What do you think?
Rate this book
CURE
Stunned by her brother’s apparent suicide, LUNA AUBER, discovers that he has not only left her the key’s to his apartment but also trip to Sweden. Per his instructions, LUNA is to explore their unexpected heritage of the Birke, an iconic female Viking warrior. Following her beloved brother’s lead, LUNA will soon discover that the terrible shakes he suffered from were misdiagnosed. The shaking was in fact the early stages of his transformation. Her brother was a shapeshifter. A lycanthrope. And her own shaking has just begun. LUNA will be forced to make a choice that could either transform or destroy the world as she knows it.
“CURE by Kali Metis is a howling romp that seamlessly blends various voices, genres, and time periods without losing its effortless style. An amalgam of myth, historical fiction, romance, folklore, and horror, Metis cooks delicious conflict into every page as her main character, Luna Auber, bakes cupcakes by day but shifts into something slightly more sinister by night. Fans will surely hope this is the initial book of a series because CURE is worth reading by moonlight and sinking one’s teeth into.” –Suzanne Samples, author of Frontal Matter and Stargazing in Solitude
“CURE by Kali Metis is a howling romp that seamlessly blends various voices, genres, and time periods without losing its effortless style. An amalgam of myth, historical fiction, romance, folklore, and horror, Metis cooks delicious conflict into every page as her main character, Luna Auber, bakes cupcakes by day but shifts into something slightly more sinister by night. Fans will surely hope this is the initial book of a series because CURE is worth reading by moonlight and sinking one’s teeth into.” –Suzanne Samples, author of Frontal Matter and Stargazing in Solitude
- GenresFantasy
386 pages, Paperback
Published October 18, 2022
2 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 19, 2022
*Thank you to the author and the publishers for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.*
Actual Rating: 3.0
When I first read the blurb for this book, I was immediately intrigued; it reminded me a little of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer — not in its subject matter or genre but in the way the main character is reluctantly forced to come to terms with their past and their own identity. And if you know me, you know I love a good origin story.
CURE by Kali Metis follows Luna, who is currently working in a bakery and in a happy relationship. But her life is put on hold when she receives a sudden call — her brother has committed suicide and they need her to identify the body. The situation is further complicated when she reads instructions left by her brother for her to travel to Sweden and discover her heritage. Desperate for answers, Luna listens, only to find out the shocking truth: she comes from a famous family of shapeshifters, and the shaking that had been mistaken as Huntington's Disease in her brother was actually the start of his transformation process. Now it's Luna's turn to make some big decisions.
I think my favorite part of this novel was probably the first half; the book did an amazing job of showing us Luna's emotions as she was trying to come to terms with her history and how her future was going to be changed because of it. There was a bit of trepidation, determination, some regret, disbelief, nervousness...I was immediately pulled in and excited to find out exactly what Luna's background was and how she would handle it.
The second half of the book wasn't bad, but I do think there were way too many plot points and it started to feel like the original thread started to get lost. New issues were being introduced and I felt like there was so much packed in a short amount of space when it really could've been fleshed out — if not to an entire book sequel, then at least into a few more chapters. I would've loved for it to go more in-depth and focus on Luna's character more in the second half rather than having so much happen. The moments where we saw her determination, protectiveness, or other emotional stress were undoubtedly my favorite parts.
The book was also interspersed with another timeline that worked as a sort of prequel for Luna's ancestors, and although I was a little confused at first, these chapters really grew on me because the writing in them was absolutely poetic and beautiful. I do think that maybe the chapters were too short and were inserted too often; perhaps combining them would prevent the occasional breakage of rhythm that I experienced.
Overall, I really think there was a lot of potential in this story; the world-building is really intriguing and I really love how much thought was put into the backstory. There are some things I'd change to have it be pushed a step further, but this would be a great read for people who are into paranormal and supernatural stories.
Actual Rating: 3.0
When I first read the blurb for this book, I was immediately intrigued; it reminded me a little of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer — not in its subject matter or genre but in the way the main character is reluctantly forced to come to terms with their past and their own identity. And if you know me, you know I love a good origin story.
