When the air is clear, sixteen-year-old Drew Ferran can pick up the scent of a predator.
When the moon breaks through the clouds, a terrifying fever grips him.
And when a vicious beast invades his home, his flesh tears, his fingers become claws, and Drew transforms . . .
Forced to flee the family he loves, Drew seeks refuge in the most godforsaken parts of Lyssia. But when he is captured by Lord Bergan's men, Drew must prove he is not the enemy.
Can Drew battle the werecreatures determined to destroy him - and master the animal within?
Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf is the first book in a new fantasy series by Curtis Jobling. I couldn't find any information on future books in the series at the time of posting.
Visit Curtis Jobling's website or the Wereworld website for more information
Review:
Drew is happy with his simple life living on the farm with his parents and his brother, he loves the land and has no plans to leave. Then one terrible night everything changes, after a vicious attack by a mysterious creature Drew is changed forever. Suddenly he doesn't know who he is anymore and he realises that everything he has been told as he was growing up was a lie. Forced to leave his home after a terrible accusation Drew finds himself alone and on the run in one of the most dangerous parts of Lyssia. When he is captured he has to find a way to prove that he is not the enemy and figure out a way to bring the real culprit to justice.
I used to read a lot of fantasy stories but it's been a long time since I enjoyed one as much as I liked Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf. Curtis Jobling has done a fantastic job creating a detailed and interesting world that can rival many others I've come across and it is hard to believe that this is a debut novel. The descriptions make it very easy to picture Lyssia and I loved the range of different werecreatures that populate the world. I had quite a lot of fun trying to guess what kind of animals characters were able to turn into. The story definitely reminded me of the Belgariad series by David Eddings which is meant as a compliment as I love that series. Although the worlds are very different they are both just as detailed and they are the kind of places you want to visit again and again.
Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf also contains a wide range of interesting characters, some who play vital parts in this story and others who I'm hoping we will see a lot more of throughout the series. I loved Drew from the beginning and enjoyed watching his character develop as he learnt more about his past and about his new abilities. I loved the friendship between Drew and Hector and hope we get to see more of that in future books. Gretchen was a character who will take a while to grow on you but by the end she is easy to warm to and I love her sense of humor. If there was one slight negative it would be that I felt Gretchen was a little too similar to Ce'Nedra from the Belgariad series, I had a feeling I knew how things would progress with her and Drew from early in the story and so far I've not been proved wrong. However, that didn't effect my enjoyment of the story and wouldn't even register for someone who has never read the Belgariad series so it is a minor irritation.
Curtis Jobling has also created some great evil characters who you will love to hate, he certainly doesn't make life easy for his heroes and you're never quite sure what he will throw at them next. The story is well paced, easy to read and one that will keep you gripped from beginning to end. I'm thoroughly looking forward to seeing how the series progresses - if this is what the author can write for his debut I'm sure we can expect great things in the future! If you're a fantasy fan (or even if you've never picked up a fantasy story before) I would urge you to give Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf a try - it's a great adventure story with touches of both humor and horror that make for an addictive read.
Source: Received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review
Other Reviews:
I used to read a lot of fantasy stories but it's been a long time since I enjoyed one as much as I liked Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf. Curtis Jobling has done a fantastic job creating a detailed and interesting world that can rival many others I've come across and it is hard to believe that this is a debut novel. The descriptions make it very easy to picture Lyssia and I loved the range of different werecreatures that populate the world. I had quite a lot of fun trying to guess what kind of animals characters were able to turn into. The story definitely reminded me of the Belgariad series by David Eddings which is meant as a compliment as I love that series. Although the worlds are very different they are both just as detailed and they are the kind of places you want to visit again and again.
Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf also contains a wide range of interesting characters, some who play vital parts in this story and others who I'm hoping we will see a lot more of throughout the series. I loved Drew from the beginning and enjoyed watching his character develop as he learnt more about his past and about his new abilities. I loved the friendship between Drew and Hector and hope we get to see more of that in future books. Gretchen was a character who will take a while to grow on you but by the end she is easy to warm to and I love her sense of humor. If there was one slight negative it would be that I felt Gretchen was a little too similar to Ce'Nedra from the Belgariad series, I had a feeling I knew how things would progress with her and Drew from early in the story and so far I've not been proved wrong. However, that didn't effect my enjoyment of the story and wouldn't even register for someone who has never read the Belgariad series so it is a minor irritation.
Curtis Jobling has also created some great evil characters who you will love to hate, he certainly doesn't make life easy for his heroes and you're never quite sure what he will throw at them next. The story is well paced, easy to read and one that will keep you gripped from beginning to end. I'm thoroughly looking forward to seeing how the series progresses - if this is what the author can write for his debut I'm sure we can expect great things in the future! If you're a fantasy fan (or even if you've never picked up a fantasy story before) I would urge you to give Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf a try - it's a great adventure story with touches of both humor and horror that make for an addictive read.
Source: Received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review
Other Reviews:
The Slowest Bookworm
The Book Bag
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
The Book Bag
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
It seems a long time since I read and reviewed this book, but it was only just over a month ago.
ReplyDeleteI loved it too. The characters were awesome and I just loved Drew. That last battle nearly killed me!
My link is: http://www.theslowestbookworm.com/2011/01/blog-tour-wereworld-rise-of-wolf-by.html
Great review! I reviewed it at
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=Wereworld:_Rise_of_the_Wolf_by_Curtis_Jobling and have an interview with CJ at http://yayeahyeah.blogspot.com/2011/01/author-interview-curtis-jobling.html - which contains a few details about future Wereworld books.
Wow this one sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteI so need to read this book. Everyone loves it. Everyone enjoys it immensely. I feel I am missing out.
ReplyDelete@ The Slowest Bookworm - I'm so glad you enjoyed this one as much as I did! I can't wait to continue with the series :o) Thanks for leaving the link to your review, I've added it to my post.
ReplyDelete@ YA Yeah Yeah - Thanks so much for the links, I've added your review link & am about to go and read the review and the interview!
@ Sheila - If you're looking for an epic fantasy adventure story you can't go wrong with this one :o)
@ Becky - You really do need to read this one! I'll look forward to seeing what you think of it :o)
I really loved this book! I was iffy at first, and I'm glad I followed my instinct in selecting it to review! One of the Best!
ReplyDeletehttp://followmereviews.blogspot.com/2011/05/wereworld-rise-of-wolf-curtis-jobling.html