Customer Reviews

Never Cry Werewolf

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Shelby has had one too many broken curfews. So, her stepmother Priscella convinces Shelby's dad that Brat Camp is exactly what is needed to make her follow their rules. She meets Austin Bridges III, who is the son of a infamous rock star and has a darling British accent. Shelby realizes that there is more to Austin then just a pretty face. He has a family secret that could ruin his family. Shelby knows that bad boys cause trouble, but Austin needs help to keep his secret and the only ways that can happen is by running away from camp.
Shelby was really down to earth and caring towards Austin. Austin was sweet, like when he gave Shelby, some gummy bears to cheer her up. The plot was cute and fun to read. It was a very different take on a werewolf book. Heather Davis did a great job describing the scenery and the characters. It was an amazing debut and I loved it. It

This is only the second or third werewolf book I've read (Shiver and the Twilight books being the others) and I absolutely love it. Unlike Shiver and New Moon, it wasn't a gut-wrenching book. For the most part it was highly amusing and just fun in general which is not to say it's just a laughable book - it's just not dark and mostly sad.

The idea of a werewolf at brat-camp is completely original. At that to the unique way she spins the werewolf-ism and you've got on unique novel.

I couldn't really relate to Shelby because I've never done half of the things she's done but I loved reading about her. She was just a fun character. Her parents (specifically her step-mother) were ridiculously over-the-top which, unfortunately, made them easy to relate to. (Why is it always the bad parents easy to relate to?!)

I enjoyed reading about her time at brat camp - the counselors just made me crack up half of the time.

The ending was adorable - slightly predictable but unexpected at the same time.

Overall, I highly recommend this. Pick up a copy!

Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis 5 of 5 stars.

When Shelby is packed off to "brat camp" as punishment for one too many broken curfews, things start looking up when she meets fellow camper (and son of a rock star!) Austin Bridges III. But soon Shelby realizes there's more to Authin than crush material--he wants her help guarding a dark family secret. Shelby knows that bad boys get her into trouble...but who is she to turn her back on a guy in need, especially such a good-looking one?(sumary from book)

Add a bit of Cinderella's evil step-mother to a Beauty and the Beast style tale and you get Shelby's story. Her mother died three years ago. Her chemist dad became rich for his new cosmetic and married a horrible woman with way to much plastic surgery. It isn't so surprising that Shelby would feel the need to rebel. But what she didn't know is that her new step-mother's persuasive powers could get her sent to brat camp... Luckily- or perhaps, unluckily- this brat camp is where a hot rock star's son/werewolf is spending his summer as well. Between pushy counselors and a very heavy, very scary secret, can Shelby keep it together and help save her new friend, even when a desert brat camp in hell is hanging over her head?

Never Cry Werewolf is a short read. Some of my favorite books are short, and this one is now among them. Heather Davis creates a unique and quirky voice for Shelby that I totally love. The plot is wonderful, the characters, if not always believable, awesome, and the writing to die for. I'm not big into supernatural novels, but I have a love for Jacob Black like plenty of other girls, and this book looked pretty cool. Austin is closer to your more "classic" werewolf than Jacob, but I think that's part of what makes the story more unique and likable.


For fans of: Twilight, Gail Carson Levine, Supernatural fiction

Review from: [...](This is Mom's account:))

Brat camp. That is where Shelby has been banished to. All because of a little innocent mischief with a few boys, Shelby's manipulative stepmother has convinced her father to send her to a brat camp promising to return a bright, well-behaved teen. If her stephmother had her way, Shelby would be on her way to an evil, militaristic style camp where they don't take it easy on "tough cases."

Instead though, Shelby's father has conceded to send her to a more tame version of brat camp deep within a forest. Naturally she meets the one kind of person she is supposed to be avoiding: a daring rebel of a guy named Austin Bridges III. She finds his British accent very attractive along with his stand-offish attitude.

Soon though, while trying to follow all the rules set forth by the camp so she can get back to "reality", Austin confesses that he is a werewolf in desperate need of his medicine. Unfortunately it was confiscated after a minor fiasco on their way to camp. Now Shelby is the only one who can help him before it is too late.

The premise of the book sounded very appealing and intriguing. Unfortunately I felt that there were parts of the story that just didn't add up in the end. The time frame for the whole camp is dramatically short for all the events that are supposed to take place during this time. The supporting characters were almost non-existent to the point that the only names I can easily recall are the two main characters. Sadly it almost felt like a short-story crammed with more "fluff" scenes to stretch it out. While I am hoping that the author might continue her work in a follow-up novel (because the ending was obviously left open for a sequel) I am not anxiously awaiting its arrival.

*My rating is 2.5 stars.*

Please note: This review contains a few comments that some may consider spoilery.

After getting caught breaking curfew, Shelby Locke is sent to a summer camp for troubled teens ("Brat Camp") by her father and his new wife. There, Shelby meets Austin Bridges III, the son of a rock singer who's been known to channel Ozzie Osborne by biting the head off a live bird. Shelby soon discovers that Austin is a werewolf and, because she likes him and finds his accent swoon-worthy, she decides to help him keep his secret.

