Book Review: Magic of the Moonlight by Ellen Schreiber

Magic of the Moonlight
Author: Ellen Schreiber
Series: Full Moon, Book 2
Publication: Katherine Tegen Books (December 27, 2011)

Description: Beware of a bite under a full moon . . . It will complicate your love life.

Celeste has more to worry about than a secret romance with a hot guy from the wrong side of town. That guy, Brandon, is a werewolf. With gossip and hostility swirling at school, it’s time to find a cure for his nocturnal condition, and perhaps the one person who can help is his scientist father. But what if a “cure” makes things worse and Brandon becomes a werewolf full time?

To keep Brandon’s secret safe, Celeste must hide her relationship with him from her best friends, but with the Moonlight Ball approaching, she must make a choice. Her dream is to go with her one true love—Brandon. But once the sun goes down, the clouds separate, and the full moon appears, could she really walk into the dance on the arm of a werewolf?

In this installment of the sumptuously romantic Full Moon series, Celeste faces her fears and her friends and finds out whether she’s strong enough to stand up for herself and her one true love.

My Thoughts: This is the middle book of a trilogy. Celeste is torn between two boys. Nash is her long-time friend, part of her clique, and a popular boy. She used to be his girlfriend until she met Brandon. Brandon is new to town, lives on the wrong side of town, and is a werewolf. Brandon is the new love of her life but they face problems at school even before considering that he is a werewolf.

Celeste's best friends want her to stay with Nash because he is friends with their boyfriends and they are used to being a six-some of popular kids. Celeste is a nice girl but really a wimp. She doesn't want to disappoint her friends and fears that if she dates Brandon she'll be kicked out of their group and left to eat lunch alone.

Meanwhile, Brandon who was recently bitten and turned into a werewolf is looking for a cure. Celeste finally convinces him to ask his scientist father for help. His father working in Europe is part of the reason Brandon is living with his grandparents in a new town. His father comes home and is first afraid of Brandon but then finds an antidote that will either cure him or cause him to be a werewolf full-time instead of just three days around the full moon.

This story was a pretty uneven book for me. First of all, Celeste and her friends behaved more like middle schoolers than high school students. The social pressure and Celeste's fear of disappointing her friends seemed too juvenile for their ages. Second, I had a real problem with the scientist father - kind of science never mentioned - finding a cure in less than a month. Third, I couldn't figure out what Celeste had ever seen in Nash beyond the fact the he was part of her group of friends and good looking. The Nash we see in this book is a spoiled brat who threatens to expose Brandon's secret if Celeste won't go back to him and who brings another girl around to make Celeste jealous. Lastly, I already mentioned that Celeste is a wimp who is afraid of hurting anyone else's feelings and who just won't stand up for herself or what she wants.

I will be reading the final book to see how this story resolves but it can wait.


Favorite Quote:

I paused. For a moment, I really reflected. Nash was my friend, my first crush. A guy I'd know for years. He was happy and handsome and well liked. Brandon was an outsider, a guy whose father was now afraid of him, and a werewolf. It wasn't very logical, but I knew I had to follow my heart -- and that would lead me into the woods.

I bought this one Dec. 24, 2012. You can buy your copy here.