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Full Moon #1
Once in a Full Moon
Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.
Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.
Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run.
Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon.
Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend's Run is famous for them. She's used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend's Run and Celeste finds herself immediately drawn to the handsome new student. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight.
Her best friends may never forgive her if she gives up her perfect boyfriend, Nash, for Brandon, who's from the wrong side of town. But she can't deny her attraction or the strong pull he has on her. Brandon may be Celeste's hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend's Run.
Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon.
292 pages, Hardcover
First published December 28, 2010
173 people are currently reading
11.9k people want to read
About the author
Ellen Schreiber
58books4,191followersBefore I took pen to paper, I was an actress. I attended a local university majoring in theatre and spent a summer in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where I learned about the “Old Bard� from amazingly talented teachers.
When I returned from London, I relocated to Chicago where I lived for five years. There, I graduated from the Second City Training Center and performed improv, Shakespeare, comedies and dramas--I even sang and danced on a cruise boat--without falling in Lake Michigan! A classmate of mine from Second City and I created and performed a two woman show for a year before I braved it alone doing stand-up comedy. It was during this time I began to write an adult novel about a rock star--I had always enjoyed writing...
Fast forward a couple of years along with a move home where I was performing “stand-up� at comedy clubs in the area. On a plane to LA to decide my fate-- “to move to LA or not to move to LA� that is the question, my big bro, Mark, coincidentally with the same last name as mine (author of PRINCES IN EXILE, DREAMS OF THE SOLO TRAPEZE and STARCROSSED) handed me a young adult book he found at the library he thought I’d like to read during the flight.
As I read the book, I thought, ‘I can do this!�
I returned from LA, and instead of moving there, I wrote my story about the rock star as a young adult novel and called it JOHNNY LIGHTNING.
Mark, my writing mentor, edited JL for me. He was kind enough to send the manuscript to his publisher in Belgium--Facet--and they published it! In Dutch!
I was now on a new life path!
In 2001 HarperCollins made me an offer I couldn’t refuse! Not only was HarperCollins going to publish TEENAGE MERMAID, but it was in a language I could read and book stores I could walk into! HarperCollins also bought VAMPIRE KISSES and COMEDY GIRL.
It was a dream come true!
Since beginning my new life path, VAMPIRE KISSES, TEENAGE MERMAID, and MY MOTHER, THE CLOWN have been published by Facet in Belgium and JOHNNY LIGHTNING has been published in Germany by Ravensburger.
Then my fabulous editor at HarperCollins asked me for a sequel to VAMPIRE KISSES!
HarperCollins published VAMPIRE KISSES 2--KISSING COFFINS and now the soon to be released VAMPIRE KISSES 3--VAMPIREVILLE. I am currently writing VAMPIRE KISSES 4!
When I'm not writing about the love affair between vampire obsessed, goth girl Raven and my favorite mysterious dark-eyed hottie, Alexander Sterling, I enjoy working on my other novels, shopping for Hello Kitty items, and attempting to gain control of the remote from my boyfriend.
When I returned from London, I relocated to Chicago where I lived for five years. There, I graduated from the Second City Training Center and performed improv, Shakespeare, comedies and dramas--I even sang and danced on a cruise boat--without falling in Lake Michigan! A classmate of mine from Second City and I created and performed a two woman show for a year before I braved it alone doing stand-up comedy. It was during this time I began to write an adult novel about a rock star--I had always enjoyed writing...
Fast forward a couple of years along with a move home where I was performing “stand-up� at comedy clubs in the area. On a plane to LA to decide my fate-- “to move to LA or not to move to LA� that is the question, my big bro, Mark, coincidentally with the same last name as mine (author of PRINCES IN EXILE, DREAMS OF THE SOLO TRAPEZE and STARCROSSED) handed me a young adult book he found at the library he thought I’d like to read during the flight.
As I read the book, I thought, ‘I can do this!�
I returned from LA, and instead of moving there, I wrote my story about the rock star as a young adult novel and called it JOHNNY LIGHTNING.
Mark, my writing mentor, edited JL for me. He was kind enough to send the manuscript to his publisher in Belgium--Facet--and they published it! In Dutch!
I was now on a new life path!
In 2001 HarperCollins made me an offer I couldn’t refuse! Not only was HarperCollins going to publish TEENAGE MERMAID, but it was in a language I could read and book stores I could walk into! HarperCollins also bought VAMPIRE KISSES and COMEDY GIRL.
It was a dream come true!
Since beginning my new life path, VAMPIRE KISSES, TEENAGE MERMAID, and MY MOTHER, THE CLOWN have been published by Facet in Belgium and JOHNNY LIGHTNING has been published in Germany by Ravensburger.
Then my fabulous editor at HarperCollins asked me for a sequel to VAMPIRE KISSES!
HarperCollins published VAMPIRE KISSES 2--KISSING COFFINS and now the soon to be released VAMPIRE KISSES 3--VAMPIREVILLE. I am currently writing VAMPIRE KISSES 4!
When I'm not writing about the love affair between vampire obsessed, goth girl Raven and my favorite mysterious dark-eyed hottie, Alexander Sterling, I enjoy working on my other novels, shopping for Hello Kitty items, and attempting to gain control of the remote from my boyfriend.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 769 reviews
December 24, 2010
OK. I’ll be nice.
I should probably be nice.
I’ll try to be nice...
So Once in A full Moon is probably not the best werewolf YA book I have ever read. In fact, there were so many lines that made me cringe due mainly to the fact that the heroine is a self described “love struck girl.� Consider:
Line one, “I held the cell phone in my hand. I imagined where it had been. In his coat pocket? Maybe at home by his bed. At some point he had held it in his hand, as I was now. � � cringe
Line two, “Brown wavy hair, royal blue eyes. His lips are full and dreamy. His stare can penetrate your soul.� � cringe
Line three, “I was a love struck girl and yet I couldn’t control my ridiculous feelings.� � cringe yet again.
Perhaps, her mooning over him was too sappy for me. Perhaps it was the unbelievable juvenile tone with which it started. These kids are in high school, right? That would make them around 16 years old and older� there is no probable way that they could have scared themselves silly because of a camp side werewolf story; there is no way they could have started to seriously consider werewolves being real!
OK.
I will be nice...
I should be nice...
I‘ll try to be nice. So here: the covers really pretty.
I should probably be nice.
I’ll try to be nice...
So Once in A full Moon is probably not the best werewolf YA book I have ever read. In fact, there were so many lines that made me cringe due mainly to the fact that the heroine is a self described “love struck girl.� Consider:
Line one, “I held the cell phone in my hand. I imagined where it had been. In his coat pocket? Maybe at home by his bed. At some point he had held it in his hand, as I was now. � � cringe
Line two, “Brown wavy hair, royal blue eyes. His lips are full and dreamy. His stare can penetrate your soul.� � cringe
Line three, “I was a love struck girl and yet I couldn’t control my ridiculous feelings.� � cringe yet again.
Perhaps, her mooning over him was too sappy for me. Perhaps it was the unbelievable juvenile tone with which it started. These kids are in high school, right? That would make them around 16 years old and older� there is no probable way that they could have scared themselves silly because of a camp side werewolf story; there is no way they could have started to seriously consider werewolves being real!
OK.
I will be nice...
I should be nice...
I‘ll try to be nice. So here: the covers really pretty.
July 14, 2019
While I sit at my computer preparing to write this review, I ask myself one question.
Is my mom ever going to get home so we can go to Taco Bell?
I'm like a savage animal. I need my Taco Bell. I'm starving. But not for this book. No, no. Never for this book. If I was starving to read this book... well, I'd be a Twilight fan. Because that's what this is; the werewolf version of Twilight. If you look at my rating for Twilight, you'll see that(in my eyes, at least) this is a very, very bad thing.
This book is full of clichés; Celeste is the most popular girl in school, her friends flock around her, she's dating the guy that's handsome "by any girl's standards" and also happens to be the star of the football team, she scoffs at the unpops... that is, until she meets one boy.
And you wanna know why? Is it because he's nice and caring? Because he can get her to see through the stupid, stupid wall the Eastsiders and Westsiders have put up?
If you said either of those things, you're wrong. The former comes later, the latter never comes. The real reason: he's hot. Yup, that's right. She likes him because he's hot. Oh my, that hasn't been done a thousand times before!
So here we have our shallow, stupid, cliché main character. Maybe Brandon, this Westside guy who is apparently the hottest thing ever, will be better.
No such luck. He's also stupid and cliché. His "protect the wildlife" routine may be cute to some girls, but to me it's just stupid. And did I mention cliché? Yes, I'd rather be dating a guy who shoots and kills Bambi to provide for his family than one who freaks out if you dare to hunt. And then eats steak.
And then there are her friends. The attention-seeking Abby; the naive Ivy. Two more ignorant and annoying characters. These people claim to be her friends, yet Celeste is terrified that if she goes out with a Westsider they'll ditch her. Um... what? Tell you what, if my two best friends abandoned me for going out with a boy they didn't like, I wouldn't be scared of hurting they're feelings. I'd be smacking their faces for being fake friends for however many years.
And that's just the start of it- the characters, plot line, and their flaws. The writing itself is just horrendous. I've read some bad books before, but this... I think this tops them all. It's like her paragraphs don't have any structure; and neither to her sentences, while we're on that. It's like she writes whatever pops into her head at that instant and doesn't bother with editing. At least with Twilight and Vladimir Todd it was somewhat interesting. This was a piece of crap. Examples of awful writing:
Page 127
"Wow, I thought. That was kind of like when I volunteered at the nursing home. Brandon was putting his grandparents' needs in front of his own." (Because apparently we were too stupid to make that connection- instead she had to point it out to us like we're little five-year-olds.)
Page 130
"I needed to see Brandon and I wouldn't fight it any longer." (At this part, she's hanging out with her friends and she ditches them to see B.)
Page 266
"I felt a huge pain in my soul whenever Brandon closed the door." (Yes, it does way "whenever.")
Speaking of souls, this lady needs to stop using that word! It feels like if she wants to be as passionate as can be she doesn't use creative words to paint pictures; she just uses "soul." I gazed soulfully in to Brandon's eyes, or I felt it down to my soul. This. Is. Crap. You're a seventeen-year-old that acts like a fourteen-year-old. You did not just feel that kiss with all your soul.
At one point she goes on and on for about 2 pages about being in love with all her soul- but then she asks her sister how she knows she's in love. What?! This girl is so stupid. After her sister tells her she's never been in love Celeste is so surprised... her sister has been with tons of guys, surely at least a few where her one true love? Stop being so ignorant, idiotic main character! Your sister sleeps around for fun, not love.
On page 158 she says maybe B's not a werewolf, maybe because she loves him she imagined him that way. I'm way overusing this because the story demands for it, but... what?! You moron. Why would you see him as a beast because you're in love? Oh, wait. Because he's not a beast! That's right. This so called "werewolf" turns into this half-man, half-beast "gorgeous" animal! When they made it into a kind of Wolfman, not fully wolf, I thought that was cool and unique. Not that I dislike when they transform all the way, it's just nice to see something different. But then they made him out to be this sexy beast that she can't resist. He grows a goatee!!! Not even all covered in hair. Just long hair, hairy legs, arms, and chest and a goatee. Couldn't even make the werewolf part cool.
And the werewolf part? She needs to get her facts straight. She kept saying "werewolf form" and talked about when he turned into a werewolf on the full moon. News flash: your boyfriends a werewolf. He doesn't turn into a werewolf every now and then, HE IS ONE. Just because it's not a full moon doesn't mean he's human. He's still a werewolf. At one point she says "werewolf form" four times in three paragraphs. Two of the paragraphs are only one sentence long!
And what's with her saying the only cure is a silver bullet? She supposedly researched it and that's the only thing she could find. Well, she must be the most terrible person at research. I pity all her school essays.
On page 219 Brandon and Celeste are out in the woods, Brandon being in him "werewolf form." He has some steaks roasting, and Celeste wonders where he got them. Only he doesn't know, they were just there. Celeste is horrified- she can't imagine her precious Brandon ripping into Bambi's face and killing and eating him... but it's okay, because Brandon was just joking. He got them out of his grandparents' freezer.
So, let me get this straight. It's bad if he kills the deer and you're not sure if you can date him after that, but as long as someone else kills it, that's okay? Idiot.
So, the moral of this story is, stay away from this book!!! I'm probably going to read the second one because this one ended in a cliffhanger and I just want to see if the author has actually learned something from her mistake of a first book and written an awful book instead of an almost unreadable one. Probably not, but then it's only one more book, not like seven. So we'll see.
The one funny scene:
This novel was a detestable scramble of pages thrown together, but I have to point out the one good scene, the phone call between Celeste and her friends. Her friends get so confused because Celeste is talking to them and Brandon at the same time. They made me chuckle.
Edit; Read the second book, gave up on series. Read Vampire Kisses by same author, gave up on author. Schreiber has no idea what she's doing. GO GET AN EDITOR.
