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Claire de Lune

(Claire de Lune #1)

Christine Johnson

3.58 · Rating details · 6,076 ratings · 497 reviews

Torn between two destinies…

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she’s the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she’s a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not ...more

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published May 18th 2010 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers (first published January 1st 2010)

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May 30, 2010 Morgan F rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: pulse-it, young-adult, its-a-girl, fantasy, suckfest, medium-sized, werewolves, characters-i-wanna-shoot, 2010, read-2010

I wasn't expecting much from this book to begin with, so I can't consider myself disappointed.

Claire is having the best birthday of her life. Her pool party is off the chain (people still say that, right?) and Hottie Matthew is starting to show interest in plain old Claire. Emphasis on plain. But when the full moon surfaces, her mother tells her a dark secret, both her and Claire are werewolves. Now Claire life becomes a lot more complicated. Not only does she have to deal with all her bodily c I wasn't expecting much from this book to begin with, so I can't consider myself disappointed.

Claire is having the best birthday of her life. Her pool party is off the chain (people still say that, right?) and Hottie Matthew is starting to show interest in plain old Claire. Emphasis on plain. But when the full moon surfaces, her mother tells her a dark secret, both her and Claire are werewolves. Now Claire life becomes a lot more complicated. Not only does she have to deal with all her bodily changes of becoming a furry beast, she has to hide her secret from everyone, including her best friend, Emily, and Hottie Matthew. But there is also a rouge werewolf on the loose, on that is killing humans and endangering the existance of Claire's pack. To make the plot even twistier, Hottie Matthew is also the son of some deranged scientist hellbent of capturing and "curing" werewolves.

Okay, okay. I know this is a fantasy book. I know it has very little basis in the real world. But I can't help but bring forth some logical impossibilities this book passes off. There will be some spoilers ahead, although I shall try to use hypothetical situations only.

Say everyone knows werewolves exist. Say everyone thinks werewolves are bad, without even one PETA activist to wave a mighty picket sign. Say there are entire government organizations dedicated to researching and controlling lycanthropes. But despite all this, people know nothing about werewolves, at all. They don't know, or suspect, that they are all female (one thing I did like about this book was all the werewolf girl-power), and don't know their habits or anything. So instead of, I don't know, researching and studying one of the few werewolves they manage to capture, they lock it up in a cage in some unguarded lab, until they can "cure" it. Now, does this make sense? What kind of respectable lab, holding some a valuable specimen, doesn't even have surveillance cameras and puts the key to the cage of this valuable specimen IN THE REFRIGERATOR!!!!!!

Oh, and say, you were a bloodthristy werewolf. You like sunflowers right? And after killing some poor dude, you get your picture taken with a sunflower blocking your face. Uh-oh. I would be careful now. Because some ditzy teenager will walk aimlessly into your house, see a sunflower (which could or could not be the same one), and when they later see the incriminating picture, they will automatically link you to the scene of the crime. So be careful in the future.

Oh, and apparently bodies smell enough to be gag-worthy after 15 minutes of being deceased, and lupine body language is diverse enough to have complete nonverbal conversations with specific wordchoice and every thing. Even when you are not even freaking LOOKING at the werewolf you are having a conversation with.

Okay, with that off my chest....on to the characters. I have decided I dislike the name Claire. It just is a soiled name. Every time I hear it now, it brings to mind some annoying teenage "heroine". No offense to the Claires out there. You can't help what you are named at birth. So even though my first impression of you is shot to pieces, you still have the possibility of growing on me. All the characters in this story were just so completely underdeveloped. Not a likable or memorable face in the bunch. Everyone just filled their stereotypical role. Claire the "sweet" and quiet narrator, who only wants to protect her friends and family. Hottie Matthew, the attractive and understanding love interest who inexplicably falls for Plain Janes. Emily, the talkative and bubbly biffle. And Marie, the type-A mother. Mix in some wolves and bad guys, and there you go.

The plot was poo. I would say it was predictable, but I did fall prey to the red-herring for the longest time. I am actually quite ashamed I didn't figure it out sooner. So props there. And there was just no action or suspense. Just Claire fretting and worrying. I had no problem putting this book down.

Oh, and what is the mysterious Goddess that created werewolves?

