Review: Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Miller

Title: Lonely Werewolf Girl (Kalix MacRinnalch #1)
Author: Martin Miller
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Heat Index: N/A
Release Date: June 7th, 2007
Word/Page Count: 520 pages
Format: Purchased

While teenage werewolf Kalix MacRinnalch is being pursued through the streets of London by murderous hunters, her sister, the Werewolf Enchantress, is busy designing clothes for the Fire Queen. Meanwhile, in the Scottish Highlands, the MacRinnalch Clan is plotting and feuding after the head of the clan suddenly dies intestate. As the court intrigue threatens to blow up into all-out civil war, the competing factions determine that Kalix is the swing vote necessary to assume leadership of the clan. Unfortunately, Kalix isn’t really into clan politics — laudanum’s more her thing. Even more unfortunately, Kalix is the reason the head of the clan ended up dead, which is why she’s now on the lam in London. . . This expansive tale of werewolves in the modern world — friendly werewolves, fashionista werewolves, troubled teenage werewolves, cross-dressing werewolves, werewolves of every sort — is hard-edged, hilarious, and utterly believable.

This is a really high 4-star rating. As in, the only reason it's not a 5-star is that it didn't change my life or make me want to go back to the beginning and read it again. Okay, probably mostly because it was so damned long.

I can't even begin to summarize this story. There's just a whole lot of hot mess going on here, crazy, whacked-out characters, and I kept feeling like I shouldn't be impressed with this book, yet I just kept reading.

Lonely Werewolf Girl honestly reads like a really sharp, brilliant NaNoWriMo project. It just goes all over the place with the plot. Like, if I were to draw a plot diagram, it might be kind of a scribble. The appeal is really all in the characters. GOD, the characters. I can't even tell you which ones I liked the best! For quite a while, I wasn't sure I could deal with this story, because it seemed like Kalix, the main character, was never going to grow as a person. But ultimately she winds up kicking much ass in her nonchalant, mentally-bent, unhealthy yet earthy sort of way.

I really am glad there's a second book, and I look forward to reading it. In a month or two.

Edit: After giving it time to "breathe," have decided it warrants 5 stars. Looking forward to the next book.