I read the viral TikTok debut novel by Wolves fan William Lee — here’s what I thought - REVIEW

Duncan’s life changes overnight when his best friend disappears without warning, leaving behind only questions and a growing sense that something is deeply wrong. As the days pass and no logical explanation emerges, Duncan begins to notice strange inconsistencies - events that don’t quite fit with reality as he knows it. What starts as a desperate search for answers quickly becomes something far more dangerous.

Drawn into a hidden world that exists just beyond ordinary perception, Duncan uncovers secrets that have been deliberately kept from him - and from everyone else. Shadows move where they shouldn’t, truths are buried behind lies, and powerful forces operate unseen. With every discovery, Duncan is forced to confront the possibility that his friend’s disappearance is connected to something ancient and far-reaching.

As the mystery deepens, Duncan must decide how far he is willing to go for the truth. Facing fear, loss, and the unknown, he learns that some doors, once opened, can never be closed again. Gone Before the Moon is a supernatural mystery about friendship, courage, and the cost of uncovering what lies behind the veil.

Kirsty-Louise’s thoughts:

I was just scrolling through TikTok when I came across William Lee, who is based in Worcester and proud Wolves fan, sharing the news of his debut novel and while I’ve never ordered from an indie author on the app before I thought I’d give it a go. William and I had a chat about how he struggled in school and decided years later to become an author with a focus on the supernatural - which is a genre I’ve always enjoyed as an avid reader. 

The book arrived quickly and signed, with bookmarks of the characters - Kade and Duncan - which was a delightful treat that you don’t usually get ordering from a major book seller and will definitely see me supporting more indie authors on the TikTok app in the future. And the experience of reading the book itself was highly entertaining!

It brought me right back to the types of novels I would read as a teenager. The mystery, the suspense, the action and the idea of something ‘other’ going on in the dark - I really enjoyed it. It was an interesting take on the classic werewolf trope and with other novels in the series being teased as other supernatural themes, I can’t wait to see where William Lee takes the series in the future. 

The story was easy to read and to follow; I commend the author, who claims to be very new to novel-writing, for being able to jump from narrative voice to narrative voice in each chapter, capturing the points of view of each character as the story drives forward to show how it all comes together. The relationships of the characters were clearly strongly thought out and action scenes were full of suspense and imagery that could allow me to play the scenes out in my head like a TV show. 

My only criticism with the novel is that the editing needed a bit of polish as there were some minor spelling and punctuation errors here and there and some of the sentences were repetitive in places. I believe this may be down to the author self-editing if he did so as it’s easier for these errors to slip through the net without a second pair of eyes. 

However, I think the author shows great promise in the world of supernatural teen fiction when these issues are ironed out in future books - I’d still recommend giving it a read and keeping an eye on William Lee’s work as I’m sure it will go from strength to strength. 

4 stars! 

William Lee’s Gone Before the Moon is available now to order from TikTok shop and Amazon now for £9.99. The date for the second book’s release is due in the new year.