Book Reviews

Book Review: 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. 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. Brandon may be Celeste’s hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend’s Run.

The bestselling Vampire Kisses author, Ellen Schreiber, weaves together psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf—the perfect formula for what happens…once in a full moon.

–From Goodreads

Cover Inspection:
I like it, but I don’t love it. I was drawn in more by the synopsis than the cover for this book.
First Thoughts:
I like Celeste! She’s sweet and funny. I support this.
***
My Review:
Once again, this is a much anticipated book that is still a bit far off from its publishing date. What does this mean? It means once again I will be writing you a non-spoiler review. If it isn’t mentioned in the synopsis, I won’t mention it here. Spoiler free. 
Let me begin by saying that Celeste was probably the most perfect protagonist I’ve ever met. What do I mean? Well this girl loves and accepts everyone. Oh I mean it, everyone. Right down to the one person that she shouldn’t. I am only explaining this because it was hard not to like Celeste from the get go! She was so sugary sweet that I was drawn to her instantly. In fact, throughout the parts of the book I had trouble getting into, Celeste was my rock. She helped me stay connected to the overall story.
Now that I’ve explained that, let me say that this book wasn’t exactly what I expected. By reading the synopsis we already know that Celeste falls in love with a boy named Brandon, and that this Brandon turns into a werewolf. Normal for a paranormal book, correct? Well not really. Without spoiling anything I can only say that I wasn’t sure I liked the werewolf aspect of this book. Brandon was amazing, and a perfect compliment to Celeste, but he just didn’t seem like the werewolf type. It was hard to picture him in that role and the addition of some other odd details just made it hard for me to fall in love with him.
I really did want to fall in love with this story. Part of me wanted to be sucked in by Celeste’s struggle with Brandon and her friends, but the other part of me was bogged down by other issues. The story never seemed to lead where I hoped that it would go. Overall I can honestly say that I liked the story for the most part, and I liked each separate character. My qualm was that, as a group, the friends were so wholly different that their interactions sometimes were a bit awkward. Also Celeste’s periodic naivety bugged me to no end. 
Sometimes I have to remember that I’m an older reader, and take a step back to look at the overall picture.
Would I recommend this as a read? Absolutely. I think there is a lot here that is enjoyable, and it is my opinion that if you are a “tween” reader you’ll probably fall in love with this book! It’s a quick, light read. The perfect book to curl up with before bedtime.





Book Details
Title: Once In a Full Moon

Author: Ellen Schreiber
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
 Pages: Hardcover; 304
  Source: Around the World Tours
  Release Date: January 1, 2011

Final Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart
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