In a literary panorama full of werewolves, Mark J. Engels offers a refreshing take on shapeshifting with Werecats Emergent, an action-packed urban fantasy that explores the complexities of family and teenagehood.
Table of Contents
Review
The only concern in teenage Pawly’s mind was the next hockey game and her twin brother, Tommy, getting on her nerves. That is until one night on a Halloween eclipse when her brother gets jumped, apparently, by the opposing football team. Pawly sees red and transforms into a lethal feline. Tommy’s conversion comes soon after. Turns out, they inherited their mother Alex’s “affliction”: the ability, and curse, to turn into felines. But ailuranthropy doesn’t come without a price.
On the one hand, Alex’s body is breaking down, and her uncle, Ritzi, fears the same will happen to the twins. He’s a scientist, so he’s deadset on finding a cure. That is until his place of work lets him go. Will an alliance with sketchy Blaznikov help him save them? On the other hand, to appease her bloodlust, Alex was forced to work for the Korean mafia.
Moving to a new town seemed like a good way to start over after this episode until Pawly befriends Sally Ruiz. What’s the connection between Sally and Alex’s old mafia acquaintances? Werecats Emergent by Mark J. Engels is an urban fantasy novel that follows a clan of werecats that will do anything to keep their family safe and together.
Werecats Emergent is also a coming-of-age novel, which was my favorite aspect. While Pawly and Tommy learn to control their abilities, they also rediscover their relationship with their family, dip their toes into romance, and go into full-on teenage rebellion. Tommy still attempts to hang on to his normal life: college applications, football, and going on a date to the new Harry Potter movie. At the same time, more impetuous Pawly tries to prove a point, in her words: “We’ve all got something to prove, dumbass. Prove we deserve to exist without being exploited.” (p. 211). This urban fantasy, while more action-focused than character-driven, also depicts the complexity of family relationships. We see this in Ritz being at odds with Barry, Alex’s husband. They both want the best for her, but they have different worldviews. I feel this is a scenario we all can relate to.
While the book is full of intrigue and bloodshed, the readers get a bit of respite with a couple of humorous instances that lighten the mood, such as Tommy being distracted by a classmate’s cleavage, the siblings’s bantering, and the family’s eccentricities.
The novel has a rich and large cast of characters that can be hard to follow at the beginning, but that helps move the plot along seamlessly. As the story moves from one continent to another, the author makes it very clear with titles, which eases the reading experience.
Full of cinematic descriptions of fights, conspiracies, and everyone’s life hanging by a threat, Werecats Emergent is fast-paced and would make a great movie. The immersive reading experience is helped by the author’s focus on describing scents, a cat’s main driving force.
Fantasy readers who seek a heart-pounding, high-stakes adventure will love diving into Werecats Emergent and the whole Forest Exiles Saga, especially readers who enjoy the shapeshifting trope.
Book Details
- Title: Werecats Emergent
- Author: Mark J. Engels
- Genre: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
- Theme: Coming of Age, Shapeshifting, Action, Family
- Publication Date: May 12, 2023
- ISBN or ASIN: B0C56BG7BC
- Number of Pages: 318
- Minimum Audience Age: 16
Book Themes
(Note: 0=none, 1=a few, 2=considerable, 3=pronounced, 4=excessive)
- Sexual themes: 2
- Religious themes: 2
- Violence, self-harm, etc.: 4
- Crude language, expletives, swearing, etc.: 3
- Other adult themes: 3
Rating
- Content: 5 stars
- Writing Style: 4 stars
- Appeal to Target Audience: 5 stars
- Uniqueness: 5 stars
- Editing: 4 stars
- Other factors: 5 stars
- Overall: 4.6 out of 5
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Sounds great. I look forward to reading it.