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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
A prince rides into the Mistwood and binds a magical creature to his service with a magical bracelet.
The Shifter has served the King for thousands of years, rooting out conspiracies, stopping assassins, protecting the throne.
But something happened to the last King, something that changed the Shifter forever.
Now both prince and Shifter are not what they seem. And the Shifter herself must decide where her true loyalties lie.
The story of the shifter is interesting, well-paced, and has a few characters (notably Ven the sorceror's apprentice and Clarisse, the prince's sister with secrets of her own, and a fierce personality not usually enountered in fantasy princessess) that felt vital to me.
However, whether it was due to the difficulty of identifying with a main character unsure of her own identity, or the tendency for long swaths of time to be summarized rather than shown to us (including the main relationship between the Shifter and Prince Rokan), I never found myself emotionally invested.
Overall a pleasant tale, but nothing that grabbed me.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Peanut butter and jelly sandwhich on white bread for the wholesome sweetness of the story that never breaks out of a plain mold.
The Shifter has served the King for thousands of years, rooting out conspiracies, stopping assassins, protecting the throne.
But something happened to the last King, something that changed the Shifter forever.
Now both prince and Shifter are not what they seem. And the Shifter herself must decide where her true loyalties lie.
The story of the shifter is interesting, well-paced, and has a few characters (notably Ven the sorceror's apprentice and Clarisse, the prince's sister with secrets of her own, and a fierce personality not usually enountered in fantasy princessess) that felt vital to me.
However, whether it was due to the difficulty of identifying with a main character unsure of her own identity, or the tendency for long swaths of time to be summarized rather than shown to us (including the main relationship between the Shifter and Prince Rokan), I never found myself emotionally invested.
Overall a pleasant tale, but nothing that grabbed me.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Peanut butter and jelly sandwhich on white bread for the wholesome sweetness of the story that never breaks out of a plain mold.
The Shifter is a powerful creature of nature so why, is her main purpose to serve a mortal king?? Why would this creature of nature lack focus to begin with?? These questions were not adequately answered in the plot. Also, the ending is disturbing.
The concept of the Shifter is interesting and unique. I wish the story focused more on her and Mistwood.
The concept of the Shifter is interesting and unique. I wish the story focused more on her and Mistwood.
I think this book is underrated especially for a first novel. I loved it.
I really liked the concept of the shifter. I think that Cypess did a great job of keeping readers on their toes. Usually with this kind of novel I'm able to figure out which side I think the main character should take. With this one I felt pretty much just as much conflict as Isabel right until she made her decision. I liked her as a narrator too; she was smart, independent, and compelling. I also really liked that she could turn into mist.
(actually 3.5)
I had heard about Mistwood awhile back from another blog and the description (and cover art) intrigued me. I bought it on my Kindle and read it over a vacation in California. I definitely liked the legend aspect of it, and the author had a twist ending that I could not see coming. The descriptions were very well written, I could picture the castle that most of the book takes place in very vividly.
What I did not enjoy so much is that there was not a ton of action throughout the book. There was talk of war, but nothing ever really came of it. Though there was a tie up of everything at the end, at times it was confusing to put together from the way it was written. All of the characters’ motives were not always clear.
All said, it was an entertaining read. I will definitely be reading the companion novel Nightspell, which is coming out in the near future. If you have a free slot on your TBR list, I would recommend putting it on there to read on your Kindle or Nook on a long train or plane ride, or on a rainy day with a cup of coco or tea. (Who doesn’t like reading books that way?)
I had heard about Mistwood awhile back from another blog and the description (and cover art) intrigued me. I bought it on my Kindle and read it over a vacation in California. I definitely liked the legend aspect of it, and the author had a twist ending that I could not see coming. The descriptions were very well written, I could picture the castle that most of the book takes place in very vividly.
What I did not enjoy so much is that there was not a ton of action throughout the book. There was talk of war, but nothing ever really came of it. Though there was a tie up of everything at the end, at times it was confusing to put together from the way it was written. All of the characters’ motives were not always clear.
All said, it was an entertaining read. I will definitely be reading the companion novel Nightspell, which is coming out in the near future. If you have a free slot on your TBR list, I would recommend putting it on there to read on your Kindle or Nook on a long train or plane ride, or on a rainy day with a cup of coco or tea. (Who doesn’t like reading books that way?)
I've gone back and forth trying to decide if I "like" this book or if I just think it was "okay." The premise is different from anything I've read before, which was nice; but I didn't find myself getting really invested in the characters. There was something about the writing that threw me off as well, especially in the first half of the book. It wasn't a terrible book, but I won't be adding it to my list of favorites either.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Set in the kingdom of Samorna, Prince Rokan rides into the Mistwood to find the Shifter.
The Shifter is a being of legend. Wild, powerful, and able to take on any shape it chooses... and its purpose is to protect Samornian royalty. But for years now the Shifter has been gone, vanished into the wilds of Mistwood, and some have begun to believe it was indeed only a creature of myth.
