ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Chase and Bryn share a strange connection: the rogue werewolf who "turned" Chase was the same one who killed Bryn's parents when she was young. The pack who subsequently raised Bryn led her to believe that the murdering wolf was dead, but Chase is proof that they lied. The two teens decide to take justice into their own hands when they discover that the "Rabid" is still kidnapping and turning children th the full knowledge of the more mainstream werewolves in the area. Fascinating glimpses into pack family dynamics add depth and texture to this latest entry in the werewolf oeuvre. The requisite elements are here ar-crossed lovers, lethal enemies, and even the family framework t other than occasionally belaboring werewolf lore, Barnes has produced an appealing addition to the ranks of contemporary fantasy-horror.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Bryn, 15, lives between worlds. Born human, she lost her parents in a werewolf attack when she was four. The werewolves, or Weres, who rescued her raised her as their own. Though she doesn't change into a wolf as her peers do, she is still subject to the Pack's rules of dominance and submission. Then Bryn discovers an important Pack secret: They're hiding Chase, a boy her age who survived a usually lethal werewolf bite and was turned into a werewolf. Bryn and Chase bond almost instantly, and Bryn is sure that Chase holds the key to identifying the Were who killed her parents. There are some holes in Bryn's narration of her own supernatural, wolfish abilities, which makes it difficult to understand how she relates to the rest of the pack. The pacing is very slow at the beginning, with most of the important action crammed into the last 75 pages. Despite these shortcomings, the mysteries of Bryn's identity should keep readers hooked, and there's plenty to discuss in terms of gender roles and Pack politics. (Paranormal. YA)

Publishers Weekly (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

The paranormal craze has given readers several interpretations of the werewolf myth, but with a gift for thoughtful detail, Barnes (Fate) presents a fresh and fully realized world in which werewolves and humans coexist. Narrator Bryn, 15, has straddled the line between wolf and human for nearly her whole life, marked as a member of the pack at age four when her parents were murdered by a rogue Were%E2%80%94a Rabid. Callum, the pack's alpha, has been Bryn's hero and father figure ever since, but it's becoming clear that he has also been keeping secrets. When Bryn discovers Chase locked in Callum's basement%E2%80%94a human who's been turned Were, not born one like the other wolves she knows%E2%80%94a cascade of revelations follow, upending Bryn's secure world (""Books and movies would have me believing that any little scratch or bite could turn someone into a werewolf, but thousands of years of werewolf history said they were wrong""). Bryn's voice is sarcastic, exasperated, frightened, insightful, and tender by turns, and Barnes rarely lets her take easy outs, making for an exceptionally taut read. Ages 12%E2%80%93up. (June)

School Library Journal (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Gr 9 Up-For 15-year-old Bryn Clare, life has been anything but normal. At the age of four she witnesses her parents' gruesome murder by a rogue werewolf. Taken in and marked by the alpha male, Callum, she and her foster mother, Ali, are the only two humans accepted and protected by them. Even though she enjoys the connection to the pack, Bryn's human need to set herself apart and be independent has labeled her a rebelsomething unheard of in the strict hierarchy of werewolf society. Her loyalty to Callum and the pack is put to the test with the discovery of newly turned werewolf named Chase. Bryn can not deny the bond she feels with him and begins to uncover information that sets off a chain reaction of events, changing her life forever. Barnes weaves a fantastic story line full of great plot twists and turns with a little romance sprinkled in. Revealing key pieces of the plot in bits and pieces allows the story to move quickly and effortlessly. Readers will definitely respond to gutsy Bryn, who, in being true to herself, must fight for her place in the world. A great read and a must-have for libraries with fans of the supernatural. Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY