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Never Cry Werewolf #1
Never Cry Werewolf
Moonlight can totally change your life. And it all starts so simply. You. Him. The moon. You’re toast.
Okay, so maybe Shelby has made a few mistakes with boys lately. But her stepmother totally overreacts when she packs Shelby off to brat camp. Suddenly, it’s good-bye, prom dress; hello, hiking boots.
Things start looking up, though, when Shelby meets fellow camper (and son of a rock star!) Austin Bridges III. But soon she realizes there’s more to Austin than crush material—his family has a dark secret, and he wants Shelby’s help guarding it. . . .
212 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2009
73 people are currently reading
5916 people want to read
About the author
Heather Davis
83 books448 followersHeather Davis is the author of A Curse So Dark, the first book of the new Young Adult Paranormal Romance series Pioneer Falls.
Her previous books include Never Cry Werewolf and its two novella sequels, Sometimes by Moonlight and Always in Shadow. She is also the author of Wherever You Go, and the RITA Award finalist for Best Young Adult Romance, The Clearing.
Heather loves writing about strong, smart heroines and the dark heroes that challenge them. In every book you'll find suspense, a touch of humor, and tons of heartfelt romance.
She lives and writes in the Pacific Northwest, where she is obsessed with coffee, books, indie bands, and perfect chocolate chip cookies.
Her previous books include Never Cry Werewolf and its two novella sequels, Sometimes by Moonlight and Always in Shadow. She is also the author of Wherever You Go, and the RITA Award finalist for Best Young Adult Romance, The Clearing.
Heather loves writing about strong, smart heroines and the dark heroes that challenge them. In every book you'll find suspense, a touch of humor, and tons of heartfelt romance.
She lives and writes in the Pacific Northwest, where she is obsessed with coffee, books, indie bands, and perfect chocolate chip cookies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 409 reviews
September 21, 2023
More cheese here than in all of France.
The story: rebellious teen goes to Brat Camp, falls in love with Bad Boy who is also secretly a werewolf. Shh!
Firstly, this dude is very free with his secret. Also a terrible liar. I'll say nothing more.
Shelby is a classic case of, 'omg I'm such a rebel but I am trying so hard not to be, it's just in my nature I swear I can't help it' while she brats all over the place. Hated her.
There's lots of sneaking around and breaking rules and rebelling against authority and of course even more GUSHING about how gosh darn ATTRACTIVE everyone is.
Honestly I just read this for a challenge and I'm pretty sure it cost me a few brain cells.
Oh well.
Still better than Twilight.
The story: rebellious teen goes to Brat Camp, falls in love with Bad Boy who is also secretly a werewolf. Shh!
Firstly, this dude is very free with his secret. Also a terrible liar. I'll say nothing more.
Shelby is a classic case of, 'omg I'm such a rebel but I am trying so hard not to be, it's just in my nature I swear I can't help it' while she brats all over the place. Hated her.
There's lots of sneaking around and breaking rules and rebelling against authority and of course even more GUSHING about how gosh darn ATTRACTIVE everyone is.
Honestly I just read this for a challenge and I'm pretty sure it cost me a few brain cells.
Oh well.
Still better than Twilight.
October 10, 2009
Did you ever wonder what life would be like if you somehow ended up stranded in the woods with Jack Osbourne and Miley Cyrus? What if you weren't stranded at the woods, but were in fact imprisoned at SUMMER CAMP? And what if Jack Osbourne wasn't actually a human being at all, but a human being who could turn into a wolf? If so you are indeed in luck, as that right there is basically the story of Never Cry Werewolf.
I'm going to come right out and say it, so set your phasers to stun please: I did not enjoy this book.
I came into this book excited to read it, interested in the premise (I love werewolf stories,) wanting to like it, wanting to enjoy the hijinks of the characters and the ultimate resolution of the story, and I don't know whether it was because the whole shebang was only 215 pages or if I've just left that phase of my life where I can connect to stories like this, but I felt just as uninspired and unimpressed on page 215 as I did on page 1.
Shelby by herself isn't unlikeable; she's boy crazy, self absorbed, and unable to conduct a conversation without naming every label on every piece of clothing that she's wearing (don't call her a fashionista though) but she does have a few moments where her personality starts to shine, and she's definitely had to overcome some serious things in her past. I don't know if she's an accurate portrayal of girls in high school now or what, but hers was definitely the most developed character of the story.
I honestly have no opinion of Austin whatsoever; he didn't really receive a lot of character development and all we really learn about him is that his dad is a rock star who certainly reminds me of Ozzy Osbourne (accident? on purpose?), he's superdreamycute, and he has some bizarre "medical condition" that other kids think is just straight-up drug addiction. As the story goes on, it also becomes clear that he and Shelby share a lot of the same issues and emotional baggage.
I think I would be hard pressed to recall a single other character's name. Seriously. I can't recall anything about the camp where the kids all stayed or anything else that happened in the story. Oh, apparently Austin's lycanthropy can be pharmeceutically controlled! I'm not really sure why this was a necessary part of the story. There a couple of plot points that revolve around that little tidbit before the story just gives up on being about anything and fast forwards to the epic fight scene and the stunning makeouts, also known as the conclusion.
Let's take a moment and talk about the conclusion. I appreciate that the target audience for the book is probably not my demographic and that concepts of relationships are certainly different for everyone, but I guess a dude surprising me at boot camp, sucking on my tonsils and then that being the end of the story just doesn't appeal to me. If Mystery Science Theater 3000 featured the song that reminded me of the book as a whole, the ending of the book reminded me of a warped version of John Cusack holding up the radio at the end of Say Anything.
Despite my hopefully obvious lack of connection with the book, it wasn't a complete wash. I can definitely see a much younger audience enjoying the story and connecting with the characters, and anything that keeps people reading at an age when reading isn't a cool thing to do is certainly okay by me. If someone was reading this, I wouldn't slap it out of their hands or anything, but will I be recommending it to anyone I know? Probably not. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
Overall Grade: D-
Read more reviews at What Book is That?
I'm going to come right out and say it, so set your phasers to stun please: I did not enjoy this book.
I came into this book excited to read it, interested in the premise (I love werewolf stories,) wanting to like it, wanting to enjoy the hijinks of the characters and the ultimate resolution of the story, and I don't know whether it was because the whole shebang was only 215 pages or if I've just left that phase of my life where I can connect to stories like this, but I felt just as uninspired and unimpressed on page 215 as I did on page 1.
Shelby by herself isn't unlikeable; she's boy crazy, self absorbed, and unable to conduct a conversation without naming every label on every piece of clothing that she's wearing (don't call her a fashionista though) but she does have a few moments where her personality starts to shine, and she's definitely had to overcome some serious things in her past. I don't know if she's an accurate portrayal of girls in high school now or what, but hers was definitely the most developed character of the story.
I honestly have no opinion of Austin whatsoever; he didn't really receive a lot of character development and all we really learn about him is that his dad is a rock star who certainly reminds me of Ozzy Osbourne (accident? on purpose?), he's superdreamycute, and he has some bizarre "medical condition" that other kids think is just straight-up drug addiction. As the story goes on, it also becomes clear that he and Shelby share a lot of the same issues and emotional baggage.
I think I would be hard pressed to recall a single other character's name. Seriously. I can't recall anything about the camp where the kids all stayed or anything else that happened in the story. Oh, apparently Austin's lycanthropy can be pharmeceutically controlled! I'm not really sure why this was a necessary part of the story. There a couple of plot points that revolve around that little tidbit before the story just gives up on being about anything and fast forwards to the epic fight scene and the stunning makeouts, also known as the conclusion.
Let's take a moment and talk about the conclusion. I appreciate that the target audience for the book is probably not my demographic and that concepts of relationships are certainly different for everyone, but I guess a dude surprising me at boot camp, sucking on my tonsils and then that being the end of the story just doesn't appeal to me. If Mystery Science Theater 3000 featured the song that reminded me of the book as a whole, the ending of the book reminded me of a warped version of John Cusack holding up the radio at the end of Say Anything.
Despite my hopefully obvious lack of connection with the book, it wasn't a complete wash. I can definitely see a much younger audience enjoying the story and connecting with the characters, and anything that keeps people reading at an age when reading isn't a cool thing to do is certainly okay by me. If someone was reading this, I wouldn't slap it out of their hands or anything, but will I be recommending it to anyone I know? Probably not. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
Overall Grade: D-
Read more reviews at What Book is That?
