I’m running from my problems, from my mistakes, and from myself.
I killed some people and I don’t think anyone is chasing me, but I can’t stop running, and as much as I miss the people I love. I feel like if I go home now, I’ll be going back empty-handed.
I have to find out more about this curse, where it comes from and what it really means to be a werewolf.
Because the truth is…
The truth is that when I stop and really look at myself. I’ve been running my whole life.
I wanted to be a writer since before I could actually read, when I first started playing a video game called Gabriel Knight Sin of the Father. I thought (and still think) that he was the coolest guy I'd ever seen and I wanted to be him when I grew up. Writer, bookstore in New Orleans, the works. I live in Berlin now so I didn't get it totally on the mark but I I have written and had published 12 books, and very much like Gabriel Knight, without anyone having really noticed. Well not yet anyway.
★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up) This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader. --- WHAT'S MOSTLY HUMAN 2 ABOUT? On the heels of the dramatic events at the end of Mostly Human, the werewolf rock star, Alex Harris has to leave town for a while. He needs to stay out of the limelight before people figure out how his nephew was rescued and start asking too many questions about the "dog" that freed him. He also needs to get his head on straight after it. So he takes off incognito, eventually winding up in a wolf sanctuary in Norway, where he finds work (and where he can take off every few weeks and fit in).
He settles in and establishes a home there, at some point, he strikes up a friendship/borderline romance with an intern, and things really come to life for him.
Eventually, circumstances force him to leave and he answers an inner call to go to Russia to find out more about his lycanthropy. From there, he'll return home and try to re-establish his life with family and bandmates. If only the mysterious (magical?) voice in his head and a fellow werewolf with an agenda will let him.
TO RE-CAP OR NOT? So, Mostly Human was the first book I read in 2017, I started this at the end of September of 2020. There's a lot of months and a lot of books between those two (sure, most readers won't have as many books between these two, but they might share the time gap), and I've gotta say, I had a lot of trouble remembering details/names/plot points from the first one. Jolly didn't do a lot to help.
It's a tricky thing (it seems) to decide how much of a recap to work into the early chapters of a follow-up book. Generally, I'm in favor of a minimalistic approach—unless it's a situation of "remember that character who showed up for 3 chapters in Book 2? Well, they'll be a major player here in Book 9." But when there's this much time between the publication of the two books,* you've got to toss readers a bone.
* December 2016-November 2020, officially.
Yes, eventually, he gave enough bread crumbs that I could piece together enough of what happened—especially once I read my original post—and, yes, between this release and the re-packaging of the first book, hopefully he picks up new readers that won't have to reach back 35 months for their memories. It's not a deal-breaker, by any means, but detracted from the experience.
A VERY TALKY URBAN FANTASY While there are some good scenes of werewolf action, some nefarious goings-on, and a respectable amount of violence. But man, there was a lot of talking. A lot of banter. A lot of emotional naval-gazing.
Which is a very pleasant change of pace compared to your typical Urban Fantasy. Jolly focuses on the relationship (in various stages) between Alex and Cassandra, Alex and his sister, his sister and her boyfriend, and so on. There's more space devoted to developing and evolving the relationship between Alex and Cassandra than anything about Alex and his wolf nature.
The book is notionally about Alex, his curse/lycanthropy, and his growth in knowledge about other lycanthropes, but I'm not convinced that's the case. It seems to be more about Alex understanding and accepting himself, how that will the relationships around him and his future. His lycanthropy plays a huge part in that, and its shadow looms over everything, but that doesn't seem to be where the heart of the book is. He may have set out to write an Urban Fantasy, but I don't think he fully succeeded and ended up writing a Lad Lit-kind of book with Urban Fantasy flavoring.
I'd pay money right now to see a straightforward Lad Lit novel from Jolly, I think he'd do great with it. Or something like Mike Chen does with SF, using that setting to tell family stories. Jolly purposefully doing that with UF (rather than accidentally as he seems to have done here), would be something to get excited about.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT MOSTLY HUMAN 2? I enjoyed this, I like the story he told and the story he set out to tell. The best part of a werewolf character is seeing how the wolf affects the human and the human's life.