Don't let my bitchin' and moanin' stop you from reading this book if it sounds interesting, really. It's just books like these make me bitter. ...more

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Mar 12, 2010 Nic rated it it was ok

Shelves: paranormal-romance, young-adult, 2010

Rating 2.5 stars

After reading mixed reviews on this book I was hoping for the best. Unfortunatley I'm left feeling disappointed. This book was just okay. It wasn't bad it just wasn't that exciting.

Christine Johnson writing style is good as was her twist on werewolves but the plot was predictable and I felt a little bit bored. When I put this book down I easily forgot about it. I also predicted who the killer was within the first 100 pages. The characters were okay but I felt they were a little b ...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Eyehavenofilter rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: wtf, impossible-young-love

I only picked this up because of the title..Debussy is one of my favorite composers. But unfortunately it's the cleverest part of this book. It had such potential, but fell flat within 20 pages. Insta-love, convenient plot and character lines, that a baked Idaho potato could see coming a million miles away. Claire our intrepid heroine finds out she is budding werewolf, and at 16 her transformation has already begun, heralded by a rash on her palms and ears, ( seriously?) but our self proclaimed ...more

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Sep 04, 2020 Annette rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I always say that I don't do cover buys and that's true. I always read the blurb too. In this case however it wasn't the cover speaking to me. It was the title. Debussy's Clair de Lune is one of my favorite classical pieces ever. A book based on that title? That was a book I had to check out. Since I've always been a vampire girl, I haven't read that many werewolf novels either, so when I read the blurb I grew quite curious.

From start to finish I quite enjoyed this book. Yes, at a lot of points ...more

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Oct 10, 2009 ~Tina~ rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, lib, wolves-shapeshiftes, read-2010

(3.5stars)
Given the mixed reviews for this book, I'm surprised that I really liked this one. I'm picky, really picky when it comes to Werewolves, but I liked this particular take on the paranormal.

The idea of women dominating the legend was cool and I liked there abilities, even though it wasn't anything new, it was still pretty neat.
I liked Claire. Her reactions to everything felt very realistic. I also really liked Matthew, there was something very normal about him that I found refreshing. The ...more

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May 19, 2010 Greta is Erikasbuddy rated it it was ok

I couldn't even stomach the rest of this book. I got to page 216/336 and that was it for me. There were just too many eye-rolls to get by.

Claire does NOT sound like a modern teenager. She sounds more like she just stepped out of the 1970s. But my biggest problem with her was that she said "Oh My God" and "Crap" way too much. I guess that's what makes it modern. GAG

The author of course put in your regular YA garb. Electric touch when her Boyfriend (Matthew) was near, butterflies in the stomach wh ...more

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Feb 11, 2010 Kirthi rated it really liked it

Title: Claire de Lune
Author: Christine Johnson
Stars: 4
Summary from back of the book
Pages: 352
Release Date: 5/18/10
Thanks for the copy Christine!

Torn between two destinies...

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all the sense of normalcy: She's a werewolf. As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewo ...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Erica rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I wasn't able to finish the book. Pretty much, I read the first 70 pages, and then I flipped through the book to something interesting, or more interesting. I finally found myself at the end, and found out who was killing all the people.

I know other people have talked about this already, but how does someone link sunflowers in your house to posing by sunflowers in a murder photo shoot that you are definitely the killer. The only thing that the main character wonders is that it could be a coin I wasn't able to finish the book. Pretty much, I read the first 70 pages, and then I flipped through the book to something interesting, or more interesting. I finally found myself at the end, and found out who was killing all the people.

I know other people have talked about this already, but how does someone link sunflowers in your house to posing by sunflowers in a murder photo shoot that you are definitely the killer. The only thing that the main character wonders is that it could be a coincidence. What about how huge of a leap that is, and how absolutely random.

I definitely wasn't expecting a book like this. Most of it was Claire talking to her mom, fighting with her mom, complaining about her mom, or kissing Matt, who she just met at her birthday party. I was probably expecting the average girl werewolf meets boy werewolf, which seriously? It probably would've been more interesting.( Also, it so happens that all werewolves are female. What did you do, Ms. Johnson?)