July 5, 2016
5 Stars:
Overall, Never Cry Werewolf was a good debut that may not hook all readers, but will definitely stand out. It contained unique, characters, and a plot that occasionally dragged, but I loved how clean it was. Her spin on the werewolf story was very distinctive. This was a fun book. The romance was slow to transpire. I feel like she rush the ending, I wanted to know what happen after Red canyon. If there is to be another book to continue the story I will be in line to read it.
My absolute favorite and will read again and again. I strongly recommend! It has outstanding qualities. The characters are wonderful and surprising and multi-dimensional. The writing is luring, engaging, and well-crafted enough to keep me interested from cover to cover and beyond. The plot is astonishing with twists and turns weaved into a well thought and planned story. There’s no pretense and romance was well balanced and done entirely correctly with properly distributed amounts of hints, behaviors and incredible, undeniable chemistry. Predictability is at an all-time low. With the exception of series based books that follow the same path but are just as good. Overall, Favorite, must read again, recommend!!!
Overall, Never Cry Werewolf was a good debut that may not hook all readers, but will definitely stand out. It contained unique, characters, and a plot that occasionally dragged, but I loved how clean it was. Her spin on the werewolf story was very distinctive. This was a fun book. The romance was slow to transpire. I feel like she rush the ending, I wanted to know what happen after Red canyon. If there is to be another book to continue the story I will be in line to read it.
My absolute favorite and will read again and again. I strongly recommend! It has outstanding qualities. The characters are wonderful and surprising and multi-dimensional. The writing is luring, engaging, and well-crafted enough to keep me interested from cover to cover and beyond. The plot is astonishing with twists and turns weaved into a well thought and planned story. There’s no pretense and romance was well balanced and done entirely correctly with properly distributed amounts of hints, behaviors and incredible, undeniable chemistry. Predictability is at an all-time low. With the exception of series based books that follow the same path but are just as good. Overall, Favorite, must read again, recommend!!!
August 23, 2009
Never Cry Werewolf is a very fast-paced, fun and cutesy type novel. The overall idea was a little unoriginal, and there really wasn't any mystery to the story since we already knew there was a werewolf amidst the campers, and it isn't hard to figure out who.
The characters were a little underdeveloped for my tastes and they weren't really all that interesting. I thought Shelby was a bit on the annoying side actually. She's a smart and strong character, I just wish she would have acted like it. I wish we would have seen more of Austin pre-I'm going to turn to a werewolf. You didn't really get to see much of him as "just" a person. Except what we learn from Ariel.
I really enjoyed Davis' writing style, it's very simplistic and easy to read. I think that may have been the reason I was able to devour the novel so quickly. And the plot itself was entertaining enough to keep me engaged in the story.
Overall, even though it lacking in the character department, and a little on the creativity, it's still a fun read for werewolf fans.
The characters were a little underdeveloped for my tastes and they weren't really all that interesting. I thought Shelby was a bit on the annoying side actually. She's a smart and strong character, I just wish she would have acted like it. I wish we would have seen more of Austin pre-I'm going to turn to a werewolf. You didn't really get to see much of him as "just" a person. Except what we learn from Ariel.
I really enjoyed Davis' writing style, it's very simplistic and easy to read. I think that may have been the reason I was able to devour the novel so quickly. And the plot itself was entertaining enough to keep me engaged in the story.
Overall, even though it lacking in the character department, and a little on the creativity, it's still a fun read for werewolf fans.
March 6, 2019
“Its a cold comfort to have people pity you.”
Cute and interesting - loved the obvious werewolf love story. However, all the mention of what's cool and what technology everyone uses definitely ages the book. I also think someone younger would appreciate Shelby's frustrations - but I only heard whining and being spoiled - but someone younger is definitely going to notice that the technology and slang don't make sense anymore.
Meh. It was just okay but I don't think it ages well.
Cute and interesting - loved the obvious werewolf love story. However, all the mention of what's cool and what technology everyone uses definitely ages the book. I also think someone younger would appreciate Shelby's frustrations - but I only heard whining and being spoiled - but someone younger is definitely going to notice that the technology and slang don't make sense anymore.
Meh. It was just okay but I don't think it ages well.
September 12, 2011
Hmm.
Well I can't say there was anything particularly special about Never Cry Werewolf. No dazzle or sparkle (and not just because there weren’t any vampires in it). Though this book didn’t annoy me as much as I thought it would, it did, nevertheless, annoy me at times. I think what bothered me the most was Davis’s overly cliché take on teenagers. It’s almost an insult to our intelligence, because I can say with confidence that most of the teens I know reading books for fun do NOT say things such as “Sooo, like, totally!” and all that. That’s the problem with some YA authors out there, is that they think they know how the majority of teenagers think and talk, but we are in fact much more complicated than they assume. Granted, there are definitely teens out there that talk like valley girls, but it’s so annoying, why even bother creating a character based off of one? I would almost laugh, with all the so’s and like’s and totally’s, thinking Oh hey, there’s another one! It’s as if Davis added them in every other page or so because she felt like it made her teenage voice sound more authentic.
As for the actual writing skill and technique, there wasn’t really any. It was pretty simple prose for the most part. The cast of characters were alright, the plot was basic. No twists or turns, since it’s pretty obvious from the start who the werewolf is. Again, nothing dazzling.
About the cover: I like it, but I distinctly remember them saying girls couldn't wear makeup at camp...so why is it the girl on the cover is wearing it? Wouldn't it make more sense for her not to have any on at all in the picture? And I'm pretty sure the cover model is older than 15.
But maybe that's just me.
Did I hate the book? No. It’s just one of those books that simply is. At the end of the day it doesn’t do all that much to effect you. I will admit I liked the ending though. The last paragraph or two was really…sweet. However cheesy, it made me smile. I guess I’m just like that though: A sucker for happy endings and fairytales and lessons learned. If you were to ask me what I thought this book’s best feature was, I would say it’s that, however cliché Shelby can be, she in the end came away from her experiences at camp having learned something. That as long as you have people around who love and care for you, somehow, everything will turn out alright.
Well I can't say there was anything particularly special about Never Cry Werewolf. No dazzle or sparkle (and not just because there weren’t any vampires in it). Though this book didn’t annoy me as much as I thought it would, it did, nevertheless, annoy me at times. I think what bothered me the most was Davis’s overly cliché take on teenagers. It’s almost an insult to our intelligence, because I can say with confidence that most of the teens I know reading books for fun do NOT say things such as “Sooo, like, totally!” and all that. That’s the problem with some YA authors out there, is that they think they know how the majority of teenagers think and talk, but we are in fact much more complicated than they assume. Granted, there are definitely teens out there that talk like valley girls, but it’s so annoying, why even bother creating a character based off of one? I would almost laugh, with all the so’s and like’s and totally’s, thinking Oh hey, there’s another one! It’s as if Davis added them in every other page or so because she felt like it made her teenage voice sound more authentic.
As for the actual writing skill and technique, there wasn’t really any. It was pretty simple prose for the most part. The cast of characters were alright, the plot was basic. No twists or turns, since it’s pretty obvious from the start who the werewolf is. Again, nothing dazzling.
About the cover: I like it, but I distinctly remember them saying girls couldn't wear makeup at camp...so why is it the girl on the cover is wearing it? Wouldn't it make more sense for her not to have any on at all in the picture? And I'm pretty sure the cover model is older than 15.
But maybe that's just me.
Did I hate the book? No. It’s just one of those books that simply is. At the end of the day it doesn’t do all that much to effect you. I will admit I liked the ending though. The last paragraph or two was really…sweet. However cheesy, it made me smile. I guess I’m just like that though: A sucker for happy endings and fairytales and lessons learned. If you were to ask me what I thought this book’s best feature was, I would say it’s that, however cliché Shelby can be, she in the end came away from her experiences at camp having learned something. That as long as you have people around who love and care for you, somehow, everything will turn out alright.
September 14, 2014
To see full review clickhere
Oh, lord.
You know, part of this reread project I’m doing is to give second chances. But upon rereading Never Cry Werewolf I think I hated it more than I did way back when it was released.
Have publishing standards really changed that much since the book was released?
Well, no. Obviously. Otherwise Halo and a host of other horrible YA novels wouldn’t have been released. But Never Cry Werewolf is just well…bad on so many levels.
Levels that are almost, too boring to talk about.
I have to though. And I think the best way to start off this so called glorious conversation is to talk about the era it was published in (2009).
Five years ago, which doesn’t seem that long. But in the terms of YA publishing, it’s a lot.