Is my mom ever going to get home so we can go to Taco Bell?
I'm like a savage animal. I need my Taco Bell. I'm starving. But not for this book. No, no. Never for this book. If I was starving to read this book... well, I'd be a Twilight fan. Because that's what this is; the werewolf version of Twilight. If you look at my rating for Twilight, you'll see that(in my eyes, at least) this is a very, very bad thing.
This book is full of clichés; Celeste is the most popular girl in school, her friends flock around her, she's dating the guy that's handsome "by any girl's standards" and also happens to be the star of the football team, she scoffs at the unpops... that is, until she meets one boy.
And you wanna know why? Is it because he's nice and caring? Because he can get her to see through the stupid, stupid wall the Eastsiders and Westsiders have put up?
If you said either of those things, you're wrong. The former comes later, the latter never comes. The real reason: he's hot. Yup, that's right. She likes him because he's hot. Oh my, that hasn't been done a thousand times before!
So here we have our shallow, stupid, cliché main character. Maybe Brandon, this Westside guy who is apparently the hottest thing ever, will be better.
No such luck. He's also stupid and cliché. His "protect the wildlife" routine may be cute to some girls, but to me it's just stupid. And did I mention cliché? Yes, I'd rather be dating a guy who shoots and kills Bambi to provide for his family than one who freaks out if you dare to hunt. And then eats steak.
And then there are her friends. The attention-seeking Abby; the naive Ivy. Two more ignorant and annoying characters. These people claim to be her friends, yet Celeste is terrified that if she goes out with a Westsider they'll ditch her. Um... what? Tell you what, if my two best friends abandoned me for going out with a boy they didn't like, I wouldn't be scared of hurting they're feelings. I'd be smacking their faces for being fake friends for however many years.
And that's just the start of it- the characters, plot line, and their flaws. The writing itself is just horrendous. I've read some bad books before, but this... I think this tops them all. It's like her paragraphs don't have any structure; and neither to her sentences, while we're on that. It's like she writes whatever pops into her head at that instant and doesn't bother with editing. At least with Twilight and Vladimir Todd it was somewhat interesting. This was a piece of crap. Examples of awful writing:
Page 127
"Wow, I thought. That was kind of like when I volunteered at the nursing home. Brandon was putting his grandparents' needs in front of his own." (Because apparently we were too stupid to make that connection- instead she had to point it out to us like we're little five-year-olds.)
Page 130
"I needed to see Brandon and I wouldn't fight it any longer." (At this part, she's hanging out with her friends and she ditches them to see B.)
Page 266
"I felt a huge pain in my soul whenever Brandon closed the door." (Yes, it does way "whenever.")
Speaking of souls, this lady needs to stop using that word! It feels like if she wants to be as passionate as can be she doesn't use creative words to paint pictures; she just uses "soul." I gazed soulfully in to Brandon's eyes, or I felt it down to my soul. This. Is. Crap. You're a seventeen-year-old that acts like a fourteen-year-old. You did not just feel that kiss with all your soul.
At one point she goes on and on for about 2 pages about being in love with all her soul- but then she asks her sister how she knows she's in love. What?! This girl is so stupid. After her sister tells her she's never been in love Celeste is so surprised... her sister has been with tons of guys, surely at least a few where her one true love? Stop being so ignorant, idiotic main character! Your sister sleeps around for fun, not love.
On page 158 she says maybe B's not a werewolf, maybe because she loves him she imagined him that way. I'm way overusing this because the story demands for it, but... what?! You moron. Why would you see him as a beast because you're in love? Oh, wait. Because he's not a beast! That's right. This so called "werewolf" turns into this half-man, half-beast "gorgeous" animal! When they made it into a kind of Wolfman, not fully wolf, I thought that was cool and unique. Not that I dislike when they transform all the way, it's just nice to see something different. But then they made him out to be this sexy beast that she can't resist. He grows a goatee!!! Not even all covered in hair. Just long hair, hairy legs, arms, and chest and a goatee. Couldn't even make the werewolf part cool.
And the werewolf part? She needs to get her facts straight. She kept saying "werewolf form" and talked about when he turned into a werewolf on the full moon. News flash: your boyfriends a werewolf. He doesn't turn into a werewolf every now and then, HE IS ONE. Just because it's not a full moon doesn't mean he's human. He's still a werewolf. At one point she says "werewolf form" four times in three paragraphs. Two of the paragraphs are only one sentence long!
And what's with her saying the only cure is a silver bullet? She supposedly researched it and that's the only thing she could find. Well, she must be the most terrible person at research. I pity all her school essays.
On page 219 Brandon and Celeste are out in the woods, Brandon being in him "werewolf form." He has some steaks roasting, and Celeste wonders where he got them. Only he doesn't know, they were just there. Celeste is horrified- she can't imagine her precious Brandon ripping into Bambi's face and killing and eating him... but it's okay, because Brandon was just joking. He got them out of his grandparents' freezer.
So, let me get this straight. It's bad if he kills the deer and you're not sure if you can date him after that, but as long as someone else kills it, that's okay? Idiot.
So, the moral of this story is, stay away from this book!!! I'm probably going to read the second one because this one ended in a cliffhanger and I just want to see if the author has actually learned something from her mistake of a first book and written an awful book instead of an almost unreadable one. Probably not, but then it's only one more book, not like seven. So we'll see.
The one funny scene:
This novel was a detestable scramble of pages thrown together, but I have to point out the one good scene, the phone call between Celeste and her friends. Her friends get so confused because Celeste is talking to them and Brandon at the same time. They made me chuckle.
Edit; Read the second book, gave up on series. Read Vampire Kisses by same author, gave up on author. Schreiber has no idea what she's doing. GO GET AN EDITOR.
January 12, 2011
There were things I liked and didn't like:
Things I didn't like:
-It's good to foreshadow, but... it got annoying, I just wanted to be like "I know it's going to happen, how many time are you going to remind me?"
-I don't think that Celeste and Brandon got to KNOW each other very well...
-Nash. He had his good moments, but my goodness this boy is a annoying.
-best friends...that might leave you because you're talking to someone they don't like??
Things I liked:
-The attraction between Celeste and Brandon... (but you can't fall in love with a presence..)
-Even though it's stupid.. the way eastsiders and westsiders treat each other.. i didn't like it at first, but then I thought it kind of went with the story.
-Celeste wasn't stupid. THANK goodness. not one of those push over types.
-The way Brandon looks in my head... ah, I'm young It's okay for me to say that.
Thing I LOVED:
-Mr. Worthington (Did I spell his name right?) Anyway, he was an old man at a nursing home and my favorite character. I love him! He's adorable and I wish He was my grandpa.
**SPOILERS...**..slightly..
Okay I pretty much said it up there ^ but... HOW DID they fall in love?? She was attracted to him then boom I turn the page and it's all "he's my true love!" whatttttt?
Ivy, her bff, Is annoying. and if her friends would drop her for being happy with Brandon then wow... they're not very good friends. Sheesh.
Nash. The exboyfriend. Is so WEIRD to me. He takes her on dates to his PRACTICES? what a jerk! ha.
Sure the endings pretty happy... I'll take a guess and say there's a number two?
Things I didn't like:
-It's good to foreshadow, but... it got annoying, I just wanted to be like "I know it's going to happen, how many time are you going to remind me?"
-I don't think that Celeste and Brandon got to KNOW each other very well...
-Nash. He had his good moments, but my goodness this boy is a annoying.
-best friends...that might leave you because you're talking to someone they don't like??
Things I liked:
-The attraction between Celeste and Brandon... (but you can't fall in love with a presence..)
-Even though it's stupid.. the way eastsiders and westsiders treat each other.. i didn't like it at first, but then I thought it kind of went with the story.
-Celeste wasn't stupid. THANK goodness. not one of those push over types.
-The way Brandon looks in my head... ah, I'm young It's okay for me to say that.
Thing I LOVED:
-Mr. Worthington (Did I spell his name right?) Anyway, he was an old man at a nursing home and my favorite character. I love him! He's adorable and I wish He was my grandpa.
**SPOILERS...**..slightly..
Okay I pretty much said it up there ^ but... HOW DID they fall in love?? She was attracted to him then boom I turn the page and it's all "he's my true love!" whatttttt?
Ivy, her bff, Is annoying. and if her friends would drop her for being happy with Brandon then wow... they're not very good friends. Sheesh.
Nash. The exboyfriend. Is so WEIRD to me. He takes her on dates to his PRACTICES? what a jerk! ha.
Sure the endings pretty happy... I'll take a guess and say there's a number two?
August 18, 2014
Huh. I thought I was reading someone's debut novel. Evidently, not so much. Apparently this author has written quite a few books. Unfortunately, that knowledge taints my view a bit. 'Cause honestly, I probably would have cut her some slack if this was her first time riding a pony. Since it's not...
It's fairly boring for a werewolf story. Lots and lots of instant attraction between the two main characters, which is only made more annoying because he's "from the wrong side of the tracks". Naturally, there is an overly-dramatic line drawn in the sand between the the suburban section and the poorer section of the town. It was stupid.
The description of this werewolf was also stupid. Or worse, laughable.
He gets a bit hairy, his voice gets sexy, the hair on his head grows long, little fangs sprout out, and...
Wait. Wait. Give me a minute to stop giggling so I can type, please..
Ok, I'm back. *wipes tears from eyes*
So instead of turning into a wolf, he grows an insta-goatee!
*snort*
That makes so much sense.
I'm not even going to bore you with the supposed plot, because if the magical goatee doesn't send you screaming, then maybe this book will be right up your alley.
December 29, 2010
I loved this book. Period. Discussion over. The end.
It's just that simple, but I'll elaborate because I realize that doesn't actually say much. In the spirit of full disclosure, I wasn't expecting a lot out of this book. I'm not sure why I felt that way, but I was pleasantly surprised by how solid it was in every way. The characters, the world, the plot... it all fit together like an intricate little puzzle. It kept me interested at every turn without trying to be overly complicated.
Schreiber does an amazing job of creating a world that anyone can relate to. The town of Legend's Run is divided, east and west. Which side is the right side or is there own? Celeste Parker doesn't believe there is. Both eastsiders and westsiders stick to their own, but the arrival of a new student, Brandon Maddox, prompts her to cross the invisible line.
As I tore through this novel , both of them became incredibly real to me. It was the tiny details, ones you could easily gloss over, that made me feel like they could be people I'd met in real life. In fact, Bradon was such a well developed character that he reminded me of a guy friend who is strong, caring and a man of few words. All of the characters evoke clear images of who they are through their words and actions.
Tension also runs high. It builds throughout the book, but there are mini cliffhangers and other exciting moments that kept me hanging on every word. I realized I was turning pages, but I didn't realize how fast.
Nothing in this book stood out to me as a problem. I've read a lot of reviews in which people have though Celeste was immature and needed a backbone, but the fact that she is this sweet girl who can't go to her friends with many of her problems didn't bother me. Afterall, I lived through high school and sometimes you don't feel comfortable telling your friends things for fear that they'll judge you. Even adults feel this way on occasion, so Celeste's belief that she couldn't tell even her best girlfriends about the boy from the wrong side of the tracks and everything they go through after he saves her in the woods one night didn't make me think less of her. I just took it at face value that she was a teenager.
If I had a gripe it would be that there is a "true love conquers all" moment or scene that felt misplaced. I can't say it was contrived, but it was couched as more of a revelation than I believe it actually was because it is quite aparent that these characters have deep feelings for one another. It is also obvious they they accept each other completely, down to their darkest secrets. That was the only moment in the entire book that gave me pause, but within paragraphs the story had me again.
It all lead up to a sublime ending that left me intrigued, satisfied, and ready for another book. I will eagerly snatch up and devour the two forthcoming books in this series whenever they are released.
It's just that simple, but I'll elaborate because I realize that doesn't actually say much. In the spirit of full disclosure, I wasn't expecting a lot out of this book. I'm not sure why I felt that way, but I was pleasantly surprised by how solid it was in every way. The characters, the world, the plot... it all fit together like an intricate little puzzle. It kept me interested at every turn without trying to be overly complicated.
Schreiber does an amazing job of creating a world that anyone can relate to. The town of Legend's Run is divided, east and west. Which side is the right side or is there own? Celeste Parker doesn't believe there is. Both eastsiders and westsiders stick to their own, but the arrival of a new student, Brandon Maddox, prompts her to cross the invisible line.
As I tore through this novel , both of them became incredibly real to me. It was the tiny details, ones you could easily gloss over, that made me feel like they could be people I'd met in real life. In fact, Bradon was such a well developed character that he reminded me of a guy friend who is strong, caring and a man of few words. All of the characters evoke clear images of who they are through their words and actions.
Tension also runs high. It builds throughout the book, but there are mini cliffhangers and other exciting moments that kept me hanging on every word. I realized I was turning pages, but I didn't realize how fast.
