Unleashed

On the surface, Daniel and Misty seem different -- he is the "shooting star," complete with popularity, a beautiful girlfriend, and an early acceptance to Cornell; she is an outcast just trying to survive her senior year of high school amidst rude comments from her peers and the drudgery that is ISS. However, Daniel has more in common with Misty than anyone would realize. Both are struggling to figure out their futures and their place in the world in general. Once Daniel learns that Misty and her friends have learned how to shift into wolves, he soon finds himself as part of their pack. The freedom that comes with being a wolf is intoxicating to him, but the more he shifts, the more his human and wolf side blur together. Just like with the conformity of humanity, Daniels finds himself losing himself in the chaos of being a wolf, and only finding his own voice will save him and the rest of the pack -- if it's not already too late. Unleashed is realistic, honest, and gritty with a unique take on werewolf mythos. While it may contain elements of the fantastical, this book will appeal to a broader range of readers because of how it tackles pertinent teen issues. Whether you're a shooting star, an outcast, or something in between, there's no one who's never had to deal with shaping their identity and facing the uncertainty of life after high school. The way those issues parallel with wolf-shifting is genius. As impressive as it is gripping, Unleashed is the perfect read for anyone in the mood for a fantasy that is more down-to-earth than others currently on the bookstore shelves.

Are you a fan of Twilight? Cirque du Freak? Then get ready for a dark story to be unleashed on you. UNLEASHED introduces readers to a group of outcasts who become wolves and prowl the City of Birmingham at night. The book turns what you think you know about jocks and loners on its head to deliver suspense and magic. Daniel Morning is a high school golden boy. He has his acceptance to Cornell, his hot girlfriend Angie and his pack of A-list friends. No one needs to know that a psychologist was paid to sign a letter confirming his nonexistent ADHD so he could get a better SAT score. No one needs to know that Angie is sometimes a racist and disgusts him. Misty and Marc are used to racial insults. Being biracial in Birmingham sadly means "mutt" to some classmates like Angie, but they are proud of their heritage, including their grandfather, who marched in the city's Civil Rights Movement. They are friends with two more loners, Eric and Val, and none of them have the means to dream about Cornell or any real future beyond high school graduation in a few months. One boring night they discover an abandoned foundry that has magic mushrooms growing on its grounds. Once cooked and consumed, they turn the four friends into a pack of wolves that prowl the city. The line between who they are as humans and as wolves begins to blur. Misty is suspended for racing out of class to help a dog hit by a car in front of the school. Daniel wonders why he just sat there while Misty was brave enough to go do something. He never tells her about Cornell and thinks that good boy life is so different that the omission wouldn't matter to her. Misty brings Daniel into the pack, and the group grows tighter as even their human forms are affected. His old friends and Angie disappear from Daniel's mind, and only the pack remains. When a teacher slights Misty, the pack chooses to retaliate with violent destruction. It is a turning point for all of them as they decide if their human or wolf sides are more desirable. Questions about the future loom closer, and Daniel is caught further between his two worlds. When everything comes to clash, each must make decisions about who they are and what they must do to change. UNLEASHED offers an interesting and dark twist on the question of what happens after graduation. While at first it may seem like a jock and outsider love story, the conflict builds suspense and the plot offers many surprises. This is not just another werewolf story or a high school creature of the night tale. The questions and characters will resonate with both fans of dark supernatural stories and anyone struggling to decide who they are and what the future will look like. Kristopher Reisz offers realistic emotion and choices in his second novel. --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

You know the kids in school, the outcasts. They're the kids who wear dark clothes and combat boots. They don't quite fit in, and everyone in school treats them like they are trash or don't exist. At least that's how it was when I was in high school. If you weren't a popular star football player or cheerleader you were on the outside looking in. That's what Misty and her pack are, the outcasts. They protect each other from the "hand lickers," and stand up for each other when they are in trouble. What an original tale Kristopher Reisz has written for our enjoyment! This is probably the first time in a long time that I don't know what to say for one of my reviews. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and had trouble putting it down in order to get some sleep. I just had to know what path these teens would take, and what problems would arise for them next. Daniel isn't always likeable, but his actions lead him in the direction he needs to take in order to find out where his life is going. Misty is troubled and just wants to be loved, and believes that Daniel wouldn't hurt her. Which is something we can all relate to. I must praise Reisz on giving a fresh twist to the Werewolf. You also really get a glimpse into the life of high school students. There is drugs, sex, and fear. Fear of what their future's hold for them. Some are scared of leaving gritty Birmingham, and some are afraid they will be stuck there forever. The characters are real and relatable. You know what they are going through. You can even understand why they would want to consult the mushroom god in order to be turned into wolves and prowl the night. I think we all would like to escape our own realities, and that's why we read. This is a strong story with a good ending all wrapped up in a one hit book. It's nice to not have to wait for a sequel, and I'm looking forward to reading Reisz first book, Tripping to Somewhere.

I just finished the last chapter (not for the first time) and I'm puzzling again why Reisz isn't listed more often as one of the best Southern writers of his generation. His Birmingham is a bleak and dying infrastructure, enlivened by both the people that make it home and by the storied history of the place. On top of that, Reisz's word choice and sentence structure is art, both in this book and his earlier freestanding novel. As for this book itself, I can't rave enough. Disaffected outsiders are somewhat the norm in YA books, but this one takes it to a new level. We see the top and bottom of the ugly food chain that is high school, painted in a gritty style that would evoke raw emotion in anyone that can remember those years. Reisz writes with an unflinching realism about high school life--drugs, sex, fears of the future--that doesn't underestimate or infantize his target audience. Unleashed is thought-provoking, complex literature. Literature that I must highly recommend.

Daniel Morning has a beautiful girlfriend, an early acceptance to Cornell, and the world at his fingertips. So why does he feel so trapped? When he gets to know Misty and her friends, he realizes how much freedom lies beyond the rules and restrictions set down by his parents and teachers. Misty's group is a pack in the most literal sense of the word. At night they eat a mushroom sacred to the god of decay, and shape-shift into wolves to prowl the streets and mark their territory. At first disturbed and disbelieving, Daniel finds himself sucked into this shadow world of magic and defiance. His grades slip and his girlfriend ditches him for another guy, but with Misty, he doesn't care. Still, he can't bring himself to tell her the truth--that despite their connection, he's planning on leaving come fall. But then the pack's activities cross over the line between conscious rebellion and wild destructive abandon, and Daniel realizes he has to make a choice: between Cornell and Misty, between safety and freedom, and between the perfect life he used to have and all the lives that now stand to be lost. Kristopher Reisz's UNLEASHED has one of the most unique takes on an established mythology that I've ever seen. Its twist on the werewolf tales will keep readers guessing right until the end. Daniel is not always likable, but his motivations are easy to understand, and his growth throughout the story is well-developed. The descriptions of shape-shifting and being wolves are so vivid readers will wish they could experience it for themselves. It's an intense, can't-put-it-down read that will have readers turning pages long after they should be asleep. Highly recommended to all fans of urban fantasy and the supernatural. Reviewed by: Lynn Crow