That is, until the Samornian prince Rokan brings her back with him to the castle. Isabel has few memories of anything before the here and now, but she knows that as the Shifter it is her duty to guard Rokan from attack. But he's hiding something from her, and the more Isabel unravels of the truth, the more she begins to wonder if she should be protecting him at all...
One sentence sum-up: a tale of magic, past wrongs, revenge, and what it means to be human.
My reaction: I'd heard about this book for a while before I actually ordered it from the library, mostly because I thought it looked like a fairly standard traditional YA fantasy read, nothing too out of the ordinary. But then I kept seeing really positive reviews so I put it on hold.
And I'm so glad I did! Yes, Mistwood is in the style of traditional fantasy, but it reminded me of exactly why I love this genre so much. A strong but complex female protagonist? Check. A castle full of secrets? Check. A prince trying to hide the past? Check. Assassination attempts? Check. All combining to make one extremely impressive debut novel.
It did take me a few chapters to connect with both the main character Isabel and the story. The beginning is confusing, as Isabel's memories are clouded and so too is the reader's understanding. This, coupled with Isabel's tendency to lie (sometimes without the reader being informed she is doing so) results in something similar to the 'unreliable narrator' effect, though it is written in third-person. However, soon enough I was swept up in all of the drama and I began to care about Isabel and Rokan; indeed, I gobbled this book up in a single evening, staying up late at night to finish! The plot had me flipping the pages eagerly, and I appreciated the obvious attention to detail, as everything ties up very nicely with few (if any) loose ends.
Best aspect: The mystery surrounding Isabel's history. Cypess keeps the reader guessing as Isabel gains piece after piece of a complicated puzzle. There are several revelations along the way, many of which I did not see coming (including the climactic one, at which point I went, 'Duh! How could I not have guessed that?' in my head). Much as I loved the gripping intrigue and action-filled scenes (and this book is chock-full of that, since no one trusts anyone else), perhaps even more enjoyable was seeing the more personal side of the story, as Isabel learns about who she truly is and what life she desires to lead. She starts out being cool, distancing, and clinical in a way, and then as the novel progresses she begins to experience human emotions she doesn't understand. Isabel is not the most sympathetic heroine from the get-go, but she won me over as she struggled with self-doubt and came to better understand her abilities and limitations.
In five words or less: captivating, mystical and thoroughly enchanting.
Final verdict: 4.5 stars.
For my full review, see my blog, A Tapestry of Words .
That is, until the Samornian prince Rokan brings her back with him to the castle. Isabel has few memories of anything before the here and now, but she knows that as the Shifter it is her duty to guard Rokan from attack. But he's hiding something from her, and the more Isabel unravels of the truth, the more she begins to wonder if she should be protecting him at all...
One sentence sum-up: a tale of magic, past wrongs, revenge, and what it means to be human.
My reaction: I'd heard about this book for a while before I actually ordered it from the library, mostly because I thought it looked like a fairly standard traditional YA fantasy read, nothing too out of the ordinary. But then I kept seeing really positive reviews so I put it on hold.
And I'm so glad I did! Yes, Mistwood is in the style of traditional fantasy, but it reminded me of exactly why I love this genre so much. A strong but complex female protagonist? Check. A castle full of secrets? Check. A prince trying to hide the past? Check. Assassination attempts? Check. All combining to make one extremely impressive debut novel.
It did take me a few chapters to connect with both the main character Isabel and the story. The beginning is confusing, as Isabel's memories are clouded and so too is the reader's understanding. This, coupled with Isabel's tendency to lie (sometimes without the reader being informed she is doing so) results in something similar to the 'unreliable narrator' effect, though it is written in third-person. However, soon enough I was swept up in all of the drama and I began to care about Isabel and Rokan; indeed, I gobbled this book up in a single evening, staying up late at night to finish! The plot had me flipping the pages eagerly, and I appreciated the obvious attention to detail, as everything ties up very nicely with few (if any) loose ends.
Best aspect: The mystery surrounding Isabel's history. Cypess keeps the reader guessing as Isabel gains piece after piece of a complicated puzzle. There are several revelations along the way, many of which I did not see coming (including the climactic one, at which point I went, 'Duh! How could I not have guessed that?' in my head). Much as I loved the gripping intrigue and action-filled scenes (and this book is chock-full of that, since no one trusts anyone else), perhaps even more enjoyable was seeing the more personal side of the story, as Isabel learns about who she truly is and what life she desires to lead. She starts out being cool, distancing, and clinical in a way, and then as the novel progresses she begins to experience human emotions she doesn't understand. Isabel is not the most sympathetic heroine from the get-go, but she won me over as she struggled with self-doubt and came to better understand her abilities and limitations.
In five words or less: captivating, mystical and thoroughly enchanting.
Final verdict: 4.5 stars.
For my full review, see my blog, A Tapestry of Words .