The murder mystery was okay (just not the part of how they found out that it was Zahlia), but I didn't like Claire's relationship with Matt-- from barely knowing him (if she did, it wasn't mentioned that I know of-- it could've been said further into the book, but I'll never know) to cuddling up and kissing on their first date. They barely know each other. Let me repeat this. They. Barely. Know. Each. Other. I kept thinking that (at one of the places that I stopped at to read) when Matt asked to meet her after Matt had transformed, I was sure that he was going to try to lock her in a cage, and that he was actually on the same side as his dad. Who even dates a person whose dad kills werewolves, when (let's say) you are one. Hmm….. doesn't strike me as a good idea. Maybe if you've known them for a while, and are sure that they disagree with their dad's opinions about werewolves, but there's this thing called lying. I didn't like that part of the book either.

I just read 13 to life before this book, and like Claire de Lune, it has the promise of werewolves in it. 13 to Life was pretty much just a teen drama. The. Whole. Way. THrough. Except like one mention of the werewolves at very end. (Fortunately, I don't mind teen dramas that much, but that's no important.) So, therefore, a plus side to Claire de Lune, is that it definitely is about and has a lot of werewolves.

And with that, those are the reasons why I dislike this book. This is probably the largest review I've done. Congrats if you read the whole thing! :D
...more

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Aug 25, 2009 Steph Su rated it liked it

Shelves: debs10

CLAIRE DE LUNE, Christine Johnson’s debut novel, is a good but not standout addition to werewolf lit. The simple way that this twist on werewolf lore is presented will make it a quick and satisfying read to ardent werewolf lovers, though it will have a tougher time winning the hearts of others.

In CLAIRE DE LUNE, Christine Johnson introduces us to a different type of paranormal world, in which only females can be werewolves. It’s not a feminist book, per se, but the dynamic that this sets up allo ...more

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Sep 22, 2018 Ellen rated it liked it · review of another edition

This book was so bad that it was actually kinda good... I struggled through the first pages and rolled my eyes at some of the particularly bad metaphor choices (‘a shock of electricity shot through her as he motioned for her to come over’). I mean c’mon everyone knows, once you’ve passed the age of 12, that using this image is NOT a sign of good writing. But then I realised that I’m reading this as a 21 year old woman and, in fact, my 13 year old self would have bloody loved this book. Therefore ...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Carmel (Rabid Reads) rated it liked it

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

I really wanted to like Claire de Lune in spite of all of the mixed reviews that I read. Being a werewolf fanatic, I decided that I just had to give-it-a-go anyway. The book introduces a couple of interesting deviations on shapeshifter lore that I was hoping to explore in greater detail as the story progressed. However, aside from a few faster paced action-y parts this novel focuses mainly on Claire's coming of age story rather than on the furrier aspects. Which isn't a b Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

I really wanted to like Claire de Lune in spite of all of the mixed reviews that I read. Being a werewolf fanatic, I decided that I just had to give-it-a-go anyway. The book introduces a couple of interesting deviations on shapeshifter lore that I was hoping to explore in greater detail as the story progressed. However, aside from a few faster paced action-y parts this novel focuses mainly on Claire's coming of age story rather than on the furrier aspects. Which isn't a bad thing if you're a fan of Young Adult fiction but personally, I only read YA if there's also a supernatural element. I'm not a fan of teenage angst unless the main character has a tail or fangs.

I did enjoy Christine Johnson's interpretation of werewolves. Traditionally, wolf packs revolve around the alpha male but in this instance male werewolves don't exist. This little tidbit created a whole new dynamic to pack life. New wolves can only be born instead of made and they have different rituals including how their leaders are chosen. That's basically Johnson's werewolves in a nutshell. Their history, origins and such are not covered whatsoever. These elements aren't crucial to the plot line but I think a little more back story would have been a welcomed addition. At least from my perspective because after all, I'm all about the wolves!

Claire's mother annoyed me to no end! She's a horrible parent, a lousy werewolf role model and very hard to relate to. I'm not sure if it was because she's French and the author wanted to portray some sort of language barrier or if she just likes being a wolf way too much. Either way, Marie really cramped this book's style.

On the upside, Claire's an incredibly lovable character! All of a sudden she turns sixteen and instead of getting a car she finds out that she's a werewolf. Talk about a life changer! She manages to cope pretty well while juggling her best friend and Matthew. The budding relationship between Claire and her new boy toy is just so adorable. It has that innocent "first love" feel.

I didn't get what I was hoping for out of Claire de Lune. The story is so-so, there's next to no werewolf intrigue and Marie is a real... pain in the butt. Avid readers of YA might enjoy this one but other than that, I wouldn't bump this one up on your to-read list if I were you. ...more

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Feb 19, 2017 Claire (Jst1MoreChapter) rated it liked it

A solid 3.5 stars for this nice little take on werewolf folklore... it had a novel storyline and the main characters were likeable enough... it picked up towards the end of the book...
Very teen orientated so I'd recommend it to younger readers ...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Andrew Sydlik rated it liked it

Shelves: horror-and-fantasy

Decent read about a teenage female werewolf, who finds herself thrown into the politics of a small werewolf pack, a rogue werewolf killing humans, and antipathy from prejudiced, terrified humans. And wouldn’t you know it, the boy she likes is the son of the scientist. Even though it had a number of flaws, I found myself really enjoying it. I think it was two reasons:
1) all werewolves are female in this world (males apparently cannot survive the condition – this is the opposite of convention, sin ...more

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Sep 24, 2009 Kristi rated it liked it

Shelves: signed-books, books-i-own

Claire de Lune is a unique idea on werewolf mythology. Although personally I would have liked to know a little bit more about the history and a deeper explanation of the ties to their 'goddess'. It doesn't necessarily take away from the story, but it would have been a much appreciated addition.

Claire was a fantastic character. Even if your not a fan of paranormal elements, you can't help but relate with Claire and her struggle to fit in and be a normal teenager. I mean, sure Claire has that whol ...more

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Mar 13, 2010 Yin Chien 인첸 rated it really liked it

When I first saw the cover and the title of this book, I knew that I had to read it. It was about a girl, Claire, whose life was about to change when she reached her sixteenth birthday. She found out that she was actually a werewolf. At first, she resented the idea of being a werewolf. She even tried to shave her fur. But eventually, she accepted her identity and fate and found out the benefits of being a werewolf.

The romance that blossomed between Claire and Matthew started at the beginning of ...more

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Aug 16, 2013 Danielle rated it did not like it

Honestly I didn't even want to finish this book. It was poorly done in my opinion. The story could've been great, but I did not like the wringing style. ...more

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Dec 09, 2013 Marlon Balraj rated it liked it

See more of my reviews at We Live and Breathe Books

Am I just angry because of schoolwork or am I just picking up shitty books to read? Like Need, which I wrote about last week, this book has a bit of potential, and I won't deny that, but it is overwhelmingly ruined by a terrible plot, only one decent character, a premise that seems as if this author wrote it for no other reason but to have a female werewolf . . . and the list goes on.

Seriously this book could be fine but why does she hammer in t ...more

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Feb 18, 2018 Kayla rated it really liked it

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Every single time I read a supernatural book, I remember just how much I love them! I really did enjoy this novel and I couldn’t seem to put it down. This book is the traditional supernatural book with werewolves, excitement, and my favorite, romance!
Read the Full Review on my Blog

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Jun 10, 2017 ☆☆Hannah☆☆ rated it it was ok

This was another case of I just wasn't a big fan of the MC. I never got over the way that she treated people. I get that she doesn't like the fact that her mom is gone a lot but treating the people who take care of you crappy like that just makes me angry. The only good thing about this book was the romance. It wasn't great but it at least worked out in the end. ...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Marie rated it liked it

This review was originally posted on my blog, Ramblings of a Daydreamer. You can see it, and many more reviews over at the blog.

Well…I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the concept and thought it was original – people know about werewolves, although their identities aren’t known except inside the packs. Only women are werewolves, and it’s passed down through the generations. Nice change from the whole 'Alpha male' thing. It was an interesting mix of paranormal, suspense, and romance.

T This review was originally posted on my blog, Ramblings of a Daydreamer. You can see it, and many more reviews over at the blog.

Well…I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the concept and thought it was original – people know about werewolves, although their identities aren’t known except inside the packs. Only women are werewolves, and it’s passed down through the generations. Nice change from the whole 'Alpha male' thing. It was an interesting mix of paranormal, suspense, and romance.

