You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
At first look i thought i would love it. And yes I did judge a book by its cover but it is such a pretty cover. When i started reading the book i hated it. The author has the book based in the 1600's but have the characters talking like they are in 21 century. This book as just a waste of my time.
I loved this book. I think I remember choosing to read it because of its cover. Which I loved.
Isabel remembers nothing except that she is the Shifter. Or so she thinks. The shifter is the immortal creature bound by ancient magic to protect the kings of Samorna. The Shifter lives in the Mistwood when not needed. Where Isabel is. Until Prince Rokan rides into the forest to take her back. So that she maybe his Shifter, and protect him. But she knows something is amiss, and that the Prince is lying to her. And it doesn't take long at all before she becomes a part of the deadly court intrigue that unravels the past.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart...everything she knew.
This was not what I expected. I expected something boring and uninteresting that was much of what authors are writing these days. But no. This wasn't it. I liked that there wasn't a heavy emphasis on the romance. Cypess's writing is elegant, flowing and beautiful, it really takes me from cover to cover, I was that enthralled. I loved the way the story was told, and the angst Isabel feels over who she really is. She's a strong character who is very loyal and definitely not a fool. The Prince is lying to her, she knows, but she can't learn the truth if she forces him to tell her. Also despite the fact that she can't use her full Shifter abilities, she still strives to protect the Prince.
This the type of novel that needs to be paid close attention because if you don't, you'll miss some important detail and then you lose the plot. It's mysterious and thrilling. Who is Isabel? And why is the Prince lying? Why can't she use her powers? And why the controversy around the Shifter?
Welcome to a court of intrigue and politics, a Shifter who is legendary and powerful, and a mystery to be solved. This is an enchantingly beautiful read.
Isabel remembers nothing except that she is the Shifter. Or so she thinks. The shifter is the immortal creature bound by ancient magic to protect the kings of Samorna. The Shifter lives in the Mistwood when not needed. Where Isabel is. Until Prince Rokan rides into the forest to take her back. So that she maybe his Shifter, and protect him. But she knows something is amiss, and that the Prince is lying to her. And it doesn't take long at all before she becomes a part of the deadly court intrigue that unravels the past.
Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart...everything she knew.
This was not what I expected. I expected something boring and uninteresting that was much of what authors are writing these days. But no. This wasn't it. I liked that there wasn't a heavy emphasis on the romance. Cypess's writing is elegant, flowing and beautiful, it really takes me from cover to cover, I was that enthralled. I loved the way the story was told, and the angst Isabel feels over who she really is. She's a strong character who is very loyal and definitely not a fool. The Prince is lying to her, she knows, but she can't learn the truth if she forces him to tell her. Also despite the fact that she can't use her full Shifter abilities, she still strives to protect the Prince.
This the type of novel that needs to be paid close attention because if you don't, you'll miss some important detail and then you lose the plot. It's mysterious and thrilling. Who is Isabel? And why is the Prince lying? Why can't she use her powers? And why the controversy around the Shifter?
Welcome to a court of intrigue and politics, a Shifter who is legendary and powerful, and a mystery to be solved. This is an enchantingly beautiful read.
This book has been on my TBR list for ages, but I finally got around to reading it. I was especially curious to read it since I had finished reading Death Sworn/Marked, and even though there were many things about those novels I would've liked seeing fixed or addressed, I thought they were good enough books that I would keep an eye out for anything else Cypess published.
The writing in this novel is exquisite. Cypess' writing style is short and concise, but really powerful with emotion. This is the type of writing I love; it's the type of writing I strive to achieve. I read so many books with verbose writing that try so hard to make you picture everything the author wants, but it's my preference that you let the reader have some imagination. And Cypess does a wonder job of that.
I loved the atmosphere in this book. It was filled with suspense, and mystery, much like the mist filled magical woods where the main character Isabel is from. The descriptions of the Mistwood felt tangible, and I could picture myself being there.
Isabel is a wonderful departure from your typical YA heroines. She isn't looking for romance. She doesn't even want friends. Her one goal is to protect her prince, which she does with a single focused determination. Hell, she doesn't even care if she's killed in the process. I loved how she's smart and resourceful, and knows how to manipulate the crafty nobles in the court, how to hear all the gossip and try and find as much information as she can to protect her prince. You go girl!
Isabel is left in the dark about who she is, and what her role in everything is for a good chunk of this novel. She's the Shifter, a creature of legend who is immortal, can't be physically hurt, and doesn't feel emotions. Her only concern is protecting the true King of Samornia with her life. But as Isabel finds out, she doesn't fit the description of the legend that she hears so much about in the Kingdom of Samornia at all. Should she tell her prince? Who can she trust in the castle, full of court intrigue and people who are suspicious of prince Rokan and planning on assassinating him?
I love that Cypess writes novels that challenge readers to think, and there's some strong themes about discovering your identity, and what qualities make a good king. Should Rokan, who is compassionate and lets his feelings get the best of him be king? Or would he just set himself up for failure, and destroy the kingdom?
