WereWorld 3: Shadow of the Hawks
Writing: 6.5/10 Plot: 8/10 Characters: 8/10 Creativity: 10/10
Overall: 8.5/10
A great third entry!
Spoilers Ahead!
The Plot: Just before he is about to be disemboweled by zombies, Drew is rescued by a strange flying therianthrope and sent to the volcanic country of Scoria, where he is to fight for his life in a gladiatorial arena. There, he meets, fights, and/or befriends fellow trapped Werelords and rallies them to his side. Meanwhile, Hector and the remaining members of the Wolf Council are aimlessly sailing the seas aboard the Maelstrom, Vega’s ship. Haunted by the spirit of his dead brother and empowered by dark magicks, Hector falls deeper and deeper into darkness. He is paranoid and distrustful of the people around him, especially Vega who saw him kill his brother Vincent. We also follow, Trent, Drew’s brother, while he’s enlisted in the Catlords’ army. Trent believes that Drew killed their mother and is assisting the Cats in their hunt for him.
So yeah… a lot happens but funnily enough, it’s a bit slower than the other two. There’s more focus on character development and bonds, which I appreciate. We meet a whole slew of new Werelords from different corners of the world, all of which have their own histories and lives. The world of The Seven Realms feels alive and complex even though we only see it through select characters. I love that. It’s very colorful and fascinating.
The Writing: Same as usual, however, I don’t like how we rarely get descriptions detailing what characters look like. I know one shouldn’t provide too much detail when describing characters, but to get nothing at all is jarring. I have no clue what Taboo looks like. Taboo is a character I really like so it bothers me that we never get an appearance description. That’s really the only complaint I have though. The writing is fine overall.
The Characters:
Drew: I like Drew’s story and I love the new characters he interacts with, but I don’t care for him. He was a bit bland in the other books but his blandness really shines in this. Drew is written to be this natural-born leader and a great orator who can sway foes to his side, but I feel like things just bend to his will too easily. When he’s in the Furnace (the Scoria battle arena), he meets other Werelord gladiators and they tell him that escape from the arena is hopeless and that he’s going to die if he’s not willing to kill. But Drew says “we gotta work together” and then they go, “Hm, he’s right” and now they’re allies. Alright, that was easy. While Drew is in Omir, he argues with King Faisal the Werejackal about the slaves he has in his city. Faisal tells him that he cannot free the slaves because it would cause too much political strife. Drew says that if he wants a good enough army to fight against the Dogs and Hyenas that are preparing to raze the city down right outside the walls then he should release the slaves so that they can help in the fight. The next day, Faisal tells Drew that he released the slaves. This bothered me because 1) That was really easy. Slavery is really bad (no duh) and should be abolished but what about the political strife Faisal was so scared of? Why were the former slaves willing to fight for a nation that kept them down? 2) Drew just stated “Slaves bad” and that was enough to convince Faisal. I wish there were more discussions and I wish Drew really went deep into the human side of things instead of “freed slaves can help you fight the war” which just felt too impersonal for me. Things just go Drew’s way with little effort on his end. When it comes to battles, Drew feels even. He’s not overpowered nor is he underpowered. But when he states the obvious and then everyone immediately sides with him, it’s just boring and borderlines on “Perfect Character” traits.
Trent: He’s the weakest out of the three POVs. He goes through an arc, first believing Drew killed his mother and vowing to avenge her, to realizing he is on the wrong side of the war and defecting from the Catlords’ army. It’s a fine arc, but Trent is also a bit bland. He’s more or less just reacting to the things around him. Lord Frost, the albino Catlord, is really creepy though and I like him as a villain.
Hector: The BEST character. Hector falls deeper and deeper into darkness, ending with him becoming a full-fledged necromancer with complete control of dead spirits. He starts off as a haunted soul, being led astray by his dead brother’s spirit and by the dark magicks within him. He seeks out dark energy. He leads the Maelstrom crew to the White Isle, a barren island where a bat-like monster lives. Hector lets the monster bite his neck, the creature injecting ancient knowledge into him. After this, he convinces himself that Vega, a guy who has done nothing but look out for him, is out to get him so he stabs him and pushes him off the boat! With Vega presumed dead, Manfred and the rest of the crew pick up on Hector’s shady behavior and ditches him in Tuskin, home of the Werewalrus Queen Slotha. This is the true turning point. Hector makes Slotha take him to Highcliffe where he tries to swear fealty to the Cats. To show his loyalty and strength, he straight-up kills Slotha with his brother’s ghostly vile. It’s the scene, I always think of whenever I think of Hector. Hector’s dark descent is so good. I love how subtle it is and I love how scary and powerful he becomes. He still remains loyal to Drew and still wants to help his friend, but he’s so deep in the dark side that it’s difficult to root for him entirely. Love Hector. Best character.
The Others: Gretchen and Whitley do not make an appearance in this book which is a bit odd, especially after Rage of Lions where they are major players. I know they reappear in a big way in book four, though! Can’t wait! Love these two. Vega is as great as always. It sucks how Hector betrays him after all of the good Vega has done for him. It’s tragic. He’s not dead, but man! I remember when I first read this I was floored by Hector’s attack. I thought he was dead. Shah and Griffyn the Werehawks are really cool. I like Shah a lot. She’s the first female Werelord we see shift, which makes me very happy. Werehawks are so damn cool! Djogo, the former slaver, is redeemed in this book. I like him a lot, I like how complex and varied he is. I like how he holds a lot of guilt for the crimes he committed under Kesslar. Also, his relationship with Shah is cute. Faisal the Werejackal is pretty cool. I love the idea of Werejackals. I imagine him looking like a jacked Anubis, I love it. Faisal is alright. Kind of a generic king, though I do like how he had some baggage against the Wolves and Hawks because of Wergar attempting to burn down his city years prior. Some cool worldbuilding and character building that makes the setting feel lived in. Drake, Krieg, and the Behemoth are all fine. I like Drake the Werecrocodile a lot but he doesn’t last long, unfortunately. Taboo the Tigress is awesome! She doesn’t do too much in this book, but I’m just glad to see more female werelords that shift into their animal forms. Especially a tiger, one of my favorite big cats. Taboo does get more development as the series goes on, which is great because I like her a lot! Krieg the Rhino and the Behemoth the Mammoth are fine. They’re loyal to Drew. I absolutely love their wereforms though. A fucking mammoth. That’s the coolest shit! Kesslar dies this. He gets bodied by the gladiators and Drew. After all of the shit Kesslar put them through, to see them kill him was very cathartic. There are a bunch of other characters, but those are the ones I wanted to talk about.
The Worldbuilding: More werecreatures! Rhinos, mammoths, tigers, jackals, crocodiles, lizards, hawks, crows, eagles, walruses, barracudas, whales, wildcats, etc. So many, all of them are badass! The lizards are the creepiest ones so far. They have bulbous eyes, long whip-like tails that can shatter bone, and wide gaping mouths. Gross. When Drew is fighting Ignus the Lizard, Ignus puts Drew’s head in his mouth, nearly suffocating him. Drew got partially vored. Ew, god! I forgot about that part. Glad the lizards are gone. Then there’s Slotha the Walrus. Walruses in real life are doppy and cute. Jobling found a way to make them absolutely repulsive. Slotha is disgusting. She’s always in her wereform with slate gray skin, webbed hands, flipper-like feet, and long ivory tusks protruding from her upper jaw. She uses her tusks to disembowel people for fun. Her scenes are the goriest so far. Her wereform is the grossest so far. I love the endless creativity with the werecreatures. Jobling is not afraid to take the most unconventional animals and make them weremonsters. He does such a good job describing how scary, imposing, and awe-inspiring they are, no matter what they are. The Behemoth the Weremammoth is described as one of the largest Werelords ever with a trunk that shatters people’s ribs. Man took an elephant, an animal that’s already imposing, and somehow made them even more imposing. I love it so much!
Moving past the badassery that is the Werelords, we see more of the world in this book. I will admit and say that Lyssia feels a bit small. Omir, the desert realm, is like a day away from the Barebones, a frosty mountainous area. That’s a weird image. Imagine standing on a snow-capped mountain and looking down at a sweltering desert wasteland right below you. The climate differences and the closeness bother me a bit. I do like how all of the characters we meet have backstories. They’re not one-offs that serve one purpose. They’re people with lives outside of the main characters. It’s such a small thing. Taboo, a Catlord, was enslaved in an arena. Her fellow Cats are invading Lyssia but yet she sides with Drew and fights against them. Why does she hold so much resentment towards the Catlords? Shah’s child was taken away from her. Where is her child? Is he still alive? Who was his father? Djogo loves Shah but he’s a human. Humans and therianthropes do not mingle so how will their relationship continue? Etc etc. I love stuff like this. Again, it’s such a small thing to do, but it really makes the world feel alive. It feels lived in.
Man, I love WereWorld. It’s such a good series. I have my complaints but it’s so fun and high energy. These are not the best books I’ve ever read, not by a long shot, but they are some of my favorites. Going off my memory, book four, Nest of Serpents, has some of the best moments in the series. I can’t wait!
Recommendation: If you’re reading this and you haven’t read the others, what are you doing here? I’m spoiling everything. Read the series! It’s great!
