Fateful

A plucky servant girl.

The Titanic's maiden voyage.

Werewolves.

Awesome.

Is it ridiculous? Of course, it's ridiculous. All paranormal romance is ridiculous, but let's face it, readers don't choose this genre for its stunning realism. Kristin, my librarian cohort, you can roll your eyes all you want, but readers like moi who like the supernatural and have a fascination with the disaster of the Titanic will enjoy this novel. I was especially excited when I learned the author was Claudia Gray. She wrote Evernight, which I always recommend to readers looking for something Twilight-y. The romance angle of this book is the least compelling for me, but many readers will enjoy the budding romance between a third-class servant girl and a handsome, psychologically tortured upper-class gentleman, who happens to be cursed by the bite of a werewolf. Telling you that is really not giving anything away. If readers can't figure out from the first few pages that there are werewolves in this book then there is no helping them.

Some things feel a little derivative of the movie Titanic--a romance between classes, a "rich" family that's actually in dire financial straits, pinning their hopes on a good match for the daughter--but I think it's forgivable. If we can accept werewolves on the Titanic then surely we can give the author a pass on some other issues.

As I finish this book I find myself guessing who is going to survive and who is going to drown. Can a werewolf drown? Can a werewolf drown only if wrapped in silver? Are these werewolves like Twilight ones with super body heat so that if our plucky servant girl goes into the icy Atlantic she can grab onto one and avoid freezing to death? Are her friends going to survive or will the bad werewolves get them first? So many questions! I will soon find the answers.