Saamaanthaa

The writing style was clever, original, and laugh-out-loud funny in some places. I loved all the details that D.T. Neal provided about Chicago, art culture, literature, philosophy, The Who, and the music of the times. Speaking of the times, it was fun to revisit the mid-aughts fashion and technology (blogs, cyberfriends, “the Net,” primitive phones with mobile web, “kewl,” Izod zip-ups, lip and bellybutton rings, old-school emoticons, the whole bit). It’s a fun snapshot of life before the smartphone and social media takeover that I had forgotten about and it gave me unexpected nostalgia – something I didn’t expect from a werewolf tale. That said, a lot of the social and political observations made throughout the story aged well and are, in many ways, even more relevant today.

The characters were extraordinarily fleshed out, flawed, sexy, compelling, and fun. You might not agree with all of their choices, but you feel for them, anyway (including Ansel). Even the side characters had distinct personalities and weren’t just vessels for the plot. It’s all here. You’ve got poser hipsters, Suicide Girl hopefuls, trust fund artists, and video-game-addicted middle managers. All of the details, setting descriptions, and character development made for a novel that felt shockingly realistic and, oddly enough, plausible. This is probably pretty close to how things would go down if there were werewolves out there.

This novel explores werewolfism in the same way that Anne Rice delved into her vampires in “Interview with the Vampire” and “The Vampire Lestat” in that it focuses on the firsthand experience of becoming what society deems a monster and eventually embracing it. It’s a truly unique read – the only thing remotely similar is Glen Duncan’s “The Last Werewolf” trilogy, particularly the second installment, “Tallula Rising,” which is told from a female werewolf’s perspective.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys werewolves in all their monstrous glory. This book should be WAY more popular than it is currently. It has quickly become one of my favorite books. It deserves an edgy, artsy show with a cool soundtrack and all the awards. It’s honestly wild that I just now heard about it. I can’t wait to see what the characters get up to in the next two books!