Five years, ago Twilight fever was at it’s height and if you had anything with a vampire, werwolf, or hot guy who had paranormal ability with abs automatic publishing contract.
I can just imagine how the query letter went:
Dear Agent/Publisher,
You should represent/publish my book because it has a hot guy with an accent and a paranormal creature in it. The hot guy takes his shirt off a lot.
Signed,
Author.
Okay, Davis probably went into a little bit more depth than that, but the substance of the book really didn’t go that much beyond that.
A part of me wants to say that it’s eerily similar to Born at Midnight, but even that book in all it’s sheer awfulness is better because it actually attempts at a plot. And doesn’t just try to push the YA tropes to the max and then well forget having an actual plot.
I’m serious.
I can basically sum the book up like this: Evil stepmother sends our innocent heroine to a camp full of evil campers. But never fear, there’s a hot guy at the camp so it’s not that bad. But our heroine has to get herself in trouble because she’s as brave and stupid as Clary Fray. Except unlike that lackluster series, there’s not even an attempt of a plot made here.
Yep, that sums it up.
Yes, we have a character who has Clary Fray level of stupidity there.
That’s a pretty big insult.
If you have no idea who I’m talking about (and I hope you do, you really need to be spared that pain) Clary Fray is the insipid heroine of The Mortal Instruments series. She thinks she’s Batman. But she’s not.
That’s about how stupid Shelby is, but since she has no supernatural powers whatsoever I’d say she’s a shade dumber.
That’s hard for me to admit, that someone is dumber than Clary Fray.
I’d almost feel sorry for her. Almost. At the beginning I did think her stepmother was over reacting by sending her to brat camp for missing curfew. Actually, a lot of the adults I thought were overreacting to the point that the were caricatures, but at the same time I sort of think Shelby deserves to be sent to TSTL school.
Hum, TSTL school. You know, I could make a lot of money from such a school.
Shelby would be a prime candidate. I mean, if you were being sent to brat camp would you openly defy your counselor to search for a complete stranger in the middle of nowhere.
And yeah, even if you’ve been camping before it’s still the middle of nowhere. In an environment your not familiar with.
Oh, but wait. He’s British and that means (according this book) that he lacks the skills to survive in the wild.
Funny.
This book forgets that the British empire colonize a large portion of the world centuries in the past, and had to survive in the wild. Well, let’s not count Roanoke.
Add that with the all British people are hot because they have an accent-never mind that there are several types of British accents-I start to feel sorry for anyone who lives in the United Kingdom when reading this book.
As for the hot guy with the British accent. Well, Austin, is well as dull as they come. If you imagine Jack Osbourne looking like Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You, that’s Austin. But add a boring streak. And that’s really him. Funny, she used Ledger he’s Australian not British. But I guess that’s close enough.
I don’t get how Davis can think her audience is so shallow. Add an accent a pair of abs and that’s all you need for characterization apparently.
Besides, having to extremely dull and stupid characters as are protagonists, there are the side characters to contend with. The best friend character (Ariel) surprisingly did not offend me, but what did offend me were the adults.
As I already said, total caricatures.
Oh, lord.
You know, part of this reread project I’m doing is to give second chances. But upon rereading Never Cry Werewolf I think I hated it more than I did way back when it was released.
Have publishing standards really changed that much since the book was released?
Well, no. Obviously. Otherwise Halo and a host of other horrible YA novels wouldn’t have been released. But Never Cry Werewolf is just well…bad on so many levels.
Levels that are almost, too boring to talk about.
I have to though. And I think the best way to start off this so called glorious conversation is to talk about the era it was published in (2009).
Five years ago, which doesn’t seem that long. But in the terms of YA publishing, it’s a lot.
Five years, ago Twilight fever was at it’s height and if you had anything with a vampire, werwolf, or hot guy who had paranormal ability with abs automatic publishing contract.
I can just imagine how the query letter went:
Dear Agent/Publisher,
You should represent/publish my book because it has a hot guy with an accent and a paranormal creature in it. The hot guy takes his shirt off a lot.
Signed,
Author.
Okay, Davis probably went into a little bit more depth than that, but the substance of the book really didn’t go that much beyond that.
A part of me wants to say that it’s eerily similar to Born at Midnight, but even that book in all it’s sheer awfulness is better because it actually attempts at a plot. And doesn’t just try to push the YA tropes to the max and then well forget having an actual plot.
I’m serious.
I can basically sum the book up like this: Evil stepmother sends our innocent heroine to a camp full of evil campers. But never fear, there’s a hot guy at the camp so it’s not that bad. But our heroine has to get herself in trouble because she’s as brave and stupid as Clary Fray. Except unlike that lackluster series, there’s not even an attempt of a plot made here.
Yep, that sums it up.
Yes, we have a character who has Clary Fray level of stupidity there.
That’s a pretty big insult.
If you have no idea who I’m talking about (and I hope you do, you really need to be spared that pain) Clary Fray is the insipid heroine of The Mortal Instruments series. She thinks she’s Batman. But she’s not.
That’s about how stupid Shelby is, but since she has no supernatural powers whatsoever I’d say she’s a shade dumber.
That’s hard for me to admit, that someone is dumber than Clary Fray.
I’d almost feel sorry for her. Almost. At the beginning I did think her stepmother was over reacting by sending her to brat camp for missing curfew. Actually, a lot of the adults I thought were overreacting to the point that the were caricatures, but at the same time I sort of think Shelby deserves to be sent to TSTL school.
Hum, TSTL school. You know, I could make a lot of money from such a school.
Shelby would be a prime candidate. I mean, if you were being sent to brat camp would you openly defy your counselor to search for a complete stranger in the middle of nowhere.
And yeah, even if you’ve been camping before it’s still the middle of nowhere. In an environment your not familiar with.
Oh, but wait. He’s British and that means (according this book) that he lacks the skills to survive in the wild.
Funny.
This book forgets that the British empire colonize a large portion of the world centuries in the past, and had to survive in the wild. Well, let’s not count Roanoke.
Add that with the all British people are hot because they have an accent-never mind that there are several types of British accents-I start to feel sorry for anyone who lives in the United Kingdom when reading this book.
As for the hot guy with the British accent. Well, Austin, is well as dull as they come. If you imagine Jack Osbourne looking like Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You, that’s Austin. But add a boring streak. And that’s really him. Funny, she used Ledger he’s Australian not British. But I guess that’s close enough.
I don’t get how Davis can think her audience is so shallow. Add an accent a pair of abs and that’s all you need for characterization apparently.
Besides, having to extremely dull and stupid characters as are protagonists, there are the side characters to contend with. The best friend character (Ariel) surprisingly did not offend me, but what did offend me were the adults.
As I already said, total caricatures.
April 19, 2012
Shelby’s been caught one too many times breaking curfew with a boy. And this time her awful stepmother means business: she decides, and convinces Shelby’s dad, to send Shelby to a summer camp for moneyed but rebellious teens. Brat camp, that is. At least it’s woodsy Camp Crescent and not Red Canyon Ranch — where the kids have to do military boot camp in the desert — but she’s still none too thrilled. At camp she meets Austin Bridges III, who wants her help with something that’s strictly against the rules. She has no intention of getting in trouble with the counselors and possibly getting sent to Red Canyon, but then she learns that Austin’s issues are way stranger than she ever imagined…
Never Cry Werewolf is a YA paranormal tale about, you guessed it, werewolves. It’s nothing earthshaking, but it’s cute and entertaining. It’s really short, at just over 200 pages, and this mostly works in its favor — no padding.
The romance between Shelby and Austin is sweet, and unfolds in a way that makes sense for teen characters. Often in paranormal YA, a relationship will be touted as an epic love for the ages when the characters have known each other only a few days, which tends to annoy older readers, but at the same time I can see where these authors are coming from — I remember being a teen and how everything seemed so momentous then. Heather Davis strikes a good balance between respecting that teenage intensity and keeping adult readers from rolling their eyes. Shelby and Austin comment that they feel like they’ve known each other longer than they really have, but Davis doesn’t throw in any unrealistic outward manifestations (i.e. they don’t get married or find out they’re cosmic soulmates).
Never Cry Werewolf also touches upon the issue of grief. Shelby’s mom died a few years ago, and that loss and her father’s subsequent remarriage has driven a wedge into the father-daughter relationship. I really felt for Shelby every time this plot thread surfaced, and the main reason I’d want the book longer would be to deal further with this.