CURE by Kali Metis follows Luna, who is currently working in a bakery and in a happy relationship. But her life is put on hold when she receives a sudden call — her brother has committed suicide and they need her to identify the body. The situation is further complicated when she reads instructions left by her brother for her to travel to Sweden and discover her heritage. Desperate for answers, Luna listens, only to find out the shocking truth: she comes from a famous family of shapeshifters, and the shaking that had been mistaken as Huntington's Disease in her brother was actually the start of his transformation process. Now it's Luna's turn to make some big decisions.
I think my favorite part of this novel was probably the first half; the book did an amazing job of showing us Luna's emotions as she was trying to come to terms with her history and how her future was going to be changed because of it. There was a bit of trepidation, determination, some regret, disbelief, nervousness...I was immediately pulled in and excited to find out exactly what Luna's background was and how she would handle it.
The second half of the book wasn't bad, but I do think there were way too many plot points and it started to feel like the original thread started to get lost. New issues were being introduced and I felt like there was so much packed in a short amount of space when it really could've been fleshed out — if not to an entire book sequel, then at least into a few more chapters. I would've loved for it to go more in-depth and focus on Luna's character more in the second half rather than having so much happen. The moments where we saw her determination, protectiveness, or other emotional stress were undoubtedly my favorite parts.
The book was also interspersed with another timeline that worked as a sort of prequel for Luna's ancestors, and although I was a little confused at first, these chapters really grew on me because the writing in them was absolutely poetic and beautiful. I do think that maybe the chapters were too short and were inserted too often; perhaps combining them would prevent the occasional breakage of rhythm that I experienced.
Overall, I really think there was a lot of potential in this story; the world-building is really intriguing and I really love how much thought was put into the backstory. There are some things I'd change to have it be pushed a step further, but this would be a great read for people who are into paranormal and supernatural stories.
December 28, 2024
I was given a copy of this book for free at the LA Times Festival of books. That being said, I would normally rate a book like this 3.75 stars, but I rounded up because I think this author really has some potential.
The first half of the book switches perspectives between our main character, Luna, and the flashbacks of her ancestor. I really liked this aspect, and the first half is really where the story shines. The second half of the book wasn’t bad, but it did end somewhat abruptly. I do believe there is a sequel, so I’m really excited to read more about these characters, but I wish the last chapter before the epilogue was a little bit less abrupt.
Overall, I think this is a very interesting and unique take on the shapeshifter genre. It’s got shapeshifters, secret societies, and sprinklings of Norse myth, so if that’s your kind of thing, I’d totally give this book a try. Can’t wait to read more from this author!
The first half of the book switches perspectives between our main character, Luna, and the flashbacks of her ancestor. I really liked this aspect, and the first half is really where the story shines. The second half of the book wasn’t bad, but it did end somewhat abruptly. I do believe there is a sequel, so I’m really excited to read more about these characters, but I wish the last chapter before the epilogue was a little bit less abrupt.
Overall, I think this is a very interesting and unique take on the shapeshifter genre. It’s got shapeshifters, secret societies, and sprinklings of Norse myth, so if that’s your kind of thing, I’d totally give this book a try. Can’t wait to read more from this author!
September 17, 2024
This is one of the most unique interesting takes I’ve read on the shapeshifter/werewolf genre. I just loved it! The story goes between the Birke Viking warriors werewolf origin story and our main characters Luna Auber discovering her true heritage. As the story moves along we learn that there are two factions of werewolves and due to Luna’s direst line from the female Birke warrior she holds some importance.
If you like fantasy and like werewolves you are gonna want to read this first book in this new series!
If you like fantasy and like werewolves you are gonna want to read this first book in this new series!
October 7, 2024
Cure is an entertaining tale of werewolves in today’s world. It isn’t the standard ‘bite and claw’ wolf-fest, but focuses more on the place of lycanthropes (that’s ‘werewolves, for those of you who didn’t grow up playing D&D) in the modern day. Despite a few minor bumps along the way in terms of story and writing, it’s worth a read for a fresh take on shape-shifters.
