Book Review: Weregirl by C.D. Bell

weregirl-ciSynopsis: C. D. Bell’s WEREGIRL is a fast-paced teen thriller set in Tether, Michigan, a town on the brink of shutdown since it was stripped of its resources by corporate polluter Dutch Chemical. High school junior Nessa Kurland is a cross-country runner with her eyes set on one thing: a college scholarship as her one-way ticket out of Tether. 

Talented teammate Cynthia Sinise invites Nessa on a nighttime run through Tether’s overgrown forest trails. But she speeds ahead, leaving Nessa alone to discover a trapped wolf. Nessa tries to free the animal but is badly bitten, seemingly ruining her hopes for a strong fall season with the cross-country team. 

Instead, Nessa’s freakishly quick recovery is followed by improved running times. All her senses are heightened. Nessa has transformed. 

She has become a werewolf. 


TRB Review – 3.5/5

Weregirl is a feminist twist on a classic usually male-driven werewolf transformation story. It was dramatic, witty, and detailed – just not exactly my cup of tea.

A little bird told me that this was going to be better than the Twilight series, which I can happily say is true. It’s a much more feminist story with a very strong and determined female lead character. Unlike the gloomy and uninteresting Bella Swan, Nessa fights hard for what she believes in and although she is struggling through the story with her changes and adjusting to the new life that she’s be chosen for, she remains feisty and curious.

I unfortunately was not a fan of this author’s writing style. There were countless sentences where unnecessary information was added in parenthesis, I find this to be an overused and frankly loose form of writing that I have difficulty appreciating. This book is not necessarily dramatically high school level, but I would say that it is geared more so towards readers who appreciate or can relate to said age group’s maturity level and way of behaving. One thing that I did enjoy was the occasional pop of very expressive scenery and senses.

“She could hear the running of water, the music of wind in the trees. She could smell the heaviness of leaves turning to soil, the acidity given off the broken branch of a pine tree.” Weregirl, pg. 150

I was pleased that the author included more than just the expected teenage wolf drama. The side story of the town’s chemical exposure kept me intrigued, it was a buffer that was very welcome and moved the story farther along that just a normal “girl gets turned into a wolf and has to find her place in the world again” story. Overall, the story is well rounded and the characters are nicely developed. This was an uncorrected ARC, so it’s very possible that the grammatical issues I had were entirely based off this fact. Regardless, I was impressed with the multi-faceted story weaving that was done, and the fact that this wasn’t your average teenage angst werewolf tale. I’d suggest this to anyone that doesn’t mind a little high school drama and enjoys a good feminist lead character.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author’s publicist in exchange for an honest review.


About the author:

weregirl-author-picWhen she’s not biking the streets of Brooklyn, NY, you can find C. D. Bell writing in a decrepit RV clinging to the side of a hill in upstate New York, trying to teach herself to watercolor, or inventing her own recipes. She is a voracious reader of anything and everything fantasy, supernatural, or romance. And she swears that the monsters she often writes about are not real— at least she hopes not.

The second installment of the WEREGIRL trilogy is already in the works.

You can follow the Weregirl team via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or visit the official website for updates & info!

Order this book via one of your favorite retailers today!
Amazon, Book DepositoryBarnes & Noble, or purchase an autographed copy here!

Book Reviews, Subscription Boxes, & more!

Hello Lovelies!
As you are surely aware, it is Monday once again! As much as I despise early mornings and long days, I have to say that today was a good one. I am still waiting to get some review copies in the mail but I thought I’d introduce one of them today, as well as talk a little about another monthly subscription box that I’ve decided to try (I am SO excited about this one) and my extreme and new-found addiction to Etsy!

thewolfroadOnward to the good stuff! This is an upcoming review that I’ll be posting here and linking on my Instagram account.

The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis is a newly published (July, 2016) suspense/thriller novel about a girl named Elka who was taken in and raised by a hunter (whose name is Trapper) in a desolate wilderness. She then learns a horrifying secret that Trapper has been keeping and flees into the frozen north in search of her biological parents.

Amazon says, “The Wolf Road is an intimate cat-and-mouse tale of revenge and redemption, played out against a vast, unforgiving landscape—told by an indomitable young heroine fighting to escape her past and rejoin humanity.”

This is a different genre for me to venture into, but I am thrilled to have the opportunity to read it and write a review! The dust jacket is already very interesting to me, and having read the description 100 times I am getting more and more excited, I haven’t even received the book yet!!

book-boyfriend-boxNow this is THE most exciting thing that a Monday could offer — not only did I recently sign by for the BookCase.Club monthly book box (read my last post for more info), but I’ve finally found what I am hoping will be a fantastic book box that is PERFECT for me called the Book Boyfriend Box! It is a bi-monthly subscription box that provides 1 recently released YA novel along with 2-6 bookish goodies that can vary from something small like a bookmark to something larger like a custom candle or a t-shirt!

I’ve been stalking them for quite some time on Instagram, along with their IG reps, and I subscribed first thing this morning when it became available! It is a new launch and I cannot wait to see what they are going to do for us! I’ve even emailed them requesting to join their rep team on Instagram as well as to provide reviews and unboxings here on the blog, but I just sent that email this afternoon and am not really holding my breath (although OML how awesome would that be?!).

It starts at $29.99/2 month period (one box in a 2 month period) plus the cost of shipping which varies by location — did I mention this is an international subscription box?? — This price was great for me because I’ve been worried about spending $40+ per month for a box with my limited budget and it breaks down to about $15/month.

I absolutely ❤love❤ that this box is themed around “book boyfriends” which if you don’t know what that means they’ve so eloquently explained it as “any fictional male character that sweeps you off your feet” *cough* Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice anyone? ;) They ask your t-shirt size when you sign up and they make the entire process so simple! The October/November theme is  ✻✩✷ To the Stars ✷✩✻ Ahhhhh!

I’ll keep this part short since it probably makes no difference whatsoever, but I just need to shout it out to the world – I AM ADDICTED TO ETSY! Over the past few weeks I’ve stayed within a budget, but I have gotten some kick-ass goodies!! Look at these bookmarks, they’re gorgeous!
bookmark-collageThey each have a quote from a different romantic poet/author including Keats (my favorite of all time), Wordsworth, Coleridge, and more. Ahhh they’re so lovely. I’ve also gotten some other neat things, one of which is a gift and I cannot post it assuming that person may read this before their birthday ;)

Enough with my bookish nerdigans, I hope that you all had a wonderful start to the week and that it only proceeds to get better from here!

Are you reading anything currently? What genre is your favorite going into Fall? If you have a Goodreads account, please post it in the comments below so that I can follow you :)

XOXO!!
Savana C.