Other good points are the sarcastic humor that peppers the book and Shelby’s solution to the problem at the climax, in which she combines taking responsibility for her actions with protecting Austin’s secret.
This is a light read that will entertain you for a few hours. Davis has released a novella-length sequel in ebook format, Sometimes by Moonlight, and I might just buy it sometime for my Kindle. Never Cry Werewolf ends with an ominous plot hook and I’m also curious about how the dad situation will be resolved.
Never Cry Werewolf is a YA paranormal tale about, you guessed it, werewolves. It’s nothing earthshaking, but it’s cute and entertaining. It’s really short, at just over 200 pages, and this mostly works in its favor — no padding.
The romance between Shelby and Austin is sweet, and unfolds in a way that makes sense for teen characters. Often in paranormal YA, a relationship will be touted as an epic love for the ages when the characters have known each other only a few days, which tends to annoy older readers, but at the same time I can see where these authors are coming from — I remember being a teen and how everything seemed so momentous then. Heather Davis strikes a good balance between respecting that teenage intensity and keeping adult readers from rolling their eyes. Shelby and Austin comment that they feel like they’ve known each other longer than they really have, but Davis doesn’t throw in any unrealistic outward manifestations (i.e. they don’t get married or find out they’re cosmic soulmates).
Never Cry Werewolf also touches upon the issue of grief. Shelby’s mom died a few years ago, and that loss and her father’s subsequent remarriage has driven a wedge into the father-daughter relationship. I really felt for Shelby every time this plot thread surfaced, and the main reason I’d want the book longer would be to deal further with this.
Other good points are the sarcastic humor that peppers the book and Shelby’s solution to the problem at the climax, in which she combines taking responsibility for her actions with protecting Austin’s secret.
This is a light read that will entertain you for a few hours. Davis has released a novella-length sequel in ebook format, Sometimes by Moonlight, and I might just buy it sometime for my Kindle. Never Cry Werewolf ends with an ominous plot hook and I’m also curious about how the dad situation will be resolved.
September 7, 2009
Okay, so the first thing to know is that this book is not unique or special in any way. So why did I love it? I'm not entirely sure. The main character was just all right, but she ended up growing on me. Though, I must admit I was pretty smitten for Austin Bridges III.
There was just something about the...tone...of this book that made me want to keep reading and reading. I liked the idea of the summer camp, and the little bit of wilderness survival that was thrown in. I just can't say what it was, but this book just tickled my fancy. The characters weren't flat, but they're not unforgettable, nor is the writing itself. The dialogue is pretty good, though some of it is a bit..."What are they talking about?"
The werewolf thing isn't unique, but there was one aspect about this particular werewolf that I hadn't seen before. God, I don't know! This book was just like candy for me. Fun, fast, and sweet. You want more when your done, though.
Also...I have to say, I'm a big fan of cheesily happy endings, so this one made me very happy, though if you don't like that kind of thing....
There was just something about the...tone...of this book that made me want to keep reading and reading. I liked the idea of the summer camp, and the little bit of wilderness survival that was thrown in. I just can't say what it was, but this book just tickled my fancy. The characters weren't flat, but they're not unforgettable, nor is the writing itself. The dialogue is pretty good, though some of it is a bit..."What are they talking about?"
The werewolf thing isn't unique, but there was one aspect about this particular werewolf that I hadn't seen before. God, I don't know! This book was just like candy for me. Fun, fast, and sweet. You want more when your done, though.
Also...I have to say, I'm a big fan of cheesily happy endings, so this one made me very happy, though if you don't like that kind of thing....
December 30, 2010
Never Cry Werewolf was unexpected, in a very good way. The characters, setting, plot – all different from what I was thinking I would read. I really liked Shelby; for all her family’s belief that she’s wild and unruly, she seems to have a good sense of right and wrong and a strong passion for helping the underdog. She shows a surprising amount of respect for her father, and even the evil step-mother (ESM), considering how little they both show her. If I were her, I would have moved on and found a way out of that family. But instead, she’s forced into brat camp by the ESM and the fun really begins when she meets attractive, secretive Austin. He and his family have a big secret, one that someone at camp will do anything to find out… he and his father are werewolves. This is a quick read, and a great spin on a story told over and over lately in YA fiction. I genuinely liked both the main characters, and found the secondary characters told a solid story as well. Would recommend this for most fantasy readers.
October 12, 2023
Read Never Cry Werewolf back in high school and it was pretty cliche.
Had some parts I liked, but other than that the story was just enjoyable at the moment and nothing more.
Had some parts I liked, but other than that the story was just enjoyable at the moment and nothing more.
July 30, 2009
When I received this in the mail a couple of weeks ago, I was so excited. Since, I'm loving the whole uprising of "werewolves" in YA. Plus, I adored the cover and I still do, it's just that classic pretty. Sadly enough, Never Cry Werewolf, wasn't as fantastic as I expected it to be.
First off, the characters for the most part were not fully developed and semi bland. Shelby was the classic "my mom died and I can't stand my new step-mom, so I'm going to do everything to annoy the crap out of her" girl which got on my nerves at times. Also, I couldn't stand how she constantly got herself in huge trouble for Austin, especially in the situation that happens in the first couple of chapters. Seriously, for most of the book, she didn't even know him that well and to top things off she had a feeling there was something not right about him. But, yet, she always came to his beck and call when he needed her help. Though, during the end of the book, I came to a good place with her, were I didn't quite love her but at the same time didn't full out hate Shelby. Since, I began to take in her reasoning for acting the way she does and I started to understand her love for Austin even if he wasn't the most normal guy out there. Austin though was a character that I did enjoy reading about even with his faults. I felt mostly sorry for him, because of how he had to always keep part of himself hidden from the real world. Also, towards, the end I really liked how he began to come up with ideas that would effect Shelby in a good way, instead of a bad one. The other characters, such as Ariel and Prince, were ones I liked but didn't always have enough appearances as I wanted them too.
The plot was interesting, but there wasn't enough build-up, suspense, or mystery until the end. For instance, you basically knew that Austin was a werewolf from the start. Leaving no suspense to when you officially knew yes, he was a werewolf. Plus, for most of the book, some of the situations were drawn out in a unnecessary way, which left them to be boring, not exciting as they should have been. Lastly, the whole story didn't begin to get the feeling of excitement until the end and when you finally were happy to find out what happened next, the story just ended.
Overall, while Never Cry Werewolf has an interesting premise, it wasn't executed in a way that brought excitement or mystery. Leaving me to suggest that you pick this up at the library when it's released or what for the paperback. Since, it's not fully worth the $16.99 price tag.
Though, I would like to say, that even with the problems this novel had, I still will continue to read Heather's books. Since, I have a feeling that she has talent that will better as time goes on and more books are written.
Grade: C
First off, the characters for the most part were not fully developed and semi bland. Shelby was the classic "my mom died and I can't stand my new step-mom, so I'm going to do everything to annoy the crap out of her" girl which got on my nerves at times. Also, I couldn't stand how she constantly got herself in huge trouble for Austin, especially in the situation that happens in the first couple of chapters. Seriously, for most of the book, she didn't even know him that well and to top things off she had a feeling there was something not right about him. But, yet, she always came to his beck and call when he needed her help. Though, during the end of the book, I came to a good place with her, were I didn't quite love her but at the same time didn't full out hate Shelby. Since, I began to take in her reasoning for acting the way she does and I started to understand her love for Austin even if he wasn't the most normal guy out there. Austin though was a character that I did enjoy reading about even with his faults. I felt mostly sorry for him, because of how he had to always keep part of himself hidden from the real world. Also, towards, the end I really liked how he began to come up with ideas that would effect Shelby in a good way, instead of a bad one. The other characters, such as Ariel and Prince, were ones I liked but didn't always have enough appearances as I wanted them too.
The plot was interesting, but there wasn't enough build-up, suspense, or mystery until the end. For instance, you basically knew that Austin was a werewolf from the start. Leaving no suspense to when you officially knew yes, he was a werewolf. Plus, for most of the book, some of the situations were drawn out in a unnecessary way, which left them to be boring, not exciting as they should have been. Lastly, the whole story didn't begin to get the feeling of excitement until the end and when you finally were happy to find out what happened next, the story just ended.
Overall, while Never Cry Werewolf has an interesting premise, it wasn't executed in a way that brought excitement or mystery. Leaving me to suggest that you pick this up at the library when it's released or what for the paperback. Since, it's not fully worth the $16.99 price tag.
