By Olivia Stephens
After sneaking out against her mother's wishes, Artie Irvin spots a massive wolf--then watches it don a bathrobe and transform into her mom. Thrilled to discover she comes from a line of werewolves, Artie asks her mom to share everything--including the story of Artie's late father. Her mom reluctantly agrees. And to help Artie figure out her own wolflike abilities, her mom recruits some old family friends. Artie thrives in her new community and even develops a crush on her new friend Maya. But as she learns the history of werewolves and her own parents' past, she'll find that wolves aren't the scariest thing in the woods--vampires are.
----
FINALLY got my hands on this book after several months of struggle due to shipping/production shortages (legit, my preorder of this book was cancelled by the company due to not enough books) and I’m happy to say it was worth the wait!
This is a great story with a queer protagonist figuring out who she is with a whole family and world she never knew existed until one random night when she catches her mom shifting from a wolf back into a human. I like the lore of these werewolves (and how there are multiple different origins) and how they have werewolf small-towns (YESSSS) and werewolf condominiums for the “Bougie” wolves that want to live in the city (LOOOL).
The vampire lore is also...fascinating, horrifying, and a take I don’t think I’ve seen before? It makes them much more threatening not just physically, but emotionally/mentally with how you have to deal with them. No spoilers, I want ya’ll to read this book.
I was able to get my copy through my public library (who have magical resources for getting their hands on rare books), so if you want to read, but struggle to find a copy that’s the option I recommend! There is also an ebook, but I’m old-school and I like holding my comics lol. I’m gonna keep trying to get my hands on my own copy next time I do a book-run.