Never Cry Werewolf is author Heather Davis' debut novel and though it's marketed to young adults, this one is definitely for the kiddies.

At first glance, the characters are likable enough, but ultimately, their lack of depth leaves them uninteresting. In the book's 212 pages, we only got to know Shelby on anything more than a surface level. Exacerbating the lack of depth, I thought some of the characters - particularly Shelby and Austin - often acted very foolishly - a trait that made it difficult for me to warm up to them.

For instance:
- Austin has hidden his meds in a bunch of glass vials in his backpack. Even if he didn't know that the backpack would be searched, the meds are something he really needs and you'd think he'd work a little harder to disguise them.
- Shelby goes dashing into the woods after Charles, Austin and Mr. Winters. Though she has no knowledge of the area and has no supplies with her, she reasons that she's been camping in Wisconsin so obviously is the only one capable of finding the others before nighfall.
- Austin is a werewolf. He makes noises about being aware that this must be kept secret and saw the disastrous results of telling a girl the truth a few years earlier. But he still shares his secret with Shelby within a couple of days of meeting her and after having exchanged only a few dozen words with her. Whoa. And I mean whoa.
- After Mr. Winters repairs the perimeter chain link fence (and wasn't it convenient that he came along with his tool kit at just that moment?), Shelby rattles the fence in some sort of effort to make the links loosen up. Not once, but twice. Really. Neither she nor Austin seem to consider trying to untwist the wires Mr. Winters just twisted back together.
- When the fence fails to give way to Shelby's shaking (she called it a "piece of crap", too, but that didn't help, either), they decide that they'll have to walk to the gate so that she can get back onto the camp grounds. But do they follow the fence to find the gate that's, you know, IN THE FENCE? Why no - they head into the woods. Now, we've been told - by Shelby - that Austin, being British (we know he's British because he occasionally says things like "bloody", "bloke" and "mate") must be worthless dealing with nature, but Shelby seems to have forgotten this because, even though she has the impression he doesn't know where he's going, she follows him. (Okay, I'll admit that it is mentioned at first that Shelby is keeping an eye on the distant fence, but the next scene finds them in a ravine and the fence doesn't seem to be anywhere in sight.)

I was muttering "Whatever" and "Huh?" so often during some of these scenes and others that my dog started looking at me strangely.

Like many of the characters, the werewolf storyline wasn't particularly original, interesting or well developed. Part of the allure of a werewolf/human story is the sense of danger, the thrill of the forbidden. In Never Cry Werewolf, the supernatural side of Austin barely registered. While reading, I had the vague feeling that the author wanted to write a story about a troubled teen camp and it was suggested to her that, because paranormal novels are big right now that she make one of the kids a werewolf. (And, if he could have amber eyes like a certain currently popular vampire, so much the better.)

As to the camp story: while I never got much sense of why any of the kids were at the "Brat Camp" (in fact, I thought most of them seemed like props moved around along with the scenery to create the next set), I thought the camp plotline actually worked a little better than the werewolf storyline. Shelby did spend some time thinking about the loss of her mother and the subsequent detachment from her father and the counselors seemed interested in working with her on dealing with her loss. I'm not convinced their methods would prove to be effective and some seemed borderline inappropriate, but at least a couple of them seemed to have good intentions. I had very little respect for Shelby's dad. The mistakes Shelby made that got her sent to camp in the first place seemed so innocuous - normal rule breaking made by millions of kids during their teen years - that her father blithely going along with "Honey Bun's" machinations to get rid of Shelby for the summer was a real turn off for me. Even though I didn't respect him, I would have liked to have seen Shelby and her father mend fences and begin the process of reconnecting. Sadly, we never heard again from Shelby's dad after she left for camp.

Lastly, does the author have a problem with people who are overweight?
- "An old guy [Mr. Winters] with a moustache and a beer belly barely hidden by a Camp Crescent polo shirt..."
- "And if I saved chubby Mr. Winters from sure starvation and lost-in-the-forest panic..."
- "[Mr. Winter] patted his belly, which made me realize he was the one who was completely starving. Then again, when you're eating for two - you and your beer gut - you probably get that starving feeling a lot."
- "A few of the chubbier campers debated the best s'more-making techniques."

I didn't hate Never Cry Werewolf, but I didn't find a lot to like in it, either. My overall impression was that Davis tried to do too many things with the story and so, didn't quite succeed in doing any of them well enough to draw me in.

Earlier, I said that Never Cry Werewolf is definitely for the kiddies. But, to be honest, I think the kiddies deserve stories crafted with more care and infused with more imagination.

Heather Davis is a strong new voice in the YA market, this book is a must read for any age who enjoys a book with a little bite! Shelby is sent off to brat camp by her evil step mother... only to find life's not so bad after meeting hunky fellow camper, Austin.

There are fun twists on a few old fables bringing them into a setting with teens. People of any age who read paranormals should discover this fun romp through the woods and buy, Never Cry Werewolf. You won't be disappointed.

