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The Wolf's Daughter
When her mother dies, Tala returns to her New Hampshire hometown, and violent memories assault her. She struggles against supernatural powers to save her former high-school boyfriend, Matt. Tala stays alone in the family’s bleak house, which is next door to a cemetery. She finds amulets, macabre newspaper photos, and her grandmother’s diary, all hinting at an animalistic strain, for which a remedy may or may not exist. Can she prevent her enemy, Willis Sharp, from obtaining an amulet, which would increase his power and his danger to Tala and Matt? Can her grandmother’s diary lead her to a man accused of revolting brutality, but the only one who can help her? And will she risk confronting him by traveling through the wilderness of wolf territory?
ebook
First published March 1, 2013
3 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Patricia La Barbera
14 books8 followersOriginally from New York City, Patricia La Barbera moved to Oklahoma with her husband when they were newlyweds. She spent eleven years of discovery there and developed a deep respect for Native Americans.
When they moved to Florida, she went back to college and received a BA and an MFA in creative writing. Besides being an author, Patricia’s a freelance editor, specializing in genre novels and short stories. She’s an active member of the Horror Writers Association and a member of Mystery Writers of America and Mensa. Patricia's had fiction and poetry published in a variety of journals and in three anthologies. She's also a writing-contest judge.
In addition to the first three books in The Tala Chronicles, she’s written a mystery novella, The Celtic Crow Murders.
Patricia’s grateful to her hometown fire department who sponsored the first writing contest she won for her fire-prevention essay when she was in the third grade. And she forgives the teacher who told her in front of the class that she must have had a brain tumor when she wrote a story about a cat from outer space. But she does wonder what that teacher would think about her paranormal romance novels.
Patricia now lives on the west coast of Florida with her husband and her mews, Maeve. She loves the sunshine and swimming in the gulf.
Patricia hopes her readers enjoy her stories as much as she enjoys writing them. She’s working on the fourth book of The Tala Chronicles. Learn more about the author by visiting her website. http://www.patricialabarbera.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 16, 2013
REVIEW: The Wolf’s Daughter is the first storyline in Patricia La Barbera’s new paranormal series that focuses on Tala-a young woman trying to uncover the origins of her family heritage and history in a New Hampshire town. Run out of town by her mother, Tala has been aware of an evil that follows her family whenever they are in proximity to each other. But what Tala uncovers is a history of ‘violence’ and ‘violence makers’ that will force one another to kill or be killed. To find out the truth, Tala must search for clues to a missing diary and a family member long thought lost years ago.
I did not know what to expect from this particular storyline. I read ‘wolf’ and thought a story about shifters, but The Wolf’s Daughter barely scratches the surface of shifters or a shifter storyline. The Wolf’s Daughter is a novella that introduces the history behind Tala’s family and the other families in town affected by a ‘strain’ of madness that no one is willing to talk about-especially to Tala who is desperate to uncover the source of her family’s ‘violence’. There are strange murders involving mysterious human bite marks; missing bodies; a token witch; powerful amulets; Native American folk lore; a hidden diary; and what appears to be a form of magic bestowed upon some of the family members from Tala’s past, but nothing is revealed about wolves or shifters or the actual paranormal being of which the storyline or series hints. If the author was trying to keep the identity a secret she was successful- I wished that particular part of the series paranormal premise was revealed.
The novella was confusing from many aspects. There were switches between past and present timelines, dream and reality, thought and speak, but there were no breaks to differentiate between. At one point, there were three timelines running concurrent to each other: current day, dream memory and past recollection with the dream and past combined together. If I misunderstood or was confused, I can only imagine how others will feel. I highly recommend a page break/ a subtitle or something to allow the reader some coherency.
The storyline had potential with a ‘different’ look at what I can only presume will be a werewolf/wolf shifter storyline. But the confusion and lack of certain detail left me feeling lost as if there was something missing. There was no explanation as to the family history; every time the lead character demanded answers she was denied so essentially the reader is as confused as the heroine. I understand the nature of cliff hangers and not revealing too much information all at one time, but the information revealed has made my interpretation of the storyline all the more confusing.
