When I was offered the chance to read this book shortly after reading Day of First Sun, I jumped at the chance. I could not wait to read the sequel. Day of First Sun was such an amazing book. I wondered how the author would take the following book and keep it as interesting as the first. Well I was not let down by the author. She can through with flying color on this second book. I know you want to know more about the book than listen to my random talk. Okay I will shut up about everything else.



She Wulf does not start out where Day of First Sun ended. Annie is the same sweet caring person. Cham is now her overprotective boyfriend. They are not partners any longer but they still seem to know when the other needs help.

Do you like paranormal romance? Do you enjoy reading about witches, demons, vampires and magic? Do you think something like Annie and Cham’s story might possibly be real in our time? Is this just an idea from the author?

Honestly, I do not know if it is possible, something like the book could be read. However, I am open to the suggestion. Sheryl has created a book that will take the reader from modern times back to the middle ages. Readers will cheer Annie along as she battles demon after demon, weep when her and Cham become estranged. Imagine themselves as Annie while conjuring up spells. Reading this book will show you the good and bad of magic, the demons that might face. Imagine that you could change the color of a rock from gray to red. Help to heal your partner because he is hurt teleporting from one spot to another on a whim.

Yes, all of the above and more happen in the book. Sound interesting. Then go and get yourself a copy. It is only 99 cents this week. Join me in the journey of reading the phenomenal series that Sheryl is going to take us all on. Are you ready for the fight, the thrill, and the joy of seeing good overcome evil? If so, then start reading, you will be glad you did. The strong characters, the thrill of the plot, will instantly captivate you and the unique way Sheryl has with words.

Thanks for another great read Sheryl.

The Bunnies and I give this book 4 carrots.

I was gifted this book when taking part in a VBT. I received no compensation for reading/reviewing this book. The above opinion is my own and not a paid review. To form your own opinion please support the author and purchase a copy.

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[bc:She Wulf|15714157|She Wulf|Sheryl Steines|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340197661s/15714157.jpg|21382801] I found the method of communication between the time periods clever. The characters are interesting and well-motivated, but I found the pace of the story slow for a thriller type of plot. Being transported back to medieval times would cause more culture-shock than they express even with the universal translator amulet. I did like the way magic is handled, both in everyday use and for large spells involving many people. Grab a copy for a good evening’s read. Let me know what you think.
[a:Sheryl Steines|4525660|Sheryl Steines|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1321144420p2/4525660.jpg]
For longer review see http://charlottehenleybabb.com/review-of-she-wulf-by-sheryl-steines/ ( )

I received an ebook copy of Sheryl Steines’ new book, She Wulf, in exchange for my honest review as part of this week’s Novel Publicity whirlwind blog tour. At first blush it looks like the story would be right up my alley. Strong female lead, demons, time-traveling vikings: I’m there.

Steines’ second book in her young adult fantasy Annie loves Cham series follows the adventures of wizards Annie Pearce and Cham Chamsky as Annie is kidnapped back into the 11th century to fulfill a prophecy and battle a race of regenerating demons bent on destroying a coven of witches and a community of Vikings living around what will become the city of York in northern England. Cham insists on finding a way to follow her back in time to help her/rescue her.

Like I said, the basic idea of this story is something that appeals to me. Time travel, when done well, is always fun, and the book containing Annie’s prophecy that the Wizard Guards (sort of a Hogwarts FBI) discover is kind of neat. It changes as things in the past change–a common trope–and the characters pass notes between the two time periods as they figure out how to proceed.

I also like one of the ancillary characters. Bega, one of the 11th century “Wiccans,” is a young girl assigned to watch over Annie as the coven prepares her for battle. She has her own motives and there’s a hint that she (or her mother) travel through time to the book’s present day at some point. I would have liked to learn more about her (them).

I would also have liked to have learned more about the Wizard Guards. My guess is that Steines did more set-up around them in the first book of the series, The Day of First Sun, but I haven’t read that one. These wizards feel like the old-school cops that you might find in the hard-boiled stories of Hammett and Chandler: their ethics are suspect as they do whatever they need to do to help Annie. The wizard Gibbs, for instance, breaks into another wizard’s store and threatens to burn the place down to get the magical books he requires. This seems a tad overdone on first blush. The wizards also have no problem torturing and generally mistreating the demons they keep in their basement prison. Steines portrays all demons as evil animals which strikes me as a tad shallow, but perhaps that’s my Whedon love coming through.

Not that I would compare Steines’ writing to Hammett’s and Chandler’s in a positive way (nor Whedon’s). Unfortunately, there are a lot of things about She Wulf that really don’t work for me. The awkwardly constructed and overly repetitious prose distracted me a lot. Fight scenes, in particular, I found confusing and had to reread several times to figure out exactly who was doing what to whom. And where I wasn’t confused, I was bored. So often, it felt like I was playing D&D with people yelling one spell after another at the DM in the hopes that something would stick. I sympathize with this problem: fight scenes can be difficult to write. They take practice, and it’s really easy to get them wrong or just not be as exciting as the writer was hoping for.

I was also frustrated by Steines’ misuse of words. For example, she declares a sword to be immune to magic but then a stronger spell easily subdues the object. That’s not how immunity works, last time I read up on the topic.

Words mean things. To spend all of chapter 7, like Steines does, having her Viking “reigning” in the “reigns” of his horse-drawn cart only leads to a lot of unintended laughter, at least in my house. And don’t get me started on the “incineration” of Bega’s feet in chapter 23. [Note: I confirmed that I received a final copy of the book, not an ARC. I would have done my best to ignore these mistakes in the latter case.]

The book also has a problem with its use of history. Now, I love alternate histories and authors who successfully fiddle with classic tales. Steines says in her acknowledgements and on her website that she was influenced to write this novel by a documentary on Beowulf that she watched.

Awesome! But then why move the tale to England? I found this puzzling, especially when she describes the Vikings actually moving to England. Not invading, but moving.

To quote: History told him that the Vikings had left Denmark at one point and moved to England…

I picture a bunch of Danish folk packing up their U-Hauls, finding a nice neighborhood in North Yorkshire, and settling down. That isn’t quite how it worked in the history books I’ve read. Peaceful relocation isn’t what the Vikings were known for. If Steines really meant to change history in that way, I would have liked to have seen a little more explanation and description of what she was going for instead of an offhand remark in a questionable history book.

Finally, on the subject of history, Wiccans. Steines labels the 11th century witches in She Wulf as Wiccans. Since Wicca didn’t actually exist until the early 20th century, I wish Steines had come up with another name for her ancient coven. Going with Wicca was just lazy, in my opinion.

In conclusion, She Wulf is not a book I would recommend. Its prose knocked me out of the story too often, and I found the main characters fairly tedious and ordinary (although she might have something with Bega/Githa). Of course, your mileage may vary. If you’re not as picky a reader as I am (although, really, I enjoy Michael Crichton books–his stuff isn’t exactly Shakespeare) and you have a thing for fantasy romances, you might like it. ( )