Book Review: Claire de Lune - Christine Johnson

Hanover Falls hasn't had a werewolf problem in over one hundred years, but when people start dying in Claire Benoit's town, panic spreads fast. The gruesome killings are all anyone can talk about at Claire's sixteenth birthday party, though the only thing on Claire's mind is gorgeous Matthew Engle chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, Claire discovers something that takes away all sense of normality: she's a werewolf.
Claire knows she must keep her changing identity a secret, especially from Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. But then a rogue werewolf threatens to put everyone she knows in danger. Struggling to feel comfortable in either skin, and her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, Claire is forced to make a choice that will change her forever. - From the back of the book.

Claire de Lune is just like I expected it to be. I was expecting a story about a girl who is a werewolf, trying to cope with becoming a werewolf, and coping with hiding this from her boyfriend, etc. And that was what I got.

Claire appears to be a normal 16 year old girl. She has a best friend, a crush on the most popular guy in the school, Matthew, even though she herself is not very popular. And Matthew's more than just the most popular guy in the school. He's good-looking, a star centre on the soccer team, but he also has taken an interest in Claire, which amazes Claire. She thinks that that's the biggest piece of news she's going to have to cope with for the next few weeks. But she was wrong.

On the evening of her sixteenth birthday, Claire's mum drops a bomb on her. She tells Claire she's a werewolf, and she is one of a very few number of females who are. Over the course of the night, the biggest secret in the world to Claire is being revealed - a secret that has been kept since the day of Claire's birth! Suddenly, having her crush interested in her is the most insignificant thing in her life. She's having to deal with a lot, and she's not sure whether she'll be able to keep herself together.

Claire de Lune is more of a coming of age story, rather than a werewolf story. Claire has to struggle through understanding who and what she is, and also learn how to trust the people around her, even after they've been keeping secrets from her all this time, and most of all, how to trust herself.

The funny thing is, werewolves do not have to hide. People know about them, and though they may not like them, they know they exist. They do not know who the werewolves are, but they know everything else. There are no male werewolves either, because the honour of being a werewolf is only for females. And, one last thing, they are born, not made. If you are bitten, you'll just have a nasty scratch.

Claire de Lune was very predictable. It was not thought out as well as it perhaps could have been, and there were lots of holes in the world in which Claire lives. I knew, or thought I knew, what was going to happen, and though the ending shocked me a little, I wasn't all that surprised.

It wasn't the best book in the world, by a long shot. I enjoyed it, but only for a quick summer read that only takes a day or so to read. I would recommend you read it, if you want something quick, but if you want something good, long and interesting, maybe Claire de Lune is one you should leave on the shelf in the bookshop.

I give it 3 Feet!