Prose (Story): When teenager Artemis "Artie" Irvin accidentally discovers she comes from a long line of werewolves, she sets out to learn more about not only the history or her family, but also of the relationship between her mother and late father - who died before she was even born. But among the many other things Artie's mother needs to teach her is that a far more fierce predator awaits in the darkness. One that takes particular pleasure in hunting fresh, young werewolves.
Don's (Review): Though the trope of a young girl missing the long-deceased father she never knew, trying to learn more about him from a mother who doesn't talk much about the past - period - is fairly familiar, author Olivia Stephens makes Artie a fresh and sympathetic character from the beginning. So much so, when the girl accidentally sees her mother transforming from wolf to human and learns her full heritage at last, the reader is just as frustrated when Artie's mom still manages to avoid revealing more about her past, their family, and especially Artie's dad. But it's hard to ignore your dauther's budding werewolf traits - especially when the girl has a mild freakout at school, while being bullied by classmates, and very nearly transforms in front of them - so things become clearer at last when Mom brings in some loving found-family members to help teach Artie how to best handle her lineage. It's no spoiler to reveal that Artie also soon learns of the real enemy out there - vampires - and for me at least here is where the book faltered just a bit; the author makes a couple of change-ups to the vampire legend, including what happens when you kill one, that felt just a bit forced, as if changed only to better fit the story here. That said, this graphic novel remains a winner, with strong characters you care about (especially our heroine), plenty of action, and dark, moody illustrations that fit the tale perfectly - not to mention the LGBTQ+-inclusive storyline (Artie develops a crush on another girl) and largely African-American cast. There's a lot to enjoy here, and while I feel the book could have benefitted from one more edit been a bit shorter, it's a no-brainer to recommend this werewolf vs. vamps tale with bite. Yeah - I went there. 4/5 stars
NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
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