REVIEW: MOON SPELL

Moon Spell
Author: Samantha Young
Series: Yes, #1
Publisher: Createspace
Release date: March 2011
Genre: YA, Paranormal

Caia has spent her life isolated from the other wolves in her pack, with no friends or family except Irini. When she returns to the pack, it is a to mixed welcome - not everyone is glad to see her back. She knows little of pack life and even less about her own family history, and no-one wants to tell her what secrets they are keeping. When her own powers threaten their safety, something must be done, and pack leader Lucien must decide how to protect Caia and his pack. 

Review: Moon Spell is the first in a series about the war between good and evil paranormals. Caia, a 17 year old girl that is part of a werewolf pack, is stuck in the middle of the war although she has no idea why. Caia is a very likeable protagonist because she’s got that kind of balance I love between being humble and being caring and also being able to stand up for herself. Mostly this is with Lucien, pack leader and alpha male, which leads to some tense but physically charged encounters between them. The suspense of when they might actually get together was superb and one of my favourite parts of the book!

The story was written from the dual perspective of both Caia and pack leader Lucien. I have to admit I love reading about the guy’s perspective and in this case it really helped me understand the feelings, emotions and dilemmas behind Lucien’s reactions. Although Caia can pick up other people’s emotions and we can get a little insight into other characters during her narrative, there was the benefit of hearing his internal struggle between wanting to protect and be with Caia whilst needing to maintain status as aplha. Without this Lucien may have come across as a chauvinistic arse, but in reality he makes a great male lead, being strong, protective, physically domineering and yet vulnerable.

My one niggle were the few occasions when the flashbacks felt a little like information dumps, to catch us up on the pack history, world building and Caia's past. Although the information was really needed to help understand the context to how the pack lives and why certain prejudices exist, it still felt a little dry and awkward.

For what I understand is a self-published book, Samantha Young has done a great job. The writing and elaborate world building are fab, feeling fresh and exciting despite being about werewolves and witches, and the plot leaves so many questions and possibilities.

Ideal for fans of werewolf and paranormal romances, Moon Spell is fast paced and action packed with strong characters and a fiery romance.

Rating: 4*