Cry for the Moon (The Last Werewolf Hunter Series Book 1) by William Woodall

Cry for the Moon (The Last Werewolf Hunter Series Book 1)

Sometimes choices are hard.

Born into a family of werewolves, Zach Trewick finds himself faced with the question of whether he should accept this evil life for himself or take the desperate and risky gamble of running away from home. To make things worse, he's got only three days left to make up his mind. 

Scrambling to find a way to stay human, Zach quickly makes a bold plan to find his uncle Justin nearly a thousand miles away in Texas, the only person he can think of who might take him in. Stowing away in a septic tank, sleeping in a library, and living in a dog house on a vacant lot are among the adventures he encounters along the way.

But the werewolves have no intention of letting him escape so easily. For although he doesn't know it yet, Zach is the Curse-Breaker, the long foretold boy who can crush the wolf curse forever, and his family will stop at nothing to prevent that. 

Nominated for the 2010 Texas Lone Star Reading List for excellence in young adult literature, Cry for the Moon is the first book in the acclaimed Last Werewolf Hunter series, followed by "Behind Blue Eyes," and then "More Golden than Day".

(Note: This book is NOT horror. It's a young adult/middle-grade adventure story with mild Christian themes and a fair amount of humor. Contains no gore, no violence, and is a thoroughly clean book suitable for all ages.)

The Guru's Review:

Cry for the Moon is my introduction to Woodall's writing and I am pleased I read this. The author asked me to read this from a comment I made in one of the Facebook groups I belong to. I had bought this book last year but had not read it. Little did I know that I had been sitting on a little gold mine! I read this in one sitting as I could not put it down.

Woodall writes very well. I like his style, concise, tight, engaging, and creates a very smooth flow. This was the first aspect that kept me reading. The plot was another. It has a steady, consistent pace, keeps you interested as you ponder what is going to become of Zach as he rebels against the curse of evil hat his family expect him to embrace. 

A third is the use of the first person narrative. Woodall has used this very effectively and I feel that if he had used the third person narrative instead, this novel would not have had the same impact if the first person narrative was used. I can see why he did this; it not only engages the reader into the story but endears same to the character of Zach. I was not only with Zach as he ventured forth to find his uncle, but I felt as though I was next to him all the way, an invisible spectator, but part of Zach at the same time. Having Zach tell the story enabled me to feel his emotions, feel sympathy for him, empathy in some parts, egg him on when things got tough, rejoice when things went in his favor. I guess a fourth was that the author is very good at showing and not telling. Showing provides depth and reality to the scene and characters and connects you to them while telling puts the reader at a distance and you feel disconnected from the story. 

Usually, I would become impatient in a story where the main character(s) have a journey to a destination knowing that when this has been arrived at, that is where the action really starts. I cannot say this in this novel. Woodall has used the majority of this novel to describe the journey Zach makes from Tennessee to Texas, approximately a thousand mile venture, to develop the character of Zach, mature him and let the reader get to know him as well. This is important for the reader in becoming part of the story, and understanding how strongly Zach feels about not embracing the werewolf curse. It is during this part of the novel that Zach comes of age and takes some giant leaps into manhood. 

I applaud Woodall for being able to create a character that is very much a 12-year-old boy on the verge of adolescence. You know Zach is such, he is convincing, he talks like a preadolescent, acts like same and has the same vulnerabilities 12-year-olds do. Reminds me of the saying, "If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and acts like a duck, it is a duck". Zach would very much be the son I would like to have if I was to have a son. 

During the entire journey from leaving home to finding Justin, I was expecting Woodall to introduce the search party from Zach's family to capture him and take him home to fulfill the family destiny they have for him. When this did not happen, I expected it to be once he settled into life with Justin and this would be the cliffhanger that led to the next installment. But it was not to be, the author has depicted Zach settling into life with Justin and developing a relationship with God and that in one sense is a different type of cliffhanger. You know his family are going to seek him out and when this does not happen in this first volume, you know it is going to happen in the next. 

I found in this volume contained mild and subtle Christian themes and I understand that this is what the author wanted. I do feel though that in explaining more about he werewolf curse and that Zach is the foretold Curse-Breaker in future volumes that there will be not so subtle or mild Christian themes. But I look forward to the rest of the series to find out. Even if these remain mild, it will still be a worthy read and inclusion in the Christian fiction/fantasy genre. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Despite it being targeted towards young adults, it has appealed to the young adult that still resides in me and is still very alive and wanting more in this genre and from William Woodall. 

Now I look forward to accompanying Zach on his journey to becoming the Curse-Breaker and what God has in store for him. 

Highly Recommended.