I picked this book up at an Indie Book Fair on a hot, sweaty day. It was at Copperfield’s Books in Houston. I like to support the other authors, and Raney recommended this as a starter. It sat in the stack on my nightstand, patiently awaiting its turn. Other books in the stack had disappointed. I’d abandoned two, breaking my promise to their authors to read and review them here and on Amazon. I decided not to waste the heartbeats required to finish the books and didn’t have the heart to publish a review. Nobody needs a 1-star review, although even J.K. Rowling seems to get about 1% 1-star reviews. Go figure.
On the heels of a couple bad books, I had low expectations from Tooth and Nail. It’s got a blah cover, although Amazon shows a snazzier one for the ebook.
Within three pages, I was hooked. The first chapter made me smile and even chuckle.
Del, the protagonist, is a lot like you and me. She makes mistakes and the occasional horrible decision. Sometimes she lets us down, but we always root for her. Oh, yeah, she’s also a werewolf.
I was a Buffy and Angel fan for years and enjoyed their universe (visitor only, no desire to live there). There were some good films, good TV, and good books that dealt with vamps and werewolves. Then Twilight happened.
My revulsion was intense. I never wanted to hear another word about vampires or werewolves. Raney helps rehabilitate the genre.
Del is flawed in ways that are easy to understand. If someone needs to be punched, she does it, regardless of consequences. Her family is a complete mess, and she spends time trying to make everything work while simultaneously dealing with a psychotic girlfriend.
Between Raney and Mack Little, I think I might be ready for more werewolves, demons, vampires, and ghouls.
There’s no science here, so no sci-fi to deal with. On the Feral Scale, the story is a solid 8. Well done. I’ll read more of Raney’s stuff.
One caution: this is not a book for kids, there’s strong language, violence, sexual violence, and LGBTQ+ themes.