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Collars & Curses
Think being a High School sophomore is hard? Try doing it when your messed up genetic code turns you into a wolf every full moon. Not only does Merissa have to deal with high school divas, bullies and pop quizzes, she also has to hide the awkward truth that once a month she really does get bitchy. And just when she thinks she's found someone she to whom she can actually relate, her new classmate Bree turns out to be an arrogant witch. Literally. If they weren’t the only non-Norms in the entire town of Fair Glen—aside from the annoying half-Elf, Jeryd, who shows up and complicates things—Merissa might not give Bree the time of day. But when Bree is drawn into a curse that causes chaos at school and threatens the town, Merissa must find a way to vanquish the dark power behind the curse and keep her parents from finding out about it. All without failing biology.
- GenresFantasy
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2017
2 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Skinner
28 books68 followersSharon holds a GPC, a BA in English, an MA in Creative Writing, and a poetic license. She is a certified Book Coach, freelance editor, published author, writing instructor and served as an Arizona State Library Writer in Residence for four years running. Sharon is an active member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and serves as the Regional Advisor for SCBWI AZ. She is also a Freelance Editor and Book Coach. https://sharonskinner.com/ https://bookcoachingbysharon.com/
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 19, 2024
Fairglen, a town in the middle of nowhere, is home to exactly one non-normal girl. Teenaged Merissa is a werewolf, but her life is hardly made up of all the edge and fur the movies make it out to be, thanks to her strict parents. Thus, Marissa is cautiously optimistic about new girl Bree, who she learns to be a witch; until her optimism turns to disgust when Bree starts messing with her mind and her life, making threatening demands that result in Merissa having to rely on Jeryd-- a mysterious half-fae boy who's too beautiful for his own good, and Merissa's--for ald. After a life spent pretending she's normal, Merissa will have to acclimate fast to survive in the dangerous world she has always been a part of.
Merissa's adventure is very classically urban fantasy, utilising high-school tropes of bullies and mean-nice girls to tell a fairly compelling coming-of-age story whilst also employing some fascinating world-building. This was a reasonably fast-paced novel, though it does take a moment to actually establish the major conflict of the novel. However, the interim between the start of the book and the start of the conflict is still engaging (this is where the high-school tropes are employed most; whereas the second half of the book employs mostly fantasy tropes). The characters were fairly likeable, though I found Merissa's constant distrust of both Brooke (despite spending several pages lamenting the lack of non-normals in town) and Jeryd to be quite grating. This was to the point where I was questioning why Brooke and Jeryd were so interested in Merissa, considering how rude she is to them. All in all, a very reasonable urban fantasy story with both physical and emotional stakes, and an exploration of identity that will appeal to the Y/A audience.
Merissa's adventure is very classically urban fantasy, utilising high-school tropes of bullies and mean-nice girls to tell a fairly compelling coming-of-age story whilst also employing some fascinating world-building. This was a reasonably fast-paced novel, though it does take a moment to actually establish the major conflict of the novel. However, the interim between the start of the book and the start of the conflict is still engaging (this is where the high-school tropes are employed most; whereas the second half of the book employs mostly fantasy tropes). The characters were fairly likeable, though I found Merissa's constant distrust of both Brooke (despite spending several pages lamenting the lack of non-normals in town) and Jeryd to be quite grating. This was to the point where I was questioning why Brooke and Jeryd were so interested in Merissa, considering how rude she is to them. All in all, a very reasonable urban fantasy story with both physical and emotional stakes, and an exploration of identity that will appeal to the Y/A audience.
March 12, 2018
I liked Marissa, the non-human werewolf freshman in a town full of norms. Not only has she to fight with a bully in school, but the new girl in town - a witch with her own secret plan for Marissa's home town. Interesting and funny, Collars & Curses, was a good read. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Brick Cave Books!
September 4, 2019
Want to read
February 27, 2018
Yet again, I got another good book from Netgalley. This one was called Collars and Curses by Sharon Skinner. I did this for an honest review. I look forward to continuing this with Netgalley. This book came out May 12 of 2017.
