A Cursed Moon by Cecy Robson

Novella November might be over but I have one more novella for you: A CURSED MOON, the novella bridging A CURSED EMBRACE (#2) and CURSED BY DESTINY (#3) in Cecy Robson's Weird Girls series. For the first time, we get a new narrator: Bren, the sisters' werewolf friend. He's largely been muscle-y comic relief with his much less muscle-y best friend Dan but  now we're jumping into his brain and there's a very different tone from Celia's narration. It's not a bad thing but it's definitely noticeable, which is good since Bren and Celia are great friends but have very little in common, personality-wise, and it'd be troubling if things sounded exactly the same this time around. In fact, Robson does a great job of inhabiting Bren and creating a unique voice for him, which is why I'm sad to say I found this adventure a bit less satisfying than the other stories. Don't get me wrong, A CURSED MOON is a nice foray back into the Weird Girls world but I missed Celia and the grand problems that she and her sisters get into. (She shows up in the novella but she's not the central character.)

There are two central ideas in this novella: (1) Bren has responsibilities to the were pack that he needs to start doing and (2) ghosts are popping up all over Tahoe, causing trouble and mayhem. Robson does a nice job of tying them together and I particularly enjoyed the stuff with the ghosts. It's the aftermath of events from A CURSED EMBRACE and it's good to see that Tahoe's supernatural residents are doing their part to contain this new menace. I found Bren's interactions with the other weres to be a bit less interesting, though we do learn a lot more about why he's a loner, which I loved. There was just something about his interactions with Aric that didn't click for me the way a Weird Girls story usually does. But, as always, his relationship with Dan made me laugh out loud. Well,  Dan generally is such an endearing character that I always smile when he's on the page but it's great to see him through Bren's eyes now. They've got such a strong brotherly bond -- who doesn't love a good bromance?

Towards the end of A CURSED MOON, there is something that can only be called a Big Event. I won't say a word about it but I think this is what makes this novella a must read for fans of the series. I'm not sure how Robson will explain it away without referencing these events, as I haven't started my ARC of CURSED BY DESTINY yet but I'm certain that there will be significant ramifications for this Big Event. I'm very curious to see how this plays out and hope it becomes an important part of the series. (I know I'm being the Queen of Cryptic right now but I really don't want to spoil things for you. It was such a surprise to me and I want it to be the same for you.)

While I may not have enjoyed A CURSED MOON as much as I've liked previous Weird Girls stories, this novella is still a good and useful addition to the series. We get a lot more knowledge about how the weres function and we learn more about Aric, his station, and his feelings for Celia. And finally learning the full scoop on Bren's family definitely satisfies, since it explains his reluctance to join up with other weres for all this time. Plus, there is that Big Event that has to affect the next novel so I'd urge you to read it before proceeding with CURSED BY DESTINY. Say what you will but Robson definitely knows how to throw that Act 3 surprise at her readers, to make sure you stick around for the next instalment!