The plot is the best part, due to the nature and overall scope. Luna Auber is an expert confectionist at a specialty bakery. She has a normal life, minus the nerve problems and shaking she occasionally experiences. Her brother’s death and last request lead her to Sweden, where she learns of her lycanthropic heritage, thus explaining her shakes. It might sound silly, but the author weaves in enough heritage and background to make it believable in the story’s context. The tale expands into a country-wide story involving two different werewolf societies, and that’s a big part of the book’s appeal. This isn’t just one wolf or pack running wild, decimating an area. Instead, the focus is the competing philosophies of the two groups, and how werewolves should behave in the modern age. Luna is the lens the reader sees both groups through as she learns more about them, and eventually has to decide which way to swing, or not at all. This is almost a bit like a political thriller, it’s an unusual and intriguing way to write a werewolf story.
Luna’s character drives the story well, due to her unpredictability and own doubts. She isn’t an anti-hero, but isn’t a fighter for justice either-at least not all the time. She is emotional, impulsive, and makes some stupid decisions with her newfound abilities, much like most people would probably do. She sometimes uses her powers for her own benefit, without respecting the gift (or curse) she has been given. It goes a long way towards making her a reasonably realistic character, and it fits well with the overall narrative.
It's a good book, but there are a couple things that could have been changed for improvement. The chapters are VERY short, and there is a lot of back and forth between two timelines in the first half of the book. That might be good for the short attention span that so many younger people seem to have, but I found it frustrating. Longer blocks in each timeline would have made it better. There are also times where the sentences seem fragmented, instead of complete. I don’t know if that was by design or an editing oversight, but tweaking that would have helped the flow of the reading at times. These are minor quibbles and not enough to vote against reading this, they are just things to watch for in the future.
It's a good story that takes the old ‘howl at the moon’ model of werewolves and does something different with it, and that’s worth reading.
The plot is the best part, due to the nature and overall scope. Luna Auber is an expert confectionist at a specialty bakery. She has a normal life, minus the nerve problems and shaking she occasionally experiences. Her brother’s death and last request lead her to Sweden, where she learns of her lycanthropic heritage, thus explaining her shakes. It might sound silly, but the author weaves in enough heritage and background to make it believable in the story’s context. The tale expands into a country-wide story involving two different werewolf societies, and that’s a big part of the book’s appeal. This isn’t just one wolf or pack running wild, decimating an area. Instead, the focus is the competing philosophies of the two groups, and how werewolves should behave in the modern age. Luna is the lens the reader sees both groups through as she learns more about them, and eventually has to decide which way to swing, or not at all. This is almost a bit like a political thriller, it’s an unusual and intriguing way to write a werewolf story.
Luna’s character drives the story well, due to her unpredictability and own doubts. She isn’t an anti-hero, but isn’t a fighter for justice either-at least not all the time. She is emotional, impulsive, and makes some stupid decisions with her newfound abilities, much like most people would probably do. She sometimes uses her powers for her own benefit, without respecting the gift (or curse) she has been given. It goes a long way towards making her a reasonably realistic character, and it fits well with the overall narrative.
It's a good book, but there are a couple things that could have been changed for improvement. The chapters are VERY short, and there is a lot of back and forth between two timelines in the first half of the book. That might be good for the short attention span that so many younger people seem to have, but I found it frustrating. Longer blocks in each timeline would have made it better. There are also times where the sentences seem fragmented, instead of complete. I don’t know if that was by design or an editing oversight, but tweaking that would have helped the flow of the reading at times. These are minor quibbles and not enough to vote against reading this, they are just things to watch for in the future.
It's a good story that takes the old ‘howl at the moon’ model of werewolves and does something different with it, and that’s worth reading.
September 5, 2024
Luna Auber is happily working as a cake decorator with a supportive, long term boyfriend when her twin brother commits suicide. Recently diagnosed with Huntington's disease, Luna's brother left a mysterious set of instructions for her to follow after his death including a trip to Sweden with a strict itinerary to follow in order to uncover the secrets of their identity as well as a promise of a cure. With the onset of shakes of her own, Luna goes on the trip and follows the tour. She learns of exciting ancestry, she is a direct descendant of the Birke, an iconic female Viking Warrior. However, there is no mention of Huntington's; instead, there is a mythological story of transformation into otherworldly beings. Determined to find her cure, Luna takes in the knowledge required of her and returns to the States unknowingly entering a war between two warring factions.
