Shy Trans Banshee is the sequel to Bored Gay Werewolf and it follows said titular werewolf, this time in London, where he and his supernatural-fighting friends are trying to pick up the trail of a missing colleague. Brian and his friends Nik and Darby are running a secretly supernatural shop whilst trying to work out what happened to the previous proprietor. They're not getting anywhere, but then they find that fortune tellers are being kidnapped, and then they meet Maeve, an Irish trans woman who seems shy at first, but also has something she's not telling them.

Bored Gay Werewolf was a fun book satirising manosphere-type guys with a slacker protagonist. The sequel picks up with Brian still lazy, but now much more able to control the werewolf side of his life, and the narrative has morphed into more of a 'monster hunting friends' situation than just focused on Brian. He is still the perspective through which the narrative is focused, but now there's his friends and new friend Maeve, who is the shy trans banshee of the title (it is funny that the final word of that phrase isn't revealed for a long time in the book, which is a bit frustrating when reading).

I like the fun, irreverent vibe of this book, which is similar to the previous one, and it makes the supernatural mystery solving element more enjoyable for me, as someone who isn't a huge fantasy fan but does like sweary queer books. I was glad that the 'Americans in London' jokes weren't too overdone (I'm realising now that this is an 'American Werewolf in London' book), though there was the odd detail that was weird for me as a British person (it's strange to have a side character being described as UKIP when they've not really been prevalent or used as a descriptor in quite a few years).

I've seen other reviews mention that they wanted more Maeve, and I agree. I think that though she's crucial to the plot, it would've been great to see more of her as a character and also delve more into what it is actually like for her to be a "shy trans banshee". Maybe some way of having her perspective added into the narrative as well as Brian's at some point would've helped. There's an offhand joke from Brian at one point about the intersection between being gay and being a werewolf, and I do think that the quirky titles of the series don't quite get the exploration in terms of that intersection, especially in Maeve's case.

As the second in what is clearly a series (the book ends obviously prepared for another sequel), Shy Trans Banshee is a fun queer supernatural story that perhaps has a bit more style over substance at times. I think the pivot from the first book being more obviously satirical to this one being more of a quipping-friends-solving-a-mystery means that the humour is different and the engagement with the real world not as gripping (compared for example to books like Juno Dawson's Her Majesty's Royal Coven books, which very clearly integrate magic in to the real world and into real world issues). However, I did enjoy the characters and will read the sequel to find out what happens to them next.

I received my ARC from Atlantic Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Full disclaimer: Bored Gay Werewolf was a surprise favourite, as well as it being my first eARC. So when the publisher reached out to offer me an ARC of the follow up, I very happily said yes.
While I didn't dislike this book, it felt different to the first, in such a way, that maybe I should reread and see if I'm misremembering things.

For example, I don't understand what happened to Brian between books, he seems to have undone a lot of the character growth from book one, for no reason. Also his friends seemed meaner than they were, like less teasing and just being mean to him. Like accusing of being transphobic several times despite him telling them it was a supernatural thing. I just found the lack of trust pretty sad considering it was littered throughout the book.

I did love Maeve, basically from the get-go and the ridiculous way she coped meeting Brian, and her own personal mission. I think the book suffered in a sense because I wanted to know more about Maeve, more about banshees, just more, but because we only get Brian's point of view, we get a pretty shallow sense of her because Brian is not the best at socialising. Equally the 'romance' was something I rreally could've enjoyed, the love interest seemed really interesting and nerdy. But we barely know him! Their mutual dislike-to-kiss timeline was completed over maybe three scenes?

Finally, there seemed to be a lot more massive exposition drops, which I don't recall from the first book. I don't know if I forgot this or perha[s this book was a little rushed?

I realise these are a lot of critiques, but it's just due to having certain expectations. It was incredibly easy to read, the sarcasm was there, and it's nice seeing the UK through American character eyes. Though the characters were a bit 'off' to me, they were still vibrant and clearly and easily defined.

Despite not loving this book overall, I will still be on the lookout for the next one if it continues, because mean comments aside, I like Brian and his misfit friends (hope Darby is gonna be ok =[ )

2.5/5, rounded up to 3

I read the first book of this series, Bored Gay Werewolf, via audiobook on Netgalley and LOVED it (so much so that when Shy Trans Banshee was announced, one of my good friends immediately sent it to me and I wrote an email to request the e-galley the very same day).

It is a very different book than the first. Bored Gay Werewolf is, thematically, about how men are sucked into manosphere self-improvement grifts, but is also how they can get out, placing emphasis on a supportive, diverse community, openness, and emotional regulation. Shy Trans Banshee also touches on the importance of queer community over capitalism an defeatism, but IMHO is hamstrung somewhat by Brian being the main character.

Don't get me wrong, I love Brian as a main character. He's my favorite failson, bless him, and I really loved getting to see where he is and how he's doing post-BGW. But the character with the most interesting stuff going on is definitely Maeve (she's the titular shy trans banshee)--while I was enjoying the novel, I kept thinking, this scene would be so much more interesting from her point of view, or I wish I knew what she was thinking. Her character arc would have worked so much better if we experienced it from her POV, IMHO, and lead to an ending that was fine but a little disappointing.

Don't get me wrong, Shy Trans Banshee is a fun read--I liked the heavier foray into the paranormal underground and the humor is still strong. I'm really looking forward to the next in the series (crossing my fingers!), and am especially excited to see how Darby handles (spoilers for the ending); what Brian does next (seeing him potentially have to navigate a real relationship will be interesting); and, of course, more Maeve!

I am also looking forward to listening to the audiobook once it's available. I'm hoping the same narrator from the first will be reprising his role because he really brought the story to life!

Thanks so much to the publishers for providing an advance e-ARC via NetGalley!