Feral Curse

March 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-This second installment begins in the small town of Pine Ridge, Texas. Kayla is a teenage werecat adopted at birth and raised by loving human parents. Isolated from the shifter world, she has hidden her inner cat from those she cares about. Driven by her love for Benjamin and an attempt to be open and honest, she reveals her true nature. The result is disastrous, ending in betrayal, regret, and rejection. Determined to "save" Kayla, Ben unleashes a mystical curse that ensnares shifters and ties them to enchanted carousel animals while causing his untimely death. In order to break this bizarre bewitchment, a colorful cast of characters must work together to find the answers they need while dealing with the rising mistrust and discrimination toward the shifter population. This well-written, action-packed story perfectly blends serious topics such as self-worth, acceptance, and tolerance with witty dialogue and humorous banter in a modern yet supernatural world. The alternating narrative between male werecat Yoshi and Kayla allows for great depth of character while keeping the plot fresh, edgy, and thoroughly entertaining. Readers will eagerly look forward to the next entry in the trilogy and the ultimate confrontation between shifters and humans. A satisfying read for fans of paranormal and the occult.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Campy humor is paired with themes of social justice in this fast-paced, clever second volume in the Feral series. As this installment opens, a teen Texan werecat named Kayla is poised to lose her virginity to her loving boyfriend, Ben--daring to expose herself to him as a shifter despite her fear that he'll reject her. Sadly, he does turn out to view her as so many others in this imagined society view werepersons: as someone whose difference requires saving instead of celebrating. In a misguided effort to cure her, he sets into motion a strange sort of curse that results in his death. It also involves enchanted animal figures from a carousel and a variety of shifters who are suddenly, inexplicably drawn to Kayla in different ways, including Yoshi, the werecat protagonist of Feral Nights (2013). The details here are sometimes too complicated, leading to mouthfuls such as, "Either the reversal won't work...or the spell will draw the magically contaminated shifters to the carousel." However, the dynamics among characters are fascinating and are well-served by the first-person narration alternating between Yoshi and Kayla. A neat, smart middle novel that clearly sets the stage for an epic showdown between those who champion the rights of shifters and those blind to their humanity. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)

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July 1, 2014
After touching the carousel-animal cougar in his Grams's antique store, Yoshi (Feral Nights) is transported to Pine Ridge, home of secret werecat Kayla. Within a few days, more Shifters show up, all inexplicably drawn to her. Debut character Kayla--level-headed, religious, but also quietly proud of her shifter nature--holds her own. Witty banter keeps the tone light even as the stakes ramp up.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2014
Secret werecat Kayla chooses Valentine's Day to reveal her true nature to her boyfriend, Ben. He reacts badly, to put it mildly: he runs away from Kayla, is hit by lightning on the antique carousel in Town Park while staging a ritual to "cure" her, and dies. Her small town of Pine Ridge, Texas, decides to dismantle the carousel and sell off its wooden animal figures. Soon after, Yoshi, the hottie Cat from Feral Nights (rev. 3/13), touches the hand-carved cougar for sale in his Grams's antiques store in Austin and is instantly transported to Pine Ridge. He's not the only shifter to suddenly appear there. Darby, a Deer; Peter, a Coyote; and Evan, an Otter, show up within a few days -- each having touched the carousel animal corresponding to his shifter form -- and they're all inexplicably drawn to Kayla. This second entry in the Feral series (a spin-off of Smith's Tantalize quartet) features as kooky a cast of supernatural characters as ever (including a juvenile yeti in addition to the various werepeople and the occasional human), but they're all relatable in various ways and easy to root for. Debut character Kayla -- level-headed, religious, but also quietly proud of her shifter nature -- holds her own, nicely complementing Yoshi's swagger, Wild Card shifter Clyde's newfound confidence, and human Aimee's resourcefulness. Witty banter peppered with pop-culture references keeps the tone light even as the stakes ramp up. katie bircher

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)