Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf - Curtis Jobling

To promote the release of Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf, Puffin developed an ingenious idea for a blog tour: beginning with author, Curtis Joblings, bloggers on the tour would create their very own creature and each would post a picture of it as they added it along with their review. Brilliant, isn't it? Here's how it looked as it left me:

And here's my review:

Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf – Curtis Jobling

Pages: 418
Publisher: Puffin (Penguin)
Release Date: 6th January 2010

‘You are the last of the werewolves. Don’t fight it, son; embrace it. Conquer it.’

When the air is clear, sixteen-year-old Drew Ferran can pick up the scent of a predator.

When the moon breaks through the clouds, a terrifying fever grips him.

And when a vicious beast invades his home, his flesh tears, his fingers become claws and Drew transforms...

Forced to flee the family he loves, Drew seeks refuge in the most godforsaken parts of Lyssia. But when he is captured by Duke Bergan’s men, Drew must prove he is not the enemy.

Can Drew battle the werecreatures determined to destroy him – and master the animal within?

Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf is the first book in a thrilling new fantasy adventure series from Curtis Jobling.

This was a book that grew on me steadily. At first I felt that Rise of the Wolf was occasionally over-descriptive. It seemed to distract me from Drew and the action in the beginning but I soon got used to it and eventually barely noticed it. I also warmed to the characters as I would real people: as I got to know them. This was especially true of Gretchen who I hated for at least half of the novel until we began to see the real her.

I loved the mythology of Rise of the Wolf. The idea of the Werelords – who are all different types of therianthropes – is brilliant in its variety. There are species of shape-shifter that would never even occur to me. The feral and ritualistic Wyldermen were completely fascinating, though very dangerous, and I hope we see more of them as the series goes on.

The politics and the history of the Werelords of Lyssia is complex and well thought out. There were wars, battles, dictators, heroes, tragedies and everything else that comes along with a kingdom. It’s brilliantly intricate and helps you get a real taste of what it would be like to live in Lyssia.

I really enjoyed Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf and I’m looking forward to the next instalment in the series.

For my 2011 Debut Author Challenge

Sophie

You can see where the picture started at Wondrous Reads.
What was added next at Nayu's Reading Corner.
And how the picture develops again on January 10th at Once Upon a Bookcase.