When the Wolf Comes Home

Do sort of wish it was a werewolf novel through and through, but that’s a me problem. Always appreciate a willingness to go there, but even for a book constantly promoted as a nonstop chase, this occasionally felt like it took too long getting there? Big fan of Nat overall and excited to see what he does next, still.

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook arc. I loved Nestlings, so I was excited to get into more from the author. Helen Laser was a solid choice for narration, and she embodied the main character well.

I went into this one completely blind. I didn’t read the blurb and even avoided seeing my fellow reviewers star ratings (let alone dodging reviews). The opening gripped me from the jump. A struggling actress just starting out turned late night waitress reminded me of Mary Jane in the second Spider-man movie. It differs from there as Jess is forced to deal with what comes her way by herself. A late night argument between neighbors and a strange naked man, a violent attack, a scared little boy, and an across country chase. Jess simply followed her instincts by saving him, but she might just live to regret it.

Of course with the cover and the first attack, I really thought I was buckling up for a werewolf novel. In a sense, it is, but then again, it also really isn’t. When I made it to the part in the hotel, where Kiddo is left alone watching tv, I was so surprised by the curveball the author threw that I actually thought it just might not be for me and maybe I needed to DNF. It bordered on goofy to me, and of course I truly had no idea what the hell was going on. But if you know me at all, you know I don’t usually DNF anything, and I’m once again glad I didn’t. Once you understand what’s happening, it all clicks into place.

This is a unique novel, and it’s certainly multilayered. It’s a child’s nightmare, it’s a family drama, it’s a body horror, it’s a reflection of what people see us as when we let our anger win, it’s a commentary on government testing even. Although the author didn’t focus much time on it, the testing on the boy’s father carried notes of Stranger Things—the boy almost becoming Eleven to my mind. The banter between Jess and the boy, and how it slowly turned to trust and familiarity, was really well done. And then of course with any adult and child on the run I always think of The Last of Us, and while this is drastically different, you’re still delivered a story that pulls at all the heartstrings by the end.

If you had the ability to believe something was true, and then make it so for the world, what would you do? World peace? End world hunger? World domination? Unlimited money, success, fire power? Even if you had the best intentions ever, could you really fix what’s been broken—especially when all of your fears, your shortcomings, become true as soon as you believe? I thought it was incredibly well done that at every turn, Jess continued to lose people. Anyone close. And even in her grief, nothing was truly the boy’s fault. While the implications are heavy, there’s such a well built note of hope by the end. It’s complex and confusing, but I suppose I chose to believe it was there. This one is definitely a thinker.

Nat Cassidy does it AGAIN and delivers a tale of macabre wonder equal parts heart wrenching and thrilling. It takes a special kind of understanding of the human psyche to write something like this, and it becomes clear he does by the time you're reading the afterword (which had me, once again, in tears – as his experiences seem to mirror my own).

I could see much of what influenced this book, but it didn't feel derivative in the least. It's a pretty creative take on fairy tales, and I loved every moment of it. Definitely a new favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan audio for an early listening copy of this amazing novel.

Can you say daddy issues? Both main characters have them! This was the perfect chase style thriller/horror novel mixed with total 80's vibe monster movie feel. It was an interesting take on how fear can take control of your life.

I listened to this in one sitting on 2x speed and loved every minute of it.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

World Building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ending: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Favorite Character: Jess (Jessa)

Favorite Part: When Nessie comes out of the lake but she isn't evil, just sweet!

Thoughts: This was an INCREDIBLE twist on your classic werewolf story, very imaginative and original!!! I'll definitely be reading more of Nat Cassidy's books in the future!!!