Customer Reviews

Ravaged: Number 2 in series (Cheyenne Clark, Werewolf)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not quite so gory nor as intriguing a heroine as his vampire books, Mr Wellington has nevertheless created an interesting take on the werewolf mythos. No horrific bonecracking change here, and no browbeating about what their wolves get up to once back in human form (the cursed ones don't remember what they've done) they are still driven to want to be normal once more. This seems to me to lack as much motive for wanting to return to being merely human. Still a tale which cracks along at a fair clip and makes howling at the moon sound less horrible. Worth reading if you're a fan or David Wellington or werewolf stories. A good anodyne to the pretty werewolves in the Twilight series.

Beware, however. Ravaged is simply Overwinter in another guise. The title has been changed for the British market. Don't think there are four books in the series, 'cos it ain't so.

Cheyenne is travelling with Powell - the werewolf that killed her father and infected her, and both are heading north, deeper into the Artic, to hide from the people that want them dead. All they want is a quiet life, but along their adventure Powell's crazy ex lover shows up, a blue skinned human is hunting them and it turns out there is a cure for lycanthropy. As Chey slowly loses her mind as the dire wolf takes over her mind and body, it's a race against time to find the cure. But the cure requires a sacrifice, a big one. Is the cure worth such a thing? Or will it be too late for Chey?

I can't say how disappointed I was to find out this, the second book, was the last of David Wellington's werewolf series. It was absolutely fantastic though and brought the series to a shocking, but good end. It's not a happy ending, so don't expect otherwise, but instead embrace it for what it is. This series was never supposed to be all lovely with butterflies and a happily-ever-after. The characters we know and love are at risk and we have no idea if they will survive.

Chey continues to be a likable heroine and we get to see her struggle to keep her humanity. She remains strong throughout, even in the direst situations. Oh, she did cry, she did break down and beg for her life, but she always tried her best and never gave up. Unlike other heroines, she didn't whine all the time. She may have made some hasty decisions, but she really thought it was the best things to do. I didn't consider her a dumb heroine at all.

Chey's dislike for Lucie was not formed out of jealously, but out of disgust at the woman's sense of right and wrong and just generally her ignorance. Even I disliked her. Chey did take advantage of Lucie's obsession with Powell and made her squirm, but the couple were a mated pair anyway.

There was no romance in the first and there isn't really any in this one, even though Chey and Powell sleep together. Chey could never really forgive Powell, but there was something between them that couldn't be ignored. An attraction, feelings Chey couldn't explain. I know I wanted them to end up together, but was so glad when they didn't jump each other's bones when they first met. They resisted each other until they couldn't any longer.

Dzo has to be my favourite character and actually the hunter, Varkanin. We get to see more animal spirits too, which was a delight. Varkanin was such a surprise; clever, polite and very deadly. He proved to be a better hunter Bobby Fenech from the first. Well... there wasn't much competition really.

As always, the writing was supurb. I imagined every setting with little difficulty; the descriptions were so well detailed.

A great adventure, one to remember I will be reading David Wellingtons vampire and zombie novels. And I can't wait.

© Catherine Forbes 2011

did I order this one - not sure I did - not on my Kindle

Noy sure that I can review this for the reasons stated above

I was a tad apprehensive, hoping that it was going to be some Twilight type of poncy nonsense in werewolf form and thankfully was rewarded with anything but that! It was creepy in the right parts, had some interesting characters and was sometimes amusing, with a slightly original take on transformation. Worth buying.

I don't like reading about a book in a review so I wont spoil it for you.
I very much enjoyed rading this, the second book of David Wellington's 'Werewolf Tale'. Good writing that kept me glued to the pages. The characters were well developed and a joy to get to know. It's refreshing to read a werewolf story that isn't a romantic novel.

'Ravaged' is the second book in the 'Werewolves' series by David Wellington, and I must say it was a much better read than the first book, 'Cursed'. I did enjoy 'Cursed' but this was a much more exciting and engaging read.

The story is full of mythology, ancient stories and spirits. There are a few new spirits introduced as well as meeting Powell's spirit friend, Dzo again, who I find quite funny. All the characters are fleshed out nicely, with a lot of interesting backgrounds. The introduction of another werewolf causes the dynamics between Chey and Powell to change quite a bit.

The werewolf introduced is Lucie, a woman from Powell's past. She's very different from Chey in that she loves her wolf, and she wants Powell, which of course creates a lot of tension between the group. It also brings problems when in wolf form as the females have to fight to determine who is the alpha female of the pack.

Powell tries to deal with his feelings towards Chey, which are getting stronger by the day but Chey still isn't sure how she feels about him, and considering their checkered past, which I won't go into in case some of you haven't read 'Cursed', I don't blame her. Although I still want them to be together...

There is considerably more information about the werewolves and how they evolved, where they come from. Chey and Powell can't remember anything from when they are in wolf form and vise versa. This gets a little complicated when they are being hunted by Varkanin, a man with bloodthirsty revenge in mind as Chey and Powell can't warn their wolf counterparts of what is happening.

Although there are many chapters which are just from the wolves perspective, the story isn't any less exciting. Wellington does well at describing the wolf hierarchy, their behaviours and their emotions, especially when it came to their hatred for humans which keep my attention and the pages turning.

The ending was the one aspect I didn't really like. I didn't like what happened to Powell, at all. And the way Chey felt about Powell at the end was very disappointing. I wished it had ended differently.

VERDICT:

'Ravaged' is a great read. There's plenty of action and interesting characters making it a thoroughly enjoyable second instalment. After reading the ending I'm not sure there will be a third book in this series, but I do hope so. I would love to find out what the future holds for these characters.

Rating: 7/10 on my blog

There are four David Wellington Werewolf novels listed on the amazon.co.uk site. Be aware that Cursed and Ravaged are just the UK names for Frostbite and Overwinter.

The author made his own rules for Vampires in 13 Bullets etc and does the same again here with Werewolves. The changes worked very well within the context of the story and brought a frantic pace to the narrative. The characters are racing against time from start to finish which makes a for a great page turner. I liked how he handled the characters in Werewolf form. This is often the weakest part of Werewolf books as it is difficult to develop personality and motivation for a monster that consists essentially of "Grrr Must Eat Manflesh".

The Canadian Northlands are really brought to life. You would suppose that it would be hard to write anything worthwhile about a snowy wasteland, but there is a real Jack London feeling for the landscape in the writing. The history and myths of the people are brought to life. It draws the reader into it in baby steps, and after a while, the idea of meeting the primaeval spirit of the polar bear seems entirely logical. Despite the remote locations there is still sufficient gore to make it a proper Werewolf novel. It was also refreshing to see the Canadian authorities dealing with the problem instead of the usual bring-in-the-Americans plot lines you find in books and TV when something other than hockey happens in Canada.

The ending was good but more or less killed the genre. I was left thinking, but...but...noooooooooo!!