Wereling [Paperback]

Steve Feasey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2010 | Series: Wereling

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?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7-10–Trey, 14, wakes in pain with no clothes on and no memory of the night before. Everything in his small room at his British care center for orphans is destroyed. Before he can be punished for the mess, a stranger comes claiming to be his uncle and asks Trey to trust him. Trey escapes with this mysterious individual, who is neither his uncle…nor human. Lucien Charron is a vampire who has come to help Trey become what he was born to be: a werewolf. Trey learns that his parents were murdered and that Caliban, Lucien's evil vampire brother, is trying to kill him because of a prophecy. Lucien, with the help of his daughter Alexa, a sorceress; and his right-hand man, Tom, begin to teach Trey how to transform at will and keep control of his mind. Despite their combined efforts to keep the boy safe, he is attacked, and it soon becomes clear that someone has betrayed them. When Alexa is kidnapped, Trey and his protectors must face Caliban and his minions to rescue her and save all of mankind from subjugation. Paranormal fans and reluctant readers will feast on this fast-paced vampire/werewolf tale with a technological twist. A “Demoncyclopedia” at the end of the book explains the abilities and hierarchy of the netherworld creatures. Expect sequels.Samantha Larsen Hastings, Riverton Library, UT
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Perhaps in reaction to the many classic monsters repurposed for romance, a counter-trend has emerged to bring back the scary. In this propulsive blend of action and myth, Trey is a 14-year-old orphan whose life is upended by the arrival of Lucien, a millionaire vampire who knew the boy's parents. It doesn't take Lucien long to drop the second bomb: Trey is the last “hereditary werewolf” in existence. Oh, and he might be the prophesied chosen one able to stop the dark forces of the Netherworld. It's not difficult to understand the fantasy-fulfillment offered by a character who can change at will into a seven-foot, 300-pound beast, and Feasey gets a lot of mileage from just how cool it would be—he even offers up a possible romantic interest in Alexa, the vampire's daughter. The dialogue is stiff, but Feasey's descriptions are a notch above what is typical for this fare. A sequel is already limbering up its muscles, which is a good thing: the ending as it stands feels rushed (though you'll dig the appended “Demoncyclopedia”). Grades 6-9. --Daniel Kraus

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends; 1 edition (April 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031259612X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312596125
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #638,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-Paced and Engaging, May 5, 2010

By 

SciFiChick "The SciFiChick" (Fishers, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Wereling (Paperback)

When 14 year-old Trey Laporte awakens one morning, he finds his room completely trashed and the window broken open from the inside. Then, a mysterious stranger claiming to be his uncle arrives and is whisked away to his incredibly lavish home. Lucien admits that he is not Trey's uncle, but promised his late parents that he would take care of Trey. Especially now that an evil vampire is after Trey, believing the boy to be his only potential adversary. Because Trey is the last of his kind - a natural (born) werewolf.

Trey is an average teenage boy with an unnatural heritage and the ability to change to wolf form at will. With unbelievable information and finding himself in the most frightening of situations, Trey accepts everything reluctantly with bravery. And having a blooming crush on Lucien's daughter, Trey remains grounded. Feasey's Netherworld creatures extend from vampires and werewolves to demons, sorcerers, djinn, and beyond. Each main character is complex and well-developed, which is not always the case with other young adult fantasy novels.

Wereling is a fast-paced, suspense-filled thrill ride, and a treat for urban fantasy fans of all ages. My only complaint is that it was over so quickly. This impressive debut left me craving more. I'm looking forward to the next installment, as the action-packed, climactic ending left off in a minor cliffhanger. And don't miss the handy Netherworld creature glossary in the back of the book for a deeper look into Steve Feasey's fantastic world of all things that go bump in the night.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One for the guys, August 4, 2011

By 

Kristen M. Harvey "The Book Monsters" (IL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wereling (Paperback)

Why I read this: I've been a little into the werewolf books lately and thought I'd give this one a try. It's also a debut novel! :)

Plot: How would you feel if your life was even more messed up than usual? That's how Trey feels when he is pulled out of the group home he was living in and thrown into a world full of vampires, werewolves, and demons. The story is filled with action, learning how to control the wolf inside him, and trying to find a place where he belongs.

Characters: Trey seems like your typical troubled guy. He's not a hunk, but he's definitely not dorky and he's so normal - if only he weren't a werewolf. I can see him growing in this book and hope he continues to grow as a character further on in the series.

It's hard to relate to Alexa - the female character. She sort of puts herself out there right away, with her faults and I'm not quite used to that. I can't say I like her yet and she's a bit of headcase throughout this book.

Relatability: I think this may be more of a guy paranormal book. It has that feel to it - there's none of the gushy stuff us girls like and it has quite a bit of action packed into it. The series definitely has potential and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Cover Commentary: It's very powerful - screams Werewolf! Love it. :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging Storyline!, April 29, 2010

By 

LaFemmeReaders "Eleni" (NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Wereling (Paperback)

Wereling delivered an engaging storyline with detailed and explosive action. Trey, an orphaned teen, wakes up one day to have his whole life turned upside down. His "uncle" Lucien, who is a vampire, revealed to him that he was a werewolf. A lot to swallow in one day right? Trey didn't surprise me by his reaction of wanting to run away, that would be my initial response as well. I enjoyed his realistic behavior and willingness to deal with the crazy changes. Lucien made it his business to protect and train Trey for the future attacks that might be coming his way. Some of you might be thinking, a vampire training a werewolf? Yes! A refreshing twist to the vampires vs. werewolves battle in most YA books.

Lucien's daughter, Alexa was also an interesting character. She was down to earth and got along well with Trey. I was expecting some type of romance to blossom, however it never happened. Usually, I'd be disappointed since I'm a hopeless romantic, but I was pleasantly fine without it. The book's plot held my attention long enough without realizing that slight detail until the end. The story concluded with me wanting more and yearning to read the sequel! Overall, Steve's writing is simply amusing and colorful. Since this series was released in the UK first, I believe it's a good addition to the US market for supernatural books and look forward to its future releases.