While sixteen-year-old Drew watches as a monster breaks into his house and kills his mother, his own rage builds and his body goes through a strange transformation that has never happened before. When his father comes home and sees Drew he accuses him of killing his mother and Drew flees for his life.
As Drew searches for answers he finds out that he has been living in a land filled with therianthropes or shape-sifters. When Drew finds out that he is the last of the royal werewolf line and King Leopold wants him dead, he ends up running for his life with his two new allies and friends, a wereboar scholar and a werefox princess-to-be.
While running and going from one adventure to another,Drew accidentally sparks a revolution against corrupt leaders of his nation.
Drew has no desire to become the leader and new King that is his by birthright --but he many have no choice! 412 pages
Recommended by Joleen Waltman, Librarian, Idaho, USA
*****
Recommended by: Jane Behrens, Librarian, Iowa USA
The only life Drew has known is that of a shepherd on his parents'
farm, with a twin brother who seems to be completely different from him.
There's a reason for that, as the reader quickly learns. In his
father's and brother's absence, he and his mother are attacked by a
malevolent creature, who kills his mother and leaves him scarred and
frightened. Unfortunately, his father thinks Drew is the murderer and
not only exiles him, but runs him through with a sword. Drew flees, and
to his eventual surprise, he pulls the sword out and sees his wound heal
over.
This is the first of many revelations for Drew, who learns that he
is not a mere human, but a werewolf, and one of many werecreatures in this land; from wererats to weresharks and just about everything in
between. As Drew learns to fend for himself in the wild woods, the story evolves into a quest of sorts, although Drew is largely ignorant of the fact. At heart a good and earnest young man, Drew rescues a couple of scouts from "wyldermen," or forest savages, and earns the respect of the Werelord of this particular realm, who is a werebear. However, the King of all the realms, an evil Werelion, rules with an iron paw and insists that the werewolf boy be brought to his castle. Drew undergoes a brutal trip to the king, in the hands of an expert interrogator, but his injuries always heal rapidly, a signature of a true werelord.
