C l a i r e d e L u n e by Christine JohnsonSynopsis- "Torn between two destinies?
Release Date: May 18, 2010 (Hardcover)
Publisher: SimonPulse
Age Group: Young Adult
Sequel: Nocturne
Pages: 336
Source: Local Library
Go Buy It: Amazon★Barnes&Noble
★BookDepository
Word Blurb: Light and entertaining!
Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.
As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?"
Quick Thinking: Claire de Lune was light and exciting, but not entirely satisfying. I delighted in the heartwarming true teenage romance that blossomed between Claire, the heroine, and her crush Matt, the wonderful twist on werewolves, and the some of the conflict that revolved around the story. The characters were authentic, the plot intriguing but not as engaging as I thought it'd be. Very entertaining and filled with awesome female werewolf action as well as a cute, blossoming romance, Claire de Lune makes for a likable read.
My Thoughts In-Depth: *Note: May not be spoiler-free.* I think the parts I'm most fond of in this book, would be Claire's transition from seemingly human girl to werewolf not just emotionally but physically. It was very realistic, how Claire's body began changing and indicating signs of something unnatural. Yet it wasn't too obvious. But Claire's development as a werewolf was what kept me interested in this novel the most.
Claire as a character was pretty neat. I felt an instant connection with her because of her personality, her angst at all the common teenage drama. It just felt so very real to me. I kept thinking, Now this, this is how a teenager would act in this kind of situation. Whether good or bad. And that made Claire fun and likeable, and it's easy to sympathize with her when her life get's shot to hell as soon as she finds out her lineage and what's in her genes. I mean, first, you're trying to deal with having a huge crush on this really cute guy, you're just starting to break out of your shell that makes you shy around others and making friends, when out of the blue, you really aren't comfortable in your own skin. Because guess what? You have werewolf skin/fur to deal with now. I felt pretty bad for Claire, all the struggles she had to deal with as far as her distant mom and then being shocked with the news that she's going to become a werewolf after three full moons.
That can put a lot of pressure on a kid, you know?
