Once in a Full Moon (Full Moon Series #1)

by Ellen Schreiber

Overview

Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.

Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend’s Run is famous for them. She’s used to everything in the small town until Brandon Maddox moves to Legend’s Run and Celeste finds herself drawn to him, much to the chagrin of her friends and perfect boyfriend. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover if the stories are more than legend. He may be Celeste’s hero or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend’s Run.

Psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf are the perfect formula for what happens . . . once in a full moon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061986529
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/27/2011
Series:	Full Moon Series , #1
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	423,045
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.52(h) x 0.78(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Ellen Schreiber was an actress and a stand-up comedienne before becoming a writer. She is the author of the first two books about Celeste and Brandon, Once in a Full Moon and Magic of the Moonlight, as well as Teenage Mermaid, Comedy Girl, Vampire Kisses, Vampire Kisses 2: Kissing Coffins, Vampire Kisses 3: Vampireville, Vampire Kisses 4: Dance with a Vampire, Vampire Kisses 5: The Coffin Club, Vampire Kisses 6: Royal Blood, Vampire Kisses 7: Love Bites, Vampire Kisses 8: Cryptic Cravings, and Vampire Kisses 9: Immortal Hearts. She is also the author of the fully illustrated manga series about Raven and Alexander, Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives and Vampire Kisses: Graveyard Games.

Editorial Reviews

It's tough to overcome an opening line as portentous as "It began underneath the haunting glow of a full moon." Schreiber apparently wants to play both sides of the Twilight divide, following up her popular Vampire Kisses series with a werewolf tale. Overwrought, redundant prose pads an unimaginative narrative of high school angst--plus fur. Celeste Parker, 17, has a sports-obsessed boyfriend and two shop-aholic best friends. When new student Brandon shows up, they joke about him being a werewolf. Then Brandon saves Celeste from an actual wolf attack, and it's no spoiler to say that Brandon is indeed a werewolf. He's also totally hot, of course, and so, defying the warnings of a New Age fortune-teller she happened to consult, Celeste kisses him under the full moon. Although the story, which unfolds through Celeste's belabored narrative ("The silence only magnified my intense pangs of isolation"), may read to many like fan-fic, it pushes all the right paranormal, romantic buttons to give it 15 minutes of fame with its target audience. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 7 Up—Celeste's life is practically perfect. She hangs out with the popular crowd and dates Nash, the hottest guy in school. Then she finds herself drawn to Brandon, an alluring new student from the wrong side of town. On the way home one evening, she becomes lost in a snowstorm and is suddenly surrounded by wolves. Brandon steps in to save her and is bitten. As the two begin a romance, questions linger about what exactly happened to Brandon that night. Is he transforming into something dangerous—or is someone else causing the rampant werewolf sightings taking place all over Legend's Run? Fans of Schreiber's "Vampire Kisses" books (HarperCollins) may be disappointed that Celeste is very different from that series' spunky goth protagonist. She is a "good girl" who volunteers at a nursing home and follows the rules. But even after breaking up with Nash, she never stands up to her bullying friends, and she keeps her relationship with outcast Brandon a secret. Readers looking for complex characters or realistic teen dialogue won't find it here. Even so, this novel will surely be in demand with Schreiber's fans.—Hayden Bass, Seattle Public Library, WA

School Library Journal

Bestselling paranormal author Schreiber (Vampire Kisses, 2003, etc.) tries her hand at a werewolf love story. The town of Legend's Run is divided physically and socially between the rich, popular Eastsiders and the poor, looked-down-upon Westsiders. Celeste Parker, an Eastsider with compassion, finds herself drawn to newcomer Brandon Maddox, despite her friends' contempt for his Westside address. When Brandon kisses Celeste, against the warning of a local psychic, he transforms, and Celeste begins to suspect he is a werewolf. Frustratingly, the author explains very little about what "werewolf" means here, leaving readers to wonder why Brandon's transformation includes growing a goatee and attracting the attention of dogs but seemingly few predatory tendencies. Brandon is also inexplicably patient with Celeste's hiding their relationship from her popular friends. Still, bland heroine meets not-too-dangerous paranormal creature is a proven formula, and the author follows it faithfully. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews