‘Who’s Afraid Too?’ by Maria Lewis
It was with great excitement that I placed my pre-order for the sequel to Maria Lewis’ debut novel, Who’s Afraid?
When ‘Who’s Afraid?’ came out, I was lucky enough to get to interview Maria Lewis alongside my review. To summarise, I came away from the first book with a total girl-crush on the fierce main character, Tommi Grayson. Tommi, a blue-haired Scot with Maori heritage, goes seeking answers about her biological father’s side of the family and unwittingly bites off far more than she can chew. She has to come to terms with her own emerging werewolf status, helped out by her supernatural custodian, a 400+ year old hottie called Lorcan. Not to mention all the family dramas she faces and what it costs her.
Who’s Afraid Too?
Who’s Afraid Too? arrived at my door this week. I devoured it in less than two days.
The story starts with Tommi taking a time-out to learn more about her Maori roots before heading off to Berlin. She’s still getting used to her werewolf status, having made the decision to forego her blood pack (for excellent reasons) in the first book. Tommi is a Kahuatairingi– a lone wolf. In Berlin, she hopes to learn more about being a wolf without a pack from the Rogues, a group of fellow wolves who work together running the aptly named nightclub, Phases. The other reason for Berlin is so that Tommi can be close to Joss, her best friend, who is in hospital there receiving medical treatment. After the horror of losing her friends Mari and Kane, Joss is one of the few people Tommi has left.
Meanwhile, Tommi and Lorcan continue to struggle with their feelings for one another and try to hide them as best they can from the Rogues. Relationships between Guardians and their wards are kinda frowned upon.
Tommi, with the help of the Rogues, is honing her deadly skills and picking up a few new ones. Her life revolves around her training and visiting Joss when she has a chance encounter with a local cop who tells her about the kidnapping of a newborn baby. When another baby is taken, Lorcan realises that this is no ordinary spate of kidnappings (if there is such a thing) but the return of something far, far worse. Something he never expected to have to deal with again…
Tommi and her friends have to figure out how to deal with a terrible evil with limited resources, accepting help from unlikely corners.
If you like fantasy, mystery and a sprinkling of horror, this is definitely for you!
(Vague? Sorry. At least there are no spoilers!)
What I Loved.
Tommi as a character continues to be strong and resourceful. She’s willing to learn and keen to find her place in the world she’s still learning about but on her own terms. She’s quick-witted and gutsy and more than willing to call the men around her out on their sexist bullshit when it’s warranted. I won’t hesitate in passing this book on to my teenagers for that reason.
I know we live in the age of laughing face emojis and “lolz!” and I’m just as guilty as the next person of using them when I am not, in fact, laughing out loud. However, in Who’s Afraid, Too?, I did actually laugh, out loud, and more than once. Maria Lewis writes with a dry, quirky humour that really appeals to me!
The story flows along at a great pace that I found really easy to follow. The characters are likable and vivid.
What I Didn’t Love.
That it finished so quickly. I can’t blame anyone but myself for that, though. Once again, I’m going to be waiting it out for the next installment.
If you’re looking for a wolfish story to really sink your teeth into, grab your copy of ‘Who’s Afraid Too?’ here. If you have been living under a rock and haven’t yet got your paws on the first book, grab a copy of ‘Who’s Afraid?’ here.
N.B. these are affiliate links, meaning I make a small commission if you choose to order. It doesn’t cost you anything.