Nothing in this book stood out to me as a problem. I've read a lot of reviews in which people have though Celeste was immature and needed a backbone, but the fact that she is this sweet girl who can't go to her friends with many of her problems didn't bother me. Afterall, I lived through high school and sometimes you don't feel comfortable telling your friends things for fear that they'll judge you. Even adults feel this way on occasion, so Celeste's belief that she couldn't tell even her best girlfriends about the boy from the wrong side of the tracks and everything they go through after he saves her in the woods one night didn't make me think less of her. I just took it at face value that she was a teenager.
If I had a gripe it would be that there is a "true love conquers all" moment or scene that felt misplaced. I can't say it was contrived, but it was couched as more of a revelation than I believe it actually was because it is quite aparent that these characters have deep feelings for one another. It is also obvious they they accept each other completely, down to their darkest secrets. That was the only moment in the entire book that gave me pause, but within paragraphs the story had me again.
It all lead up to a sublime ending that left me intrigued, satisfied, and ready for another book. I will eagerly snatch up and devour the two forthcoming books in this series whenever they are released.
February 18, 2011
Holy... friggin... crap. That's what this was. Complete, utter crap. Who wrote this again? A chick who already has a best-selling series under her belt? Then what the hell was she thinking writing this!?
I wanted to hurl this at the wall about halfway through. It was that bad. The main character, I forgot what her name was, but she was the definition of a card-board cut-out character. She is nice, hangs with the popular crowd, and volunteers at the nursing home. Whoop-dee-doo, you are so original.
The writing was repetitive and childish, even for an adult author. The way she wrote about the kissing scenes had the same description.
>p>"I felt like I had gone to Heaven."
"It was so good I felt like I was dreaming."
"Heaven."
"Dreaming."
"Heaven!"
"Dreaming!"
It was like that. I was rolling my eyes at each kissing scene or intimate moment.
Now to the werewolf lore. As a big fan of things that go bump in the night and scary monsters, I found this version of a werewolf stupid, retarded, and insulting. When a think of a werewolf, I think of a snarling beast, a wolf-like monster covered in fur that can stand on two legs, that tears and kills everything in sight. Mua-ha-ha-ha. But do I get this in this book? Hell no. I get one that has grey eyes, a "sexy" goatee, a thin coating of hair, but still sort of resembles a human. The main girl was attracted to the werewolf, which freaked me out. You want to kiss that thing? Gross!
There were many things wrong with this book. Basically, everything was horrible. The characters, the lore, the writing, you name it. And the ending. Wow. You call that a cliff hanger. If this a series, there's no way I'm reading the next one.
July 7, 2017
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Celeste Parker is a popular high schooler from the Eastside of Ledgends Run. She has a gorgeous boyfriend named Nash and two best friends named Ivy and Abby. When Brandon Maddox, a new student from the Westside of town arrives at school one day, Celeste is drawn towards him. But since she is from the Eastside, she shouldn't interact with him. One day walking home, Celeste is attacked by a pack of wolves. Brandon comes to her rescue and both of their worlds change forever.
THIS BOOK IS SO CRINGE IT HURT MY SOUL (which, I would like to point out is the authors favourite word... Celeste felt everything in her soul... EVERYTHING). I really did not like this book at all. The writing style was so choppy and hard to read. It almost felt like the author would write the first thing that popped into her head and then said whatever to editing it... The writing was repetitive and childish and there wasn't really any plot whatsoever.
The main character, Celeste annoyed me so much. She is your stereotypical popular girl who is a goody two shoes who wants to make everyone else happy. Then she meets a boy and every other line was about how hot Brandon was and how he was her one true love BUT THEY NEVER ACTUALLY LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER!! There was no real connection between them other than Celeste thought he was attractive. The instalove was so cring worthy... BUT THEN she is constantly trying to decide if she should get back together with Nash because she "had fun with him".... IF YOU ARE SO IN LOVE WITH BRANDON WHY ARE YOU EVEN CONSIDERING OTHER BOYS?!?! It is also apparent that if you fall in love, you become a snivelling idiot and can't function without constantly thinking about how much you need to be near your 'one true love'. Brandon was also a cliche. He was your typical misunderstood outsider, he is caring and passionate and loves animals. So when the threat of him hunting animals in his 'wolf form' comes to light he is devastated...BUT THEN PROCEEDS TO COOK STEAK ON AN OPEN FIRE IN THE WOODS. I'm sorry, but how does this make sense... He was practically crying over the fact that he might have killed an animal two seconds ago but its totally okay to get it from your freezer and cook it instead, I do not think so mister.
The two best friends made me angry as well. They were constantly threatening to dump Celeste as their friend because she didn't want to be in a relationship with Nash. They repeatedly told Celeste that she was "too nice" and constantly shunned people for being from the Westside of town... Nash was also very creepy to me, some of the things he would say to Celeste were borderline stalkerish and very controlling.
AND LETS JUST TALK ABOUT THIS WHOLE WEREWOLF THING. The 'wolf form' that Brandon takes is literally him just growing longer hair, getting a 'sexy voice', growing fangs and sporting a goatee... I'm sorry but that is SO not a werewolf... I wanted a snarling beast or something dang it!! This entire book just pissed me off...
I don't even want to continue writing this review, that is how stupid I found this book so I'm just going to leave it at that.... I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone to be honest and if I could give it 0 stars I would have.
Celeste Parker is a popular high schooler from the Eastside of Ledgends Run. She has a gorgeous boyfriend named Nash and two best friends named Ivy and Abby. When Brandon Maddox, a new student from the Westside of town arrives at school one day, Celeste is drawn towards him. But since she is from the Eastside, she shouldn't interact with him. One day walking home, Celeste is attacked by a pack of wolves. Brandon comes to her rescue and both of their worlds change forever.
THIS BOOK IS SO CRINGE IT HURT MY SOUL (which, I would like to point out is the authors favourite word... Celeste felt everything in her soul... EVERYTHING). I really did not like this book at all. The writing style was so choppy and hard to read. It almost felt like the author would write the first thing that popped into her head and then said whatever to editing it... The writing was repetitive and childish and there wasn't really any plot whatsoever.
The main character, Celeste annoyed me so much. She is your stereotypical popular girl who is a goody two shoes who wants to make everyone else happy. Then she meets a boy and every other line was about how hot Brandon was and how he was her one true love BUT THEY NEVER ACTUALLY LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER!! There was no real connection between them other than Celeste thought he was attractive. The instalove was so cring worthy... BUT THEN she is constantly trying to decide if she should get back together with Nash because she "had fun with him".... IF YOU ARE SO IN LOVE WITH BRANDON WHY ARE YOU EVEN CONSIDERING OTHER BOYS?!?! It is also apparent that if you fall in love, you become a snivelling idiot and can't function without constantly thinking about how much you need to be near your 'one true love'. Brandon was also a cliche. He was your typical misunderstood outsider, he is caring and passionate and loves animals. So when the threat of him hunting animals in his 'wolf form' comes to light he is devastated...BUT THEN PROCEEDS TO COOK STEAK ON AN OPEN FIRE IN THE WOODS. I'm sorry, but how does this make sense... He was practically crying over the fact that he might have killed an animal two seconds ago but its totally okay to get it from your freezer and cook it instead, I do not think so mister.
The two best friends made me angry as well. They were constantly threatening to dump Celeste as their friend because she didn't want to be in a relationship with Nash. They repeatedly told Celeste that she was "too nice" and constantly shunned people for being from the Westside of town... Nash was also very creepy to me, some of the things he would say to Celeste were borderline stalkerish and very controlling.
AND LETS JUST TALK ABOUT THIS WHOLE WEREWOLF THING. The 'wolf form' that Brandon takes is literally him just growing longer hair, getting a 'sexy voice', growing fangs and sporting a goatee... I'm sorry but that is SO not a werewolf... I wanted a snarling beast or something dang it!! This entire book just pissed me off...
I don't even want to continue writing this review, that is how stupid I found this book so I'm just going to leave it at that.... I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone to be honest and if I could give it 0 stars I would have.
December 7, 2010
Review first posted on had high hopes for this book. I mean, a new YA werewolf series? By an author who already has a pretty big following? I hoped wrong. And I m going to have to tread lightly here, because there wasn t much for me to like in Once in a Full Moon and I just talked about not author-bashing in a previous post.[return][return]Let s start with the writing. It s a lot of tell and no show. We re told a lot of things about the heroine, Celeste, and Celeste s friends, and Celeste s boyfriends, the town of Legend s Run and the hot new guy, Brandon. By the time I got to the part where I started reading sentences like, Another attribute that my friends shared was accusing me of being too nice because I was cordial to everyone , I began to realize that I was doomed. There s also the stilted dialog which is often lacking in contractions. This is a pet peeve of mine. I mean, people do not talk the way they write. They re constantly doing blasphemous things to the English language. I like to see a nice balance between formal language and something that s readable. If the dialog is too formal I can t picture actual people saying the words. If it s too slang-y and missing too many consonants (see dialog written in dialect. Heh.) then I become irritated.[return][return]Okay, sorry, that was a diatribe I didn t mean to go off on. So, the writing: not great. But what really disappointed me was everything else. The main character, Celeste, is a cardboard cutout of the good girl that runs with the popular crowd. For some reason, she s accepted by all the rich, born-on-the-right-side-of-the-tracks kids at her high school. Her boyfriend is a good-looking, popular jock. Her friends are steadfast and loyal. She s nice , meaning she sticks up for the poor unfortunates who are born in the Hicksville east side of Legend s Run. The blue collar side. And, seriously, I m not joking: she volunteers at a senior center. She is, in essence, a Mary Sue.[return][return]Or she would be, if she didn t have issues. Like being friends with the kind of mean girls who exclude people not of their own socio-economic background. I mean, seriously, her friends suck. They re rude to everyone. They tell Celeste that she s too nice and then encourage her to forgive her boyfriend when she finds him flirting with another girl. They make Celeste worse just because she wanted to be friends with them.[return][return]Then there s Celeste s boyfriend, Nash. Also a jerk. Basically ignores Celeste and only cares about sports. He likes Celeste because she s different . She s the one girl he can t get just by crooking his finger. Can you see me rolling my eyes? I honestly could not figure out why Nash was supposed to be so popular. Maybe you can tell me. Luckily, Nash isn t the hero in this book. No, that s the aforementioned new guy in town: Brandon.[return][return]Brandon is hot, but he s from the wrong side of town. No, seriously. He s, like, hawt. What I couldn t figure out was, if he s so hot, isn t it pretty unlikely that Celeste would be the only girl who didn t care what part of town he was from? Apparently, no. He s reviled. Even though he s a hero. What, you didn t know that? Well, Celeste will tell you a few thousand times, just so you get the point. He s sexy, heroic and thoughtful. Everything Nash is not, apparently. Which is fine. I mean, I ll buy the story of a girl who is with Guy A, who doesn t appreciate her or treat her right and she doesn t realize it until Guy B comes into the picture. The problem is the thing that s keeping Celeste with Nash isn t the way he s treating her. It s worry over what her friends and family will think if they find out she s dating an Eastsider like Brandon. So Celeste stays with Nash despite her feelings for another guy. At least, until she finds him flirting with someone else.[return][return]All in all, I don t feel that I can recommend this book. It didn t just disappoint me, it frustrated me. When the penultimate werewolf scene finally happens, I actually laughed out loud. I m only sad that I couldn t laugh at the rest of it.
Read
November 22, 2011review by Saluki
*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*
For those of you who faithfully read my book reviews, you know that I generally give positive reviews. I love to read, and I can generally find something that I like in just about any book. Unfortunately, once in a full moon is not one of those books, so this review will be very short.
1. The plot is boring. Boy meets girl. Boy gets bitten by wolf. Girl falls in love with boy and vows to help him find a cure. Blah, been there, read that. With the popularity of werewolf books, it is really important to come up with an engaging plot, and this book just doesn't do that.
2. The characters are horrible. Celeste is too perfect to be true. She gets good grades, volunteers at the local nursing home - basically your all American girl. She's dating Nash, the most popular jock in school because she doesn't want to disappoint her friends. Really? Yes, Celeste is a character who basically lets her friends dictate every aspect of her life. God forbid someone from the Eastside of town speak with someone from the Westside *GASP* Maybe I live in a bubble, but does that really exist anymore? Do people really shun others because of what part of town they life in?
For being such a good girl, Celeste picks horrible friends - they are superficial, snobby and down right irritating. There were times I could stomach Celeste and even Brandon, but the rest of the characters made me want to poke my eyes out with a fork.
3. The love story falls completely flat. Celeste knows she isn't in love with Nash, so it isn't shocking that she would fall for Brandon. But, this girl falling for hero boy plot line is just so over done. That wouldn't be so bad, except that Celeste falls in love and apparently swallows a pathetic pill. When Brandon returns her cell phone, she doesn't want to put it down because he had touched it. Gag me, please.
