If you’re a sci-fi or fantasy lover, you do not want to miss this one! It is chock full of science fiction and fantasy adventure, as well as fantastic social commentary!
About the Book
The hunters have reached the stars, with the help of a remarkable mineral called the leap gem. Across the galaxy they travel, collecting scientific wisdom and harnessing the natural resources of the worlds they discover. When they discover a distant planet with gravity and oxygen similar to their own, it looks like a world ready-made for conquest. Mirra, the youngest star captain in history and possibly the most ambitious, leads her pack to the surface with the expectation of mastering and owning this new world.
She names it Otsanda, the She-Wolf.
But there are a few surprises waiting for her and her crew. The first is that the world is already inhabited by intelligent creatures, making it unfit for colonization, to Mirra’s bitter disappointment.
The second is that the two-legged inhabitants bear a striking resemblance to the Garou hunters themselves. The resemblance is so close, in fact, that the science officers wonder if the two species could be related. But that’s impossible.
The third surprise is that the natives seem to know all about the hunters. They scare each other with stories about them, about their moonlit curse and their bloodthirsty past.
They call them “werewolves.”
My Thoughts
What an awesome adventure! It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, turning pages to find out what was going to happen next. And the incredible twist that you’ll find within the pages will absolutely knock your socks off! I was just absolutely floored when I got to the big surprise!
For once, I felt the story was resolved at the end, something that paints the author as quite a writer. I almost always want more. And, don’t get me wrong, I would take more in this world in a heartbeat, but the story was neatly resolved, and I felt at peace with the resolution. It very much felt like a standalone story to me. But, I could see a rich environment for other stories just as well. For a fantasy world, that is a beautiful construction. The author created a wonderful world, built it up in a way that didn’t feel like any sort of information dump, and made it feel real and tangible. Fantastic!
Even better, the author did what I love best with their sci-fi/fantasy story, they hit some epic social commentary topics. I don’t want to give anything away, but they did it with grace and without hitting you over the head with them – but they are obvious and numerous. And I really enjoyed how the author handled them. I get goosebumps sometimes when an author does a great job at social commentary within a story, it just gives me an extra special thrill.
I really enjoyed many of the characters, but I will admit this is where I struggled a little. For some reason, fantasy and sci-fi books often end up with so many characters it can be hard to keep them straight. This book did suffer from that issue and I had to keep trying to remind myself who was who, which does take away from the flow of the story some. Also, some of the names were similar, which added an additional layer of confusion. But I still loved the vibe of the characters!
I’m so grateful to the author, publisher, and Love Books for including me in this tour!
Who’s It For?
If you love a good space exploration book this is a great book for you. It contains the multitudes of mysteries of a good ol’ fashioned Star Trek episode, except that the crew is made up of werewolves. But, something a little different than we’re used to. And the mystery of that is everything.
Content Warnings: Death, Violence, Euthanasia/Death Sentence, Cannibalism, Mentions of S3xual Assault, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Fear, Murder, Mental Illness, Alcohol Abuse, War
Question for the Day
Aliens or werewolves? Which kind of story would you rather read?
About the Author
Dawn Napier grew up in Waukegan, Illinois and upstate New York. Her earliest memories are of re-imagining favorite cartoons on paper and inventing my own. Dawn has a husband, three kids, and a ridiculous number of pets. Dawn reads adventure fantasy, horror, science-fiction, or anything else that takes her away from it all. She hopes that her stories can do for others what they have done for her.
Amazon US: https://a.co/d/3PQ51tS
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/fuSdTbG
Bookshop US: https://bookshop.org/a/25511/9781939156891
Bookshop UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/star-pack-dawn-napier/4151602?ean=9781939156891
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33019608-star-pack
Author Website: https://dawns-dark-treasures.com/
As a Bookshop.org (US) Affiliate, I may earn on qualifying purchases. Bookshop.org purchases support local, independent bookshops. My chosen affiliate bookshop is Tubby & Coo’s Traveling Bookshop, a local, queer-owned bookshop in New Orleans.
Published by Amorina Carlton. Award-winning American author, Amorina Carlton, is currently working on her first novel. You can find more about her published work and works in progress on the home page. She also serves as the PR/Marketing Lead for Ravens and Roses Publishing, and reviews books, mostly by other indie authors, here and on Bookstagram.