I loved 'Never cry werewolf'. It is a very simple story (girl meets guy, guy is werewolf), but that very simplicity, combined with the authenticity of the narrator's voice, is just what makes the book so enchanting. So many urban fantasy- and YA fantasy-novels die a slow death because of an everexpanding cast of secondary supernatural characters, the appearance of which make the pace of the story slow (plus they distract from the character development of the narrator). No such thing in 'Never cry werewolf'! Shelby, the main character, is fresh, engaging and spunky - none of these weak, Bella-esque traits. Throughout the book we learn more about her past and her issues, and she really grows and develops as a person. The romance between Shelby and Austin is believable and very well written. Also, I loved Ariel! I really, really hope that this is the first in a series; even though it is a rounded story, there are one or two clues that could easily be explored in further novels, and I would very much like to see Shelby and Austin again!

Heather Davis introduces readers to Shelby, the protagonist of her new book, Never Cry Werewolf. Shelby has recently lost her mother, and her eccentric, rich and distracted father has remarried a woman, she can not stand. To battle her chaotic new home-life, Shelby acts out by being a little bit boy-crazy. A walk under the moon with a cute guy from her school, ends in a one way ticket to brat camp. They'll be no trip to Cabo with her school chums - nope, its camping, hiking, and mountain climbing - all while listening to camp counselors spew self-help nonsense to make Shelby feel better about herself.

Her life is looking rather bleak as she is serenaded with perky camp songs by the camp counselor ... when Austin Bridges III drives up in a stretch limo ... and Shelby boy-crazy meter goes off.

Maybe it is because I have been watching a lot of Disney & Noggin lately (highlight of the night - The Fresh Beat Band), but I finished this book and wasn't disappointed. This book is all about how you approach it - the reader base should be young and for a 12 year old - it is good. The writing is done well, the tone is light and there is nothing dark, dreary or deep. I really don't mind stereotypical characters. There is a reason that there are a ton of books about the mean stepmothers - because it happens all the time IRL.

Harris' characters weren't as developed as I would have hoped. Shelby was described as tough, but I found that she was actually easily distracted and pressured by the guys she is interested in, she always mentioned that she wasn't swayed by fashion as all the other girls were, but she was constantly referring to her clothing lines - yeah American Eagle - boo Prada. I really liked the character of Ariel and would have liked to have seen more development with her. Austin was a contradiction - he came across as the tough guy in the beginning but as it progressed he looked more and more like a pacifist and sensitive, but depth wasn't really reached with him at all.

Once you get past the reveal the story actually gets better. Shelby and Austin start showing some depth and the plot starts to converge into something tangible. I was frustrated with some of Shelby's actions, and Charles is just downright annoying (obviously supposed to be). The ending was sweet, with a big "Awwwwww...." like you would at the end of a Selena Gomez film... and overall the book was good. This is really, though, a teen book, and older audiences might find it very juvenile. I recommend the book for 11 to 15 year olds and moms don't have to worry about anything sexual or inappropriate. I can defiantly see a Disney made for TV movie - with Selena Gomez as Shelby and one of those annoying twins from that hotel show as Austin. Buy it for your tween.

Also reviewed on my blog, the Vintage Bookworm. ([...])

Never Cry Werewolf is a short, fun read. It is pretty fast paced, but enjoyable. Shelby was a good character, but at the same time I didn't really connect with her full-heartily. All the characters were lacking a bit of depth, they were fun to read about, but didn't seem completely real.

Shelby's step-mother really annoyed me, sometimes she seemed like she really cared, but then others you could tell it was mostly fake. She just wanted Shelby out of her and her new husband's life. I could tell Shelby really missed her mom. I felt really bad for her.

She really annoyed me with the camp thing, I mean, to me it didn't sound too bad. I mean, it was a little annoying but it was a lot better than the desert camp her step-mother was wanting her to go to. So I really wish she wouldn't have been so whiny.
Austin sounded hot! Seriously, hot accent, seemed kind of rocker boy style and he had a rocker dad! Awesome! I knew from the beginning about his dark secret, everything was a bit predictable.


Overall, I don't really have much to say about this book other than it was an enjoyable read. It left me wanting to know more about what happened to Shelby and Austin after camp. There is a novella sequel on eBook called Sometimes By Moonlight. I might check it out when I can, I'm sad that she had to self publish it on eBook, it's only 92 pages! Oh well, maybe Harperteen will let her re-publish it through them on hardcopy and maybe she'll write a longer sequel. =)

The cover is pretty, it fits the story well.

A cute fun summer read. Nice and short, I find I almost always get some enjoyment out of a novel like this as long as it's kept short and light and not too much depth. Kind of gave me a more middle grade feel than YA. As far as werewolf action, it was minimal. This was more about Shelby coming into her own than about a love story. I thought the ending was sweet and fit well, it is open for a sequel, but enough ends were tide that I would consider it a stand alone. Not sure if I'll pick up more in this series because I didn't feel the need to read more of Shelby once I was done, but I may change my mind one day.

Reminded me of the Dark Guardian novels by Rachel Hawthorne and would recommend to anyone who read these, or someone who's looking for a book to while away a summer afternoon.