It really does make me sad to leave a book review this negative, but there really isn't anything I can pull out of the book to redeem it. Needless to say, I don't recommend you running out to buy this one. For only the second time, I am giving a book 0 fangs.
*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*
For those of you who faithfully read my book reviews, you know that I generally give positive reviews. I love to read, and I can generally find something that I like in just about any book. Unfortunately, once in a full moon is not one of those books, so this review will be very short.
1. The plot is boring. Boy meets girl. Boy gets bitten by wolf. Girl falls in love with boy and vows to help him find a cure. Blah, been there, read that. With the popularity of werewolf books, it is really important to come up with an engaging plot, and this book just doesn't do that.
2. The characters are horrible. Celeste is too perfect to be true. She gets good grades, volunteers at the local nursing home - basically your all American girl. She's dating Nash, the most popular jock in school because she doesn't want to disappoint her friends. Really? Yes, Celeste is a character who basically lets her friends dictate every aspect of her life. God forbid someone from the Eastside of town speak with someone from the Westside *GASP* Maybe I live in a bubble, but does that really exist anymore? Do people really shun others because of what part of town they life in?
For being such a good girl, Celeste picks horrible friends - they are superficial, snobby and down right irritating. There were times I could stomach Celeste and even Brandon, but the rest of the characters made me want to poke my eyes out with a fork.
3. The love story falls completely flat. Celeste knows she isn't in love with Nash, so it isn't shocking that she would fall for Brandon. But, this girl falling for hero boy plot line is just so over done. That wouldn't be so bad, except that Celeste falls in love and apparently swallows a pathetic pill. When Brandon returns her cell phone, she doesn't want to put it down because he had touched it. Gag me, please.
It really does make me sad to leave a book review this negative, but there really isn't anything I can pull out of the book to redeem it. Needless to say, I don't recommend you running out to buy this one. For only the second time, I am giving a book 0 fangs.
March 19, 2011
Arghhhh. A student loaned me this book yesterday (and there's a story in that too) and I thought it might provide a pleasant diversion. I'm fond of werewolf tales (Sharp Teeth, Bitten, etc). However, a few chapters into this, the writing was so horrific (Schreiber, for god's sakes, "Show, don't tell.") that I couldn't continue. I skipped to the end and the last scene was so laughably awful that I'm glad I didn't waste the time getting to it. I'll think of something diplomatic to tell my student (who said if I liked it that she had the whole series) but I don't have to be diplomatic here. Bleahhhhhhh.
November 28, 2010
I wanted to read this book because I absolutely adore this cover.... The story sounded interesting enough, so I started with big hopes in this book.
Let's start with the nice things I have to say, the cover is gorgeous right? And..uhm.... the plot is was Ok... There is a werewolf, there is some mystery, there is a girl and some romance.
Celeste has a normal and perfect life, has the "right" friends, dates the perfect handsome guy who's in the Football team. Etc, Etc... Then a Stranger moves to town and she's fascinated by him.
Things are getting strange and weird when Celeste is caught in a snowstorm and surrounded by wolves. Brandon, the new guy rescues her from the wolves, gets bitten and then disappears.
Celeste cannot hide her interest in him anymore and starts lying to her friends to be near him. Still, nobody can know that she sees him, because he's from the wrong site of town. Her friends simply wouldn't accept him.. (Talking about good friends here...)
Ok , so far so good. I really tried to like this book and I stopped in the middle to pick it up again later with the hope I'd finally like it. But, uhm...I didn't!
I was so annoyed by Celeste!! She's supposed to be 17 but she's behaving like a child. She's the most childish character I met for a long time. I was changing my head several time, I simply couldn't believe what she was saying and how she was behaving.
She fells in love for the first time, and I get it.. this is a new feeling but when she's talking to her sister about being in love she asked her if it might be possible that she starts seeing him in different eyes and he suddenly has a goatee. Uhm.. hello????
Brandon I liked a bit more, but he was just not deep portrayed to me to care. But he also had some great lines .. like "How can I not trust you.. You are kind, popular and beautiful" (Something along those lines... I didn't care enough to bookmark the quote) What the heck has popular to do with trusting someone???
The fact that I didn't like the characters and that they were most of the time childish and boring made it hard for me to like the book. The dialogues were premature and I had a hard time reading on to be honest.
In addition, the plot was kind of predicable and the ending totally anticlimactic.
I'm sure there are people who would love this book, but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe it is more suitable for a younger readership.
Let's start with the nice things I have to say, the cover is gorgeous right? And..uhm.... the plot is was Ok... There is a werewolf, there is some mystery, there is a girl and some romance.
Celeste has a normal and perfect life, has the "right" friends, dates the perfect handsome guy who's in the Football team. Etc, Etc... Then a Stranger moves to town and she's fascinated by him.
Things are getting strange and weird when Celeste is caught in a snowstorm and surrounded by wolves. Brandon, the new guy rescues her from the wolves, gets bitten and then disappears.
Celeste cannot hide her interest in him anymore and starts lying to her friends to be near him. Still, nobody can know that she sees him, because he's from the wrong site of town. Her friends simply wouldn't accept him.. (Talking about good friends here...)
Ok , so far so good. I really tried to like this book and I stopped in the middle to pick it up again later with the hope I'd finally like it. But, uhm...I didn't!
I was so annoyed by Celeste!! She's supposed to be 17 but she's behaving like a child. She's the most childish character I met for a long time. I was changing my head several time, I simply couldn't believe what she was saying and how she was behaving.
She fells in love for the first time, and I get it.. this is a new feeling but when she's talking to her sister about being in love she asked her if it might be possible that she starts seeing him in different eyes and he suddenly has a goatee. Uhm.. hello????
Brandon I liked a bit more, but he was just not deep portrayed to me to care. But he also had some great lines .. like "How can I not trust you.. You are kind, popular and beautiful" (Something along those lines... I didn't care enough to bookmark the quote) What the heck has popular to do with trusting someone???
The fact that I didn't like the characters and that they were most of the time childish and boring made it hard for me to like the book. The dialogues were premature and I had a hard time reading on to be honest.
In addition, the plot was kind of predicable and the ending totally anticlimactic.
I'm sure there are people who would love this book, but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe it is more suitable for a younger readership.
September 17, 2013
This is a series review for all three books in the Full Moon Series by Ellen Schreiber (Once in a Full Moon
,
Magic of The Moonlight
,
and Full Moon Kisses
).
*Series Rating: 1 star*
I just. I can't. I don't...
Pull it together, Jenn.
*Inhale*
*Exhale*
You got this.
I just, I can't even... how did this happen?
I need a minute to get over the fact that this book even got published. I don't even know where to begin dealing with this.
Okay, so, assuming you've read the synopsis of at least the first book, you'll learn that this is your basic girl-in-small-town-falls-for-werewolf-outsider story. I say "basic" because this story embodies almost every book cliche I know of. They are as follows:
Insta-love
Page 45 of Once in a Full Moon (Book 1): Celeste (Our MC) gets rescued from a pack of wolves by Brandon Maddox.
Page 55: "I’d never be able to admit my doughy, in-love-with-a-Westsider feeling to Ivy or Abby." (Celeste)
So, over the course of ten pages, she managed to fall in love. And did I mention that she already had a boyfriend at this point?
Then (remember, she's only spoken to this guy once) Celeste is all like: "Brandon was a true hero� brave, modest, humble." (pg. 57)
Really? Do I look stupid to you?
Pancake/One-dimesional Characters
I couldn't differentiate betweeen Ivy and Abby (Celeste's bffs) until book two. The only thing I could remember was that Abby was athletic and Ivy was prissy.
I still can't tell the difference between Dylan and Jake (Abby and Ivy's boyfriends).
Love Triangle... or is it?
I've never read a book and actually been confused about whether or not it was a love triangle. I'm entirely confounded.
The Hot Outsider/Forbidden Love
Brandon is a Westsider, the rivals of the upper-class Eastsiders, of which Celeste is a part.
The entire Eastsider/Westsider rivalary thing seemed stupid to me. I guess Schreiber was going for the whole "forbidden love" angle, but in the end it just seemed like a bunch of shallow teenagers from different sides of a river.
Dingie Best Friend(s) Syndrome
I want to kill Ivy. She's ditzy, slutty hypocrite. She was ALWAYS criticizing Westsiders, then when Celeste reveals her feelings about Brandon to her, she's all like:
“I don’t care that he’s a Westsider, Celeste." Uhm, you did a couple chapters ago!
Just. Shut. Up.
Abby isn't really any better. Just a bit less slutty I think.
Invisible/Must-Be-Blind Parents
Celeste is 17. I saw her parents VERY few times throughout the books, and really, if my kid was randomly leaving at night, spending hours who-knows-where and dating a werewolf, I'd make it my business to know!
Brandon lives with his grandparents. I think they entered the story maybe one time.
In addition to the aforementioned issues, this book also had some MAJOR PLOT HOLES, for example, THE ENTIRE ENDING. When you end a trilogy/series/quartet/ANYTHING it needs to be at least somewhat conclusive. I'm not saying that all the questions have to be answered and it HAS to be neat and tidy, but there needs to be something accomplished, something that made it worth reading all three books.
The cheesy romance wasn't even cheesy, it was just stupid. There were also some grammatical errors, and the dialogue sucked. Like, it was so bad. Nobody that I have ever come into contact with speaks how these people spoke.
Ms. Schreiber, there's these new things, they're called contractions. You should give them a try.
But it wasn't just the lack of contractions. The writing itself is awful. It's so shallow and amateurish and the descriptive wording is just lame. Phrases like:
"My heart almost burst through my chest." and
"...my heart was going to explode with love." (This is where I lost all hope. Explode with love? C'mon. Get real.) in addition to the constant overuse of adjectives (We KNOW Brandon is brave, heroic, humble, selfess, handsome, kind, hot, sexy and strong, Celeste. You don't need to keep telling us.) make this a very tedious, very frustrating series.
The fact that this was published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins just shocks me. They usually publish legit books. This is just pathetic. The plot isn't even a real plot, just one giant run-on sentence. It this wasn't an e-book, I would've thrown it against a wall or onto concrete or into a lava pit or something.
And if you're wondering why I read all three books if I hated them so much (which you will, 'cuz that's how people are. Curious and shiz.), I read them because 1) I despise people who read halfway through a book or series then review it. You can't accurately review what you haven't read, idiot, and 2) If you don't read the bad, how can you appreciate the good?
In Conclusion,
Major disappointement. Finishing this series may have been the most difficult thing I have ever done.
I think I just lost faith in humanity.
-Jenn
,
Magic of The Moonlight
,
and Full Moon Kisses
).
*Series Rating: 1 star*
I just. I can't. I don't...
Pull it together, Jenn.
*Inhale*
*Exhale*
You got this.
I just, I can't even... how did this happen?
I need a minute to get over the fact that this book even got published. I don't even know where to begin dealing with this.
Okay, so, assuming you've read the synopsis of at least the first book, you'll learn that this is your basic girl-in-small-town-falls-for-werewolf-outsider story. I say "basic" because this story embodies almost every book cliche I know of. They are as follows:
Insta-love
Page 45 of Once in a Full Moon (Book 1): Celeste (Our MC) gets rescued from a pack of wolves by Brandon Maddox.
Page 55: "I’d never be able to admit my doughy, in-love-with-a-Westsider feeling to Ivy or Abby." (Celeste)
So, over the course of ten pages, she managed to fall in love. And did I mention that she already had a boyfriend at this point?
Then (remember, she's only spoken to this guy once) Celeste is all like: "Brandon was a true hero� brave, modest, humble." (pg. 57)
Really? Do I look stupid to you?
Pancake/One-dimesional Characters
I couldn't differentiate betweeen Ivy and Abby (Celeste's bffs) until book two. The only thing I could remember was that Abby was athletic and Ivy was prissy.
I still can't tell the difference between Dylan and Jake (Abby and Ivy's boyfriends).
Love Triangle... or is it?
I've never read a book and actually been confused about whether or not it was a love triangle. I'm entirely confounded.
The Hot Outsider/Forbidden Love
Brandon is a Westsider, the rivals of the upper-class Eastsiders, of which Celeste is a part.
The entire Eastsider/Westsider rivalary thing seemed stupid to me. I guess Schreiber was going for the whole "forbidden love" angle, but in the end it just seemed like a bunch of shallow teenagers from different sides of a river.
Dingie Best Friend(s) Syndrome
I want to kill Ivy. She's ditzy, slutty hypocrite. She was ALWAYS criticizing Westsiders, then when Celeste reveals her feelings about Brandon to her, she's all like:
“I don’t care that he’s a Westsider, Celeste." Uhm, you did a couple chapters ago!
Just. Shut. Up.
Abby isn't really any better. Just a bit less slutty I think.
