Friday's for the Guys REVIEW of WEREling

Every Friday I highlight books and authors that are ones boys might really enjoy. I'm not saying girls wouldn't read these books, but they are clearly "guy" books.

This Friday I'm highlighting:

WEREling by Steve Feasey

I got an ARC of this book a bit ago, and finally sat down to read it.

From Goodreads:

Fourteen-year-old Trey Laporte is not a kid anymore. Not after the day he wakes up in agony—retina-splitting, vomit-inducing agony. His clothes are torn. His room is trashed.

Enter Lucien Charron, the mysterious, long-lost “uncle” with freakish fire-flecked eyes and skin that blisters in the sun. Suddenly, Trey finds himself living in a luxury penthouse at the heart of a strange and sinister empire built on the powers of the Netherworld—vampires, demons, sorcerers, and djinn.

And there is a girl—Alexa Charron—who is half vampire, half human, and insanely pretty, with powers all of her own. Trey is falling for her.

Trey is training night and day to control the newly discovered power lurking inside him. Now, demons are closing in on every side, and the most psychopathic bloodsucker to rock the Netherworld wants to destroy him. Above all, he must face one terrifying question: Is he a boy . . . or is he a beast?

 

My Review:

I enjoyed this book!  It starts off strong right away with Trey waking up to a trashed room.  From there the action doesn't stop coming.  What I really liked is that it doesn't play the "try and figure out what I am game".  Instead  you find out quickly what is going on.  I liked that because it allows the story to focus on a bigger problem Trey faces, instead of focusing for pages and pages on hints about who or what he is.  The pace doesn't let up. As soon as Trey finds out the whole story of who he is, his uncle begins to help him control and use the powers he has.  Almost immediately he is forced to use his new powers to fight creatures who are determined to kill him.  These scenes were intense, and I found myself holding my breath during them.  The final fight scene was great - I loved how it was set up to make you question what you thought you knew.  Although the ending left a lot of things unknown, I didn't feel overly frustrated.  Instead I'm anxious to see how Trey finds more answers and battles those against him.

 

I do have to add that I loved Alexa because she was a strong girl - not a girl only in need of saving.  She is the often the one that helps Trey gain control of himself when his emotions threaten to overrun him.  Its fantastic to have a girl that, although she loves shopping, she's very capable of taking care of herself. 
 
Final thoughts: Full of action and not just hints.  I see it as a great book for boys who are done with the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series.
 
Best stick with you image:  When Trey fights Lucien the first time.
 
Best for ages: 12+