Of all the ‘traditional’ monsters, I’ve always liked mummies the most, but I’ve often felt werewolves had potential that wasn’t always used. Many of the books I’ve read have tried to turn werewolves into super creatures, imbued with powers and abilities that put them on the same playing field as vampires – but this, in its own way, makes them dull. I want my creatures to have a vulnerability – otherwise why else would I root for them?
DC Petterson has done exactly this in Lupa Bella, creating a new mythology in this lyrical tale of werewolves in 1960s Sicily. Casting heroine Celeste as the werewolf, as opposed to her brother Dario, is the first step towards overturning the usual conventions of the genre. The siblings live on the slopes of a mountain, oblivious to the modernisation taking place elsewhere in Europe. Of course, such idyllic settings never remain so, and conflict arrives in the form of the odious Miro, son to the local Don. Celeste and Dario get dragged into the father and son power struggles, and while Celeste fights to save her brother, she also finds herself fighting her true nature after discovering the existence of a wolf pack on the very mountain on which she lives.
I did find Lupa Bella a little difficult to get into at first. The language is beautiful but almost languid in places, and never having been to Sicily, I found it difficult to warm to the setting. However, the novel really hits its stride when things begin going wrong, and the constant tension adds strong pacing to the story. I occasionally wished Celeste would be a little more rational, but she puts others first, and that kind of selflessness appeals to me. The idea of a secret order living alongside what we believe to be the ‘real world’ isn’t new but it haunts the edges of the narrative just as it should do – Petterson never overplays his hand, and as Celeste begins to explore this order, there are plenty of “a ha!” moments. He has created a cast of memorable and likeable characters, and none of them feel ‘forced’.
Lupa Bella is an enjoyable read, and a wonderful blend of period fiction, travelogue, fantasy, and the supernatural. 4/5
From the blurb;
For a thousand years, the de Luna family has protected the slopes of Santo Stefano from the outside world. Magic wanders through the woodlands, electricity is but a distant rumour, and werewolves are still secretly fostered to human families. It is 1962, and that’s all about to change. One young wolf struggles to understand the threats of the new age, while protecting her brother, her lover, her secret, her birthright, and the feudal lord who still knows the Old Ways.
What must she lose, and what will survive?
Lupa Bella is available from Amazon for Kindle and paperback, or check the Goodreads page for other links.
Have your say!