Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Moonburn by Alisa Sheckley - review

Moonburn
Alisa Sheckley
fantasy, urbanish (U.F.)
2009
****
cover - it's fine, interesting.  You have some wolves running there, some trees, a woman and THE MOON...

Quite a while ago I read a book called The Better To Hold You.  It was an interesting take on werewolves, cheating husbands and other things.  I liked the book - enough to think I would enjoy a sequel, just to see where the main character ends up.  

Just about a year ago I saw Moonburn at the store, and thought - wow!  there's the sequel!  I was so surprised to see that it's been out since 2009!  Especially since I didn't hear about it at all, or even see it in stores until recently.  And I KNOW I've been browsing the shelves from A-Z in both Borders AND Barnes & Noble in the last three years.  Weird.  Anyway, I bought it and stuck it on my shelf and kept reading other novels.  So finally, after reading many very good books, and then deciding I needed to read a 'palate cleanser', I tried a palate cleanser and went right over to Moonburn after a chapter of 'palate cleanser' book.  What can you do?  Just go with it. :)

**the following review does contain some spoilerish words**

Moonburn was interesting.  I'm not gaga over it, but it definitely kept my interest long enough for me to finish it, and that was AFTER reading the most amazing novels in the last month or two.  That's saying something.  

Abra (Abs to her friends) has been living with Red in the small town (or rather on the outskirts) of Northside, where things are a little different.  Otherness, with a capitol O, is tolerated, though not always spoken of.  However, Abra isn't quite sure of her relationship with Red, which is understandable, having been burned in her previous marriage to Hunter.  Hunter, is the man who not only cheated on her, but infected her with the lycantrhopy virus.  Not only is she dealing with fallout from the breakup, a new relationship, and her virus which causes her to turn Wolfy once a month - she also is living next door - or rather on the property next to (in the country next door is different than in the city, after all) Hunter AND his new woman, who happens to be an alpha wolf.  An alpha wolf who really wouldn't mind seeing Abra dead.

But that's not all - nope.  Red is acting different.  Kind of secretive and odd.  Red also wants more from the relationship than Abra is prepared or ready to give.  Remember, she's newly divorced.  From a cheater.  Abra is also feeling different, more aggressive and downright....lustful.  Then there's her boss.  Her boss is getting skinnier and skinnier, looking like he's wasting away.   Weird things are happening...and it all comes to a churning burning raging head that almost leads to the demise of the town, of Abra and others.  

Though I did find myself a little frustrated with Abra's indecision and mistrust of Red, really, it fit with her recent past.  Any normal person would be wary of a new relationship after dealing with a cheating husband, and Abra has many abnormal things to contend with.  So it all fits.  Sheckley does a pretty good job with all the events leading up to the end of the novel - doing a find job with dialogue per character.  I was a little put off by the almost stiff narration of Abra - almost too formal, especially when she's first noticing that she's losing her inhibitions and seems to be gaining charisma - but after a while, the narration seems to 'settle down'.   

While I was a little put off by Abra's tone in the beginning, the further I got into the novel, the more I enjoyed it.  Her confusion, the way she began even having a hard time thinking, the new characters, learning more about some of the characters, other supernatural myths and legends... - it all added up to a fun read with a hell of an ending. 

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