Wereling is a YA series by Steve Feasy. It is also marketed as Changeling.
One morning, fourteen-year-old Trey Laporte wakes up with his bedroom trashed and almost no memory of the previous night. Then he's semi-willingly kidnapped from his Orphanage of Fear by by a vampire named Lucien. As it turns out, Trey is a werewolf, as were his parents, who were killed by Lucien's brother Caliban. Five books of demon-fighting ensue.
Not to be confused with The Wereling a completely different YA series about werewolves written by a guy born in 1971, possibly. Also his name is possibly "Stephen / Steve Cole / Tara Samms / Paul Grice".
The books contain examples of:
- Alien Blood: Demons, including vampires, have black blood. Caliban says that it doesn't taste as good as human blood.
- The Armies of Heaven: Angels are depicted as incredibly badass, with their leader, Moriel, functioning as a One-Woman Army.
- Came Back Strong: Lucien gets several nifty new powers after "dying" a second time.
- Dangerous 16th Birthday: Played With: The second book gives Trey a dangerous fifteenth birthday, as his outing with Tom is almost ruined by Caliban breaking out of the Netherworld to kill him.
- Daywalking Vampire: Lucien becomes one in the final book. Caliban's ignornace of this factors into his final defeat: he assumes that Trey can't drop the Shield because the sunlight would kill Lucien too.
- Deal with the Devil: In the fourth book, the Ashnon notes that society in the Netherworld is made up of contracts and rules, and that violating them would result in horrible outcomes. The Ashnon itself is a rare benevolent version of this trope, as its deals benefit the Ashnon and human.
- Dhampyr: Alexa's father is a vampire and her mother was a human witch. It's also mentioned that this term, while accurate, tends to be pejorative among demons.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The last two books feature an old sorceress called "Hag." Lucien wryly notes that she doesn't seem to mind the name, since she never offers another one.
- Evil Matriarch: Alexa's mother, Gwendoline.
- Extra-Strength Masquerade: Early in the last book, it's noted that Caliban's plan—transporting a giant black tower to the middle of London, complete with a magical force field around several blocks, then starting a Zombie Apocalypse—will break The Masquerade once and for all. Then, it doesn't, because the heroes make up a story that it was actually a chemical attack that made people hallucinate, which the government contained with secret force field technology. You'd think people would question why a chemical attack resulted in so many decapitated corpses, why everyone hallucinated the same thing, and why the government doesn't use its force field technology the next time something bad happens.
- The Fair Folk: The fourth book features "Fae" who have the "small, glowing Winged Humanoid" look, but their skin is translucent, they have tentacle/tail things, and More Teeth than the Osmond Family. They swarm their prey like piranhas. They're actually enslaved to the demon Molok, so their own morality is open to interpretation. Either way, they're creepy and vicious.
- Fully-Embraced Fiend: The Big Bad Caliban. Lucien used to be this before the series began.
- Most of the werewolves in the LG 78 are significantly less squeamish about their werewolf side than Trey, though Jurgen is the only one who's outright villainous. Then Ella becomes this way in the last book.
- Fur Against Fang: Mostly Averted. The werewolf protagonist is opposed to a vampire Big Bad...but then, his mentor is also a vampire who was his (werewolf) father's friend.
- Good Wings, Evil Wings: Moriel actually has black wings, just to show that's she Darker and Edgier than the average angel. If demons have wings, they're probably leathery bat wings.
- I Know Your True Name: If you can force a demon to tell you their real name, you can threaten them into doing whatever you want.
- Invisible to Normals: Nether-creatures can disguise themselves as humans, though other supernatural creatures can see their true forms. For Trey, this means that he can see them in his werewolf form but not when he's human.
- The Mole: Hopper in the first book, which is barely a spoiler. Also the various people possessed by the Necrotroph.
- Dreck, but for Molok instead of Caliban.
- Muggle Best Friend: Alexa's friend Stephanie has a brief appearance in the second book. In the third and fourth, Philippa more or less fills this role, despite being Touched by Vorlons.
- Naked on Arrival: The series opens with Trey waking up naked after his first transformation.
- Naked People Are Funny: Since Shapeshifting Excludes Clothing, Trey winding up without clothes is a Running Gag in the first few books. After that, it's usually treated more matter-of-factly.
- No Body Left Behind: Demons (and any viscera they might leave) conveniently vanish when they die.
- Non-Protagonist Resolver: In the third book, it's Frank and Ella who defeat Jurgen; all Trey does is form a "pack" with Ella and Marcus to help them transform.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: They can turn into the "Wolfan" form, which is more lupine and uncontrollable, and they won't remember anything when they turn back. With the Amulet of Theiss, they become a "lycanthrope," which is more humanoid and allows a person to retain their human intelligence and memories.
- In the third book we learn that three or more werewolves can form a "pack" that can change together at will. They'll be uncontrollable Wolfans, but will remember what happened afterwards.
- Pacing Problems: Often.
- Painful Transformation: For a "normal" werewolf change on the full moon, it's a drawn-out, agonizing process. Trey's amulet or a Voluntary Transformation with a pack is described as a mercifully brief flash of pain.
- Plot Tumor: Everything with the Necrotroph could qualify. It's The Heavy of two books, but doesn't really achieve anything despite getting so much page-time.
- Psychic Nosebleed: Hag gets one in the last book.
- Puppeteer Parasite: The Necrotroph is framed closer to this than your typical Demonic Possession, being a slimy creature that crawls inside people's body and deliberately shuts parts of their brain on and off to control them.
- Same Character, But Different: In the last book, Ella comes to London, but kidnaps Trey in order to force him to reforge a pack with her and Marcus. While her desperation is somewhat understandable, given what happened to her between books, it doesn't explain her outright Transhuman Treachery, arguing that Trey shouldn't even care about humans because werewolves are superior. She's essentially become Jurgen, while her arc in the third book was realizing how awful he was and helping to defeat him.
- Sarcasm-Blind: The Ashnon. Possibly only when it lacks a human form to process things.
- Shapeshifting Excludes Clothing: Trey always loses his clothes when he transforms.
- Stomach of Holding: Trey swallows the magic ring that he needs in the fourth book. He can't wear it or hide it on his person when he's in werewolf form.
- Vampires Are Rich: "Disgustingly" so, according to Lucien. In his case it leads to Crimefighting with Cash.
- What Did I Do Last Night?: The series opens this way, after Trey had his first transformation and tore apart his bedroom.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: In the last book, Ella mentions that Marcus is flying to England to meet with her and Trey. It's noted that he doesn't know that Ella planned to kidnap Trey, which would seem to be setting up a conflict. He's never mentioned again.
- White Wolves Are Special: Ella is blonde as a human and white as a wolf, and she's the member of the LG 78 who gets the most (and most sympathetic) characterization. Until the last book, at least.
- The Worm That Walks: Helde, post-resurrection. Her heart was the only part of her left, so Caliban made her a body out of bugs. She's constantly falling apart, however, with the insects running back to rejoin the mass.
- Wolf Man: A werewolf's "lycanthrope" form, which Trey usually takes.