That being said, Claire wasn’t my favorite character ever. Actually, to be honest, I didn’t really love any of the characters. I didn’t hate Claire by any means, but she spends a lot of time going over the same things – she’s not human anymore, she’s a werewolf, it’s so hard to keep it from people, she pushes away her best friend (who really annoyed me by the way – she was a stereotypical boy-crazy, self-absorbed teenager) because her friend's problems are insignificant in comparison and because Claire can’t talk to her about her own problems. I also found it a bit odd that Claire accepted things so easily – it was like 'happy birthday Claire, and hey, guess what, you’re a werewolf, surprise!' I would have freaked the hell out personally, even after seeing proof with my own eyes. But that’s just me. It also kind of bothered me that when Claire says ‘oh my god’ her mother corrects her and says ‘goddess’, and even though that happens several times, she never explains why, but Claire just accepts it without question. Sorry, but if I'd been taught to believe something my entire life, and then was told 'no, believe this' I'd question it. Plus, I think it could have added more to the story.

Claire’s mother was an extremely unlikable character. She definitely gets the worst mother of the year award. She’s so self-absorbed that she barely seems to care about Claire at all, and Claire basically can’t do anything right. But, I kind of enjoy characters who are genuinely unlikable because it’s a sign that the author did something right – when a character evokes genuine emotion from a reader, whether it’s love or hate, it shows a well-written and well-formed character. Does that make sense?

Anyway, all that being said, the romance junkie in me enjoyed the budding relationship between Claire and Matthew. It was all very innocent and sweet. To me, that’s how first love feels – you’re awkward and unsure, but have these sweet little moments. And Matthew was a great guy, just what Claire needs. It always felt like there was a little something missing between them, and Matthew was kind of freakishly perfect, but it worked.

Overall, I think that if this book had been about 100 pages shorter and had cut out a lot of the filler, it would have been more enjoyable. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I’m sure there are many, many people who will enjoy it though, so it’s worth a read, especially if you enjoy books about werewolves and teenage angst. I’m not 100% if I’ll read the next book, Nocturne, but I’ll admit to being just curious enough that I might eventually read it. ...more

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Mar 22, 2010 A. rated it liked it

Claire gets a shocker for her sixteenth birthday - you're a werewolf. Gee, thanks mom for warning me. But Claire's mom isn't the warm and fuzzy type - rather cold actually which makes her hard to like, but she seems to be trying as the book goes on.

It's known that werewolves exist but they try to stay under the radar because society considers them savage beasts. Claire meets the local pack and realizes that this isn't the reality, but when a rogue werewolf goes on a killing spree in town, it do Claire gets a shocker for her sixteenth birthday - you're a werewolf. Gee, thanks mom for warning me. But Claire's mom isn't the warm and fuzzy type - rather cold actually which makes her hard to like, but she seems to be trying as the book goes on.

It's known that werewolves exist but they try to stay under the radar because society considers them savage beasts. Claire meets the local pack and realizes that this isn't the reality, but when a rogue werewolf goes on a killing spree in town, it doesn't help their reputation.

The folklore twist here is that werewolves are only female, and use male humans to get pregnant (if you think about this girl-only thing too long, you can start to question how that can really work, so don't - just go with it). Love and long-term relationships are not encouraged, so of course Claire has a blossoming romance with Matthew who's dad is the fanatical scientist trying to catch and "cure" the beasts.

Matthew is a sweet wholesome fellow who is torn between supporting his dad and his personal beliefs that werewolves may not be that bad. He's an adorable love interest - kind, honest, loyal, athletic and intelligent, and theirs is an innocent romance.

I would have liked Claire to get over her "but how could such a great guy like me" a bit sooner, but overall she's likable and real with her struggles. Her reactions to her new-found situation seemed appropriate. Growing hair and becoming a wolf - yucky. Having to lie to her friends and having little chance at real love - crappy. And she's angry with her mom for all the lies and lack of any warning.

The pace is fairly steady - got a bit slow for me at times - but picks up toward the end. There are several red herrings to keep you guessing who the killer is and enough twists to keep it fun.

SEXUAL CONTENT: Mild stuff - kissing and cuddling. Oh, and while Matthew and Claire go to a party where there is under age drinking, neither of them consume alcohol. When Claire asks why he isn't drinking, he explains that he isn't interested since it would get him kicked off the soccer team and he'd lose his scholarships which would keep him from getting into a great university - he's not interested in ruining his future. See what I mean - wholesome and intelligent.