Though, I would like to say, that even with the problems this novel had, I still will continue to read Heather's books. Since, I have a feeling that she has talent that will better as time goes on and more books are written.
Grade: C
August 2, 2011
I don't recommend this one. The characters are lacking depth and their desicions are often weird.
Shelby is just a normal teenager, she hangs out with friends, dates boys and sometimes comes home an hour late. Her mother died, her father married again and now she has to deal with new stepmother Priscilla, who is trying everything to get rid of her. Once when she is late, Priscilla finds her kissing (or really near to it) a boy in their garden and sends her to brat camp, where Shelby meets Austin and... falls in love with him, reveals his dark secret - you can choose :)
So, Shelby has typical wicked stepmother (I don't know why is stepmother always evil) and father who doesn't care about her. Shelby claims that all was better when her mother was alive, but she isn't sad at all and mentions her mother only two times - on the first pages and later with Austin. I think the autor wanted us to feel sorry for her, but didn't bother with a psychology - and this was my problem with the whole book.
I liked the camp, although I wouldn't like to be there myself, but Shelby's relationship with Austin is undeveloped. For example Austin's secret - on the one hand he doesn't want it to be known but on the another hand he said it to Shelby, because he wants her to help him to get his stuff back, but if he coudn't have done it himself, why he thinks she could? Why he risks telling someone? What if she betrayed him?
Shelby is just a normal teenager, she hangs out with friends, dates boys and sometimes comes home an hour late. Her mother died, her father married again and now she has to deal with new stepmother Priscilla, who is trying everything to get rid of her. Once when she is late, Priscilla finds her kissing (or really near to it) a boy in their garden and sends her to brat camp, where Shelby meets Austin and... falls in love with him, reveals his dark secret - you can choose :)
So, Shelby has typical wicked stepmother (I don't know why is stepmother always evil) and father who doesn't care about her. Shelby claims that all was better when her mother was alive, but she isn't sad at all and mentions her mother only two times - on the first pages and later with Austin. I think the autor wanted us to feel sorry for her, but didn't bother with a psychology - and this was my problem with the whole book.
I liked the camp, although I wouldn't like to be there myself, but Shelby's relationship with Austin is undeveloped. For example Austin's secret - on the one hand he doesn't want it to be known but on the another hand he said it to Shelby, because he wants her to help him to get his stuff back, but if he coudn't have done it himself, why he thinks she could? Why he risks telling someone? What if she betrayed him?
May 17, 2016
Awesome book. The book was an easy light read. There was not a lot of heavy werewolf lore which I liked. There was also not any insta-love in the book which was a great break from that. Shelby actually had second thoughts about Austin (the werewolf) and in the end of the book they really liked each other, not love (yet). I also liked how Shelby and Austin interacted with each other- you can tell there was mutual attraction but I liked how they didn't kiss or were making out in every page. The first time they kiss is on the second to last page of the book which I thought was a perfect ending.
Throughout the story you could see Shelby growing as a character. Instead of making rash stupid decisions that caused her parents to send her to the camp, throughout the book we see her thinking more about what she should do and choose accordingly (especially when it came to Austin).
I also liked Austin's character. He wasn't like the typical bad boy. He was senstitve, caring and kind. His British accent wasn't bad either. I liked how he saved Shelby in his wolf form and it was sweet that he chose to go to her new camp to be with her.
One thing I wonder about is the rash/scratch on Shelby's arm at the end of the story. The rash/scratch wouldn't go away or heal. Not much was said about it and I guess the author left the interpretation of it up to the reader. You could think it was a just a scratch or a scratch that will change Shelby into a werewolf. I choose the werewolf scratch lol!
Throughout the story you could see Shelby growing as a character. Instead of making rash stupid decisions that caused her parents to send her to the camp, throughout the book we see her thinking more about what she should do and choose accordingly (especially when it came to Austin).
I also liked Austin's character. He wasn't like the typical bad boy. He was senstitve, caring and kind. His British accent wasn't bad either. I liked how he saved Shelby in his wolf form and it was sweet that he chose to go to her new camp to be with her.
One thing I wonder about is the rash/scratch on Shelby's arm at the end of the story. The rash/scratch wouldn't go away or heal. Not much was said about it and I guess the author left the interpretation of it up to the reader. You could think it was a just a scratch or a scratch that will change Shelby into a werewolf. I choose the werewolf scratch lol!
April 28, 2010
While I thought the concept was cute, there just wasn't enough punch to the plot, characters or the writing that pieces it all together. Underdeveloped and I felt no connection.
This one wasn't for me.
This one wasn't for me.
September 13, 2018
Okay, so this was more than a little corny but I can see younger teens really liking Shelby's camp adventures with handsome British Austin (who may or may not be a werewolf). The thing is, Shelby gets sent off to camp because of conflict with her parents and that conflict isn't really resolved at all, at least in this book. I also felt that everything felt a little shallow, but in 200 pages there isn't a lot of time for in depth character development. Still, I would probably recommend this one for grade 7-8s who are looking for some light romance.
March 1, 2011
This was a cute read. My problem was with the plot. How can a parent send a daughter to brat camp or even worse military camp over trouble with boys. Its seem to me the dad didn't care enough for his daughter to do anything. He allowed the stepmother to make all the decisions and of course she just sent her away. I like the plot better when the reader got to the camp. We saw Shelby grow in who she is. She was able to open up over matters that were bothering her.
The wolf part was good. I like the twist of the story and how is all played out. The both of them got along well and had similar past. They were there for each other and understood each other very well. They did not allow anything get in between them. I like how the leaned on each other for anything. The trust with them built up was good and true.
My only gripe was the parent situation. I wish the father would be more understanding and loving to his daughter instead of letting someone else do it. It's not no wonder she had major trust issues. Over all it is a good book.
The wolf part was good. I like the twist of the story and how is all played out. The both of them got along well and had similar past. They were there for each other and understood each other very well. They did not allow anything get in between them. I like how the leaned on each other for anything. The trust with them built up was good and true.
My only gripe was the parent situation. I wish the father would be more understanding and loving to his daughter instead of letting someone else do it. It's not no wonder she had major trust issues. Over all it is a good book.
October 11, 2017
This book wasn't what I had expected. In some ways, I'd love a Red Riding Hood retelling, and I'd expected this to be it, but instead I got this...
By no means is it a bad book at all. I guess I just expected more, and felt a little underwhelmed. But it is a great light read, and I'm sure it could become even more if the author chose to work at it.
Alas, not my favorite, but enjoyable nevertheless.
By no means is it a bad book at all. I guess I just expected more, and felt a little underwhelmed. But it is a great light read, and I'm sure it could become even more if the author chose to work at it.
Alas, not my favorite, but enjoyable nevertheless.
September 18, 2016
Usoara, poate prea usoara; dar frumoasa!
March 22, 2018
I'm close to putting this book down. This story follows Shelby, a rich MC. She doesn't have the best of parents resulting her to be put in a brat camp. There begins the real story where typically she'd meet someone attractive. I think this would've been an okay story if it'd just be classified as contemporary. However, I was disappointed with Austin being a werewolf. It defies all the strength of a werewolf combined. I just perceive werewolves as the strongest and it isn't in this book.
March 15, 2019
Why did I read this book? I don't know, really. It doesn't even warrant negative stars. This is probably third-grade level reading, and the main character was terrible. She just wasn't likable, and of course the whole werewolf thing was badly done.
July 18, 2011
Moonlight can totally change your life. And it all starts so simply. You. Him. The moon. You’re toast.
Okay, so maybe Shelby has made a few mistakes with boys lately. But her stepmother totally overreacts when she packs Shelby off to brat camp. Suddenly, it’s good-bye, prom dress; hello, hiking boots.
Things start looking up, though, when Shelby meets fellow camper (and son of a rock star!) Austin Bridges III. But soon she realizes there’s more to Austin than crush material—his family has a dark secret, and he wants Shelby’s help guarding it. . . .
I picked up this book for a few reasons:
1)The cover looked nice
2)I saw 'Werewolf' and was immediately drawn to it
3)I had just finished The CLearing, also by Heather Davis and LOVED it so I decided to give this one a try too.
What did I think of this book? Well, it wasn't as good as The Clearing in my opinion, but it was still pretty good. The main character is a 16 year old girl who lives with her father and evil step-mother Priscilla (thought the name suited her well :)) after her mother dies three years earlier. Shelby is caught kissing a boy out under the moonlight in her step-mother's rose garden and her step mom immediately seizes this as an opportunity to send her away. Shelby apparently hasn't had to best choice of guys; always putting their needs before her own and her parents sees this as the last straw.