This book was about a girl named Marissa, and Marissa isn't your average freshman girl, she is a werewolf. She is "Other," as it calls it in the book. Or in other words, not the normal. The Other is the other dimension that is ruled by elves, goblins, ogres and all those baseline fantasy creatures. Her life though is as normal as it gets for a werewolf. She doesn't mess with the Other, lays low, tries to ignore her differences. Then, things change when a new girl shows. The new girl is a witch, and wants to shake things up for the whole town, but not in the right way. The book entails Marissa's experiences in trying to stop the new girl and save her home.
I thought the book was interesting. Although, I thought it could have definitely done without one thing. There was a weird romance subplot. In it, Marissa was trying to decide whether she liked boys or girls which was just odd and made it awkward to read. Besides that though, the book was very interesting and funny and I do recommend it if you can get past the awkward parts.
Check out my blog at: dragons-lair-book-blog.blogspot.com
This book was about a girl named Marissa, and Marissa isn't your average freshman girl, she is a werewolf. She is "Other," as it calls it in the book. Or in other words, not the normal. The Other is the other dimension that is ruled by elves, goblins, ogres and all those baseline fantasy creatures. Her life though is as normal as it gets for a werewolf. She doesn't mess with the Other, lays low, tries to ignore her differences. Then, things change when a new girl shows. The new girl is a witch, and wants to shake things up for the whole town, but not in the right way. The book entails Marissa's experiences in trying to stop the new girl and save her home.
I thought the book was interesting. Although, I thought it could have definitely done without one thing. There was a weird romance subplot. In it, Marissa was trying to decide whether she liked boys or girls which was just odd and made it awkward to read. Besides that though, the book was very interesting and funny and I do recommend it if you can get past the awkward parts.
Check out my blog at: dragons-lair-book-blog.blogspot.com
April 6, 2018
This book was fast-paced and decently written, but it just really didn't hold my attention.
April 27, 2018
I felt sad and frustrated with Merissa' s circumstance. I wanted to yell, no don't do that and run to your grandfather's. I enjoy shifter stories and felt so sorry for her. Can't wait to read the next in the series.
This is a fair and honest opinion of this book given to me by the publisher.
This is a fair and honest opinion of this book given to me by the publisher.
April 8, 2019
Yet again, I got another good book from Netgalley. This one was called Collars and Curses by Sharon Skinner. I did this for an honest review. I look forward to continuing this with Netgalley. This book came out May 12 of 2017.
This book was about a girl named Marissa, and Marissa isn't your average freshman girl, she is a werewolf. She is "Other," as it calls it in the book. Or in other words, not the normal. The Other is the other dimension that is ruled by elves, goblins, ogres and all those baseline fantasy creatures. Her life though is as normal as it gets for a werewolf. She doesn't mess with the Other, lays low, tries to ignore her differences. Then, things change when a new girl shows. The new girl is a witch, and wants to shake things up for the whole town, but not in the right way. The book entails Marissa's experiences in trying to stop the new girl and save her home.
I thought the book was interesting. Although, I thought it could have definitely done without one thing. There was a weird romance subplot. In it, Marissa was trying to decide whether she liked boys or girls which was just odd and made it awkward to read. Besides that though, the book was very interesting and funny and I do recommend it if you can get past the awkward parts.
This book was about a girl named Marissa, and Marissa isn't your average freshman girl, she is a werewolf. She is "Other," as it calls it in the book. Or in other words, not the normal. The Other is the other dimension that is ruled by elves, goblins, ogres and all those baseline fantasy creatures. Her life though is as normal as it gets for a werewolf. She doesn't mess with the Other, lays low, tries to ignore her differences. Then, things change when a new girl shows. The new girl is a witch, and wants to shake things up for the whole town, but not in the right way. The book entails Marissa's experiences in trying to stop the new girl and save her home.
I thought the book was interesting. Although, I thought it could have definitely done without one thing. There was a weird romance subplot. In it, Marissa was trying to decide whether she liked boys or girls which was just odd and made it awkward to read. Besides that though, the book was very interesting and funny and I do recommend it if you can get past the awkward parts.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews