Review: 13 to Life: A Werewolf's Tale By: Shannon Delany

Title: 13 to Life: A Werewolf's Tale
Author: Shannon Delany
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 320 Pages (June 22nd 2010)
From: the Publisher, Thank You!

Synopsis: Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction… when junior Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can only presume it’s for one of two reasons. Either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although far from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around—but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort.

The newest member of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide--secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction—secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early.

Review: 4 Stars - 13 to Life: A Werewolf’s Tale gives us a great starting point for this new series from debut author Shannon Delany. Having written the first draft in 5 short weeks speaks volumes with what Delany was able to accomplish and convey in her characters, plot and storylines.

The main characters are Jessica and Pietr. Jessica comes from a background in training horses and living on a farm. She’s headstrong and wants nothing more to keep her mother’s love for training horses alive and to find out more about the strange killings in the next town. When she’s given the job of showing the ‘new’ guy, Pietr around school she’s not taken in with his looks or charms as all the other girls seem to be, or is she? She finds him rude in the fact that he doesn’t talk… much and is always looking at a clock. Pietr, who’s originally from Russia, is the mysterious new boy in town. He’s not much for words but anyone can tell he’s got a lot more on his mind then he would ever let on. That alone gives such a huge amount of added mystery to him then much else. Also, he just happens to be facing a huge life changing event that runs in the family. The couple things I listed about them aren’t much, but they are more alike then even they realize at the beginning of their journey.

I enjoyed the little bit of Russian heritage we learn throughout the course of the story along with the use of the Russian language. It helped to give an additional layer of that ever present mystery to Pietr and his family. The secondary characters were fun, quirky and very interesting to say the least. I hope we see more of Amy and Pietr’s siblings throughout the books to come.

I do have to say that the beginning of the book I was often confused and had to reread sentences and sometimes whole pages at a time to understand what was going on. I also felt it was a little long in some spots and not long enough in others - especially the ending. The ending felt a little rushed and I had to do a double take as to how things happened so quickly. There were many questions left unanswered that I hope we get to the answers to in the books to come. None of this took away from my over all enjoyment, hence the 4 star review. Delany’s writing, strong and interesting characters, great story and plot is what makes this book one that I believe will be a hit series for readers and fans of the Paranormal genre and for fans of Werewolves in general.

All in all, I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Werewolf’s Tale series and the characters. I mean those last few pages and that cliffhanger ending?? Can’t wait to read what happens next. Enjoy!

FTC Disclaimer: I did not pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this review.