She is sent off to Camp Crescent, a prestigious brat camp where the rich and famous send their problem children to change for the "better". Here, while enduring sickening therapy sessions, Shelby meets Austin Bridges III. He's handsome, the son of a rocker, and has an English accent. Sounds perfect right? Well, it just so happens the Austin has a little secret, and if anyone were to find out this secret, it could endanger his family.
Austin eventually ends up revealing his secret to Shelby who promises to keep it safe and help him. She is one of the two people outside the family who know this secret; the other is a girl who didn't take it so well. Through most of the story, Shelby is hestitant when it comes to trusting Austin (she has trust issues), but she can not deny the attraction she has for him. Their friendship blossoms into something more as teh story goes on, and she learns to trust him after he changges and saves her life.
After going through great lengths to protect Austin and his secret, Shelby is shipped off to another brat camp, which is more like a military camp and 1000X worse. But after being there for a while, she gets a rather good surprise that makes all she went through seem worth it. Can you guess what...or who...it is? ;)
Okay, so maybe Shelby has made a few mistakes with boys lately. But her stepmother totally overreacts when she packs Shelby off to brat camp. Suddenly, it’s good-bye, prom dress; hello, hiking boots.
Things start looking up, though, when Shelby meets fellow camper (and son of a rock star!) Austin Bridges III. But soon she realizes there’s more to Austin than crush material—his family has a dark secret, and he wants Shelby’s help guarding it. . . .
I picked up this book for a few reasons:
1)The cover looked nice
2)I saw 'Werewolf' and was immediately drawn to it
3)I had just finished The CLearing, also by Heather Davis and LOVED it so I decided to give this one a try too.
What did I think of this book? Well, it wasn't as good as The Clearing in my opinion, but it was still pretty good. The main character is a 16 year old girl who lives with her father and evil step-mother Priscilla (thought the name suited her well :)) after her mother dies three years earlier. Shelby is caught kissing a boy out under the moonlight in her step-mother's rose garden and her step mom immediately seizes this as an opportunity to send her away. Shelby apparently hasn't had to best choice of guys; always putting their needs before her own and her parents sees this as the last straw.
She is sent off to Camp Crescent, a prestigious brat camp where the rich and famous send their problem children to change for the "better". Here, while enduring sickening therapy sessions, Shelby meets Austin Bridges III. He's handsome, the son of a rocker, and has an English accent. Sounds perfect right? Well, it just so happens the Austin has a little secret, and if anyone were to find out this secret, it could endanger his family.
Austin eventually ends up revealing his secret to Shelby who promises to keep it safe and help him. She is one of the two people outside the family who know this secret; the other is a girl who didn't take it so well. Through most of the story, Shelby is hestitant when it comes to trusting Austin (she has trust issues), but she can not deny the attraction she has for him. Their friendship blossoms into something more as teh story goes on, and she learns to trust him after he changges and saves her life.
After going through great lengths to protect Austin and his secret, Shelby is shipped off to another brat camp, which is more like a military camp and 1000X worse. But after being there for a while, she gets a rather good surprise that makes all she went through seem worth it. Can you guess what...or who...it is? ;)
February 14, 2012
EXCITING, EMOTIONAL & PASSIONATE ROLLERCOASTER RIDE, LEAVING U WANTING MORE!
Shelby doesn't have a problem getting the boy she wants at the moment. It's when they feed her the infamous, "trust me" line, & needs rescuing from various school projects. Such as a paper on Jane Austin, making posters, & etc., everything goes down hill from there. Not to mention the awesome make-out sessions Shelby's involved in as well. Shelby's heart is in the right place, but trouble seems to follow her. It always lands her into enough hot water.
Because of Shelby's evil step-mother Priscilla, catching Shelby in one of her latest mishaps. Priscilla manages to convince Shelby's dad to send her away for the summer, to a bratt camp, & miss out on prom. He decides on Camp Crescent in the desolate part of Oregon, not where Priscilla would prefer Shelby to go, Red Canyon a military style boot camp. Shelby despise the fact that she is forced to go, & if she screws up & gets kicked out, she will have no choice & be sent to Red Canyon. So Shelby doesn't need any distractions.
Until she's at the airport waiting for the Camp Crescent bus to arrive, & catches a glimpse of the mysterious good looking Rock Star's son, Austin. With his irresistible Britsh accent, that would send any normal girl into a tailspin.
Shelby is drawn to Austin for several reasons. First, Austin is in dire need of rescuing. If he doesn't receive a special elixir before the next full moon, there might be a devastating outcome @ Camp Crescent. Second, they both have lost important people who would be crucial elements within their upbringing (their mothers). Finally, Shelby & Austin are teenagers with raging hormones. Come on, what would you do with your 1st true love in the middle of nowhere all by yourselves @ night?
With all this facing Shelby & the fact of Red Canyon always on the back of her mind. What does a girl do? Well as usual, I'm not going to divulge the whole entire book, but I promise you this you won't be disappointed.
My experience with this book was relative on what happened to me, when my father passed away. The downwards spiral feeling of going out of control, and the biggest problem for me was the NEED to rescue other people. My mother, sister, friends, & etc., instead of rescuing myself first.
I absolutely loved this book. It was emotionally satisfying; it had the precise action sequences, and the insatiable romantic elements I enjoy. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL AGES.
Shelby doesn't have a problem getting the boy she wants at the moment. It's when they feed her the infamous, "trust me" line, & needs rescuing from various school projects. Such as a paper on Jane Austin, making posters, & etc., everything goes down hill from there. Not to mention the awesome make-out sessions Shelby's involved in as well. Shelby's heart is in the right place, but trouble seems to follow her. It always lands her into enough hot water.
Because of Shelby's evil step-mother Priscilla, catching Shelby in one of her latest mishaps. Priscilla manages to convince Shelby's dad to send her away for the summer, to a bratt camp, & miss out on prom. He decides on Camp Crescent in the desolate part of Oregon, not where Priscilla would prefer Shelby to go, Red Canyon a military style boot camp. Shelby despise the fact that she is forced to go, & if she screws up & gets kicked out, she will have no choice & be sent to Red Canyon. So Shelby doesn't need any distractions.
Until she's at the airport waiting for the Camp Crescent bus to arrive, & catches a glimpse of the mysterious good looking Rock Star's son, Austin. With his irresistible Britsh accent, that would send any normal girl into a tailspin.
Shelby is drawn to Austin for several reasons. First, Austin is in dire need of rescuing. If he doesn't receive a special elixir before the next full moon, there might be a devastating outcome @ Camp Crescent. Second, they both have lost important people who would be crucial elements within their upbringing (their mothers). Finally, Shelby & Austin are teenagers with raging hormones. Come on, what would you do with your 1st true love in the middle of nowhere all by yourselves @ night?
With all this facing Shelby & the fact of Red Canyon always on the back of her mind. What does a girl do? Well as usual, I'm not going to divulge the whole entire book, but I promise you this you won't be disappointed.
My experience with this book was relative on what happened to me, when my father passed away. The downwards spiral feeling of going out of control, and the biggest problem for me was the NEED to rescue other people. My mother, sister, friends, & etc., instead of rescuing myself first.
I absolutely loved this book. It was emotionally satisfying; it had the precise action sequences, and the insatiable romantic elements I enjoy. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL AGES.
October 19, 2010
Shelby has been sent to brat camp. She's pretty sure it was all her evil stepmother's idea, but the fact that her dad didn't stand up for her really hurts. Brat camp is just what you'd expect - lots of rich kids bemoaning the lack of internet and good food. Between the "fun" activities are the oh-so-enjoyable therapy sessions. Her new friend Ariel is the only other normal kid at camp. Shelby knows that she should just stick with Ariel and hope that summer doesn't drag on too slowly, but she has another interest: Austin Bridges. It seems like every time she and Austin are together, Shelby somehow ends up getting into trouble - which means she's one step closer to being sent off to Red Canyon Ranch, a hellish desert boot camp that she only narrowly avoided being sent to in the first place. Austin has a secret, and it's only a matter of time before someone digs up the truth. What's a girl to do?
