Bea Reviews Furr by Axel Howerton

Series: Wolf & Devil Series, Book #0
Publisher: Tyche Books Ltd
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 14th, 2016 
Buying Links: Amazon US* | Amazon CA | Book Depository* | Kobo | Chapters/Indigo | Tyche Books | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:

From the South three sisters fair ran athwart the gloom.
Dressed of fur and fierce of tooth… the maidens of the moon.

Jimmy Finn is having a real bad day. He woke up drunk and on the wrong end of a nightstick. He lost his job, and had to see his shrink. Now the cops are after him, he’s falling apart, and his only friend is a volatile drug lord. How could it get any worse?

As smoke envelopes the city, he finds himself on the run, and out of time. He’s either losing his mind, or becoming a monster. Or maybe it’s both. Jimmy Finn has one last hope. A long-buried family secret, lost above a mysterious town in the mountains, full of bizarre shadows and a strange girl that haunts his memories.

“Populated by a collection of characters you definitely want to have a drink with, but then hide in your basement while you count your fingers and toes afterward, this tale does not disappoint.” – Robert Bose, nEvermore, AB Negative

“Axel Howerton pens a slick stylish werewolf tale that digs in its teeth and tears at your heart. Furr has a voice that speaks to the animal in us all.”
– Sarah L. Johnson, author of Suicide Stitch: Eleven Stories

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My Thoughts:

I love urban fantasy and werewolves so I expected to enjoy this book. I didn't love it and I'm not sure I'll re-read it but it was different, not the usual werewolf story. "Furr" is dark, angsty, and features an anti-hero who is light on redeeming qualities. The origin story was different, not one I'd read before and had me wanting to pull out my Irish mythology books to see if he bases it off them or created it whole out of thin air.

The story itself I powered through, not because I was invested but because I'd promised to review and I wanted to get it read. The writing was a mix of gritty and real mixed with literary pretensions, urban fantasy, and romance. Howerton was slow to reveal information, doling it out in tiny pieces. Instead of luring me in, it just made me impatient and wishing he'd just get on with it.

Sadly, I never really cared about Jimmy Finn or any of the others. It didn't matter to me what happened, who survived, and who got a happy(ish) ending. If you like dark and gritty, want a werewolf story that's different, and don't mind the literary pretensions, this might work for you.