Wolf Island (Demonata Series #8) »

"I was born in London in 1972 and moved to Ireland when I was 6 years old, where I've lived ever since. I always wanted to be a writer - I've loved telling stories since I was a child. I started out writing books for adults, and managed to get a couple published. One day, on a whim, I decided to try a book for children. The result was Cirque Du Freak. Much to my surprise, it took off, and I became a de facto children's author! Since then I've used my ill-gotten gains to buy lots of comic-strip art and travel the world. When I'm not working or traveling, I like watching movies.

As the mysterious Shadow builds an army of demons, Grubbs Grady and his team search desperately for answers. But when they follow up a new lead, it takes them to an old, unexpected foe - the Lambs.

"We spot the werewolves as we skim the treetops. Mutated, vicious, hairy monstrosities, all fangs, claws and muscles. The beast within me tries to force its way to the surface, howling silently at its warped brethren. I've never rid myself of the wolf..."

VOYA

Every reader of The Demonata series knows that the Lambs are a necessary evil, ridding the world of innocent—albeit dangerous—teens who morph into werewolves and make the earth unsafe for humanity. But when Grubbs and his crew return from the demon universe to investigate an increase in wolf attacks, the true motives of the Lambs come into question and Grubbs's wolven side strains for release. Fans may be shocked by some of the unique conflicts that begin to surface in book eight. Past series installments have required Grubbs to accept the deaths of his loved ones, make sacrifices for the cause, kill, and even be willing to give his own life to save another. Those killings, however, were always of the demon kind, and Grubbs's sacrifices served to make the world a safer place. Yet this installment reveals Grubbs's transformation from a young man fighting for the survival of all humans, be they good or slightly bad, to developing a bloodlust that is out of control—one that does not exclude the desire to murder members of the human race. A moral line is crossed here, and the reader is left to wonder whether Grubbs's character has succumbed to his own internal evil or if he is being manipulated by some outside force—an uncertainty that is not fully clarified by the book's conclusion. Readers will be left crestfallen at the changes in Grubbs, but they will also be curious to see whether he will be redeemed in the next installment. Reviewer: Erin Kilby