Invisible/Must-Be-Blind Parents
Celeste is 17. I saw her parents VERY few times throughout the books, and really, if my kid was randomly leaving at night, spending hours who-knows-where and dating a werewolf, I'd make it my business to know!
Brandon lives with his grandparents. I think they entered the story maybe one time.
In addition to the aforementioned issues, this book also had some MAJOR PLOT HOLES, for example, THE ENTIRE ENDING. When you end a trilogy/series/quartet/ANYTHING it needs to be at least somewhat conclusive. I'm not saying that all the questions have to be answered and it HAS to be neat and tidy, but there needs to be something accomplished, something that made it worth reading all three books.
The cheesy romance wasn't even cheesy, it was just stupid. There were also some grammatical errors, and the dialogue sucked. Like, it was so bad. Nobody that I have ever come into contact with speaks how these people spoke.
Ms. Schreiber, there's these new things, they're called contractions. You should give them a try.
But it wasn't just the lack of contractions. The writing itself is awful. It's so shallow and amateurish and the descriptive wording is just lame. Phrases like:
"My heart almost burst through my chest." and
"...my heart was going to explode with love." (This is where I lost all hope. Explode with love? C'mon. Get real.) in addition to the constant overuse of adjectives (We KNOW Brandon is brave, heroic, humble, selfess, handsome, kind, hot, sexy and strong, Celeste. You don't need to keep telling us.) make this a very tedious, very frustrating series.
The fact that this was published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins just shocks me. They usually publish legit books. This is just pathetic. The plot isn't even a real plot, just one giant run-on sentence. It this wasn't an e-book, I would've thrown it against a wall or onto concrete or into a lava pit or something.
And if you're wondering why I read all three books if I hated them so much (which you will, 'cuz that's how people are. Curious and shiz.), I read them because 1) I despise people who read halfway through a book or series then review it. You can't accurately review what you haven't read, idiot, and 2) If you don't read the bad, how can you appreciate the good?
In Conclusion,
Major disappointement. Finishing this series may have been the most difficult thing I have ever done.
I think I just lost faith in humanity.
-Jenn
September 29, 2010
I'm a fan of Schreiber's Vampire Kisses series, so when I got an ARC for this one, I was excited to see what new adventure she would take readers on. I wasn't disappointed. While the conglomeration of different YA books with werewolf lore and romance are evident, there was enough of a spin and valuable characters to become invested. I wasn't particularly fond of Nash, the arrogant little %#&*$ who felt Celeste would always worship the ground he walked on and am glad that she's choosing real love instead of the fake version with Nash.
Go Brandon-- I can smell the sex appeal.
Go Brandon-- I can smell the sex appeal.
Shelved as 'abandoned-dnf'
March 29, 2015Marking as DNF. I can read child/young writing when I'm expecting it, such as when I read a Goosebumps or children's story, but this is written too simply for my tastes as a YA. It's a very young YA, I guess, and I'm just not interested. Besides the simple writing style, everything is told to the reader instead of shown, and there doesn't seem to be genuine personality with the characters, more of stereotypes. I'm not that into the plot summary, either, so it's best if me and this book part ways.
October 8, 2010
My middle schoolers will love it but it was too cliche and "flat" for me. Very predictable. It's basically Vampire kisses turned around and with werewolves. Characters didn't really speak like teens speak. Also, characters fall in love without really having a conversation. There is kind of a love triangle but I found that whole aspect awkward. Again, it will fly off my shelves but I don't know that I'll read the subsequent books.
November 27, 2013
Screw it. This book...sucked.
What was the plot of the story? A boy running around naked with a goatee, ripped abs and a sprinkling of hair? A girl avoiding her friends just cause she likes someone from the wrong side of town? WHAT?!
Celeste was an awful heroine. Disappointing. Throughout the book, she couldn't stand up to her own beliefs and preferences, and she didn't tell her friends that she liked Brandon....all the way to the end of the book.
Her friends were another matter. It was creepy that the clique-y circle had their lives revolve around each other: they totally wanted to date each other in high school, then totally go to college together, then totally get married, and probably all get knocked up at the same time.
Celeste cared too much about what they thought of her that I wanted to smack her senseless. I wish the author had redeemed her a little, but I was pretty convinced that Celeste was ashamed to be seen with Brandon, although she said otherwise.
Her friends, I also found, were pretty useless. If Celeste had turned out to be a main character without an entourage, the story would have still worked out. Perhaps better, even. I don't know what value the girls brought to the story except a snobbish attitude and a missing dog who resembled a pumpkin.
I should have felt more towards Celeste and Brandon's relationship, but I didn't. They moved fast, their love was unconvincing, their interactions were strange and her descriptions of their kisses was too weird.
Brandon was the only character I liked, but he really didn't bring much to the table except an argument of back and forth telling Celeste to stay away for her own good, et cetera et cetera.
Perhaps I felt stuck in the mentality of Celeste being so weak and annoying for not admitting to dating Brandon that I was unable to think of how good they were together.
Also, the werewolf phenomenon in the book was just too...soft.
No danger? No beastly characteristics? No ferocious fangs that dripped with drool?
The werewolf in this book could speak in a seductive tone at that and he had a sexy goatee. I wanted a wolf that resembled something on Being Human.
Lastly, there was a lack of something impressive about the writing that left me wanting. And the ending did not thrill me enough to want to read book two.
What was the plot of the story? A boy running around naked with a goatee, ripped abs and a sprinkling of hair? A girl avoiding her friends just cause she likes someone from the wrong side of town? WHAT?!
Celeste was an awful heroine. Disappointing. Throughout the book, she couldn't stand up to her own beliefs and preferences, and she didn't tell her friends that she liked Brandon....all the way to the end of the book.
Her friends were another matter. It was creepy that the clique-y circle had their lives revolve around each other: they totally wanted to date each other in high school, then totally go to college together, then totally get married, and probably all get knocked up at the same time.
Celeste cared too much about what they thought of her that I wanted to smack her senseless. I wish the author had redeemed her a little, but I was pretty convinced that Celeste was ashamed to be seen with Brandon, although she said otherwise.
Her friends, I also found, were pretty useless. If Celeste had turned out to be a main character without an entourage, the story would have still worked out. Perhaps better, even. I don't know what value the girls brought to the story except a snobbish attitude and a missing dog who resembled a pumpkin.
I should have felt more towards Celeste and Brandon's relationship, but I didn't. They moved fast, their love was unconvincing, their interactions were strange and her descriptions of their kisses was too weird.
Brandon was the only character I liked, but he really didn't bring much to the table except an argument of back and forth telling Celeste to stay away for her own good, et cetera et cetera.
Perhaps I felt stuck in the mentality of Celeste being so weak and annoying for not admitting to dating Brandon that I was unable to think of how good they were together.
Also, the werewolf phenomenon in the book was just too...soft.
No danger? No beastly characteristics? No ferocious fangs that dripped with drool?
The werewolf in this book could speak in a seductive tone at that and he had a sexy goatee. I wanted a wolf that resembled something on Being Human.
Lastly, there was a lack of something impressive about the writing that left me wanting. And the ending did not thrill me enough to want to read book two.
March 21, 2011
also reviewd on my blog:
Couple of things I want to point out that I really liked about this book: I loved how at every chapter there was a picture of the moon, and I loved the cover. It was so intriguing looking. I have been looking forward to reading “Once in a Full Moon� for awhile now. Ever since I read the plot I was hooked.
Celeste and her best friends made a bet to go to the psychic on the other side of town, her two best friends get the normal fortunes told to them, but when the psychic tells Celeste to be away of the kiss under the full moon, it will change forever. She finds it strange and wants to get out of there as fast as she can. Then the other things that the psychic predicted came true and she started to become afraid.
Celeste and Nash have been together for awhile, they’re the perfect couple, everyone envy’s them .But then the new kid, Brandon comes to school.
Because the girls won the bet Nash has to invite Brandon to the party. Nash doesn’t like Brandon and something happens at the party and Nash and Celeste break up.
Brandon is the new kid, very mysterious and he seems to want to be left alone. Celeste starts finding him intriguing and then she starts hanging out with Brandon, Flirting a little here and there. She starts comparing Brandon and Nash. They start meeting in secret and there little flirtatious acts turn into love.
When Celeste ignores the psychic and kisses Brandon under the full moon she witnesses something him turn into something else. When Brandon turns into a wolf he doesn’t remember a thing when he was in that form, so when he turns human again, he thinks he was just sleeping during that time. But Celeste tries to convince Brandon of what he really is.
I have read a lot of mixed reviews about this book. I was a little hesitant to read it because everyone says it wasn’t that great of a book. But I loved it!
I have read her previous series: vampire kisses and loved it so why not give this book a chance. I can’t wait for the second book in this series: Magic of the Moonlight which comes out in December :) This book left us in a cliffhanger and I’m hoping December comes real fast.
Couple of things I want to point out that I really liked about this book: I loved how at every chapter there was a picture of the moon, and I loved the cover. It was so intriguing looking. I have been looking forward to reading “Once in a Full Moon� for awhile now. Ever since I read the plot I was hooked.
Celeste and her best friends made a bet to go to the psychic on the other side of town, her two best friends get the normal fortunes told to them, but when the psychic tells Celeste to be away of the kiss under the full moon, it will change forever. She finds it strange and wants to get out of there as fast as she can. Then the other things that the psychic predicted came true and she started to become afraid.
Celeste and Nash have been together for awhile, they’re the perfect couple, everyone envy’s them .But then the new kid, Brandon comes to school.
Because the girls won the bet Nash has to invite Brandon to the party. Nash doesn’t like Brandon and something happens at the party and Nash and Celeste break up.
Brandon is the new kid, very mysterious and he seems to want to be left alone. Celeste starts finding him intriguing and then she starts hanging out with Brandon, Flirting a little here and there. She starts comparing Brandon and Nash. They start meeting in secret and there little flirtatious acts turn into love.
When Celeste ignores the psychic and kisses Brandon under the full moon she witnesses something him turn into something else. When Brandon turns into a wolf he doesn’t remember a thing when he was in that form, so when he turns human again, he thinks he was just sleeping during that time. But Celeste tries to convince Brandon of what he really is.
I have read a lot of mixed reviews about this book. I was a little hesitant to read it because everyone says it wasn’t that great of a book. But I loved it!
I have read her previous series: vampire kisses and loved it so why not give this book a chance. I can’t wait for the second book in this series: Magic of the Moonlight which comes out in December :) This book left us in a cliffhanger and I’m hoping December comes real fast.
March 5, 2012
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My Opinion : Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever. That's the only reason I read this book. I mean, what's more romantic than a kiss under the full moon? And why would it change someone's life forever? Why beware a kiss? That's how this author's powerful; she makes the reader ask questions that will only be answered by reading the book.
At first, with all the bad reviews on this book, I didn't really want to read it, but, as you can see by my review, I did read it.
The writing was beautifully woven from the first word you read, until the last word. It kept me up at night, thinking about what would happen next, imagining different scenarios. Will they get together? Will she choose tern, stupid and selfish Nash, or beautiful, nice, selfless and caring Brandon? I think it was easy to know she'd choose Brandon, right?
As I previously wrote in this review, Nash is tern, stupid and selfish. He only began being nice and a bit caring to Celeste when she didn't want to be with him anymore. I mean? What? How stupid is he? But, Brandon *sigh* is *sigh* perfect. Even though Celeste was a bit too to... weird... when she was in love, I liked her and how she cared about old people and other people more then herself. Then, Mr Worthington. He had such a cute personality! And, seriously, if he'd been younger, I would of totally had a crush on him *blush*.
The cover really was pretty... what? That's all I have to say about it; sorry.
So, I heard there's another book in this series... EEEEEEEEEEP! Yeah!
4.5/5 stars
My Opinion : Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever. That's the only reason I read this book. I mean, what's more romantic than a kiss under the full moon? And why would it change someone's life forever? Why beware a kiss? That's how this author's powerful; she makes the reader ask questions that will only be answered by reading the book.
At first, with all the bad reviews on this book, I didn't really want to read it, but, as you can see by my review, I did read it.
The writing was beautifully woven from the first word you read, until the last word. It kept me up at night, thinking about what would happen next, imagining different scenarios. Will they get together? Will she choose tern, stupid and selfish Nash, or beautiful, nice, selfless and caring Brandon? I think it was easy to know she'd choose Brandon, right?
As I previously wrote in this review, Nash is tern, stupid and selfish. He only began being nice and a bit caring to Celeste when she didn't want to be with him anymore. I mean? What? How stupid is he? But, Brandon *sigh* is *sigh* perfect. Even though Celeste was a bit too to... weird... when she was in love, I liked her and how she cared about old people and other people more then herself. Then, Mr Worthington. He had such a cute personality! And, seriously, if he'd been younger, I would of totally had a crush on him *blush*.
The cover really was pretty... what? That's all I have to say about it; sorry.
So, I heard there's another book in this series... EEEEEEEEEEP! Yeah!
