I reviewed this novel on 09/01/20 on a previous blog, now defunct.
Hunter's Moon
After a wild animal attack, Melanie Caldwell ends up sick and disoriented. She and her friends think she just needs to go to the doctor. Then she’s kidnapped on the day of the next full moon, and discovers in the worst way that monsters are real . . . and that she has become one of them.
All Melanie wanted was to get a boyfriend and graduate college. Now she has to somehow deal with agonizing monthly transformations, a secret organization stalking her, friends and enemies trying to discover her secret and hunters looming on the horizon.
Perspective by Peter:
I was asked by the author to review this debut novel. I am glad I did as this is a very different werewolf novel. It goes outside the usually predictable depiction of this topic. No romance and pack mentality. No feuds between werewolf packs. No dominant alpha male pack leader fighting over new female members, no challenges to the alpha male leadership of the pack.
Awa concentrates on other issues that you don't see in these other werewolf tomes. Her focus is on what it is like to become one. This involves the dangers they experience, the hatred and victimisation and the hunting and killing of them from the human population at large; it also focuses on their internal battles, supporting each other and coping with this new lifestyle that has been thrust upon them and one that they cannot control. Hence it is referred to as a "curse". This implies some spiritual or otherworldly cause.
Awa depicts this well. In doing so and with this focus on these side issues, you are immediately endeared to Melanie, Gavin, Nicholas and those from The Organisation. This engages your empathy for what they go through, the monthly transformation and the preventative measures they engage in to stop themselves from killing or maiming others, the pain involved in transforming to and from the werewolf state and hiding all this from their family, friends and the community at large.
Awa has also focussed on the human side of these characters in that their humanness is what defines them and not the werewolf curse. In other werewolf novels, it seems to be the reverse (and the same can be said for the vampire genre). Is this a Biblical theme that Awa has run in the background of this novel? That no matter what happens or what is behind this curse, we are human first and foremost as God created us? This backs up what Gavin tells Melanie that there is no medical treatment, no drug or other medication or other forms of treatment and therapy to reverse this condition or halt its manifestations. All blood tests and other medical investigations show nothing abnormal or altered in the human DNA or genome (Awa does not mention DNA or genome, but implies this). Hence Gavin and those of The Organisation regard this as a curse and not of any physical cause from the bite or mauling of a werewolf.
If this is the case, then Awa has left this open for further explanation and development in the next instalment of this series. Awa does, however, show that a geneticist in The Organisation (also a werewolf) has come close to developing a treatment that enables a werewolf to keep their human mind alert, focussed and unaffected from and during the transformation into the werewolf state. One werewolf character already has this ability from this new treatment. We are left on a cliffhanger in this novel so further instalments will have to reveal the development of this plot arc.
I am hoping Awa will investigate this spiritual side as to its cause in future instalments. Am I hoping she will base it on a Biblical cause? Yes! Why do I say this? Mainly due to her depicting that there is no physical cause of this werewolf transformation, other than it being "transmitted" (my word) to its human victim while in a werewolf state, from being bitten or mauled, there is no known treatment or therapy, no change to the human/werewolf's physical being and they consider it a curse. I had to look up the word "curse" to support my theory. Go here for the many definitions of "curse".
Awa writes very well. Her command of the English language is a competent one. She is consistent in its application. This allows for a fluid and even pace and flow of the plot. It is hard to believe she is a debut novelist! Her pacing of the plot arcs and their position in the novel adds to this flow. It also contributes to ever-growing suspense and intrigue that lends itself to one huge cliffhanger ending that leaves you frustrated in wanting this next instalment now!
Awa is also competent in characterisation. As I have stated above, you become endeared to Melanie, Gavin, Nicholas, Pam, Jos, Timmy and, to a lesser degree, the members of the Organisation. Awa has depicted these teenagers as typical of this modern-day and age, with the pressures of their studies, and the usual teenage dynamics where they are learning how to relate to each other with many foibles their developing maturity contributes to.
While I was expecting, much to my chagrin, that there would be a developing romance between Gavin and Melanie, it was such a pleasure to see that Awa has not gone down this path. If she does in the instalments to come, then please, Sarah, make it a subplot/arc and not one that is usually associated with the werewolf genre! So far, the relationship between these two is based on them being united due to their werewolf status and what they have to do to protect themselves from each other and what they are capable of with any human they meet while in this state. Gavin is very protective of Melanie due to his bad experiences growing up at 8 years of age when he was bitten by a werewolf and his mistrust issues with his fellow humans growing up with this curse, while Melanie rebels against being smothered by his protectiveness. Hence, why she seeks out the assistance and guidance of The Organisation. This has the potential of destroying their relationship. It is Gavin's protectiveness that adds a very serious layer of suspense to the cliffhanger ending.
Awa developed the antagonist well in the character of Timmy. This endearment that I mentioned above, however, is not of a positive or heartwarming one. It borders on despising and disliking him. He is just a product of his generation and most likely defective upbringing that has allowed his destructive attitudes towards his fellow students and his resulting insecurity and immaturity to dictate his actions. He becomes obsessed with werewolves from the incident where Melanie gets bitten and her subsequent change in behaviour, actions and attitude and then when a human exposes himself on YouTube showing him change into a werewolf, he singles Melanie out even more. When The Organisation get involved in this exposure, things turn pear-shaped leading more suspense layers to the cliffhanger ending. And yet another layer of the same is when Pam and Jos become involved in this ending as well. Awa is more than adept at suspense and plot development!
I only have two small gripes with this novel. The first is the title. Hunter's Moon is the title of the moon that Jos, one of Melanie's friends, is born under,
Turning her gaze to her window, she caught a glimpse of the fully round moon. The first one of the year—the Wolf Moon, the weather man had called it. Each month’s full moon had a name, but Jos only knew a couple of them. Her birth month, October, had the Hunter’s Moon. She’d entered the world beneath its watchful eye.
I wondered about this, seeing that this novel is about Melanie and not Jos. But then I remembered that Melanie was bitten in the full moon of October. Now, this would make sense, but why is this moon title singled out under the character of Jos? What relevance is this to Jos other than it being her birth month?
The other gripe is concerning the "sterilising" of the needle used by the geneticist to take Melanie's and Gavin's blood. Awa states that they were in sterile packaging as they are worldwide today, so why would you insist on it being sterilised under the flame of a bunsen burner? Not only is this unnecessary but to then insert it into a vein without it cooling to room temperature would cause intense pain, burning to the skin and also to the vein itself. I know this was to show Melanie's fear of needles and her mistrust at that point of The Organisation but credibility is lost here by including this obsolete and redundant measure. Awa could have dealt with this fear of needles and mistrust of the geneticist (representing The Organisation) by an appropriate discussion from this geneticist stating his technique is the same as any Pathology centre worldwide [skin disinfection, tourniquet, sterile, single-use, disposable phlebotomy equipment (needle and syringes)]. I had to take my Nursing and Phlebotomist hat off to read this section!
This novel is a great introduction to this series and Awa's interpretation of the werewolf genre. It is a satisfying and welcome take. I cannot wait for more of this series and I beg Sarah to not delay in giving us the next instalment. She is an author to follow, read and review. I know we have not seen the last of this author.
This is one very promising debut into fiction and this genre. I would love to her take on another popular and crossover genre, that of vampires! Move over, Stephenie Meyer?
I highly recommend this debut novel. While the Biblical and spiritual themes are either lacking or not obvious, it is a very entertaining and satisfying read. Awa gives justice to this often controversial genre.
Don't pass on this novel!
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