Book Review
Title: An Awfully Beastly Business: Werewolf versus Dragon
Author: The Beastly Boys
Genre: MG/Paranormal/Adventure
Rating: ****
Review: So, these were actually books I bought for my younger brother, but they sounded interesting, so I thought I’d give them a go, as I love middle-grade fiction as much as I love young adult. We are introduced to Ulf who is a werewolf living at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts or RSPCB. We learn a lot in the opening chapters of the novel, we learn that Dr. Fielding the RSPCB vet rescues and looks after a lot of beasts including Ulf who she rescues when he was just a baby but he hasn’t just been allowed outside of the facility but that doesn’t bother him too much as he is allowed to help with all sorts of things. However, one night they witness some migrating dragons and the next morning the baby dragon they had seen turns up dead and Ulf helps to perform the autopsy of the poor creature.
For someone that is supposed to be very young, Ulf is certainly strong of the stomach to help in the autopsy of a baby dragon, which is still so large it requires a giant to lift and move it after death. Ulf has some friends at the facility namely Orson; the giant and Tiana the fairy. We learn that cruelty to beasts has been made illegal but there are still people willing to break the law like the person who killed the dragon. Ulf seems to be Dr. Fielding’s main helper along with Orson and he is the person she asks to show the inspector around when he visits regarding the dead dragon. However, I find him very suspicious as Dr. Fielding only just reported the dragon as being killed and he arrived minutes later, and we know the person who killed the dragon was male.
As security around the facility are ramped up, I have a feeling that the creepy inspector Black might be involved in some way, but it is Ulf who gets the first major lead from the ghost of Professor Farraway who tells Ulf that a person named Marackai has taken the dragon that the Professor hatched from an egg and it is up to him and his friends to rescue her. It also seems that Professor Farraway was under the impression that werewolves are the most dangerous beast there is as they will die to protect their family and territory. It also seems that Dr. Fielding has heard the name Marackai before she doesn’t remember where though, but it does seem like Inspector Black is trying to keep Ulf as far away from the investigation as possible.
The ending of Werewolf versus Dragon was very entertaining and for more than what I was expecting for a middle-grade adventure novel. I actually found myself quite attached to some of the characters by the end and the ominous and creepy vibes the ending presented had me wanting to jump straight into book 2. Despite this being middle grade and aimed at younger readers, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others looking for a quick and easy read.
Buy it here: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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