THE COVER: Lovely! I like the US better than the UK (which reminded me of Shiver and Linger).

BOTTOM LINE: Cute, light, fun, entertaining tale with mythical creatures, danger, betrayal, mystery and romance. Themes of girl-power, self-acceptance, family and bravery-through-adversity are covered. Claire de Lune doesn't break massive new ground in the werewolf genre, but the writing is good and the story enjoyable. I recommend it as a solid summer read especially for werewolf lovers. ...more

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Jan 21, 2010 Emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: bought

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Honestly? I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I was expecting Claire to be dull and her 'romance' with Matthew to be cliche and twilighty... but it wasn't.

At first I didn't like her mother. After her mother told her that they were both werewolves, I thought that she was being awfully selfish by not telling Claire everything, and just sort of springing it on her in an awkward fashion. To find out your mother has been a werewolf all along? And now you are too? Yeah I'd be just as freaked Honestly? I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I was expecting Claire to be dull and her 'romance' with Matthew to be cliche and twilighty... but it wasn't.

At first I didn't like her mother. After her mother told her that they were both werewolves, I thought that she was being awfully selfish by not telling Claire everything, and just sort of springing it on her in an awkward fashion. To find out your mother has been a werewolf all along? And now you are too? Yeah I'd be just as freaked out and somewhat pissed off as Claire was. I sided with Claire almost instantly, which like I said is rare for me because I usually end up hating the protaganist. I just really think her reaction to her situation felt real. She was at first in denial, and somewhat scared, and confused and angry, and then she started to get curious. I read too many books where the main character is told they're a vampire or werewolf and they're just like 'yeah cool with it'.

I thought the struggles Claire dealt with were pretty realistic. Having to hide the secret from her best friend, her kind-of boyfriend, even her housekeeper/babysitter/nanny Lisbeth. It was well written in that aspect, I felt.

I also liked how Claire's relationship with Matthew was slow going at first. She seemed hesitant, and handled it well, I thought. She obviously knew within herself that it wasn't going to be instant true love, and she knew she couldn't just blurt out her secret to him, and she didn't want to. I just liked how they could be casually together without all the 'I love you, but stay away from me I'm dangerous, but I love you I need to see you every minute of the day' angst that most YA paranormal/supernatural fiction suffers from these days.

Initially I thought Lisbeth was the killer werewolf. When I think about it, it was clever how the author did this. Making Lisbeth seem suspicious when all along making Zahlia seem like a friend. I really enjoyed it because I was so convinced it was Lisbeth and then to find out I was mistaken, yeah I usually like that over predictability.

To wrap it up, yes I liked it. I liked the writing style, I liked Claire, I liked how the story developed and wrapped up, and it was exciting. If there is a sequel I will read it :) Good job! Especially considering I was so skeptical about buying it. ...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Kokomo-Howard County Public Libary rated it really liked it

Shelves: twilight-read-alikes

All Claire wants for her sixteenth birthday is a car, but what she gets is something she didn’t count on. In a world where werewolves are being hunted by the government and the communities, Claire finds out that she is a werewolf, destined to change at every full moon. Torn between the joy of discovering who she is as a wolf, and the struggle to be a normal teenage girl, Claire must find a way to keep her secret and her life. Meanwhile a rogue wolf makes that all the more difficult for her to do All Claire wants for her sixteenth birthday is a car, but what she gets is something she didn’t count on. In a world where werewolves are being hunted by the government and the communities, Claire finds out that she is a werewolf, destined to change at every full moon. Torn between the joy of discovering who she is as a wolf, and the struggle to be a normal teenage girl, Claire must find a way to keep her secret and her life. Meanwhile a rogue wolf makes that all the more difficult for her to do by killing local residents and creating a panic.

There have been a lot of werewolf, vampire, and other types of paranormal novels lately, and after a while they begin to blur into each other. While Claire de Lune is a werewolf story, there was much more to it. Unlike other novels with shapeshifters/werewolves, this novel focuses on Claire’s internal struggle to accept who she is. She longs to be a normal girl, and fall in love, but she doesn’t dare let down her guard for fear her secret will be revealed. I felt like she was constantly walking a tight rope, and found myself wondering when she was going to make a mistake that would give away her secret, a mistake that would be fatal. I loved how Johnson built tension this way and for me this kept the pages turning.

