“Weregirl” by C.D. Bell Introduces an Interesting YA Female Protagonist

Weregirl by author C.D. Bell is a YA mystery that has an interesting female lead and a plot that could give rise to an entire series.

This review might include some minor spoilers about Weregirl

One of the things that I liked about Weregirl was the female protagonist. It is uncommon to find a teenaged female character in YA books that has more going on for her than finding a love interest. Nessa Kurland is energetic, kind, compassionate, and even though she has a crush on a boy, it isn’t the focus of the story. I would have liked for her to be a bit smarter when it came to figuring things out but I guess the plot was going for a heroine who has an average IQ level and makes mistakes.

I really liked the relationship between Nessa and her best friend Bree. There’s more to their friendship than sitting around and talking about boys. Bree helps Nessa figure some things out about her werewolf transformation and their bond becomes stronger as the story progresses. The female characters also don’t degrade each other, which is refreshing, even though Nessa faces a competitive environment at school.

Coming to the plot, our heroine lives in a small town called Tether. She’s working toward getting an academic scholarship to move out and accomplish great things. Nessa’s an athlete and loves to run. However, a wolf bites her and she turns into a werewolf. Now Nessa has to deal with high school, her werewolf transformation and a secret scheme that’s taking place in the area. The overall mystery isn’t complex but it is developed enough to make you keep you reading. There’s talk about corporations polluting the land and water, stem cell experiments and genetic modification.

It is obvious from the story that a lot of research went into studying wolves. I liked the description regarding pack dynamics and the language wolves have, etc. There are also Native American roots in the explanation behind werewolf origins.

Nessa’s transformation and some other events could have been more graphic but that’s just me. The overall tone of the book is quite light. There’s nothing to worry about if younger readers decide to read it. There’s also no romance either, which is uncommon for a YA read.

Male characters are in the story but they mostly serve to move Nessa’s arc forward. The romance might become fleshed out as the series progresses but for now, it was fun to read a YA that wasn’t all about finding true love in the most cliché manner possible.

All in all, Weregirl by C.D. Bell is an enjoyable 400-page read. I’m looking forward to knowing more about Nessa. I hope the series continues.

Have you read Weregirl? What did you think? Let us know.

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Weregirl by C.D. Bell is published by Chooseco. It is currently available wherever books are sold.

Note: I received a review copy from Smith Publicity, Inc.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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