This is a great world, full of interesting characters. I don't know if this is the end of Alex's story or not. It could easily be that. Or it could be the launching to a new phase of Alex's story with a greater understanding of his condition and a new path for life. I think it could go either way, and I'd be fine with either outcome.
It's a fine tale, a solid (and different) take on lycanthropy, with a lot of things to grab a reader in addition to the protagonist growing extra hair on occasion. You should check it (and its predecessor) out.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for my honest opinion and this post.
DI Jolly - YA Werewolf Rockstar Fantasy Bk 2 - Mostly Human – Reviewed 12/23/20 – Read 12/21-22/20
What does the world mean to me? How do I fit in?
After seeking revenge for the kidnapping of his Nephew, Alex makes his way to a wolf sanctuary in rural Norway. The sanctuary was set up by some genuinely concerned people that were aware of the danger to wolves in the area. Alex is hired to be the bartender and live on site. One thing that Alex decides is to explore his werewolf side and try to figure out how life will be for him in the future. Things are going extremely well, and he finds a safe place to turn and then take his runs. He enjoys working at the sanctuary and the incoming guests that are there to learn. The only thing that he cannot figure out is the recurring nightmares that he has started having about a mysterious castle. Questions from his past are starting to plague him and he is not sure what is going on!
And the story begins
What did I like? The first thing that I genuinely enjoyed was the humor in both books. It is told with lots of actions and not all of it in a humorous way, Alex seems to take life in stride and tries to enjoy it. I can imagine the difficulties of a werewolf in the first place but add to the mix of things the fact that you are going to have to learn how to live your life in both worlds, maybe not accepted by either!
What will you like? Fast-paced, mysterious, touch of romance, interesting, intriguing, and lots of action. A look at the other side of the coin, in two worlds, then coming to terms with it. The easy-going way the author treats the problems is very enjoyable. If you have not read book one, I would highly suggest that you do as it explains the position that Alex is in right now. Both were entertaining reads, and I would certainly recommend them.
I loved Mostly Human and after waiting 4 years for Mostly Human 2 I wasn't disappointed. I really like the way it addresses the loose threads left in Mostly Human, and not going to spoil anything but the ending really got me. It made me sad, sure, but I got it and I really like it.
The exciting conclusion to my werewolf urban fantasy story Mostly Human. I've very proud of how it came out, I like the road I took to get there and I like the answers I came up with to the questions left open in book 1.
I was surprised when I got an email from the author asking me if I would like to read/review Mostly Human 2. It had been some time since I had reviewed Mostly Human (to be precise, May 01, 2017). He had emailed me during the pandemic’s beginning, but I didn’t answer the email. I was busy teaching three upset and confused kids (at the time: 14, 12, and 6). When I decided to start reviewing, I had forgotten about the email (sorry, D.I.!!). I went on my merry way, reviewing books. So, it was a given that I would accept the email. I enjoyed reading Mostly Human and wanted to know where Alex’s journey would take him. I wasn’t disappointed.
Mostly Human 2 starts two weeks after the events of the previous book. Looking for solace, Alex finds himself in Norway and soon makes his way to a wolf sanctuary. For six months, Alex lives in solitude, trying to heal from the events that made him leave Syn Island. But things change when a group of veterinary students arrives, and Alex finds himself falling for Cassandra, the only girl in the group. But secrets have a habit of not staying secrets. Alex soon finds his deepest secrets exposed when his sister shows up, and a group of werewolf hunters hones in on him. Those events send Alex on a journey to find the werewolf who bit him so he can understand why it happened. But Alex isn’t prepared for what he finds. What does Alex find? And more importantly, can Alex come to terms with the new information he learns?
Mostly Human 2 is the 2nd book in the Mostly Human duology. I do recommend reading Mostly Human first and then reading this book. Many of the backstories and characters are explained in Book 1. They will help understand the dynamics and relationships in book 2.
Mostly Human 2 had a medium pace to it. For me, it worked. I could digest some of the information thrown at me before moving on. This book also took place in various areas of Europe, Canada, and Russia. I loved seeing the international flavor of the book.
The characters in Mostly Human 2 were complex. They were well-fleshed-out individuals that kept my attention focused on the book. Of course, there were some that I was not too fond of more than others.
