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abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
excellent story and narration! I love this plot, set in Australia, which is ALWAYS going in unexpected directions, and in hilarious ways. the first book, The Reformed Vampire Support Group, introduces vampires--not strong sexy ones, but sickly, weak people who have a debilitating disease. They somehow rescue a werewolf, which leads to the story and the very fitting title of this book. the werewolves and vampires interacting cause some very curious events to occur, which leads me to believe that this story isnt over...
kraley's review against another edition
1.0
Spoilers ahead...
I don't know who recommended this, but the library had it available and alas there weren't any of my TBRs there. I really liked the initial premise: boy found in dingo cage unharmed. From there it went downhill. When Toby is informed he might be a werewolf, I was still there with the shocked reactions, disbelief, etc. But there were some superbly ridiculous parts to this book: prank to drop goo on a friend who is coming over even though you told him not to? Do real boys do that? I also can't see them taking a shower at their friend's house and then sending laundry with a different friend because they weren't good at getting the stains out, but then still wearing dirty clothes to the park. Editor please! Also, I don't know who in this author's life is whiney, but she has nagging and annoying down pat. The kid who Toby rescues would have gotten himself left behind had it been me. The mother would have been sent on for vampire bait too. The story moved on ok until after Toby rescues himself, then it seems as if the author was imbibing in some of the drugs that Toby's mum was always accusing him of taking. What in the world? I couldn't figure out what the purpose of the scene in the desert was at all. It was completely confusing, inane and not well plotted. Actions and conversations served no purpose. We never heard from the two friends again. It was almost like two books (neither of which I could recommend) if this author writes any more, I recommend hiring an editor. There are far better books out there to read.
I don't know who recommended this, but the library had it available and alas there weren't any of my TBRs there. I really liked the initial premise: boy found in dingo cage unharmed. From there it went downhill. When Toby is informed he might be a werewolf, I was still there with the shocked reactions, disbelief, etc. But there were some superbly ridiculous parts to this book: prank to drop goo on a friend who is coming over even though you told him not to? Do real boys do that? I also can't see them taking a shower at their friend's house and then sending laundry with a different friend because they weren't good at getting the stains out, but then still wearing dirty clothes to the park. Editor please! Also, I don't know who in this author's life is whiney, but she has nagging and annoying down pat. The kid who Toby rescues would have gotten himself left behind had it been me. The mother would have been sent on for vampire bait too. The story moved on ok until after Toby rescues himself, then it seems as if the author was imbibing in some of the drugs that Toby's mum was always accusing him of taking. What in the world? I couldn't figure out what the purpose of the scene in the desert was at all. It was completely confusing, inane and not well plotted. Actions and conversations served no purpose. We never heard from the two friends again. It was almost like two books (neither of which I could recommend) if this author writes any more, I recommend hiring an editor. There are far better books out there to read.
audreychamaine's review against another edition
3.0
It's pretty scary for Toby when he wakes up naked, in a dingo cage. Even scarier is that he has no recollection of what might have happened the night before. When a priest and intense young man stop by to speak to his mother and him, they're shocked to be told that Toby is actually a werewolf. Toby doesn't believe this, but other people do. Toby will need to learn to work with some new allies if he's to make it out of his new, dangerous situation.
I listened to this directly after listening to The Last Werewolf, and it was a welcome break from the darkness and adult tone of that book. The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group is told from the point of view of a 13 year old boy, and he actually did sound like he was that age! It's really refreshing whenever I read a YA book that doesn't sound like the narrator is wise before his or her years.
The pacing of the plot lagged at places. A good deal of the story focuses on Toby's escapades with his friends, and while adorable, I found myself wondering if we'd ever actually see any werewolves. Later, when the action takes place, it bordered on action overload, which felt a bit taxing.
The audiobook was narrated by Grant Cartwright, and I think he did a fantastic job. He's Australian, so he nailed the Australian accents that nearly every character has in the book, and was able to do convincing young boys and old women alike. It made me wish I'd listened to the previous book rather than read it.
This book is a follow-up to The Reformed Vampire Support Group, so fans of that book will enjoy this. And while the focus is on Toby and his friends, the cast of the previous novel do play into the plot in mostly minor roles. Overall, this isn't a scary book, but a humorous look at the humanity behind the so-called "monsters" that are werewolves, vampires, and even zombies, with an uplifting message. Remember, as Jinks reminds us, there's "I Can" in "lycanthropy."
I listened to this directly after listening to The Last Werewolf, and it was a welcome break from the darkness and adult tone of that book. The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group is told from the point of view of a 13 year old boy, and he actually did sound like he was that age! It's really refreshing whenever I read a YA book that doesn't sound like the narrator is wise before his or her years.
The pacing of the plot lagged at places. A good deal of the story focuses on Toby's escapades with his friends, and while adorable, I found myself wondering if we'd ever actually see any werewolves. Later, when the action takes place, it bordered on action overload, which felt a bit taxing.
