This beautiful written story held my interest throughout. Highly recommended if you like this genre.
on March 24, 2018
This should be a movie!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Personally, I like more narrative and less dialogue. However, Wherewolves was fast paced and engrossing. The plot contained a good mix of teen shenanigans and horrific violence that in a sick, twisted way kept me turning page after page. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to a sequel.
on March 21, 2018
A Break from all Those Zombie Stories
Like any good horror movie this book starts out with a girl being chased by some unseen terror of the night. That is where the similarity to a classic horror films ends.
Wherewolves is a thrill ride that starts with a group of “at risk students” on a survival weekend that is meant to help them get past some traumas in their personal lives and help them find their inner hero and ends with the survivors being traumatized in ways that would have surprised even Rod Serling.
This is NOT a straight up teenagers vs. monsters story. This is much more going on here then wherewolves hunting their teen aged prey. While the pack picking off the kids and turning them into dog chow is terrifying enough, what is really going on is absolutely chilling.
They author tells a very deep story where the tension levels are often off the hook. There are times when it felt like the reader just needed a rest but putting the book down was impossible. With that said, the problem with the book is that its lack of likable characters. There were times I found myself rooting for the monsters, which actually may have been the authors intent. There is also a bit too much of a mixed group of teenagers doing what a mixed group of teenagers would do if dropped into the woods. I know enough about the pranks and sex life teenagers from MTV’s Jackass and Teen Mom, I didn’t find it helpful in this book. Other than that, I thought this was a fun and intense read that gives us horror fans a break from zombies.
By Johnny Bravo on March 21, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Five Stars
5 out of 5 stars Seriously Scared the Pants off me!
Are you looking for something in the vain of old school horror movies and books? IF so, you should definitely read Wherewolves by John Vamvas and Olga Montes, this book seriously scared the pants off me. From the very beginning of the book, the adrenaline is pumping, but you don’t know which way is up, I loved it!
A group of high schoolers are headed to a survival camp over the weekend. While at the camp the teenagers learn to how to act in moments of necessary survival, and eventually they start to get a little bit better at the whole camping thing. Eventually their friendship and loyalty turns vicious. One after another the kids start to disappear from the campsite, which freaks the remaining kids out. Soon they realize that they may be facing something that they didn’t think was real, but it sure does seem like there’s something more than human out in those woods, possibly werewolves.
One of my favorite story telling tactics is to start from the end, which is how this book starts, and it seriously freaked me out. It freaked me out so much that I had to keep reading, and every single word in this book was just amplifying my fear, in a fantastic way. I absolutely adored this book, and cannot wait to see if these two write more books. I give this one 5 out of 5 stars, I guarantee this book will get the hair on the back of your neck standing on end!
https://comfyreading.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/wherewolves/
An INCREDIBLY WORTHWHILE read!
When the authors first sent me this novel, I wasn’t too excited about it. The title immediately suggests it to be a paranormal horror, and I imagined characters cowering in the dark as a fluffy thing with teeth prowled outside their walls, trying to claw its way in. Wherewolves surprised me, as it’s so much more than that, and the fluffy thing with teeth was only a small part of the horrific jigsaw I tried desperately to piece together.
The first 10% of the novel starts off as we’d expect, with a woman running for her life from (you guessed it) two fluffy things with teeth. The suspense here is unreal, and the atmosphere created is one of sheer confusion and panic. We’re thrown in at the deep end, and we think we’re on a chronological line with some idea of what we’re dealing with. We are incorrect.
The narrative then abruptly removes us from the forest, and throws into more familiar, yet similarly terrifying, surroundings – a high school. It’s here we are treated to an in-depth characterisation of each of the students, and this does wonders to help us understand their fears and motivations. It’s true to life high school, with bullying, shallow relationships, and the power struggle of popularity. The knowledge we gain of the students helps make the carnage, when it comes, much more interesting as we see how humanity differs when faced with a fight or flight situation.
It takes a while to get to the violence, but the build-up makes this rewarding. The students are taken on a trip to the forest as part of their soldier training. Rather than a study of supernatural monsters, it’s more of a study on the human condition, and how we treat other. The characters react to emotional abuse, each of them battling with their own inner demons carved from traumatic past experience.
The suspense, gore, and violence involved is worthy of a B-movie. I particularly liked the monsters remaining ever so slightly out of sight, adding to the tension, saving us from an overdone focus, and keeping the unknown behind the veil until the last moment. There are a good few twists thrown our way which make us question everything we’ve already learned; I love being kept guessing until the last gasp and being forced to change my perception, so this was a welcome device. Seeing everything come together at the end, and basking in the horror of it all was wonderful.
Vamvas and Montes had originally written this story as a screenplay, which I’m pleased to hear is currently in production. At times, it really does feel like reading a screenplay; details seem to have been added as an after thought, and dialogue takes precedence over description. This doesn’t actually impact the enjoyment of the story too heavily, instead adding to the fast paced character development, which is an important factor. I do feel some more descriptive elements could have helped the novel flow more smoothly.
A true social commentary where we come to understand monsters are human, and can be made that way by other humans. An incredibly worthwhile read, which I’m glad I was asked to review – thank you.