4.5/5 stars
November 13, 2015
"Beware a kiss under the full moon, it will change your life forever."
Beware of this book it will make you cry in pain for million of years.
I was in a werewolf book mood so I searched up werewolf at my local library and (sadly) I found this.
The book is horrible. I read the rest of the books too and they are horrible also.
1. Celeste.
She is one of my main problems. I just wanted to punch her so hard to shut up about Brandon who you just met like AN FREAKING HOUR BEFORE!! Idiot. I don't get me started on her annoyingness (if that is even a word) and her stupid mind. Please can someone hand me a piece of duct tape to tie her up. Or a nice birthday present, push her off a cliff.
2. Brandon
WHAT IS SO GOOD ABOUT HIM!??
Celeste- well he is hot
HOT DOESNT MAKE HIM A GOOD CHARACTER!! HE NEEDS TO HAVE A PERSONALTY! NONE OF THESE CHARACTERS HAD A PERSONALTY. Well expect for Celeste... Her personalty is full of stupidity and being annoying. What is with the goatee? Is he Shaggy from Scooby Doo?
3. The other characters
Even Ivy and Abby were stupid. They were bad friends also like their best friend, annoying. Nash, please can someone shut him up also?!?! Please.
4. The mythology.
Really? One small little scratch from a wolf?
Also he just becomes hairy with teeth? *rolls eyes* yeah that is so awesome. At least in Teen Wolf (which is a werewolf show I highly recommend) they get awesome powers.
So if you see this in a bookstore, get it and throw it into a fire
Beware of this book it will make you cry in pain for million of years.
I was in a werewolf book mood so I searched up werewolf at my local library and (sadly) I found this.
The book is horrible. I read the rest of the books too and they are horrible also.
1. Celeste.
She is one of my main problems. I just wanted to punch her so hard to shut up about Brandon who you just met like AN FREAKING HOUR BEFORE!! Idiot. I don't get me started on her annoyingness (if that is even a word) and her stupid mind. Please can someone hand me a piece of duct tape to tie her up. Or a nice birthday present, push her off a cliff.
2. Brandon
WHAT IS SO GOOD ABOUT HIM!??
Celeste- well he is hot
HOT DOESNT MAKE HIM A GOOD CHARACTER!! HE NEEDS TO HAVE A PERSONALTY! NONE OF THESE CHARACTERS HAD A PERSONALTY. Well expect for Celeste... Her personalty is full of stupidity and being annoying. What is with the goatee? Is he Shaggy from Scooby Doo?
3. The other characters
Even Ivy and Abby were stupid. They were bad friends also like their best friend, annoying. Nash, please can someone shut him up also?!?! Please.
4. The mythology.
Really? One small little scratch from a wolf?
Also he just becomes hairy with teeth? *rolls eyes* yeah that is so awesome. At least in Teen Wolf (which is a werewolf show I highly recommend) they get awesome powers.
So if you see this in a bookstore, get it and throw it into a fire
April 30, 2012
I'll be honest. I cried while reading this... when my mp3 player died in the middle of my Vayden album.
I was really prepared to like this even though I knew it would be a fluff book. About halfway through I tried throwing in the towel, but ended up stranded on the couch with my 80lb pitbull using my lap as a pillow sooo I grudgingly finished it.
First I rented this for the werewolf sighting -what I really wanted!
and what we get is chad Kroeger. No. I am deadly serious.
That is just NOT OK!
The character of Celeste is a waste of space. Brandon saves her from a pack of wolves and she won't even admit to anyone that he saved her. PLUS, it takes an eon for her to get around to even saying thank you. She is superficial and cares only about her status and what her friends think about everything she does and who she even talks to. She worries about losing her bff's because they might find out she's dating A WESTSIDER *GASP*.
I was really prepared to like this even though I knew it would be a fluff book. About halfway through I tried throwing in the towel, but ended up stranded on the couch with my 80lb pitbull using my lap as a pillow sooo I grudgingly finished it.
First I rented this for the werewolf sighting -what I really wanted!
and what we get is chad Kroeger. No. I am deadly serious.
That is just NOT OK!
The character of Celeste is a waste of space. Brandon saves her from a pack of wolves and she won't even admit to anyone that he saved her. PLUS, it takes an eon for her to get around to even saying thank you. She is superficial and cares only about her status and what her friends think about everything she does and who she even talks to. She worries about losing her bff's because they might find out she's dating A WESTSIDER *GASP*.
May 23, 2021
This book was a slow burn, and had potential.
After finding that I liked New Adult Urban Fantasy, I found that YA also had it’s own fair share of at least similar books, as in main characters being supernatural creatures and all that.
I didn’t like the popular trope in here, as I don’t even know why most people think high school is about hot jocks and cheerleaders. I mean there are some, but high school life isn’t shallow. There are cliques and “the rich and poor� side which grew old really fast. I felt like that was to just add into the forbidden relationship between Celeste and Brandon.
Celeste was a really complicated herione to like. I get that most heriones in early 2010 YA books were clueless and immature, but Celeste is just too cheesy. All she can think about is kissing her boyfriend, that we don’t even get to see the rest of her as a character.
There were times in the story where I admired, and came close to loving her. But nope.
All she can think about is kissing and how hot boys are. There is more to writing a teen female then that. We see that Celeste is a smart girl and she is very creative. She is mature sometimes. But that gets drowned out by her longing for kisses and how she can’t help but ogle her boyfriend all the time.
Aside from Celeste and being stuck in her crazy descriptions of how she wants to kiss her boyfriend all the time, the other characters were not likeable.
I like Abby, she didn’t seem to that snobby. Brandon was, next to Celeste, the only character I could root for. I felt for him, and he felt a lot more better then other characters.
There’s a werewolf rumor going around town, Celeste falls in love with Brandon, tries to avoid her friends and impress them all the time.
Three stars for Celeste and Brandon because I liked them enough, that oh so beautiful cover, and for the book being entertaining enough to finish.
After finding that I liked New Adult Urban Fantasy, I found that YA also had it’s own fair share of at least similar books, as in main characters being supernatural creatures and all that.
I didn’t like the popular trope in here, as I don’t even know why most people think high school is about hot jocks and cheerleaders. I mean there are some, but high school life isn’t shallow. There are cliques and “the rich and poor� side which grew old really fast. I felt like that was to just add into the forbidden relationship between Celeste and Brandon.
Celeste was a really complicated herione to like. I get that most heriones in early 2010 YA books were clueless and immature, but Celeste is just too cheesy. All she can think about is kissing her boyfriend, that we don’t even get to see the rest of her as a character.
There were times in the story where I admired, and came close to loving her. But nope.
All she can think about is kissing and how hot boys are. There is more to writing a teen female then that. We see that Celeste is a smart girl and she is very creative. She is mature sometimes. But that gets drowned out by her longing for kisses and how she can’t help but ogle her boyfriend all the time.
Aside from Celeste and being stuck in her crazy descriptions of how she wants to kiss her boyfriend all the time, the other characters were not likeable.
I like Abby, she didn’t seem to that snobby. Brandon was, next to Celeste, the only character I could root for. I felt for him, and he felt a lot more better then other characters.
There’s a werewolf rumor going around town, Celeste falls in love with Brandon, tries to avoid her friends and impress them all the time.
Three stars for Celeste and Brandon because I liked them enough, that oh so beautiful cover, and for the book being entertaining enough to finish.
January 10, 2011
Once in a Full Moon is definitely one of those novels that I can’t decide whether to like or not. While I definitely liked the story, the writing…well let’s just say I was NOT impressed. I was displeased to find out that there are going to be more books. I can’t decide if it’s worth it to continue reading this series or not.
When a novel starts out with “It all started…� it’s just not a good sign. I should have taken the hint right then and there. Alas, I continued. I can’t even fully articulate how amateur this writing was. It was choppy, with minimal descriptions, and the emotional content was nill. For example, Celeste gets lost in a blizzard and attacked by wolves. Don’t worry she survives. Yet when she returns home her parent’s reactions were just unbelievable. I literally just can’t describe how bad it was. It’s like the parents jumped from being concerned, incredulous, back to concerned, to admonishing her, and then back to being incredulous again. I mean, uh huh? Am I missing something here? Since when are human emotions so flip floppy? Especially parents? And her friends were the same way! Moments of intense emotion were just utter crap. I literally think this is the most horribly written book I have ever come across. I don’t mean to be harsh, just wow. It was BAD. I felt like a twelve year old wrote this.
Okay I’m done bashing. I just can’t understand how the writing could be soooo god awful yet I REALLY liked the story. Bit of a conundrum is it not? The romance was really good! I adored Brandon and Celeste. And hey guess what?! Another story without instant love! Their feelings for each other developed slowly, and they genuinely care for each other. Brandon is just an all around wonderful guy, and I liked Celeste most of the time; even though she had the backbone of a jellyfish. *rolls eyes* Celeste stays with Brandon no matter what, and that’s something I really admire. They’re both experiencing something new and profound in the paranormal area yet they both don’t let it affect their feelings for each other. It was just really sweet. If anything the author has a talent for writing teenage romance.
Another aspect of the book I loved was the original take on werewolves. I mean it’s an actual WEREWOLF. Not a shapeshifter! A werewolf! Half man, half wolf! Don’t you just miss the days of American Werewolf in London? I felt like I was transported to a time in paranormal literature without gimmicks. It was a wonderful feeling. I really liked that Brandon still could talk and was relatively human, aside from the extra hair and pointy teeth. Werewolves weren’t “bad� or blood thirsty creatures. And it wasn’t just full moons that triggered the change. A waning or waxing moon that still looks full also triggers the change. It’s funny how the werewolves in this book, and the werewolves in Sisters Red could be polar opposites and yet I enjoyed both versions.
So in summary? Loved the story, hated the writing. The positive and the negative just cancel each other out, leaving me with no firm reason to continue reading these books. Oh and the highschool drama crap going on? I am sorry, but those cliché groups of cliques DO NOT EXIST! Trust me, I’m living it! Celeste’s friends were the bitchiest most stuck up fictional characters I have ever come across. Another strike� So will I continue reading these? The next one I might read out of curiosity for the story. Might. Would I recommend it? That would be a firm no. Unless you like the authors other series, Vampire Kisses, I would definitely not suggest you read this. Maybe I’m a literary snob, but hey tis my honest opinion. It sucks that the writing was so bad, because I really did enjoy the story. Such a shame.
When a novel starts out with “It all started…� it’s just not a good sign. I should have taken the hint right then and there. Alas, I continued. I can’t even fully articulate how amateur this writing was. It was choppy, with minimal descriptions, and the emotional content was nill. For example, Celeste gets lost in a blizzard and attacked by wolves. Don’t worry she survives. Yet when she returns home her parent’s reactions were just unbelievable. I literally just can’t describe how bad it was. It’s like the parents jumped from being concerned, incredulous, back to concerned, to admonishing her, and then back to being incredulous again. I mean, uh huh? Am I missing something here? Since when are human emotions so flip floppy? Especially parents? And her friends were the same way! Moments of intense emotion were just utter crap. I literally think this is the most horribly written book I have ever come across. I don’t mean to be harsh, just wow. It was BAD. I felt like a twelve year old wrote this.
Okay I’m done bashing. I just can’t understand how the writing could be soooo god awful yet I REALLY liked the story. Bit of a conundrum is it not? The romance was really good! I adored Brandon and Celeste. And hey guess what?! Another story without instant love! Their feelings for each other developed slowly, and they genuinely care for each other. Brandon is just an all around wonderful guy, and I liked Celeste most of the time; even though she had the backbone of a jellyfish. *rolls eyes* Celeste stays with Brandon no matter what, and that’s something I really admire. They’re both experiencing something new and profound in the paranormal area yet they both don’t let it affect their feelings for each other. It was just really sweet. If anything the author has a talent for writing teenage romance.
Another aspect of the book I loved was the original take on werewolves. I mean it’s an actual WEREWOLF. Not a shapeshifter! A werewolf! Half man, half wolf! Don’t you just miss the days of American Werewolf in London? I felt like I was transported to a time in paranormal literature without gimmicks. It was a wonderful feeling. I really liked that Brandon still could talk and was relatively human, aside from the extra hair and pointy teeth. Werewolves weren’t “bad� or blood thirsty creatures. And it wasn’t just full moons that triggered the change. A waning or waxing moon that still looks full also triggers the change. It’s funny how the werewolves in this book, and the werewolves in Sisters Red could be polar opposites and yet I enjoyed both versions.
So in summary? Loved the story, hated the writing. The positive and the negative just cancel each other out, leaving me with no firm reason to continue reading these books. Oh and the highschool drama crap going on? I am sorry, but those cliché groups of cliques DO NOT EXIST! Trust me, I’m living it! Celeste’s friends were the bitchiest most stuck up fictional characters I have ever come across. Another strike� So will I continue reading these? The next one I might read out of curiosity for the story. Might. Would I recommend it? That would be a firm no. Unless you like the authors other series, Vampire Kisses, I would definitely not suggest you read this. Maybe I’m a literary snob, but hey tis my honest opinion. It sucks that the writing was so bad, because I really did enjoy the story. Such a shame.