The audiobook was narrated by Grant Cartwright, and I think he did a fantastic job. He's Australian, so he nailed the Australian accents that nearly every character has in the book, and was able to do convincing young boys and old women alike. It made me wish I'd listened to the previous book rather than read it.
This book is a follow-up to The Reformed Vampire Support Group, so fans of that book will enjoy this. And while the focus is on Toby and his friends, the cast of the previous novel do play into the plot in mostly minor roles. Overall, this isn't a scary book, but a humorous look at the humanity behind the so-called "monsters" that are werewolves, vampires, and even zombies, with an uplifting message. Remember, as Jinks reminds us, there's "I Can" in "lycanthropy."
katricia's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining and fun quick read. The narrator put me in mind of what my brother was like when he was younger. Minus, you know, the whole werewolf bit.
dr_laurie_1968's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it! A different spin on the whole teen paranormal genre. This book had a lot of the same ambience of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, except that it is Australian. The narrator does a fantastic job, too!
sueodd's review against another edition
2.0
This came very close to being a dnf for me. Toby spends much of the book either being in denial that he's become a werewolf, getting into really stupid situations with his friends, or getting caught up in a more serious situation and not really doing much to help except shouting at people. Actually, there is a lot of yelling in this book. Even though I was reading it, I still got a headache from all of the shouting.
anastasiaadamov's review against another edition
4.0
Much better than expected! I like how realistic the book was for a YA supernatural themed novel.
erin_oriordan_is_reading_again's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read Catherine Jinks' previous book in the series, The Reformed Vampire Support Group, so I came to this series fresh. I don't think it made much of a difference. The 13-year-old narrator, Toby, doesn't know what's going on when he wakes up in the hospital after having been found in the dingo pen on a wildlife preserve. Not knowing what happened in the first book allowed me to figure things out at about the same time Toby did, though Jinks does drop lots of hints that Toby's new friends, especially Nina, might be vampires.
The title tells us two things: there will be a werewolf, and the werewolf will be abused. The book starts out in a somewhat light-hearted tone, with many references to Toby's perfectly ordinary suburban Australian life and the pranks he and his friends like to pull. Then, about 170 pages in, Toby gets kidnapped, and the story starts to get very bleak. If Toby were a little younger, more sensitive or more vulnerable, some of the things that happen to him might be horrible. But, with his maybe-werewolf DNA, Toby is just tough and resilient enough to emerge triumphant.
The middle section of the book is of the dark action-adventure variety, and there's a hefty dose of paranormal intervention towards the end. The last chapters imply that if there is a third book in the series, it's likely to involve zombies. The more menacing tone makes it a different class of YA paranormal from the breeze paranormals of Marlene Perez's Dead Is series, but it should appeal to young horror fans.
The title tells us two things: there will be a werewolf, and the werewolf will be abused. The book starts out in a somewhat light-hearted tone, with many references to Toby's perfectly ordinary suburban Australian life and the pranks he and his friends like to pull. Then, about 170 pages in, Toby gets kidnapped, and the story starts to get very bleak. If Toby were a little younger, more sensitive or more vulnerable, some of the things that happen to him might be horrible. But, with his maybe-werewolf DNA, Toby is just tough and resilient enough to emerge triumphant.
The middle section of the book is of the dark action-adventure variety, and there's a hefty dose of paranormal intervention towards the end. The last chapters imply that if there is a third book in the series, it's likely to involve zombies. The more menacing tone makes it a different class of YA paranormal from the breeze paranormals of Marlene Perez's Dead Is series, but it should appeal to young horror fans.
afro8921's review against another edition
4.0
Toby is your regular 14 year old boy. He likes pulling practical jokes and pranks with his two best friends fergus and amin. When he wakes up in a dingo pen completely starkers, he thinks it just another one of his friends practical jokes gone wrong. This take an interesting turn when a priest and a scruffy, bruiser named Ruben visit Toby in the hospital. These strangers tell Toby that he's part of a special group of people who need help managing their abilities as they age. This was a really interesting commentary on pack like behavior and true friendship. Great for fans of paranormal fiction.
erikawastaken's review against another edition
2.0
Pros:
* I'm done!
* Action-packed ending
* Great use of new characters in an established setting, who interact with old characters
Cons:
* Unbelievable slow
* Unbelievable slooooooow
* Annoying main character
I feel like the issues I had with the last half of the Vampire book, I had with this entire book. I had to force myself to finish because nothing happened for pages.
Additionally, there is so little character development that none of Toby's actions make sense.
* I'm done!
* Action-packed ending
* Great use of new characters in an established setting, who interact with old characters
Cons:
* Unbelievable slow
* Unbelievable slooooooow
* Annoying main character
I feel like the issues I had with the last half of the Vampire book, I had with this entire book. I had to force myself to finish because nothing happened for pages.
Additionally, there is so little character development that none of Toby's actions make sense.