Shifter Week Review: Full Moon Lockdown by Jackie Nacht

Reviewed by Nikyta

Title: Full Moon Lockdown
Author: Jackie Nacht
Series: Moon Compound #1
Heroes: Colin & Sloan
Genre: M/M Paranormal Romance
Length: 94 pages
Publisher: Extasy Books
Release Date: August 4, 2013 (approx.)
Available at: Extasy Books, Amazon, All Romance eBooks & Barnes and Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads & Booklikes

Blurb: Can surviving the horrors of the night lead Colin to find the one that was meant to love him and bring him back to the light?

Colin Brantford is an Omega wolf. When his pack is destroyed by hellhounds, he and his brother are transported to Moon Compound. There, Colin must enter into a world where all wolf shifters are sent to learn to shift. Two years prematurely.

Sloan Atwater has been at the compound for three years and still has no control of his wolf. That is until he spots Colin, making Sloan crave the slightest touch. Will he be able to claim Colin for his own? And when Colin needs Sloan, will he be able to control his wolf?

Review:

I really enjoyed this one because while it was sweet, there were darker parts to it that meant it was never too sweet. It’s about how Colin and his brother, Peyton, end up going to the Moon Compound before they’re supposed to. This compound was created so that new shifters didn’t get the opportunity to hurt anyone else since the first years of shifting are the most brutal. Colin doesn’t want to be there but mixed with his sudden loss of his pack and being thrust into a new place, he’s more battered than ever… until he meets Sloan, an alpha filled with fierce protectiveness when it comes to the new omega. Can these two manage to find love in such a harsh reality?

What I really liked about this story is the different way in which the shifters were handled. These shifters are filled with a lot of dark spots. One, they shift around 21 years old and those first few shifts are brutal, filled with so much pain that death is desperately wanted. These newly shifted people aren’t cognitive of who’s around them… no, they’ll hurt anyone if they get too close. Aggression and possessiveness is high and before a full moon, fights are not uncommon. Add to that, they’re in a facility that is like a prison, where they’re locked up at night with bars for doors, unable to leave especially around the full moon. Honestly, it’s a fantastic spin on the usual shifter story but also harsh.

Another thing I liked is that Colin and Sloan didn’t immediately fall into bed. Yes, they ‘fell in love’ pretty fast and there was that spark that ignited their somewhat slow development into their eventual mating and, honestly, they really couldn’t even have sex without a guard popping in and breaking things up. Even so, I loved that Colin was so emotionally damaged but still had that pull to take care of Sloan. At the same time, Sloan was so possessive of Colin but he also did his best to shield Colin from the worst of what the halls of the Moon Compound has to offer. It’s sweet in a way but I found it also a little sad.

I think my only complaint is that this book was not nearly long enough. The world is fabulous but I feel like I barely understand it. For example, a simple question of what the difference is between an alpha and omega was never answered. Yes, there’s the obvious physical difference but what other traits marked shifters as either alpha or omega? Also, the connection Colin and Sloan has is very real but we didn’t get to see it develop. We were mostly told about the talking between them and how they got to know each other. I would have loved to experience that for myself, especially since we barely know anything about Sloan; where he comes from, if he has family, etc.

In the end, I really enjoyed this one. It’s different from the typical shifter story, although it still has that certain ‘fluff’ that some books have. It’s sweet but it’s also somewhat sad. With the way it ended, however, I’m eager to move onto the next book in the series, Full Moon Feral.

Overall Impression: I liked it!

*I received a copy of this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.*