"The Wolf Gift" Book Review

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm actually having trouble writing this review. I really wanted to love this book, because I have loved most of Anne Rice's other work. Her Vampire Chronicles defined my teenage years. Lestat is still one of my all-time favorite characters ever. Her writing inspired me to be a writer.

It was an interesting take on the werewolf legend. Rice might as well go this route - she already changed vampire lore and the way witches look forever, why not do the same to the werewolf? Well....let's just say I prefer Stephanie Meyers werewolves. (I know, I can't believe I said it either.)

I still liked her writing, but it felt stale sometimes and there were some boring parts to the book when there was an information overload over certain things I couldn't help but feel like they were stolen headlines of the past few previous years. I didn't like the use of the 'word' 'man-wolf' - it just doesn't sound or feel like a real word. I would never in a million years say it. The beginnings of the werewolf could be interesting, but let's face it: it'll never stand up to the way she had the vampires begin! That was awesome!

It felt like I was reading the Vampire Chronicles all over again, but with less inspiring characters and cast members. I think Margon is overly emo in here, for instance, and he was supposed to be the new leader of the pack. I just felt like pushing him over and tell him to stop crying. I just felt like saying, shut the hell up and kill people. None of the characters rocked my world like Lestat did or was kindly and wise like Marius or super cool badass like Akasha. I didn't bother remembering their names for this review.

I swear there were moments towards the end of the book, after the climax, which was very short-lived, I forgot who the main character was because his 'voice' was so weak throughout the book. I couldn't like his ex-girlfriend or his mother because they seemed so mentally abusive. It was just weird. His new girlfriend is extra weird because she kept having sex with him as a werewolf and it became awkward after a while. I know there's people out there who like being furries, but I think this took it too far. I also can't help thinking that maybe that the author was putting herself in the book as that character, which freaked me out more.

The main character was also unrealistic: he was 23 and had a porsche in this economy. And I also couldn't tell if he had graduated or if he quit because it sounded like both sometimes. I almost wish she would writing books about rich people that have interesting things happen to them. Couldn't she write one damn story where the main character is an out of work, just graduated out of college with thousands of dollars in debt and they have this beautiful, interesting thing happen to them and they develop with it and then the story is relative and interesting....

I did like him becoming a superhero though and cleaning up Gotham a bit. But I couldn't understand if he actually liked being a werewolf or not, because he seemed just to go with it without thinking. But the science stuff was very interesting, although written in such a way as to demean my level of intelligence.

There was also a lot of religion in this book. And that's a huge pet peeve for me. I don't like theology or other types of bullshit getting into my fun happy reading time goddamnit!

This was obviously meant to be the start of a series of books, but I don't know if I could continue reading this series. Maybe if the next book was incredibly and miraculously better than this one, but it's unlikely. Sadly, I cannot but give this book 3 stars.


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