages) it was a good book to fill the time.

However, while reading I did feel like the author put too little information so around the middle of the book I felt quite lost as to where the book was going, or what the author wanted me to understand about certain characters. I definitely think that the author was setting up the book for a follow up novel as the pacing was fast and the set up for the next book included a cliff hanger.

I would recommend this book to a younger audience who wants a book with vampires, werewolves, and fantasy galore.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

Writing felt a little clunky to me.