Wereworld #1: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling

My name is Josh, and I ran away from home when my father tried to kill me. I didn't understand the changes happening to me, but I was thankful for help from strangers. I've been told I'm a Werelord, but I'm not fully sure what that means. All I know is I have nowhere to go while being hunted by the king's troops. Hector fled with me, and I was forced to take his cousin Gretchen along with us. She’s supposed to marry King Leopold’s son and doesn’t think much of me. Now, Gretchen’s disappeared, and we have no idea where she went. It feels like everything’s going wrong, even though Hector thinks I’m destined for great things. Nothing good will happen if I can’t control the power within me.

I wasn't sure how I'd like a book with many characters changing into animals, but it was okay. They remained in human form most of the time, as Josh learned to control his changes. The animals emerged during conflicts and fighting. Actually, there was a good amount of violence, and the description of creatures fighting wasn’t pretty. I always enjoy a good underdog story, and this book fit the bill. Josh’s powers needed controlling, and most of the citizens were against him. His body’s unusual ability to heal came in very handy for much of the book, as the king’s soldiers were especially nasty. More importantly, Josh's compassion and character were much more significant to the plot. Despite his insecurities, he found it difficult to ignore injustices and stepped in to help while others stepped back. His honorable character gave others hope and motivated them to stand up for themselves. The climax to the story wasn’t unexpected, although the author saved a couple of surprises for the end. His growing affection for Gretchen will likely be an important topic in the future. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and plan to read its sequel, Rage of Lions.