Daniel Morning is the golden boy; popular and bright, his early acceptance to Cornell seems to seal his future. A future his parents have been pushing since Daniel was in eighth grade. Extra study sessions, tutors, advanced courses, school clubs and activities, even night courses at Samford University to give him an extra edge. And when that wasn't enough, a little harmless cheating to get the SAT scores needed to guarantee his place in the Ivy League school.
Misty Sandlin and her brother, Marc, and their friends, Eric and Val, also attend McCammon High, but that's about all they have in common with Daniel Morning and his buddies. Misty and her friends are barely tolerated. And it's not just their combat boots, thrift store clothes and constant presence in ISS that sets them apart. They have a strangely superior attitude at odds with their situation in life. Misty and Daniel are on the opposite ends of the social spectrum.
But Daniel has become fascinated by Misty. She seems to represent everything he craves but doesn't have: freedom, love of life, excitement. What Daniel doesn't realize is that when Misty prowls the streets of Birmingham, she really prowls. An exotic find at a local derelict furnace has given Misty and her friends the power to shift into wolves. And when Misty brings Daniel into the pack, it changes him in more ways than he could imagine.
This novel is difficult to describe. On the surface its a werewolf novel set in Birmingham, Alabama. But there are so many issues going on throughout the book that the lycanthropy isn't the only focus. The Romeo and Juliet relationship of Misty and Daniel, the yearning for freedom, relationships between the teenage friends, power and misuse of power, and discovering, and acting on, your heart's desire all play a part in this complex urban fantasy. I recommend this intense and well-written novel to older teens who want to see their city from a different perspective.
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