Never Cry Werewolf is a cute, campy (sometimes literally) YA werewolf story. It has all of your YA necessities - dead mother, distant father, evil stepmother, hot mysterious new guy, snobby rich kid out to get them. Formulaic to a T, it's not exactly earth-shattering fiction. It is, however, a good story. I had a difficult time believing that a widow would allow his new trophy wife to send his daughter off to brat camp, but beyond that it's not horribly a unbelievable storyline. Girl meets boy. Boy is mysterious. Girl must know everything about boy. Boy tells girl his secret. Girl will do anything to help boy protect his secret. (Wait, this sound like another book.. didn't Twilight already do this? Oh well, moving on...) Shelby is a likeable, if stubborn, character, and it's hard not to empathize with her situation. If you like books such as Wings by Aprilynn Pike or Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway, you will enjoy this book.
3 stars.
Davis's latest novel, The Clearing , was released in April 2010. Her next book, Wherever You Go, will be released in fall 2011.
http://amandasbooksandmore.blogspot.com/
Never Cry Werewolf is a cute, campy (sometimes literally) YA werewolf story. It has all of your YA necessities - dead mother, distant father, evil stepmother, hot mysterious new guy, snobby rich kid out to get them. Formulaic to a T, it's not exactly earth-shattering fiction. It is, however, a good story. I had a difficult time believing that a widow would allow his new trophy wife to send his daughter off to brat camp, but beyond that it's not horribly a unbelievable storyline. Girl meets boy. Boy is mysterious. Girl must know everything about boy. Boy tells girl his secret. Girl will do anything to help boy protect his secret. (Wait, this sound like another book.. didn't Twilight already do this? Oh well, moving on...) Shelby is a likeable, if stubborn, character, and it's hard not to empathize with her situation. If you like books such as Wings by Aprilynn Pike or Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway, you will enjoy this book.
3 stars.
Davis's latest novel, The Clearing , was released in April 2010. Her next book, Wherever You Go, will be released in fall 2011.
http://amandasbooksandmore.blogspot.com/
May 4, 2013
From my blog, The Writer Diaries.
Please note the heavy underlying sarcasm of that gif. Let’s proceed.
After her mother dies (writers hate parents, don’t they), Shelby’s ultra-rich father marries a silicone valley step monster whose one purpose in life is to get free breast enhancement and send Shelby’s annoying tush as far away as she possibly can.
After being caught kissing some random kid on her lawn, Shelby is sent to brat camp in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of other snobby rich kids and the son of a rock star. Did I mention he’s British? He’s a perfectly nice kid, his father’s assistant sent him there. To brat camp. And his father has no idea. I wonder how that didn’t reach his attention, especially considering he’s a werewolf!
So, locked up in brat camp, Shelby and Austin must find a way to get his drugs back to keep him from turning into a flea bitten hungry mutt on the full moon, or he has to escape before he hurts someone.
Easier said than done. The ending is anti-climatic, which is to be expected because there was never much build up. I would’ve preferred my alternate ending – Austin wolfing out and eating everyone.
Pros.
- Well, there were none, aside that I am thankful I didn’t pay real money for this, I won a bid on Listia.
- And that it was short, and SHORTNESS being a pro? You know that’s bad.
Cons.
- Why does every male character in the history of ever have a British accent? Okay, I know I’ve done it in one of my stories, but it was set in England. I’m justified, right?
- You want to identify with the main character. The only thing I identify with Shelby is with her parents decision of sending her to brat camp. I was hoping she’d get eaten, she’s vastly annoying.
- Characters lack any depth whatsoever.
- I wanted bears to attack and eat everyone.
Meh. That’s my response. I was bored and the only appealing thing whatsoever was the cover. I wouldn’t recommend this, unless you’re suffering a bout of insomnia.
Please note the heavy underlying sarcasm of that gif. Let’s proceed.
After her mother dies (writers hate parents, don’t they), Shelby’s ultra-rich father marries a silicone valley step monster whose one purpose in life is to get free breast enhancement and send Shelby’s annoying tush as far away as she possibly can.
After being caught kissing some random kid on her lawn, Shelby is sent to brat camp in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of other snobby rich kids and the son of a rock star. Did I mention he’s British? He’s a perfectly nice kid, his father’s assistant sent him there. To brat camp. And his father has no idea. I wonder how that didn’t reach his attention, especially considering he’s a werewolf!
So, locked up in brat camp, Shelby and Austin must find a way to get his drugs back to keep him from turning into a flea bitten hungry mutt on the full moon, or he has to escape before he hurts someone.
Easier said than done. The ending is anti-climatic, which is to be expected because there was never much build up. I would’ve preferred my alternate ending – Austin wolfing out and eating everyone.
Pros.
- Well, there were none, aside that I am thankful I didn’t pay real money for this, I won a bid on Listia.
- And that it was short, and SHORTNESS being a pro? You know that’s bad.
Cons.
- Why does every male character in the history of ever have a British accent? Okay, I know I’ve done it in one of my stories, but it was set in England. I’m justified, right?
- You want to identify with the main character. The only thing I identify with Shelby is with her parents decision of sending her to brat camp. I was hoping she’d get eaten, she’s vastly annoying.
- Characters lack any depth whatsoever.
- I wanted bears to attack and eat everyone.
Meh. That’s my response. I was bored and the only appealing thing whatsoever was the cover. I wouldn’t recommend this, unless you’re suffering a bout of insomnia.
December 1, 2010
I have a things for wolves in stories (Sam in Shiver, the wolf pack in the Twilight Saga) so when I read the description of this book, I was excited to read it. I found that I really enjoyed Davis's fun writing style. The story is a quick, fun read. The characters were fun, but I didn't feel as attached to them as I normally do in books. The character's aren't as developed in depth and the story line is a fun, but not in-depth story. It's not hard to figure out who the werewolf is, mixed in with the other teenage campers at the prestigious brat camp in Oregon.
We met Shelby who's 16, lost her mom a couple years, lives with her dad and more or less money hungry step mom who's had them move from WI to Beverly Hills. Shelby gets caught kissing a boy out the in gardens which sends her step mom over edge. Apparently Shelby's been in trouble before with boys, and her dad and step mom decide brat crap will cure her.
Upon arriving at a prestigious brat camp in Oregon (filled with a lot of other well known celebrities kids), Shelby meets Austin Austin Bridges, III (and son of a rock star, who's from England) and a Ariel, who knows Austin and his family, but not their secret. We learn more about Austin through Ariel and what she tells Shelby.
We learn Austin's family has a secret and Austin turns to Shelby to help him keep the secret, a secret. Only his family, and two other people know this secret. For most of the story Shelby herself is trying to figure out if she should really trust Austin, but she's so drawn to him to can't help but believe him despite the doubts she keeps having. It's not until he changes and saves her does she really learn to trust him. Along the way their friendship develops into something out.
It's not until she realizes she can trust him, does she then do something that will cost her a trip to the dreaded brat camp her step mother wanted to send her to in the first. Shelby risks it all to save Austin and keep his family secret, a secret.
We met Shelby who's 16, lost her mom a couple years, lives with her dad and more or less money hungry step mom who's had them move from WI to Beverly Hills. Shelby gets caught kissing a boy out the in gardens which sends her step mom over edge. Apparently Shelby's been in trouble before with boys, and her dad and step mom decide brat crap will cure her.
Upon arriving at a prestigious brat camp in Oregon (filled with a lot of other well known celebrities kids), Shelby meets Austin Austin Bridges, III (and son of a rock star, who's from England) and a Ariel, who knows Austin and his family, but not their secret. We learn more about Austin through Ariel and what she tells Shelby.
We learn Austin's family has a secret and Austin turns to Shelby to help him keep the secret, a secret. Only his family, and two other people know this secret. For most of the story Shelby herself is trying to figure out if she should really trust Austin, but she's so drawn to him to can't help but believe him despite the doubts she keeps having. It's not until he changes and saves her does she really learn to trust him. Along the way their friendship develops into something out.
It's not until she realizes she can trust him, does she then do something that will cost her a trip to the dreaded brat camp her step mother wanted to send her to in the first. Shelby risks it all to save Austin and keep his family secret, a secret.
February 16, 2011
Where to start with this book? Well the idea of this book was nothing new, girl meets werewolf, is surprised by what he is but ends up falling for him. Although it may not be different, the approach, for me, is what helps separate it. Shelby, our protagonist, starts out by getting sent to "brat camp". Her father remarried, and her now step-mom, seems to find every flaw with her and gets her sent there. She is sent to Oregon, where immediately her "trouble" side follows her, she meets Austin Bridges III. She feels some pull to him from the start, even though she's not sure what it is. Shortly after meeting him, trouble maker Charles, runs off with Austin's bag, thus causing Austin to follow him. Shelby doesn't like that no one is helping them, so she decides to put matters into her own hands and follows them. Starting of their interesting relationship. They become friends from there, he tells her his secret, shortly after. Then the story goes pretty quickly from there.
