Broods of Fenrir by Coral Moore *Blog Tour Stop* Review & Guest Post

Paperback, 213 pages
Published November 20th 2011 by Bared Teeth Pubhlishing

Shapeshifer Brand Geirson was raised to rule the Broods of Fenrir, but he refused his birthright. Instead, he killed their brutal leader–his own father–and walked away.

For hundreds of years he’s avoided brood society, until a werewolf kills an innocent human woman and Brand finds himself dragged back into the violent politics of the shapeshifters. When the two brood women who mean the most to him come under threat, he must take up the throne and risk becoming the kind of vicious bastard his father was, or let the broods descend further into chaos–taking the friend he swore to protect and his lover with them.

Contains Strong Language, Violence, and Sexual Situations.

Guest post from Coral Moore.... Away you go

Forging Connections with Supernatural Characters

by Coral Moore

There are a lot of different opinions about where the current breed of paranormal fiction originated. For me, the addiction to supernatural creatures started with Anne Rice. Her stories were the first to bring a bit of romance to the vampire and paint the undead as beings to be both pitied and feared. Creating a connection between the reader and a non-human character is not an easy task. The very nature of paranormal characters makes them difficult to identify with. After all, who among us knows what it’s like to be a thousand-year-old vampire?
One way we can forge a connection with an inhuman character is by showing their relationship with people. This is a common device used in paranormal romances and is probably the easiest to accomplish. Through the lens of a person we can understand, we see the frightening character as more approachable and even loveable.
Another option is to give the frightening character feelings we can recognize. By investing our monster with affection for others, even though they might deal with emotions in a different way than we do, we can form a lasting connection with them because we know how love makes us feel.
The final approached to creating connections I’d like to mention is my favorite. By giving our paranormal creature values that are morally justifiable we can create a powerful link between a reader and a non-human. I enjoy infusing my monsters with characteristics I aspire to, like honesty and loyalty. It’s difficult not to respect an individual who refuses to abandon his friends, even if we don’t agree with anything else he does.
Why do I prefer the last of the three options? I think because it lets me build character while I strengthen the reader’s connection to my monster. I also believe values are a more solid link because regardless of what my inhuman character is confronted with, she’s going to behave a certain way based on who she is.
The werewolves in Broods of Fenrir are quite monstrous and very little about them is human. However, I think each one, even the most evil, has at least one trait that I’d consider integral to our humanity. If you’d like to talk with me about your take on paranormal characters, I invite you stop by my website or chat with me on twitter.

Thank you Coral! Really great guest post.

Review:

This starts out with a bang! Straight out you get a look at how the Brood deals with their own. It's not a pretty sight. She builds the world around them right away and very well. It's harsh and at the basic level of survival of the fittest. 

Brand...This is one tough guy. Put through absolute hell while in the brood, he was to be the King. Killing his own father and leaving has left him on the outside, where he likes it. I really like Brand. Although he is vicious he controls what he is because he doesn't want to end up like his father. Strong, loyal, and that alpha male protectiveness ... he's got it goin on!

The people around him are loyal, would do anything for him. He has taken care of them in his own way and when trouble comes they step up. Great read! I will continue to look for more from Coral!!