July 26, 2014
WHY WAS IT SO BAD????
*There may be spoilers*
1. YOUR EX, NASH IS NOT THE PERFECT BOYFRIEND. He's rude, not gentlemany, GOD HE DOESN'T EVEN WALK YOU TO THE DOOR. And why the heck is he afraid of wolves? Plus he was willing to ditch you to save himself. GOD. COULD YOU PLEASE BE A LITTLE MORE CHIVALROUS??!!!! And you're disgusted when she doesn't want to keep dating you? If you truly liked her, you would have the patience to keep pursuing her.
2. Your so called friends? NUH UH. They're really not your friends. YOU, CELESTE ARE A PUSHOVER WHO DOESN'T HAVE THE GUTS TO GET YOUR FRIENDS TO LISTEN TO YOU - Ivy has an iron will? Yeah, more like your will is like water. Anyway, I mean, they won't let you skip out on a day of shopping because they want to? Don't they even think about you? Plus they keep trying to get you to date Nash again, and you refuse to tell them point-blank that you don't like him. PULEASE. If they were truly your friends they would support you as long as you were happy, and not in danger. GODDDDDDDD.
3. The. Way. These. People. Talk. "'Your great-grandfather was the Legend's Run Werewolf,' I said. 'Now that's a great story!'" I can just imagine her being the tiger in the Kellog's Frosted Flakes commercial saying, "GGREEEAATTT!" CAN'T ANYONE TALK NORMALLY IN THIS BOOK?????!!!!!!! NO ONE SAYS, 'NOW THATS A GREAT STORY!' Please. Make it stoppp. (I mean, who says, "'In love with WHOM?'") Oh and the grandmother thing - "'She is so cute!' I said. "I love her.'" Please. You met her for like 30 seconds and you already know her?? Plus, why does everyone say "yes", instead of "yeah". You wouldn't think little things like that would be a big deal, but when you're reading a book, it makes all the difference between a smoothly written book, and a clanky, awkward one. I wish the author would choose between using contractions, and not using them.
4. I believe that all these great vocabulary words were wasted on this book. Instead of blending with the rest of the sentence gracefully, they stand out, awkwardly - like a green tree in a forest of dead ones. Instead of making the sentence more alive and vivid, they merely point out how dull and unattractive the book is. Please stop calling all the guys "handsome". Use some normal teenagery words like hot and gorgeous. Or even attractive and good-looking. PLEASE NO MORE HANDSOME. IT KEEPS MAKING ME THINK OF PRINCE CHARMING.
5. Was the author an idiot or what? (No offense)Earlier above at #3, I referenced a quote from the book. WHICH IS INCORRECT. If the GREAT-grandfather had a baby that was Mr. Worthington's FATHER, the so called GREAT-grandfather, would actually be Mr. Worthington's GRANDFATHER. (hahha someone crossed out all the 'great's in my book lolol. At first I was like, WTF? And then I read that part about the baby being his father, and I was like. OH.) Also, how do you eat a hot, just cooked steak with your hands?
6. SO CHEESY. Everything is just.. so cheesy.
7. The plot is so dull. You can pretty much guess everything that happens.
8. What the fudge is up with the whole Eastsiders and Westsiders thing? Is this like a hidden metaphor for the civil rights movement? Jeez. I get like the whole forbidden love thing, but really?
9. Nothing gets resolved. What's the point of the book if nothing gets resolved? Well, I guess the mystery of who was behind the werewolf sightings was resolved, but not really, because no one else knows about it. Plus that part was only like, 3 chapters long. Such a weak plot. Yeah not reading on.
*There may be spoilers*
1. YOUR EX, NASH IS NOT THE PERFECT BOYFRIEND. He's rude, not gentlemany, GOD HE DOESN'T EVEN WALK YOU TO THE DOOR. And why the heck is he afraid of wolves? Plus he was willing to ditch you to save himself. GOD. COULD YOU PLEASE BE A LITTLE MORE CHIVALROUS??!!!! And you're disgusted when she doesn't want to keep dating you? If you truly liked her, you would have the patience to keep pursuing her.
2. Your so called friends? NUH UH. They're really not your friends. YOU, CELESTE ARE A PUSHOVER WHO DOESN'T HAVE THE GUTS TO GET YOUR FRIENDS TO LISTEN TO YOU - Ivy has an iron will? Yeah, more like your will is like water. Anyway, I mean, they won't let you skip out on a day of shopping because they want to? Don't they even think about you? Plus they keep trying to get you to date Nash again, and you refuse to tell them point-blank that you don't like him. PULEASE. If they were truly your friends they would support you as long as you were happy, and not in danger. GODDDDDDDD.
3. The. Way. These. People. Talk. "'Your great-grandfather was the Legend's Run Werewolf,' I said. 'Now that's a great story!'" I can just imagine her being the tiger in the Kellog's Frosted Flakes commercial saying, "GGREEEAATTT!" CAN'T ANYONE TALK NORMALLY IN THIS BOOK?????!!!!!!! NO ONE SAYS, 'NOW THATS A GREAT STORY!' Please. Make it stoppp. (I mean, who says, "'In love with WHOM?'") Oh and the grandmother thing - "'She is so cute!' I said. "I love her.'" Please. You met her for like 30 seconds and you already know her?? Plus, why does everyone say "yes", instead of "yeah". You wouldn't think little things like that would be a big deal, but when you're reading a book, it makes all the difference between a smoothly written book, and a clanky, awkward one. I wish the author would choose between using contractions, and not using them.
4. I believe that all these great vocabulary words were wasted on this book. Instead of blending with the rest of the sentence gracefully, they stand out, awkwardly - like a green tree in a forest of dead ones. Instead of making the sentence more alive and vivid, they merely point out how dull and unattractive the book is. Please stop calling all the guys "handsome". Use some normal teenagery words like hot and gorgeous. Or even attractive and good-looking. PLEASE NO MORE HANDSOME. IT KEEPS MAKING ME THINK OF PRINCE CHARMING.
5. Was the author an idiot or what? (No offense)Earlier above at #3, I referenced a quote from the book. WHICH IS INCORRECT. If the GREAT-grandfather had a baby that was Mr. Worthington's FATHER, the so called GREAT-grandfather, would actually be Mr. Worthington's GRANDFATHER. (hahha someone crossed out all the 'great's in my book lolol. At first I was like, WTF? And then I read that part about the baby being his father, and I was like. OH.) Also, how do you eat a hot, just cooked steak with your hands?
6. SO CHEESY. Everything is just.. so cheesy.
7. The plot is so dull. You can pretty much guess everything that happens.
8. What the fudge is up with the whole Eastsiders and Westsiders thing? Is this like a hidden metaphor for the civil rights movement? Jeez. I get like the whole forbidden love thing, but really?
9. Nothing gets resolved. What's the point of the book if nothing gets resolved? Well, I guess the mystery of who was behind the werewolf sightings was resolved, but not really, because no one else knows about it. Plus that part was only like, 3 chapters long. Such a weak plot. Yeah not reading on.
August 9, 2024
I don't even know where to begin with how much I love this book. But first and foremost I made sure that I wasn't being biased by how much I like Ellen Schreiber as an author. When I began to read Once in A full moon I cleared my mind so that I could remain unbiased while I read the werewolf tale. It easily became one of my favorite books along with the Vampire Kisses series. I just love Ellen's writing and story-telling style and couldn't help but fall in love with this series as well.
Ellen really has a gift for making irresistable guys, I immediately fell in love with Brandon Maddox just as I had with Alexander Sterling from the VK series. Many people have said that the story was overly cliche and cheesy but I don't really disagree, however that isn't a bad thing. At least not in my opinion, I'm a sucker for cheesy, sappy cliche books. :) Bite me.
When reading this book I noticed a pattern in Schreiber's writing style. She tends to make social conflicts within the towns that she creates in her novels. The east and west siders don't get along, being on different sides of the tracks and social scale. But it makes the book all the more interesting. I loved the immediate chemistry between Celeste and Brandon, you could tell that they were perfect for each other from the get go. I could literally not put this book down when I read it, shutting out the rest of the world. It had been blowing crazy winds around here (if you guys hadn't heard we got about 6 tornadoes out here in Colorado :S yeah...yikes but thankfully no one got hurt) but the day before the tornadoes and floods happened, I was planted outside in the gusting wind just reading along. I didn't even bother going inside because I was just too immersed into the howling good book.
What I like about Ellen's paranormal stories is that she sticks to the very basics of the creatures and doesn't alter the paranormal beings. Don't get me wrong there are a lot of paranormal books that I love that have had the author switch up the creature's characteristics. But I really love how Ellen made the werewolves purely werewolf as in transitioning at the full moon, turned by a wolf bite, lethal 'allergy' to silver and the eternal bond of a mate who accepts them in their true form.
The book cut off at one of Ellen's infamous cliff-hangers making me thirst for more. I am dying to run to the bookstore to get the sequel to the Full Moon series, Magic of the moonlight to find out what happens to Celeste and Brandon's budding romance. Once in full moon is MTV's Teen Wolf meets the magnificent story telling of Ellen Schreiber to create a story that'll really knock your werewolf socks off.
Ellen really has a gift for making irresistable guys, I immediately fell in love with Brandon Maddox just as I had with Alexander Sterling from the VK series. Many people have said that the story was overly cliche and cheesy but I don't really disagree, however that isn't a bad thing. At least not in my opinion, I'm a sucker for cheesy, sappy cliche books. :) Bite me.
When reading this book I noticed a pattern in Schreiber's writing style. She tends to make social conflicts within the towns that she creates in her novels. The east and west siders don't get along, being on different sides of the tracks and social scale. But it makes the book all the more interesting. I loved the immediate chemistry between Celeste and Brandon, you could tell that they were perfect for each other from the get go. I could literally not put this book down when I read it, shutting out the rest of the world. It had been blowing crazy winds around here (if you guys hadn't heard we got about 6 tornadoes out here in Colorado :S yeah...yikes but thankfully no one got hurt) but the day before the tornadoes and floods happened, I was planted outside in the gusting wind just reading along. I didn't even bother going inside because I was just too immersed into the howling good book.
What I like about Ellen's paranormal stories is that she sticks to the very basics of the creatures and doesn't alter the paranormal beings. Don't get me wrong there are a lot of paranormal books that I love that have had the author switch up the creature's characteristics. But I really love how Ellen made the werewolves purely werewolf as in transitioning at the full moon, turned by a wolf bite, lethal 'allergy' to silver and the eternal bond of a mate who accepts them in their true form.
The book cut off at one of Ellen's infamous cliff-hangers making me thirst for more. I am dying to run to the bookstore to get the sequel to the Full Moon series, Magic of the moonlight to find out what happens to Celeste and Brandon's budding romance. Once in full moon is MTV's Teen Wolf meets the magnificent story telling of Ellen Schreiber to create a story that'll really knock your werewolf socks off.
November 7, 2010
Celeste Parker’s life is about to be turned upside down when the stories of her hometown Legend’s Run come to life. She always thought that those werewolf stories only served for a good Halloween scare. But when Brandon Maddox moves to town and saves Celeste from a pack of wolves, everything changes. Celeste is no longer content with her elitist group of friends and perfect boyfriend. She is strongly drawn to Brandon, even though he’s from the wrong side of town and not entirely the person—or being—she thought he was. Because although Brandon may be her savior, he might also be the live embodiment of the werewolf legends so famous to her town. Despite the danger to herself, Celeste refuses to shy from her new relationship with Brandon, but what can she do when the problem becomes bigger than the two of them?
Once in a Full Moon is a quick and amusing paranormal read. It does not particularly distinguish itself from other werewolf novels in quality or content except for the fact that the initial transformation to werewolf comes as a surprise to all the characters; that is, the werewolf in question doesn’t know that he’s a werewolf. This in and of itself is mildly interesting, but it mostly leads to repetitive bouts of confusion and denial amongst the main characters Celeste and Brandon. I cannot say that I particularly liked any of the characters, which had a negative effect on my overall enjoyment of the story. Celeste’s goodness, though sweet, quickly became tiresome, especially her desire to eliminate the divide in her town between the haves and have-nots, which was very out of place in the grand scheme of the paranormal. Brandon’s character similarly tried too hard to be the good guy, which also quickly gets old. The plot was satisfactory if not particularly exciting, even the section when Celeste worries that Brandon’s secret is out turns out to be anticlimactic. Based on the very open ending to this novel, I have a feeling that Once in a Full Moon is the first in a series, and I can’t say that I’m glad about that. Once in a Full Moon just doesn’t stand out in the paranormal genre, and I don’t think a series would be worth my time investment.