My favorite character is Ven, the high sorcerer's apprentice. He came all the way to Samornia to study about the Shifter, and is basically a huge fanboy around Isabel. He was also her one true friend that she confided in, and it made me shippy heart happy. :)
I hated Clarisse, but I do appreciate her as a villain. She's sly and manipulative, and you're never sure where her true allegiance is and what she's up to.
As for things I didn't like, I didn't much care for Rokan. I didn't hate him or anything; I simply just didn't connect with him. He struck me as naive and weak willed, and stupid as hell. I had trouble seeing things from his perspective, and agreed with Isabel for being impatient and frustrated with him.
What the hell was the point of Will? I think Cypess actually forgot about him at the end of the novel. No seriously, I think she did. I actually went back and checked and he's just not there after a certain event happens. I wanted to know more about this third sibling in the royal family that hero worshiped Rokan.
I did not like the ending though. Not one bit.
Despite the ending, I did enjoy the novel quite a bit, and I can see myself giving this a re-read many times. Would recommend to YA fantasy lovers who love court intrigue and shape shifter stories.
The writing in this novel is exquisite. Cypess' writing style is short and concise, but really powerful with emotion. This is the type of writing I love; it's the type of writing I strive to achieve. I read so many books with verbose writing that try so hard to make you picture everything the author wants, but it's my preference that you let the reader have some imagination. And Cypess does a wonder job of that.
I loved the atmosphere in this book. It was filled with suspense, and mystery, much like the mist filled magical woods where the main character Isabel is from. The descriptions of the Mistwood felt tangible, and I could picture myself being there.
Isabel is a wonderful departure from your typical YA heroines. She isn't looking for romance. She doesn't even want friends. Her one goal is to protect her prince, which she does with a single focused determination. Hell, she doesn't even care if she's killed in the process. I loved how she's smart and resourceful, and knows how to manipulate the crafty nobles in the court, how to hear all the gossip and try and find as much information as she can to protect her prince. You go girl!
Isabel is left in the dark about who she is, and what her role in everything is for a good chunk of this novel. She's the Shifter, a creature of legend who is immortal, can't be physically hurt, and doesn't feel emotions. Her only concern is protecting the true King of Samornia with her life. But as Isabel finds out, she doesn't fit the description of the legend that she hears so much about in the Kingdom of Samornia at all. Should she tell her prince? Who can she trust in the castle, full of court intrigue and people who are suspicious of prince Rokan and planning on assassinating him?
I love that Cypess writes novels that challenge readers to think, and there's some strong themes about discovering your identity, and what qualities make a good king. Should Rokan, who is compassionate and lets his feelings get the best of him be king? Or would he just set himself up for failure, and destroy the kingdom?
My favorite character is Ven, the high sorcerer's apprentice. He came all the way to Samornia to study about the Shifter, and is basically a huge fanboy around Isabel. He was also her one true friend that she confided in, and it made me shippy heart happy. :)
I hated Clarisse, but I do appreciate her as a villain. She's sly and manipulative, and you're never sure where her true allegiance is and what she's up to.
As for things I didn't like, I didn't much care for Rokan. I didn't hate him or anything; I simply just didn't connect with him. He struck me as naive and weak willed, and stupid as hell. I had trouble seeing things from his perspective, and agreed with Isabel for being impatient and frustrated with him.
What the hell was the point of Will? I think Cypess actually forgot about him at the end of the novel. No seriously, I think she did. I actually went back and checked and he's just not there after a certain event happens. I wanted to know more about this third sibling in the royal family that hero worshiped Rokan.
I did not like the ending though. Not one bit.
Spoiler
It reminded me a lot of Death Marked, and that's not a good thing. Both the main heroines are forever ( as far as the readers know ) in a place and situation that make them miserable and puts them in danger, and it's out of their hands to fix. What the hell kind of message is that? Yes, sometimes life sucks, and we make the best of it, but sometimes good things happen too, and that's important. Rather, hope is important. Otherwise, why even bother living at all? I think Cypess tried to impart that in Mistwood, what with the hint that the Shifter might be coming back, but honestly who cares? Isabel is still stuck in Samornia, in the very castle where her family was murdered, and I got the impression she rather disliked Rokan and wants nothing to do with him anymore. Oh, and don't forget Clarisse, who is revealed to be a skilled sorceress who despises her. And Isabel won't be able to defend herself against her, because her powers are draining away. Honestly, when I finished this book, all I could feel was disappointment that things ended the way they did for Isabel.Despite the ending, I did enjoy the novel quite a bit, and I can see myself giving this a re-read many times. Would recommend to YA fantasy lovers who love court intrigue and shape shifter stories.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Lately, I have been in kind of a reading slump. Not necessarily with the desire to read books, I have just had the worst luck with books currently. I either have read terrible or just ok books these past couple of months.
Unfortunately, this didn't really help.
At the beginning, I liked the mystery and intrigue. I did not know what was going on, and neither did Isabel. I understand where she came from and I empathized with her.
About a third of the way in, I started to get a little annoyed... and very confused.
Some of my questions were answered, but not all and the plot was definitely lacking. I found Isabel to be whiny, naive, and impulsive throughout the book.