I thought this book was good, but it did have its flaws. I felt that this book was rushed sometimes. There were many things that I thought could have been explained more, for example at the beginning she doesn't know one girls name, but then the next line she says it. It would be nice to put those small details in, the book was shorter than I would normally read, so to me she had room to add these details. The fact that this also happened in a week was something different, but added to the "rushed" feeling I got.
There was a lot of loose ends that I could see there being a sequel. Especially during the last few pages, but we shall see. I would read the next book if there was one. All in all, it was good, but needed some work, but not bad for a start.
I thought this book was good, but it did have its flaws. I felt that this book was rushed sometimes. There were many things that I thought could have been explained more, for example at the beginning she doesn't know one girls name, but then the next line she says it. It would be nice to put those small details in, the book was shorter than I would normally read, so to me she had room to add these details. The fact that this also happened in a week was something different, but added to the "rushed" feeling I got.
There was a lot of loose ends that I could see there being a sequel. Especially during the last few pages, but we shall see. I would read the next book if there was one. All in all, it was good, but needed some work, but not bad for a start.
July 14, 2011
Plot: 2.5 Stars
There were just parts of the plot that rubbed me the wrong way. For example, the characters in this book were at "brat camp" but no one noticed when Shelby wandered off during an activity. Also, considering the book centered around Shelby's time at brat camp, the day to day activities and therapy were almost nonexistant. It really left a lot to be desired.
Pace: 3 Stars
For a book I read so quickly, it didn't really feel like anything was happening. And there also seemed to be scenes that just weren't needed to further the plot. There were also a few scenes that seemed to move too quickly. The major one is Shelby coming to terms with the paranormal aspect of the story. She didn't deny it or think he was crazy nearly long enough considering she wasn't given a lot of physical evidence.
Characters: 1 Stars
Outside of the two main characters, no one really had any depth. They were just names with one or two pieces of a personality that mostly just filled the scenes. Characters I thought I would enjoy, never really progressed past their initial interesting introduction, and characters I thought I would root against were just half way bad. No one was really awesome and no one was really evil.
Cover: 3 Stars
Although the play on Little Red Riding Hood was creative, the cover seems a little bland to me. Nothing about it (besides the title) reads paranormal at all. It doesn't need to give away the plot, but I wish I was at least sure that there would be supernatural creatures. There was also nothing to make it stand out against any other cover, since it was just a cover model and a title.
Overall: 2.5 Stars
Disclosure: I received this book as a gift.
There were just parts of the plot that rubbed me the wrong way. For example, the characters in this book were at "brat camp" but no one noticed when Shelby wandered off during an activity. Also, considering the book centered around Shelby's time at brat camp, the day to day activities and therapy were almost nonexistant. It really left a lot to be desired.
Pace: 3 Stars
For a book I read so quickly, it didn't really feel like anything was happening. And there also seemed to be scenes that just weren't needed to further the plot. There were also a few scenes that seemed to move too quickly. The major one is Shelby coming to terms with the paranormal aspect of the story. She didn't deny it or think he was crazy nearly long enough considering she wasn't given a lot of physical evidence.
Characters: 1 Stars
Outside of the two main characters, no one really had any depth. They were just names with one or two pieces of a personality that mostly just filled the scenes. Characters I thought I would enjoy, never really progressed past their initial interesting introduction, and characters I thought I would root against were just half way bad. No one was really awesome and no one was really evil.
Cover: 3 Stars
Although the play on Little Red Riding Hood was creative, the cover seems a little bland to me. Nothing about it (besides the title) reads paranormal at all. It doesn't need to give away the plot, but I wish I was at least sure that there would be supernatural creatures. There was also nothing to make it stand out against any other cover, since it was just a cover model and a title.
Overall: 2.5 Stars
Disclosure: I received this book as a gift.
August 3, 2010
Never Cry Werewolf is a piece of supernatural romance fluff whose title and cover tell you just about everything that you need to know about what you'll find inside: a young girl in the dark woods looking scared but a little excited, pulling her red hoodie (allusion alert!) around herself while cursive writing spells out the terrible pun of the title? You get the idea. Shelby is a slightly rebellious teen (she has a tendency to get caught making out with boys) whose Evil Stepmother ships her off to brat camp for the summer. There among the cast-off offspring of the rich and famous - the son of a gossip columnist here, an heir to a fashion empire there - she discovers the dreamy Austin Bridges III whose rock-star father has a reputation for crazy stage antics a la Ozzie Osborne. Shelby suspects he's trouble, but as they get closer she realizes, OMG, he's a werewolf!!!
There's really no other plot worth speaking of in this diverting but forgettable book. The characters are all plucked straight from the Cookie-Cutter YA Character Handbook. Shelby works as a basic typical girl YA book heroine, and she has a typical-girl best friend/sidekick who's there when she's needed for the plot and gone when she's not. There are a couple of plot strands that don't go anywhere, and the inevitable werewolf transformation and resultant rampage come and go in a blink. But none of that matters. What matters are the descriptions of Austin's eyes sparkling in the moonlight and the butterflies in Shelby's stomach. If that's what your readers are after, then they'll gobble up this brief book in an instant.
There's really no other plot worth speaking of in this diverting but forgettable book. The characters are all plucked straight from the Cookie-Cutter YA Character Handbook. Shelby works as a basic typical girl YA book heroine, and she has a typical-girl best friend/sidekick who's there when she's needed for the plot and gone when she's not. There are a couple of plot strands that don't go anywhere, and the inevitable werewolf transformation and resultant rampage come and go in a blink. But none of that matters. What matters are the descriptions of Austin's eyes sparkling in the moonlight and the butterflies in Shelby's stomach. If that's what your readers are after, then they'll gobble up this brief book in an instant.
May 3, 2011
Wow, I think I might have to go to camp and see if I can find myself a werewolf then.
Shelby gets caught after curfew kissing a boy outside of her house by her stepmother. This time she cant get out of it and is sent to camp for the summer. But it's not the leisurely camp with sports or canoe rides down the river - this is brat camp. It's where the rich send their children for hard work, therapy, and to learn discipline. It's basically the worst possible way to spend your summer.
Shelby, at least, isn't going to the worst of these camps. While talking to the rest of the campers, she realizes that she's going to have to work hard at not shooting off her mouth this summer. Just when she thinks she might be able to take care of herself, a boy appears.
This boy is Austin, he's the son of a famous, crazy musician and is a Brit. He wears a leather coat in the boiling summer sun and has a deep, dark secret that would ruin his family if it got out.
Once Shelby finds out the truth she has to get over her shock and help him, he needs his medicine to stop the werewolf change or the camp might be in for a shock. They eventually end up in the woods together on a full moon and Austin changes into a Werewolf. He saves her from a wild cat and in the process he gets hurt, so she has to take him back to camp. Her step-mother consequently sends her to a military brat camp for disobeying orders.
This book has two brilliant protagonists and also some other amazing minor characters. The conversations are funny and touching at points. The romance is brilliant and sweet and I think that the two protagonists couldn't be better suited. A definite 5 stars.
Shelby gets caught after curfew kissing a boy outside of her house by her stepmother. This time she cant get out of it and is sent to camp for the summer. But it's not the leisurely camp with sports or canoe rides down the river - this is brat camp. It's where the rich send their children for hard work, therapy, and to learn discipline. It's basically the worst possible way to spend your summer.
Shelby, at least, isn't going to the worst of these camps. While talking to the rest of the campers, she realizes that she's going to have to work hard at not shooting off her mouth this summer. Just when she thinks she might be able to take care of herself, a boy appears.
This boy is Austin, he's the son of a famous, crazy musician and is a Brit. He wears a leather coat in the boiling summer sun and has a deep, dark secret that would ruin his family if it got out.
Once Shelby finds out the truth she has to get over her shock and help him, he needs his medicine to stop the werewolf change or the camp might be in for a shock. They eventually end up in the woods together on a full moon and Austin changes into a Werewolf. He saves her from a wild cat and in the process he gets hurt, so she has to take him back to camp. Her step-mother consequently sends her to a military brat camp for disobeying orders.
This book has two brilliant protagonists and also some other amazing minor characters. The conversations are funny and touching at points. The romance is brilliant and sweet and I think that the two protagonists couldn't be better suited. A definite 5 stars.
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