★ Howl, Shaun David Hutchinson ★

★Quick summary★

A boy named Virgil Knox was attacked by a monster, but no one believes him. Even after limping into a parking lot after being obviously attacked by some sort of very large wild beast, most of the town still mocks and doesn't believe him. Virgil knows it wasn't a badger or bear, it was a monster. But being the new guy in a small town means you're an outsider, and warning people about a monster isn't easy when you aren't exactly welcomed in the first place. The stakes rise when Virgil begins to notice other threats to himself and the people he cares about, but convincing people of those threats is harder than you'd think. 

★Comments, Likes, Dislikes★

I absolutely loved this book. The entire thing keeps you on your toes and really gets into the deep crevices of your mind. Possible content warning here, and possible spoilers, at least for some minor details! The entire book seems like it could be a metaphor for assault. The self blame, the questions of whether or not you're overreacting (despite knowing you're not), and the urge to physically and mentally scrub yourself clean after being attacked. The way he desperately tries to find an explanation as to why it happened to him fights internally with the urge to forget about it entirely. The way almost no one believes him, or they try to convince him that it wasn't really that bad also reminds me of the way society often treats victims of assault. I honestly LOVED the end, it was really heartwarming to me. 

★Overall Rating _/10★

I would give this book a solid 8/10! I do wish there was a bit more detail in the outward aspects of the story, especially with the big bad of the story, but I feel as though it only had such an effect on me because I focus so much on the worldbuilding aspects of the story. All in all, this has definitely been a very enjoyable read for me!