A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing by Amy Allen features a slow burn romance between a sweetheart werewolf and a monster hunter who is searching for a horrible killer.
On her 21st birthday Harper Zeale takes on her first solo assignment, versus a vampire. It’s a high stakes job, but not as fraught as her second assignment days later. Someone, or something, has ripped apart one of the students of a sleepy midwest college. It looks like the work of a werewolf and Harper goes to school loaded with weapons and years of training.
It doesn’t take long to get Esther Talbot in her silver sights, but she just can’t pull the trigger. Sure, Esther is a werewolf, but she’s gentle as a lamb. Despite her misgivings, Harper’s enlists Esther and her friends in the hunt for the killer.
Writing
Despite the sometimes gruesome nature of Harper’s business there is a lot of humor, especially when Harper talks to herself. The book is told from her point of view, so the frequent inner monologues are both funny and revealing of her character.
With good pacing and a solid story well told, I very nearly ticked off the “Favorites Badge” box but that was before the story drags on at the end for a few beats too many.
There is a major character who is trans but their identity is not fully revealed until late. Because I missed the actual reveal earlier in the book, I was surprised and then had an a-ha moment after the revelation. I realized that I had missed a lot of deep and clever metaphors throughout the book.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
This character driven piece has a load of great characters, especially Harper and Esther, and Esther’s college friends who are smart, brave, and super loyal to their sheep in wolf’s clothing. Harper’s constant second, third and fourth guessing of herself is endearing. She’s a young woman who really wants to get things right, but often feels that she’s not quite at her best.
Harper’s deeply emotional journey, with a constant inner monologue, never felt like an overload of angst. Her constant desire to do better, to be better, makes a lot of sense in someone just starting on a career she was raised to do but isn’t quite sure is the one she really wants.
There is a lot of subtlety in the story and metaphors that eventually become strikingly obvious. I was impressed by both the author’s cleverness and strength of the deeper messages. I also enjoyed the romance between Esther and Harper. They speak a lot of hard truths to each other as they dance around their attractions.
A more discerning reader than me will hopefully not miss a crucial clue about one of the characters, one that makes the metaphors come alive and gives the story a much greater depth. It turned a solid book into a really good one that I want to read again.
Heads Up
There is some violence. The evil character misgenders and deadnames as a weapon at one point.
The Conclusion
Harper goes to a small midwestern college hunting a dangerous werewolf. She finds the werewolf but Esther is the furthest thing in the world from dangerous. The two become closer as they hunt for something possibly more perilous than a werewolf.
I really enjoyed reading Harper’s story, often told with self-deprecating humor during many inner monologues. She’s dedicated to doing the right thing, if she can figure out for sure what that is, and to finding a vicious killer on a campus and among people she becomes close to.
There is a major character who is trans, but the reveal is so subtle that I missed it. Once I understood who they are I recognized many ingenious metaphors throughout the book, but there is very little explicit trans representation until the bigger reveal at the end.
Excerpt from A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing by Amy Allen
“Well, I don’t want to brag,” she said before proceeding to brag. “I stabbed a vampire in a dark, dank little alleyway next to his favorite club before he had a chance to hurt his next victim. Turned to dust and everything.” For just a moment, Harper’s chest felt tight. Why the hell was she boasting? What she did wasn’t glamorous or cool. Zack might have been unrepentantly evil, but she still took his life.
“Were they okay?” Katie asked with her eyes glimmering a little. “The victim, I mean.”
“Yeah, she was…I mean, she was kind of traumatized, but I think she’ll be okay.” Harper rubbed her neck slowly, dropping her voice as she added, “Though I’m not sure I made things any better by flirting with her.”
Without warning, Katie reeled back and delivered a not entirely playful slap to her arm. “You flirted with a traumatized girl? What is wrong with you?” Harper flailed, trying to get away before Katie could land a second hit on her. “Would you keep your voice down? Jesus!” She sighed and leaned up against the wall of the dormitory. “I have no idea what’s wrong with me. I was feeling confident and stupid. Now I just feel stupid.” And really, wasn’t that the crux of the entire issue? Take everything else away and Harper was just a big, romantic idiot. And all she had to show for it was one failed relationship, one misguided kiss, and one poor girl in Chicago who probably never wanted to see Harper again. She harbored all these idealistic, starry-eyed dreams, but at the end of the day, she was just this lonely weirdo. And Harper knew that if she didn’t sort out her shit, she was doomed to a life of heartbreak.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 978-1-64247-473-2
Publisher: Bella Books
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