Book Review: Unleashed
Unleashed, by Kristopher Reisz
I finally found a YA with a male protagonist. Daniel Morning is a "shooting star", the MVP of the basketball team and the school's VIP. He's been accepted to Cornell, following the trajectory his parents set for him - Ivy League and lawschool. His folks are squarely middle class folks who have "sacrificed everything" to make his dreams come true. The thing is - they aren't his dreams at all.
Daniel feels trapped in his own life, but he's never had the courage to step out of line or off course. Guilt and the desire to please keep him squarely on track. Until he gets involved with Misty Sandlan and her pack.
Yes, pack. They are the outsiders at their school, the kids from the wrong side of the tracks whose parents work double shifts or are emotionally unavailable. They've bonded together to create their own family, and they stumble across a forbidden magic. They learn how to shapeshift, ruling the Birmingham nights as a pack of wolves.
The freedom - and the danger - are intoxicating to Daniel, as his his love for Misty. But the more he travels in wolf's skin, the farther he's pulled from his former life. How much will he sacrifice for freedom? And is he really free as a wolf, or is it just another illusion?
Frequent - and creative - use of the F-bomb and the characters have sex, which is minimally described. It's from the boys POV too, so there's a window the ethics of teenage boy sex and the conversations they have with their friends about it afterwards. (Which made me glad I don't have a daughter. And made me want to have some serious chats with my boys when they hit a certain age.)
I liked it. It stood out from the pack. *grins*
I just order his other book, Tripping to Somewhere. It looks fascinating.
I finally found a YA with a male protagonist. Daniel Morning is a "shooting star", the MVP of the basketball team and the school's VIP. He's been accepted to Cornell, following the trajectory his parents set for him - Ivy League and lawschool. His folks are squarely middle class folks who have "sacrificed everything" to make his dreams come true. The thing is - they aren't his dreams at all.
Daniel feels trapped in his own life, but he's never had the courage to step out of line or off course. Guilt and the desire to please keep him squarely on track. Until he gets involved with Misty Sandlan and her pack.
Yes, pack. They are the outsiders at their school, the kids from the wrong side of the tracks whose parents work double shifts or are emotionally unavailable. They've bonded together to create their own family, and they stumble across a forbidden magic. They learn how to shapeshift, ruling the Birmingham nights as a pack of wolves.
The freedom - and the danger - are intoxicating to Daniel, as his his love for Misty. But the more he travels in wolf's skin, the farther he's pulled from his former life. How much will he sacrifice for freedom? And is he really free as a wolf, or is it just another illusion?
Frequent - and creative - use of the F-bomb and the characters have sex, which is minimally described. It's from the boys POV too, so there's a window the ethics of teenage boy sex and the conversations they have with their friends about it afterwards. (Which made me glad I don't have a daughter. And made me want to have some serious chats with my boys when they hit a certain age.)
I liked it. It stood out from the pack. *grins*
I just order his other book, Tripping to Somewhere. It looks fascinating.