THE THING ABOUT WERES (Mystwalkers #2) by Leigh Evans-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 30, 2013

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER

In the never-ending saga that is my love-hate relationship with Robson Trowbridge, I, half-Were Hedi Peacock, have had a change of heart. Ever since I shoved Trowbridge through the Gates of Merenwyn, I’ve been the leader of the pack—hard to believe, right? The thing is: I’m half-Fae. So even though my Were side is ready to heed the call of the wild, the other part of me is desperate to take flight. And much as it pains me to admit it, life without Trowbridge is really starting to were me down…

I AM WERE, HEAR ME ROAR.

To make matters worse, the wolves of Creemore want my blood—and the North American Council of Weres wants me dead. So I’m just counting the days until Trowbridge returns from the other realm…and comes to my brave rescue…and becomes my alpha mate. Wishful thinking? Of course it is. But given all the mess I’ve been through already, what’s the harm in doing a little bit of daisy-plucking? Besides, Trowbridge owes me bigtime. A girl can dream.

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REVIEW: THE THING ABOUT WERES is the second installment in Leigh Evan’s paranormal MYSTWALKERS series focusing on a centuries old war between the werewolf and the Fae.

This particular installment begins approximately six months after the happenings in THE TROUBLE WITH FATE and once again finds our heroine, Hedi Peacock ruminating about the problems she faces as a half-were/have Fae hybrid with the ability to walk through dreams. As a ‘mystwalker’, Hedi is able to walk through dreams and in doing so is able to communicate with people on the other side which will eventually present a bigger problem when she visits a world in between and discovers the truth about her family and the war.

The writing style continues to be descriptive. The memories and flashbacks, as well as the ‘mystwalking’ (both current day and memory) become overwhelming at times-as though there were three to four storylines following the same path.-and in this the premise was slow to build.

Once again, the characters continue to be flawed but more so than any of the others is our heroine Hedi. She was difficult to like at times because she continuously placed her family, friends and mate in danger. She refused to follow orders; she had difficulty believing what she saw over what she believed to be true and in this, she questioned everything and everyone. But I must add, there were many opportunities throughout the story where the truth of certain situations could have been revealed and many of the difficulties, deaths and even accusations could have been avoided-than again-we would not have had a storyline to follow if that were the case.

The relationship between Hedi and Trowbridge (her mate) is acrimonious at times but more so because of Hedi’s reluctance to believe she is the bonded mate of the pack Alpha and the pack’s reluctance to accept Hedi as the Alpha’s mate. As a hybrid (half Fae/half Were) neither species is willing to welcome Hedi with open arms and her actions make is more difficult than most.

The series is told from Hedi’s POV using memories, flashbacks and ‘mystwalking’ dream sequences and present day. But the story in focus got ‘bogged down’ in the details and revelations seen through the dreams and memories and, this was a bit of a problem. Again, there is graphic detail with complicated relationships; violence, death and more torture.

THE THING ABOUT WERES is a complicated storyline that focuses on the trials and tribulations of two species who have been at war for a very long time: the true nature of discrimination and speciesism is rife with prejudism and the inability to see beyond the myth and the lore passed down through generations. If you are a fan of paranormal/urban fantasy storylines, rich in detailed and graphic descriptions of two species at war, then this series is perfect for you.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy