Reviewing an indie werewolf novel by one of my favorite artists!
Rating: 3/5
This book alternates between the points of view of Kain Ulmer and Autumn Sullivan. Kain is a werewolf who, while traversing the redwood forests of California, encounters the beautiful and free-spirited Autumn. But their blossoming relationship is interrupted by the arrival of a monster more terrifying and more deadly than Kain will ever be. Can Kain protect Autumn from this evil? Can Autumn reconcile herself to Kain’s own monstrous background?
The aspect of this book that I most enjoyed was probably the horror element. Many stories about werewolves either lean towards fantasy or are decidedly fantasy with no trace of the horror or gothic genres. As a horror fan, this disappoints me. Therefore, my favorite part of this book was the “Eater” werewolves—creatures in Kain’s world that are twisted both physically and mentally. Even the regular werewolves in this book must kill humans on a regular basis to satisfy the demands of the “Hunger” (hence the title of the book). Therefore, they are not simply magical shapeshifters, but creatures to be feared. As for the Eater werewolves, the imagery used to describe them is chilling. It was like the author was trying to answer the question, “What do monsters fear?” Werewolves, it turns out, fear Eater werewolves, and so will the reader.
There is also a good balance of fantasy, though I might classify it as dark fantasy, in this book. The magic Kain used several times was intriguing and very appropriate for a werewolf.
There was a lot of creativity in this book, and while I read it on my Kindle, I’m also considering purchasing the illustrated hardcover (https://www.christiegoldenwulfe.com/hunger). I also look forward to the second installment in the series. If you love werewolves, or, more particularly, if you want to see the horror returned to werewolves, give this book a read. I have my criticisms of this book, but it was still highly enjoyable.
