Who's Afraid? by Maria Lewis Series: Who's Afraid #1
Published by Hachette Australia on January 12th 2016
Genres: Paranormal, Fantasy
Pages: 352
Source: Netgalley
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'It was like my wolf had been there all along, waiting for me to tap its hand and step into the ring...'
Tommi Grayson's never exactly been a normal girl. Bright blue hair, a mysterious past and barely controlled rage issues have a way of making a woman stand out. Yet she's never come close to guessing who she really is.
When her mother dies, a shattered Tommi decides to track down her estranged father. Leaving Scotland for a remote corner of New Zealand, she discovers the truth of her heritage - and it's a whole lot more than merely human.
Barely escaping with her life, now Tommi must return to her her friends, pretending everything is normal, while all too aware of the dangers lurking outside - and within. Worse still, something has followed her home...
A society of werewolves and other paranormal creatures in Scotland, in New Zealand and around the world – sound a bit familiar? Who’s Afraid? is certainly similar to other paranormal stories in some ways, but has more heart than many I’ve read.
Tommi Grayson lives in Dundee, Scotland. After her mother dies, she decides to seek out her father in New Zealand, believing that her mother fell pregnant after being sexually assaulted. What she finds there is not at all what she expected – a hostile wolf pack and her own awakening as a powerful werewolf.
When Lorcan appears as her mentor and guide, she accepts him rather quickly and begins her training. After the initial action in New Zealand, the story really slows through the middle of the book with plenty of info-dumping and explanations that didn’t really work in dialogue. Thankfully things take a few interesting turns and get a lot more exciting before the end. There is a slow-burning and rather delicious romance in this book, and I also loved the local touches with both Kiwi and Scottish slang, and the odd word in Maori.
Tommi is an interesting character – having been an independent career woman and fighter, realising her werewolf heritage really throws her off-balance. One thing that is very refreshing about this story is that there are real and lasting consequences from events that happen, and both Tommi and the people around her are noticeably affected by them. There are no holds barred with the violence – things get pretty grisly!
I had plenty of questions through the story, mostly relating to the Treize and their power over the supernatural world. Where do they live? The discussion about other supernatural creatures was kind of glossed over so we may know that ghouls and things exist, but nothing about them. I’m assuming the werewolf lore will be coming in the next installment.
I believe Maria is already working on the next book in this series and I can’t wait to see how Tommi develops her abilities next.
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