Alex—I found him just as intriguing as I did in the first book. I understood why he disappeared. At the end of book one, bad things happen to him, and he feels awful. Plus, Syn Island wasn’t a great place to hide being a werewolf (but honestly, neither was the sanctuary). I understood why he wanted answers and his despair when he found out what he found out. I would have reacted the same way. Cassandra—I couldn’t stand her. I have never reacted so severely to a fictional character as I did with her. She came across as an immature twatwaffle who couldn’t handle anything. Her fits of screaming at Alex were awful. I did understand why, at first, who likes to be lied to? But she just kept going on and on. I was glad when she broke it off with him. I got a headache reading her scenes. Annabel—I loved her. She was a steadfast supporter of Alex (along with his father). She was very supportive of everything Alex did but didn’t hesitate to tell him when he was wrong. Their relationship was unique. There are way too many secondary characters for me to name in this review. They all added extra depth to the plotline.
Mostly Human 2 fits perfectly into the paranormal genre. The author did a great twist on the werewolf subgenre, and I loved it.
The author amazingly wrote the main storyline with Alex, his family, and the other werewolves. One werewolf was a little suspect to me (the torture scene with Alex and the fact that he founded the hunters). But everything washed out in the end.
There are several (and I stress several) secondary storylines that tie into the main one. Again, as with the characters, these storylines added extra depth to scenes that needed it.
I went back and forth about adding content/trigger warnings to this review. I decided that I would because of what happened to Alex (the torture scene) towards the end of the book. So, yes, there is a trigger warning. If you are triggered by torture, cheating, or drinking alcohol, I recommend not reading this book.
The end of Mostly Human 2 made me wonder if there would be a book 3. I will not go into it, but I can’t accept that Alex would do what he did. That’s all I will say.
Three things I liked about Mostly Human 2:
A different take on a werewolf story The various locations Alex went to Alex’s relationship with his family, found family, and friends. Three things I didn’t like about Mostly Human 2:
Cassandra. Her tantrums were epic, and she constantly screamed, “you lied to me.” She grated on my one last nerve during all of her scenes. The torture scene. I felt awful for Alex. What a way to learn something significant about yourself. His best friend’s wife. I remember her from the previous book and didn’t like her. I must say that she got what was coming to her. I would recommend Mostly Human 2 to anyone over 21. There is language, nongraphic sexual situations, and violence. Also, see my trigger/content warning.
DI Jolly - YA Werewolf Rockstar Fantasy Bk 2 - Mostly Human – Reviewed 12/23/20 – Read 12/21-22/20
What does the world mean to me? How do I fit in?
After seeking revenge for the kidnapping of his Nephew, Alex makes his way to a wolf sanctuary in rural Norway. The sanctuary was set up by some genuinely concerned people that were aware of the danger to wolves in the area. Alex is hired to be the bartender and live on site. One thing that Alex decides is to explore his werewolf side and try to figure out how life will be for him in the future. Things are going extremely well, and he finds a safe place to turn and then take his runs. He enjoys working at the sanctuary and the incoming guests that are there to learn. The only thing that he cannot figure out is the recurring nightmares that he has started having about a mysterious castle. Questions from his past are starting to plague him and he is not sure what is going on!
And the story begins
What did I like? The first thing that I genuinely enjoyed was the humor in both books. It is told with lots of actions and not all of it in a humorous way, Alex seems to take life in stride and tries to enjoy it. I can imagine the difficulties of a werewolf in the first place but add to the mix of things the fact that you are going to have to learn how to live your life in both worlds, maybe not accepted by either!
What will you like? Fast-paced, mysterious, touch of romance, interesting, intriguing, and lots of action. A look at the other side of the coin, in two worlds, then coming to terms with it. The easy-going way the author treats the problems is very enjoyable. If you have not read book one, I would highly suggest that you do as it explains the position that Alex is in right now. Both were entertaining reads, and I would certainly recommend them.
Continuing on from MH 1 - this follows the protagonist Alex on a further and darker adventure. Although you don't need to read the first book it would help. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book but D I Jolly's writing and storytelling takes on a massive leap in this book and I'm really looking forward to his next one. Although it's a book about a werewolf - it isn't! This is more about what it is to be a werewolf and all the massive complications that it brings. A sharp, witty, fast paced action adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed reading