5 out of 5 stars Slick and Surprising
★★★★★ It’s by far the best book I have read this year if not in the last 18 months. Twists and turns, with a very different take on a classic tale of the monster lurking inside. Looking forward to the sequel.
Graham Smith
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pdp/profile/A3TYHQAQOA1R9R/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdp?ie=UTF8
Lively YA+ horror story with unexpected twists! April 23, 2015
The reader is drawn in from the beginning. The first scene is full of fast-paced action and terror as a woman runs for her life, terrified she will get caught and killed by the hairy beasts that are following her through the trees. I love a story that has this much intensity at the start, gripping the reader before they have even begun, and Wherewolves certainly does that!
We are then later introduced to the characters of the class. It is clear early on that Doris and Jeffrey are teased quite a lot by their peers. They are viewed as the class geeks, making them a target for nasty comments and pranks. Their parents and teacher, Sergeant Tim O’Sullivan, make matters even worse for the two as they are pressured into taking part on a survival trip that neither want to go on. This would leave them being surrounded by a whole class of taunters, and who knows how far they’ll go!
Jeffrey and Doris are not the only two to stand out from the rest. Elie is also recognised as different due to his Arabic roots and does receive some racist comments. Some of the main characters take it upon themselves to ensure that Elie doesn’t make it to the trip. The dialogue, jokes, mockery and bullying are certainly areas that anyone who has experienced High School will empathise with, and the strength of the modern-day dialogue will connect young and new adult readers (I would recommend 15ys+).
Once on their camping trip for their survival weekend the story begins to twist. The plot is unpredictable and doesn’t work out quite the way as expected. Is it a paranormal, or is it a teenage horror? Or both? There is the suspicion of the super-human reaction, brought on by a new drug, that has been mentioned on the news not too far from where the group are camping that may explain what is going on. But then again, amid the hills and trees, who knows what lurks about in the darkness just waiting for it’s next kill! Or, could it be that Elie has been pushed too far and decided to retaliate?
As one by one the class students are being killed the tension escalates to a higher level. The reader will have to keep on reading to find out what is happening, and who or what is being so savage. With so many class students to remember I did get a little lost keeping track of some of them as they disperse and run from these terrible beasts. This would be easier to follow if watching the screenplay and visualising them on stage or on screen.
I also felt that when reading the dialogue between the students early on it was very much like reading a script, albeit with a little more description. As a book this made the reader wait a little too long before the action really began to start up again. However, as a screenplay and watching it on stage I would imagine the atmosphere to be electric. The book may benefit in parts to a little more description and atmosphere building to create a more fluid read and even more tension.
That said, the authors do get their message across very clearly. Whilst there may be dangers out there in the world, we are a danger to ourselves. The way in which we treat each other, hold grudges, taunt and attack is sometimes the biggest beast of them all. Wherewolves shows how a group of people, some of whom can’t stand each other, can pull together during times of trouble in order to survive. And a message to the younger reader in particular is to not mistreat others. You never know who the bigger beast will be eventually, and you may need to pull together to beat an even bigger one!
Wherewolves is a lively story throughout, whether it be from the taunting and jeering between the students, or the action and horror. As it draws to an end you can really see the brilliance as everything comes together, and even areas that haven’t been explained earlier are covered later on. It is well worth the read, and I would imagine it would be fantastic to watch!
A copy of Wherewolves was provided by the author, Olga Montes, in return for a fair and honest review.
By Caroline Barker for A Reader’s Review Blog
The Stuph File interviews John Vamvas & Olga Montes
This is a Clever Book.
This is a clever book. It lets you think you’ve got it all figured out, when really you’ve only grasped a portion of what’s going on.
This is the first time that I’ve ever read a book based on a screenplay that was written as a way to garner interest for said screenplay. And while I have no doubt that Wherewolves could make a great movie, I prefer it as a novel. There are some interesting ideas presented here that could be completely ruined if not done properly. Thankfully, whether this movie gets made or not, we will have the story in this form.
Wherewolves follows a group of mostly military brats that are preparing to embark on a weekend-long survival course. To say that you’ll dislike these characters is an understatement. Make no mistake, these kids are asshats by design. Even the authors acknowledge this at the end, stating that they hoped it didn’t ruin their humanity. I don’t believe it did. They felt genuine. People suck, and teenagers often are the dredge of society. For me they were tangible characters. I never felt sorry for them, but they seemed like real people. (Except for the red-headed kid named Billy Bob. Red-headed kids are never named Billy Bob. More likely Stewart or Phillip.)
The weakest part of the book personally, was the motivations of the teacher, O’Sullivan and his brother. It spells it out for you, but it didn’t feel authentic. The thing that impressed me most was the sensation that these could all be real individuals. Everything about their motivations and reactions felt organically plausible. Except for Tim and Brian O’Sullivan. They had a purpose to serve in the story, I just would have liked it to have been hashed out a bit more. A small gripe in the grand scheme, truly.
The Kindle edition says it is 306 pages long. It felt like 100. In a world where Stephen King drones on for about 100 pages too many, I was left wishing there were more pages to Wherewolves. As a reader, that’s the problem I want to have. You can get your copy and start reading today from Amazon. I highly suggest you do.
Jacob Hopkins November 18, 2014
http://modernhorrors.com/?p=857
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