Once in a Full Moon may still be enjoyed by fans of 13 to Life by Shannon Delany, Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin, and The Dark Divine by Bree Despain.
reposted from
Once in a Full Moon is a quick and amusing paranormal read. It does not particularly distinguish itself from other werewolf novels in quality or content except for the fact that the initial transformation to werewolf comes as a surprise to all the characters; that is, the werewolf in question doesn’t know that he’s a werewolf. This in and of itself is mildly interesting, but it mostly leads to repetitive bouts of confusion and denial amongst the main characters Celeste and Brandon. I cannot say that I particularly liked any of the characters, which had a negative effect on my overall enjoyment of the story. Celeste’s goodness, though sweet, quickly became tiresome, especially her desire to eliminate the divide in her town between the haves and have-nots, which was very out of place in the grand scheme of the paranormal. Brandon’s character similarly tried too hard to be the good guy, which also quickly gets old. The plot was satisfactory if not particularly exciting, even the section when Celeste worries that Brandon’s secret is out turns out to be anticlimactic. Based on the very open ending to this novel, I have a feeling that Once in a Full Moon is the first in a series, and I can’t say that I’m glad about that. Once in a Full Moon just doesn’t stand out in the paranormal genre, and I don’t think a series would be worth my time investment.
Once in a Full Moon may still be enjoyed by fans of 13 to Life by Shannon Delany, Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin, and The Dark Divine by Bree Despain.
reposted from
March 14, 2012
My Likes:
1) I loved how easy of a read it was I bought it yesterday and didn't put it down so I basically didn't sleep till it was done which means it kept me interested.
2) Brandon Maddox OMFG! you are so yummy I so wanna let you nuzzle my neck.
3) I love how Elizabeth Schreiber kept the social clique at school as realistic as it would be in today's society and not pretend it was something it wasn't and even the truth of how everyone just wants to be accepted.
4) How it was faced paced and didn't lull.
Now my dislikes :
1) Nash! oh let me tell you how I can't stand the guy right from the get go cockiness through the roof he never gave up I understand your determined but when is enough enough! and the stunts you pulled not nice!
2) Her friends insisting she get back together with Nash saying she was happy when she was with him HELLO! if you were really her friends you would have seen how miserable she was.
3) Celeste not having the balls to stand up to her friends letting them know she was dating and in love with Brandon if there really your friends they will accept you for anything you say or do give them the benefit of the doubt even if there shallow as hell ...lol , Also Celeste always commenting on how Nash was so handsome and gorgeous every girl wanted him enough we get it.
4) The book ending the way it did so wanted to see Nash pay for what he did preferably at the hands of Brandon ;)
These are just some of my thoughts but overall its a great read you should check it out!
1) I loved how easy of a read it was I bought it yesterday and didn't put it down so I basically didn't sleep till it was done which means it kept me interested.
2) Brandon Maddox OMFG! you are so yummy I so wanna let you nuzzle my neck.
3) I love how Elizabeth Schreiber kept the social clique at school as realistic as it would be in today's society and not pretend it was something it wasn't and even the truth of how everyone just wants to be accepted.
4) How it was faced paced and didn't lull.
Now my dislikes :
1) Nash! oh let me tell you how I can't stand the guy right from the get go cockiness through the roof he never gave up I understand your determined but when is enough enough! and the stunts you pulled not nice!
2) Her friends insisting she get back together with Nash saying she was happy when she was with him HELLO! if you were really her friends you would have seen how miserable she was.
3) Celeste not having the balls to stand up to her friends letting them know she was dating and in love with Brandon if there really your friends they will accept you for anything you say or do give them the benefit of the doubt even if there shallow as hell ...lol , Also Celeste always commenting on how Nash was so handsome and gorgeous every girl wanted him enough we get it.
4) The book ending the way it did so wanted to see Nash pay for what he did preferably at the hands of Brandon ;)
These are just some of my thoughts but overall its a great read you should check it out!
October 7, 2011
Celeste has a perfect boyfriend, Nash, but when Brandon, a mysterious newcomer from the wrong side of the track enrolls in her school, she cannot deny her attraction to him. Thus, the stage is set for a whole book about her inwardly declaring to herself that she doesn’t care what her friends and others think and she’s going to publicly declare her relationship with Brandon and then outwardly maintaining her relationship with Nash while sneaking around to meet with Brandon, who, oh yes, did I forget to mention, is a werewolf? I wish the author had made her stronger and more immune to peer pressure, so that we could really get behind her as a good heroine. Anyway, I felt this was a pitiful book overall, except for one teensy, tiny thing. At one point, Celeste loses her phone (she doesn’t know where) and Brandon ends up giving it back to her some time later. At this point, she doesn’t know him very well. Later, her phone rings and the ringtone is one she didn’t program in. It’s the song, , and Brandon is calling. While he had her phone, Brandon programmed in his number and set it to this song. As a Frank Sinatra lover, I thought this was pretty cute.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2010
Celeste made no promises that she was deep or complex, she was simply Celeste and I liked that. This book had a bit of an old school feel when it came to the divided town. One side was rich and the other poor, very 1950's, but it worked. Celeste's friends were your typical rich girls, they wanted what they thought was best for Celeste, and that was her quarterback boyfriend Nash. Strongly disliked Nash, but he was important to the story, loved the Teen Wolf element that took place, it was very cool. It truly reminded me of the Micheal J. Fox movie, with the style of werewolf that was in the book. I really fell for Brandon he was a real catch, he was super likable. I can see where the book might have fell short for someone, it was quick, and the plot was extremely straightforward. I'm a huge fan of the movie Teen Wolf, and other fun teen movies. If your looking for a serious intricate plot this is not the book for you, but if your just looking to have a quick and happy read this is the book for you.
Want to read
September 18, 2017Popular seventeen-year-old Celeste finds herself falling in love with a boy from the wrong side of their small, Midwestern town, even though she suspects that he is a werewolf.
December 26, 2010
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Books for an early look at Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber.
I wanted to like this book. It’s clearly in my favorite genre. It sounded promising but it frustrated me.
Celeste is from a divided town where the eastside and the westside never mix. The stories of werewolves are a colorful part of the town’s charm. She has the perfect life, the perfect friends and the perfect boyfriend. Only that’s a stretch. Her friends are rich spoiled brats. Her boyfriend is only really into himself. He is overly concerned with what everyone thinks of him. Throw a new hot mysterious boy from the wrong side of town and it should get interesting. Then add a full moon, a kiss, and possible werewolves and the story gets strange from there.
The world that Ellen Schreiber creates is confusing. The segregation of the town is contrived. It seems to be an economic difference but really it’s not clear. Nonetheless, the snobby eastside students never mix with those hicks on the westside regardless of how cute they are. And Brandon is cute. Why would teenage girls care more than that? I was also very frustrated by the convenient distance between Brandon and Celeste. She can’t talk to him at school. She claims to be in love with him but can’t overcome her concern about what people will think if she talks to him in public. It creates a forbidden nature to their relationship that makes no sense and just frustrated me.
The characters in this book weren’t real to me. Nash is clear. He’s a selfish teenage boy that is only interesting in sports and appearances. I get that but beyond him, I really didn’t get to know any of the other supporting characters. There aren’t enough experiences with Celeste’s friends to really know them. We are told how they are and that is supposed to be enough to believe it but they don’t always seem to act like they should. It’s almost like they were forced into a roll that wasn’t theirs to play. So much of the book left forced and disjointed. I found myself thinking that some of the lines where good separate lines that were arbitrarily strung together.
Celeste was the most frustrating of all. She doesn’t fit the life she is leading. She volunteers at a care center but worries too much about what her friends will think. She wants to do the right thing but doesn’t do it. I get the mixed up teen thing but it seemed extreme. I loved Brandon’s character. He is kind and caring and Celeste so doesn’t deserve him. The attraction between them is too sudden, though. With very little interaction, he is kissing her. There was this great opportunity for them to spend time together away from school over a period of time and it was missed. Physical attraction is one thing but Celeste believes she is in love. I think this may be part of the paranormal aspect of the book but it wasn’t developed well. And I couldn’t stand how she wouldn’t be seen with him in front of her friends.
There are a couple of odd things about this book that bug me. First, is the sudden and overwhelming snow storm that Celeste gets caught in. One minute she is walking home and the next minute she can’t see and is lost in the woods. I have a hard time believing that she walks so far away from the road that she is “lost� deep in the woods. Its snow, turn around and follow your foot prints back the way you came! It seems that it was necessary for the story for Celeste to be “lost� in the woods but please, can we think of a better way to do it? Second, we have some really weird inconsistencies. At one point, they are going to see the psychic for help, then Brandon doesn’t want to, then they are going again, then they’re not. This isn’t the only place where these annoying inconsistencies turn-up. Celeste is going to tell someone something and then doesn’t only to do it later. So many scenes seem to just end short of what they should be, like a part was left out. So many things were left unsaid. It was confusing. I could go on and on. These odd occurrences drove me nuts.
The paranormal aspects of the book were unclear. Many times, I had the feeling that Brandon knew more than he was letting on but it never amounted to anything. The world Ms. Schreiber builds was patchy. I assume this is the first book in a series because this aspect of the book needs a lot more books to make a good paranormal world, or maybe just one good book.
The ending of the book is just as frustrating as the whole thing. The book ends with one tiny thing resolved. It was frustrating. I can only assume we will have a long series ahead. Please don’t ask me to read the next one.
I wanted to like this book. It’s clearly in my favorite genre. It sounded promising but it frustrated me.
Celeste is from a divided town where the eastside and the westside never mix. The stories of werewolves are a colorful part of the town’s charm. She has the perfect life, the perfect friends and the perfect boyfriend. Only that’s a stretch. Her friends are rich spoiled brats. Her boyfriend is only really into himself. He is overly concerned with what everyone thinks of him. Throw a new hot mysterious boy from the wrong side of town and it should get interesting. Then add a full moon, a kiss, and possible werewolves and the story gets strange from there.
The world that Ellen Schreiber creates is confusing. The segregation of the town is contrived. It seems to be an economic difference but really it’s not clear. Nonetheless, the snobby eastside students never mix with those hicks on the westside regardless of how cute they are. And Brandon is cute. Why would teenage girls care more than that? I was also very frustrated by the convenient distance between Brandon and Celeste. She can’t talk to him at school. She claims to be in love with him but can’t overcome her concern about what people will think if she talks to him in public. It creates a forbidden nature to their relationship that makes no sense and just frustrated me.
The characters in this book weren’t real to me. Nash is clear. He’s a selfish teenage boy that is only interesting in sports and appearances. I get that but beyond him, I really didn’t get to know any of the other supporting characters. There aren’t enough experiences with Celeste’s friends to really know them. We are told how they are and that is supposed to be enough to believe it but they don’t always seem to act like they should. It’s almost like they were forced into a roll that wasn’t theirs to play. So much of the book left forced and disjointed. I found myself thinking that some of the lines where good separate lines that were arbitrarily strung together.
Celeste was the most frustrating of all. She doesn’t fit the life she is leading. She volunteers at a care center but worries too much about what her friends will think. She wants to do the right thing but doesn’t do it. I get the mixed up teen thing but it seemed extreme. I loved Brandon’s character. He is kind and caring and Celeste so doesn’t deserve him. The attraction between them is too sudden, though. With very little interaction, he is kissing her. There was this great opportunity for them to spend time together away from school over a period of time and it was missed. Physical attraction is one thing but Celeste believes she is in love. I think this may be part of the paranormal aspect of the book but it wasn’t developed well. And I couldn’t stand how she wouldn’t be seen with him in front of her friends.
There are a couple of odd things about this book that bug me. First, is the sudden and overwhelming snow storm that Celeste gets caught in. One minute she is walking home and the next minute she can’t see and is lost in the woods. I have a hard time believing that she walks so far away from the road that she is “lost� deep in the woods. Its snow, turn around and follow your foot prints back the way you came! It seems that it was necessary for the story for Celeste to be “lost� in the woods but please, can we think of a better way to do it? Second, we have some really weird inconsistencies. At one point, they are going to see the psychic for help, then Brandon doesn’t want to, then they are going again, then they’re not. This isn’t the only place where these annoying inconsistencies turn-up. Celeste is going to tell someone something and then doesn’t only to do it later. So many scenes seem to just end short of what they should be, like a part was left out. So many things were left unsaid. It was confusing. I could go on and on. These odd occurrences drove me nuts.
The paranormal aspects of the book were unclear. Many times, I had the feeling that Brandon knew more than he was letting on but it never amounted to anything. The world Ms. Schreiber builds was patchy. I assume this is the first book in a series because this aspect of the book needs a lot more books to make a good paranormal world, or maybe just one good book.
The ending of the book is just as frustrating as the whole thing. The book ends with one tiny thing resolved. It was frustrating. I can only assume we will have a long series ahead. Please don’t ask me to read the next one.
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