Copy supplied by the author/publisher
I did not know what to expect from this particular storyline. I read ‘wolf’ and thought a story about shifters, but The Wolf’s Daughter barely scratches the surface of shifters or a shifter storyline. The Wolf’s Daughter is a novella that introduces the history behind Tala’s family and the other families in town affected by a ‘strain’ of madness that no one is willing to talk about-especially to Tala who is desperate to uncover the source of her family’s ‘violence’. There are strange murders involving mysterious human bite marks; missing bodies; a token witch; powerful amulets; Native American folk lore; a hidden diary; and what appears to be a form of magic bestowed upon some of the family members from Tala’s past, but nothing is revealed about wolves or shifters or the actual paranormal being of which the storyline or series hints. If the author was trying to keep the identity a secret she was successful- I wished that particular part of the series paranormal premise was revealed.
The novella was confusing from many aspects. There were switches between past and present timelines, dream and reality, thought and speak, but there were no breaks to differentiate between. At one point, there were three timelines running concurrent to each other: current day, dream memory and past recollection with the dream and past combined together. If I misunderstood or was confused, I can only imagine how others will feel. I highly recommend a page break/ a subtitle or something to allow the reader some coherency.
The storyline had potential with a ‘different’ look at what I can only presume will be a werewolf/wolf shifter storyline. But the confusion and lack of certain detail left me feeling lost as if there was something missing. There was no explanation as to the family history; every time the lead character demanded answers she was denied so essentially the reader is as confused as the heroine. I understand the nature of cliff hangers and not revealing too much information all at one time, but the information revealed has made my interpretation of the storyline all the more confusing.
Copy supplied by the author/publisher
April 28, 2013
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Dawn
Tala has come back to her hometown although she doesn’t have happy childhood memories. Her mother has passed and Tala needs to go through her things to clean out the house a bit.
Willis Sharp, a neighbor, is just oily! He is a nasty man bent on doing whatever it takes to get all the contents of the house. He insists Tala’s mother sold him everything.
Tala spends time in the attic looking through boxes from ancestors past. She begins to uncover the family secrets. She finds her grandmother’s diary and an amulet. The diary hints at a “family” disorder that could be cured. Tala becomes obsessed with finding her lost family member to unravel the secrets.
There are still sparks between Matt and Tala but they are both wary of one another. I wanted them to get back together from the first few pages. He is your classic all-American nice guy.
Tala is no push-over. Despite Willis showing her a supposed receipt, she will not let him in the house. She makes it clear where she stands. I truly appreciate characters who do not wilt or cry at a moment’s notice.
I enjoyed this short story. I was surprised to find it’s part of a series. It was all inclusive; I didn’t feel as if there were holes in the plot or story. In fact, it has me wanting to read the series.
If you like a good mystery mixed with the supernatural, this is the book for you. It is a great book for young adults and women.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/th...
Tala has come back to her hometown although she doesn’t have happy childhood memories. Her mother has passed and Tala needs to go through her things to clean out the house a bit.
Willis Sharp, a neighbor, is just oily! He is a nasty man bent on doing whatever it takes to get all the contents of the house. He insists Tala’s mother sold him everything.
Tala spends time in the attic looking through boxes from ancestors past. She begins to uncover the family secrets. She finds her grandmother’s diary and an amulet. The diary hints at a “family” disorder that could be cured. Tala becomes obsessed with finding her lost family member to unravel the secrets.
There are still sparks between Matt and Tala but they are both wary of one another. I wanted them to get back together from the first few pages. He is your classic all-American nice guy.
Tala is no push-over. Despite Willis showing her a supposed receipt, she will not let him in the house. She makes it clear where she stands. I truly appreciate characters who do not wilt or cry at a moment’s notice.
I enjoyed this short story. I was surprised to find it’s part of a series. It was all inclusive; I didn’t feel as if there were holes in the plot or story. In fact, it has me wanting to read the series.
If you like a good mystery mixed with the supernatural, this is the book for you. It is a great book for young adults and women.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/th...
April 23, 2013
It was good but it wasn't a page turner.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews