Unleashed

Title: Unleashed
Author: Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie
Rating: 3.8/5
Summary:Katelyn McBride’s life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains. Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It’s a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths. And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything. 

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night—welcome to Wolf Springs.
My Thoughts: Unleashed begins with our main character Katelyn and her mother living a normal and happy life in San Francisco, but when an earthquake kills her mother, Katelyn is sent off to her only remaining relative who lives in the Ozarks in Arkansas. Katelyn and her grandfather don't know very much about each other, so this huge move means starting all over in so many ways. With her grandfather, whom she calls 'Ed', at a new school and also fitting in with new friend and social circles. When Katelyn is assigned a local history project, she begins to try to unravel the town's secrets. There's the warnings to not go outside after dark, the wolf imagery that is everywhere she looks, the unexplained mauling and the deaths of two teenage girls and the weird behaviour of some of the people Katelyn meets. Katelyn is never quite sure who to trust and what to make of this weird and dangerous town she has found herself in. 

There's Cordelia, Katelyn's partner for this history assignment, who seems to blow hot and cold and has a very unusual family dynamic. There's Trick, the hot guy who drives Katelyn to and from school and then there's Cordelia's cousin, Justin who she seems drawn to in this very intense way. 

Unleashed has many different aspects to its story, from the mystery of the werewolves, to Katelyn's fragile relationship with her grandfather, her tenuous friendship with Cordelia and her budding attraction to both Trick and to Justin. And as I was reading the book, I found myself more and more intrigued about each different part to the story. I loved the mixture of mystery, action and romance and I'm so excited to read more in this series!