In addition to Claire having to deal with her new identity, we also have a community that is hunting for the wolves. After a series of brutal werewolf attacks, the tension mounts as everyone in the community hunts the werewolves. Meanwhile, somewhere out there, there is a werewolf predator with an agenda all her own.

Overall I would say I enjoyed this book, but have to admit that it might not be for everyone. There isn’t a lot of action until the end, and it is strikingly different than many of the werewolf novels out there right now in that particular aspect. It was a fun light read though, and I do enjoy Johnson’s writing. I look forward to reading what she writes in the future.

Cautions for Sensitive Readers: No sex, no foul language, some violence.
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Jul 16, 2010 Lea rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: 14 and up.

Claire Benoit is celebrating her sixteenth birthday with a pool party when the festivities are interrupted by reports of a werewolf sighting. Everyone knows about werewolves (there are even government agencies devoted to studying them), and everyone fears them. Everyone, that is, except Claire's mother, who later coolly informs Claire that she is a loup-garou, a werewolf, and that Claire too will begin turning into one at the next full moon.

Claire de Lune is a great read, and an exciting new add ...more

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Jun 23, 2010 J.Elle rated it did not like it

I plucked this off of the library shelf because of the title, which is a song I listened to non-stop almost the entire time I was pregnant with my son. Who is a tiny genius. He's 14 months and if you fart, he says, "fart" and laughs. And he loves books. (Both clearly signs of a genuis in the making.) Clearly, those studies are right, listening to classical music while pregnant does a baby, even in utero, good. If only I could say that reading this book did the same thing. Instead, I was forced t ...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Skye rated it liked it

Shelves: ya

This review is also posted on my blog, In The Good Books.

Claire De Lune is written in the third person perspective of Claire, who has recently found out she's a werewolf. Claire's a likable heroine, with natural reactions. She takes time to get accustomed to being a werewolf, and sees the downside in it. She acts and thinks like a teenager her age, though matures as you would expect under her situation.

Claire De Lune was set in a world that already knew about the existence of werewolves, and had ...more

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Apr 23, 2010 Stacy rated it really liked it

What an awesomely unique book on werewolves and pack dynamics! This books shakes up what you thought you knew about werewolves, in Claire's world...everyone knows they exist although she certainly doesn't know anyone that is one. Or at least that's what she thinks until on her 16th birthday she starts the change and her mom drops the bomb....yup, werewolf. She is in the process of changing but will take 3 full moons (3 months) to completely change 100%. At first Claire is freaked, her life is o ...more

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Oct 03, 2010 Katie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: school-reading-2010-2011, 2010-debut-author-challenge

Review: Claire is having the best sweet sixteen birthday party ever. Well it could be even better if her mom would get her a car for her birthday. Matthew, her crush, is asking her out when suddenly everything goes wrong. Werewolves are killing people in her small town. A couple if days later Claire's mom tells Claire who she really is. A werewolf. At first Claire runs from her identity but if she doesn't embrace it soon, more people are going to get hurt.

Claire de Lune is one of my favorite typ ...more

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Aug 08, 2017 Rachel Louise rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own

I originally read this book when I was a teenager so reading again almost a decade later was interesting. I remember really enjoying it when I was younger but going back to it I could barely remember anything that actually happened so it was actually like reading it for the first time again. It was fun getting to relive the story with a fresh, older perspective and I actually think I enjoyed it as much as when I originally read it.

One thing I really liked about Claire de Lune was that instead of ...more

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Jul 09, 2010 Melanie rated it liked it

I did enjoy Claire d Lune, I felt the story had just the right elements; love, romance, friendship, responsibility and of course werewolves.

I liked Claire's character and loved how Christine Johnson had structured the story so it was most from Claire's point of view but with inserts from the 'other' wolf. I really enjoyed working out who the wolf was and will be honest and say (and I'm usually pretty good at this type of thing) thought it was someone else!

My only grip with the book was that to 2 ...more

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About Christine Johnson

Christine Johnson

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I grew up in, moved away from, and finally came home to Indianapolis, Indiana. While I was in the “away” part of that adventure, I was living in Chicago, Illinois, where I went to DePaul University and met my husband. I majored in Political Science. For the record, Political Science is a totally useless degree. But it’s also totally fascinating and I lov ...more