Tuesday 14 April 2015

More Golden Than Day (The Last Werewolf Hunter Series Book 3) by William Woodall



Zach always thought he'd play ball for the Texas Rangers someday, or maybe become a writer.  But when the beautiful and mysterious Jolie Doucet pops up out of nowhere and asks him to become a werewolf hunter, he's suddenly faced with a choice he never imagined.

For Zach remembers all too well what happened the last time he tangled with wolves, and he's not sure he wants to get involved with something like that again.

But when Jolie is betrayed into the hands of the werewolves, Zach decides there's still work for the Curse-Breaker to do.

Only this time, there's no turning back from the path he's chosen, and somehow Zach must find the courage to make an end of the Curse forever.  Even if it costs him everything.

"More Golden Than Day" is the third book in "The Last Werewolf Hunter" series, which begins with "Cry for the Moon" and then "Behind Blue Eyes".

The Guru's Review: 

Every novel in this series seems to be an improvement on the previous and that is not saying that the previous two are not good at all, in fact as I have mentioned in my previous two reviews, they are excellent.  In this one, the action is faster, the plot deepens, we learn more about the history of the werewolf curse and its origins, we discover that there are more werewolf hunters and more about the worldwide growth of the curse. Woodall has introduced more twists and turns that deepen the plot and add to the increase in action. All this does is further anchor the reader in this engaging series and you are left hungry for more. The author has stated that this novel is the one that the majority of readers like the best and I can see why. Having not read the fourth one, I would agree that this is my favourite too.

Consistent is Woodall with his first person narrative and now in this third novel, it is still working very well and I would not have it any other way. This gives this series full impact of what Woodall wants to create and depict. It is the perfect fit for this series. 

I remember one reviewer saying that she loved the wisdom and philosophical insights concerning life and the various situations that Zach has to deal with in the ridding of this curse and I totally agree. These make Zach one very three dimensional character and a very relational one. They also make this series credible. In this instalment, Justin and Eileen take more of a back seat as this storyline is entirely focused on Zach and his quest to break the curse world wide.

Another aspect I love about Woodall's writing is that he exhibits one major characteristic of a successful author and that is that he shows and does not tell. Showing engages the reader and connects them to the story and you live this with the main character(s) while telling keeps the reader at a distance and they are not connected with the story or main characters. Throughout this series,  this characteristic makes you relate to the characters and the story line and you want to read more and you want to know what happens next. I value this in an author and Woodall has now joined this value club! 

The story line concerning the worldwide curse, other werewolf hunters such as Jolie, just adds more depth to the entire werewolf plot throughout these three novels. World building can make or break a novel or series and Woodall is successful here. If the world building just involved the curse and its breaking, then this would be one rather shallow story line and only mildly entertaining to a degree. But Woodall, goes beyond this in these first three novels and it reaches its peak in this third novel. The blinkers are removed and we are exposed to the broader history of this curse, a deeper level its effects, and more danger for Zach and Jolie as they are now teamed together to break the curse permanently. A nice twist is the betrayal of a member of the werewolf hunter clan and Zach delves into the nature of the curse and how to destroy it for good. The world building is contained in all the history and structure of this curse and its solution, all the genealogy of the families involved. The latter I mentioned in the review of Book 2 where these family trees can be found on Woodall's website. I recommend any reader to investigate this resource while reading this novel and Woodall's other series, The Stones of Song and Tyke McGrath. 

This third instalment is a very good springboard into the fourth novel in this series and showcases Woodall's talent extremely well. I am looking to this next novel immensely. 

I would love to see this series continue but like all of them, they have to come to an end. 

Highly Recommended.

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