Dark Moon

January 1, 2011

Trey Laporte hadn't finished absorbing the revelations—that he's a werewolf, that vampires, magic and demons exist and that he's an integral part of a prophecy—before a malevolent vampire attacked him and injured his mentor (WEREling, 2010). Now, assisted by Alexa, Trey journeys into the fringe of the Netherworld to retrieve a mystical healing sphere from the dark sorceress Gwendolin, Alexa's mother. A simple plot and a basic contrivance help to move things along nicely, building up the relationship between Trey and his companions at the estate of Alexa's father, Lucien Charron. Meanwhile, Charron Industrial has a sleeper agent buried in the office, and the fate of Trey's stealth mission may rest in the ability of clerkish Martin Tipsbury to keep a secret. Though setting up the inevitable battles takes quite some time, the foreboding shadow that dominates Martin's subplot leaves readers in no hurry. Betrayals and more bitter revelations come to light, setting the stage for the third novel. This second installment is weaker than the first, but it certainly fills a niche; Feasey's fast pace and somewhat gross demonology evoke another across-the-pond horror writer, Darren Shan. (Horror. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2011

Gr 8 Up- Dark Moon continues the adventures of Trey Laporte and friends that began in Wereling (Feiwel & Friends, 2010). Lucien Charron, Trey's vampire friend and mentor, lies in a comalike state after rescuing his daughter from the clutches of his evil brother and nemesis, Caliban. Trey, an orphan who recently discovered that he is a werewolf, is ready to do anything to save this father figure from certain death. It is rumored that an ancient magical artifact may be the key to Lucien's survival. Unfortunately, it is in the possession of the wicked sorceress Gwendolin, Caliban's "Darth Vader" figure. A quest to Reykjavik, Iceland, follows, consisting of an unlikely alliance made up of a werewolf, half-vampire, sorcerer, and human as they enter the Netherworld to steal this all-powerful orb. This heart-racing action/adventure story captivates readers from the start. Feasey has expertly created an intriguing world full mystery and suspense that includes a multitude of dark and terrifying nether-creatures. This is sure to be a hit with fans of the supernatural, and the cliff-hanger ending will have readers anxiously awaiting the next installment.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2011
Grades 6-9 Gravely wounded near the end of Wereling (2010), the vampire Lucien spends this entire sequel comatose. This is a shamehe was a highlight of Werelingbut its a nice dose of semirealism. To save him, 15-year-old werewolf Trey heads to Iceland with Luciens bodyguard and daughter to steal Mynors Globe (an artifact with healing abilities) from the evil sorceress Gwendolin. The story was more fun when Trey was still a newbie wolfman, but one thing this book has in spades is monsters, including the zombie Draugr (Gwendolin hated working with zombieseverybody did). Solid, boycentric fantasy fare.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)