Review: Wereworld: Shadow of the Hawk - Curtis Jobling

Wereworld: Shadow of the Hawk by Curtis Jobling, published by Puffin on 5th January 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
DREW FERRAN, THE RIGHTFUL KING OF WESTLAND, IS TRAPPED.

Enslaved by the Goatlord Kesslar, young werewolf Drew finds himself on the volcanic isle of Scoria, forced to fight in the arena for the Lizardlords. With the help of an unlikely ally, he must find a way to break free - but who has ever managed to escape?

Meanwhile, Hector the Wereboar flees the forces of the Catlords. Now on board the pirate ship Maelstrom, the enemy's net is closing in. Haunted by the spirits of the dead, Hector is soon left wondering who the true enemy is . . .

Review:
This is the third installment of the engrossing and exciting Wereworld series by British author Curtis Jobling.  He can't write these books fast enough for me!  No sooner have I finished one then I'm eager for the next to find out what's going to happen next to all the characters.  Something major nearly always happens at the end of each book as well which leaves me biting my nails and unable to sleep until I know the next publication date. 

The story picks up with Drew enslaved by the Goatlord Kessler and on his way to Scoria where he's forced to fight as a gladiator for the Lizardlords.  He is determined however to gain his freedom and return to Lyssia to claim his kingdom back once and for all and knowing Drew, I have no doubt that he'll do so in the end. He has an inextinguishable spirit and true grit and no matter what stands in his way he never gives up and he always overcomes the obstacles put in his path.  He's endured a lot since discovering his true heritage and he's suffered both pain and despair but I love his loyalty and his single-minded pursuit of what's right.

In a separate plot strand, the story follows the Boarlord Hector, who is onboard the ship the Maelstrom.  Hector has been my absolute favourite character in the series from the word go.  He's also probably been the one character who has changed the most throughout the story and for this reason (and without giving anything away), I'm starting to worry that redemption may now be out of his reach.  His regular communing with the dead has affected him greatly and he may never return to the Hector I knew and loved.  I would love to see him meet up with Drew again because if anyone can reach out to him and put him back on the right path then it's his best friend.

There are some great new characters introduced in 'Shadow of the Hawk', including the Hawklords and one of my favourite things about these books is getting to discover all the new Werelords and their unusual talents, as well as all the unusual places they end up.  I also enjoyed seeing Drew's brother Trent again who wants to track him down but eventually begins to discover the real truth about him.   

Curtis Jobling definitely delivers after the success of the first two books.  There's action, adventure and excitement in abundance and I was glued to the pages throughout.  This book, as is the whole series, is stonkingly good!  If you haven't come across the Wereworld series yet then I implore you to rush out and grab the first book now.  Once you've started you won't be able to stop reading this epic fantasy adventure which will sweep you away into a whole new world.