Cure is an exciting mythological adventure. Focusing on the Birka Viking warriors combined with shifter mythology, Cure is a unique werewolf story. I was immediately pulled into Luna's character with her unique talents knowing people's taste in cakes as well as her deep care for people and her kind nature. Luna's brother's death catapults her into another world, led by the mysterious nature of his death and her own onset of the shakiness Luna begins her adventure in Sweden. I loved learning the history of the Birke along with Luna and unraveling her mysterious condition. Luna took in the information about her condition as expected, I liked how it was divulged to her in tidbits through stories and history. The suspense heightened as Luna returned to the States and tested the full extent of her powers, inviting other shifters to find her and introduce her to a different way of thinking were werewolves rule the world. Luna's character must grow and accept a lot of change quickly to help fight a war to save humanity.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Cure is an exciting mythological adventure. Focusing on the Birka Viking warriors combined with shifter mythology, Cure is a unique werewolf story. I was immediately pulled into Luna's character with her unique talents knowing people's taste in cakes as well as her deep care for people and her kind nature. Luna's brother's death catapults her into another world, led by the mysterious nature of his death and her own onset of the shakiness Luna begins her adventure in Sweden. I loved learning the history of the Birke along with Luna and unraveling her mysterious condition. Luna took in the information about her condition as expected, I liked how it was divulged to her in tidbits through stories and history. The suspense heightened as Luna returned to the States and tested the full extent of her powers, inviting other shifters to find her and introduce her to a different way of thinking were werewolves rule the world. Luna's character must grow and accept a lot of change quickly to help fight a war to save humanity.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
October 15, 2024
Cure by Kali Metis
This is a shapeshifter story. A death in the family leads Luna Auber to discover her hidden talents.
I’ve suffered the bricks and sticks when I previously stated that my dislike of a character limited my enjoyment of a book. So bet it! I didn’t like the main protagonist, resulting in a struggle to like the book.
The subject matter is enjoyable. Shapeshifting is almost always fun to read. I struggled to get into the story while liking the culinary talents of Luna, her personality was repugnant. I have not doubt the author crafted Luna to be who she was but for me, I want to like the main protagonist.
There is a second volume and for those who do not suffer my malady of character likeability, it looks interesting.
Some mild not overly detailed violence with a somewhat confusing plot.
This is a shapeshifter story. A death in the family leads Luna Auber to discover her hidden talents.
I’ve suffered the bricks and sticks when I previously stated that my dislike of a character limited my enjoyment of a book. So bet it! I didn’t like the main protagonist, resulting in a struggle to like the book.
The subject matter is enjoyable. Shapeshifting is almost always fun to read. I struggled to get into the story while liking the culinary talents of Luna, her personality was repugnant. I have not doubt the author crafted Luna to be who she was but for me, I want to like the main protagonist.
There is a second volume and for those who do not suffer my malady of character likeability, it looks interesting.
Some mild not overly detailed violence with a somewhat confusing plot.
September 25, 2024
I enjoy stories with werewolves and was excited to receive a review copy of Cure. Most stories about werewolves and shapeshifters are similar. What I enjoyed most about Cure is that it's not. It has a unique perspective which was easy to fall into.
I love Luna. She is a great character. Her journey as she discovers who she is, what happened to her brother, and where her familial history fits makes for quick reading. There are some action scenes which added some fun for me too. I do love me some action scenes.
Overall, a well-rounded story with good writing and characters. Perfect for those Spooktober lists. I sincerely appreciate the author and Books Forward for sharing this story with me.
I love Luna. She is a great character. Her journey as she discovers who she is, what happened to her brother, and where her familial history fits makes for quick reading. There are some action scenes which added some fun for me too. I do love me some action scenes.
Overall, a well-rounded story with good writing and characters. Perfect for those Spooktober lists. I sincerely appreciate the author and Books Forward for sharing this story with me.
August 14, 2024
Cure is a dark fantasy/ thriller read that features Luna Auber, now with the keys to her late brother’s apartment and a trip to Sweden. She must research their family history, with ties to the Birke. What she discovers is something much more, and it totally blew me away! I loved the setting of this story and the plot, lycanthropes are such an interesting part to this! Elizabeth was an excellent character and the author set her up wonderfully. I think other fans of this genre will love the story, vibes, and more. Please check for any TW’s before reading.
November 29, 2024
Young adult
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2024
This was a uniquely written book. I really enjoyed the back and forth timeline. It made reading the book even more interesting. I’m so glad we got a look into the past and into the families bloodline!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews