#moonsick

‘...𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.’

With traces of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚, 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 and the still-present pandemic - Mᴏᴏɴsɪᴄᴋ by Tom O’Donnell is a fast-paced adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

When high school senior Heidi has her life turned upside-down by a break-in gone wrong, she’s violently thrust into the other side of the looking glass of the werewolf pandemic. Suddenly having to come to terms with this new reality, she realizes everything she’s thought about both herself - and the pandemic - is only just a smokescreen of a performance. As she learns more about the truth we begin to question just who exactly is the true danger to society.

Mᴏᴏɴsɪᴄᴋ is a novel that makes you consider what impulses and desires we shove down in ourselves throughout our lives - and what it would be like to let them loose.

Available September 23, this novel is perfect for anyone looking for an intense, action-packed teen horror drama that doesn’t let up until the last page and will have you rooting for the werewolves.

Thank you St. Martin's Press/ Wednesday Books for the review copy!

Heidi is your classic privileged white girl, raised in suburbia with a distorted view of how things work and the ability to get away with something just by being confident in her white privilege.

Unfortunately, in this world, werewolves are a pandemic and she's caught the bug. Now she's on the clock to find a cure before her world comes crashing down around her.

There's nothing like trauma bonding to help you make friends with your local burglar.

No, but Cam was fine. He was a little one note, basically just the guy who says yes to whatever Heidi needs and argues with her when the plot demands it.

I have a hard time thinking of this as horror. There are mildly scary moments where the characters experience body horror or there are some creepy descriptions of bodies but otherwise its weirdly very coming of age (for werewolves).

Heidi through-line issue is that she needs a cure for the werewolf virus, but most of the important beats center around her learning to stand up for herself, accepting that she doesn't want to go to Harvard, realizing her boyfriend is an asshole, and struggling to reconcile her past black/white viewpoint with her current reality.

That being said, it's an enjoyable read, fast paced, and the we-spit-in-the-food thing had me laughing along with the characters in the moment.

3.5/5 stars.

Content warning for body horror and genre-typical violence.

Full moon. Werewolves. High school senior Heidi Mills thinks she’s ready for everything—until two intruders crash her party and her safe, privileged world comes crashing down. Survival isn’t just about fending off monsters; it’s about confronting the uncomfortable truths of the society she’s always known.

Pre-Reading Thoughts

A YA werewolf thriller with social commentary? Yes, please. I was intrigued to see how lycanthropy could be used as metaphor without losing the pulse-pounding suspense.

Post-Reading

As I thought… Heidi is naive but willing to learn, the perfect combination for a protagonist navigating chaos. Her growth feels earned and engaging.

It surprised me by… How seamlessly the novel tackles themes like police brutality, for-profit healthcare, and societal inequality, using the werewolf epidemic as metaphor.

Music Pairing

🎵 Featured Song: “Wolf” by First Aid Kit — dark, haunting, and layered with tension.

🎶 Vibe Album: The Bones of What You Believe by CHVRCHES, for its mix of urgent energy and introspection.

🎧 Artist Recommendation: Lorde, for youthful intensity and emotional depth.

Vibe Check

🎨 Colour Palette: Moon silver, forest green, and shadow black

🎼 Soundtrack: Howls in the distance, alarms, frantic footsteps

🌕 Season: Summer, night-long, full-moon chaos

😶 Mood: Growing up fast, survival, discovering hidden truths

🌹 Scent: Pine, rain-soaked grass, metallic tang of fear

Tarot Pull

🌟 The Fool, Light Seer’s Tarot — Naive but courageous, leaping into chaos and growth. Heidi’s journey through the night is a transformative one, balancing danger with discovery and self-awareness.

For Fans Of

Gone series by Michael Grant

Wonderful review of MOONSICK in Kirkus!

on an old tire swing i will never see again egg moon confettied across my open palms

seagulls crying, and egg moon in my window asking me to come home

waking over and over to nails on glass

the sound of waves glimmering algae beneath my fingers egg moon’s cold hands on my shoulders