Strange angels by Lili St Crow

Razorbill (Penguin), 2009. ISBN 9781921518324.
(Age 14+)Recommended. Dru Anderson is a sixteen year old girl who has been left alone when her father disappeared while hunting Sergei, a ferocious sucker, who turned him into a zombie. Intelligent and capable, Dru finds herself on the run from Sergei. She is befriended by Graves a boy from school, who takes her to his hideout in a mall, but he too becomes a target and after being bitten, turns into a loup-garou, a half werewolf. Christophe, a djamphir, half vampire, who hunts evil vampires, appears on the scene and more adventures occur.
This is a well-written fantasy that will appeal to lovers of the Twilight series. Thankfully Dru is a strong feisty heroine, who is not afraid to plunge into the fray, using her combat skills to defend herself and her friends. Graves and Christophe provide a touch of love interest and there is action galore. I particularly found Graves to be an interesting character. Left alone at a young age, he has managed to find himself a place to live, attends school regularly and is determined to use education to get himself out a cycle of poverty. Whether becoming a loup-garou confounds this worthy aim remains to be seen in future books in the series.
I eagerly followed the roller coaster action, liked the characters and found the freezing conditions in the Dakotas an interesting setting. Dru's often sarcastic and funny monologue provided a break from the pace of the conflict.
Pat Pledger