Badger to the Bone
by Shelly Laurenston
Laurenston is a fairly prolific author of shifter paranormal
fiction and romance. I read The Unleashing, part of her Call of Crows
series, which incorporated Norse mythology and thoroughly enjoyed that.
The thing you have to understand going in is that these are
shifters, people who are not human, and they are very much in tune with the
animal side of their nature. Then you have to realize that the three main
characters – Max, Charlie, and Stevie – are honey badgers. They are tenacious,
aggressive, and fearless. The three girls personify those traits.
They are also deeply loyal to their family and those they
consider part of their family, whether or not they were born to that. The three
girls have the same good-for-nothing father and have stuck by one another
through thick and thin. That’s Max’s family by blood.
Then there’s Max’s teammates, who are family by nature and choice.
They are all honey badgers, grew up together, and play on the same basketball
team.
Laurentson does a tremendous job of giving back story on the
characters to explain, from a human psychological point of view, why they are
the way they are. That is, even if they weren’t honey badger shifters.
And there’s usually a romantic couple at the heart of Laurenston’s
stories. This book focuses on Max, and a “stray kitty” she brings home in the
form of Zeze Vargas. Ze is a cat shifter but he doesn’t know it until Max
acquaints him with the shifter world.
Of course, there are complications galore and feuds abound
as different factions of different families come into conflict over the shifter
tendency to consider themselves above the law and human society.
As I read, I wondered if I was just a little more sensitive
to it right now, or if this book really was a lot more savage then the other
series I read? I looked back at my review for The Unleashing. Yeah, I
mentioned how bloody it was. For some reason, that wasn’t the aspect that
stayed with me though.
I think, perhaps, because the story telling is so strong –
the characters are well developed and really interesting, plus the plot is
faced-paced and intriguing – the bloody parts of the story are able to be
skimmed over and generally forgotten if you don’t find them interesting.
If you really don’t like fighting or killing is a stop word
for you, then give this one a pass. However, if you’re a fan of urban fantasy
or paranormal, then you’re probably able to maintain the distance necessary to
enjoy this book.
It’s a jungle out there, a concrete jungle, and these
shifters may have human emotions and goals, but they have their own animalistic
way of going about getting there. It’s a very interesting read.