(If you don't like spoilers, do not read the next paragraph)
First of all, there were WAY too many things going on in such a short book. I normally do not recommend that a book should be longer, but nothing was explained thoroughly and things happened way too quickly. Rokan then Kaer then Rokan again, is Daria good or bad? Oh she's bad, is Clarisse good or bad? She's just a bitch. What is Isabel? His... sister? Isn't she in love with him? Oh wait, no she just loves him. She can't shift: "Oh, oops, I could do this lol" And when Ven died, everything was happening so quickly that I could not get to know him as a character and I just didn't care. The conflict, whatever it was, was never actually resolved. Also, her narration was really strange. I thought the whole book was just going to be in Isabel's POV, but then it would randomly switch and it was hard to tell who was speaking sometimes. The characters never really developed and all of them were pretty flat.
Now, these could easily be resolved in a sequel, but there is none! I thought Nightspell was a sequel, but it is a completely unrelated companion. That one actually sounds better anyway, so I will read it.
The cover though is so cool. Her eye is slightly luminescent.
Lately, I have been in kind of a reading slump. Not necessarily with the desire to read books, I have just had the worst luck with books currently. I either have read terrible or just ok books these past couple of months.
Unfortunately, this didn't really help.
At the beginning, I liked the mystery and intrigue. I did not know what was going on, and neither did Isabel. I understand where she came from and I empathized with her.
About a third of the way in, I started to get a little annoyed... and very confused.
Some of my questions were answered, but not all and the plot was definitely lacking. I found Isabel to be whiny, naive, and impulsive throughout the book.
(If you don't like spoilers, do not read the next paragraph)
First of all, there were WAY too many things going on in such a short book. I normally do not recommend that a book should be longer, but nothing was explained thoroughly and things happened way too quickly. Rokan then Kaer then Rokan again, is Daria good or bad? Oh she's bad, is Clarisse good or bad? She's just a bitch. What is Isabel? His... sister? Isn't she in love with him? Oh wait, no she just loves him. She can't shift: "Oh, oops, I could do this lol" And when Ven died, everything was happening so quickly that I could not get to know him as a character and I just didn't care. The conflict, whatever it was, was never actually resolved. Also, her narration was really strange. I thought the whole book was just going to be in Isabel's POV, but then it would randomly switch and it was hard to tell who was speaking sometimes. The characters never really developed and all of them were pretty flat.
Now, these could easily be resolved in a sequel, but there is none! I thought Nightspell was a sequel, but it is a completely unrelated companion. That one actually sounds better anyway, so I will read it.
The cover though is so cool. Her eye is slightly luminescent.
an interesting fantasy book that has a Shape-shifting protector and a king fight their emotions for each other in it's pages.
Isabel is a shifter, an immortal being whose purpose is to protect the king, but this king is lying to her.
Cypress has created this mysterious, medieval world--the cover is perfect--and I kept wondering, "How is she going to pull this off?" But with finely timed twists, she does.
Cypress has created this mysterious, medieval world--the cover is perfect--and I kept wondering, "How is she going to pull this off?" But with finely timed twists, she does.
Reviewed on Fantasy-Faction!
http://fantasy-faction.com/2015/mistwood-by-leah-cypess
http://fantasy-faction.com/2015/mistwood-by-leah-cypess
3/5
At first I was somewhat bored by the book but the more it went into the plot, the more intrigued I was. Sadly though, my library doesn’t have the next two books in the series. This one I believe was a great setup and you could never really tell who to trust. Besides from the seriousness the book know when to have some humorous moments that did make me laugh.
At first I was somewhat bored by the book but the more it went into the plot, the more intrigued I was. Sadly though, my library doesn’t have the next two books in the series. This one I believe was a great setup and you could never really tell who to trust. Besides from the seriousness the book know when to have some humorous moments that did make me laugh.
MISTWOOD is an exquisitely written, beautifully rendered high fantasy YA debut that will make it an instant favorite of fans of Kristin Cashore. The beauty and complexity of Isabel’s story literally took my breath away and left me begging for more.
Leah Cypess wastes no words in her writing. Instead, every sentence provides a wealth of material about the story: setting the scene, describing Isabel’s inhuman-like thoughts and her struggles. It is fascinating to watch Isabel change over the course of this novel. The change is subtle yet carefully crafted, and just when you thought you had things figured out, Cypess comes along and throws you for a loop that is unexpected but, on second thought, completely appropriate and wildly appreciated. As I’ve said in previous reviews, I like when books outsmart me, and I was delighted that all my predictions were blown out of the water in a totally plausible manner.
The secondary characters were not as well developed as Isabel, which can oftentimes lead to confusing conversations. Likewise, the plot can always get rather confusing at times: I found myself having to read slowly in order to fully understand the intricacies of particular scenes. Not that I didn’t enjoy doing it, however. All the enjoyable twists and turns—and yes, even the confusing bits—ensured that I didn’t want this book to end.
Overall, MISTWOOD was a book that started off strong and just got better by the ending. The publicity line for the book, comparing it to works by Kristin Cashore, Tamora Pierce, and Megan Whalen Turner, doesn’t lie. This is an incredible debut accomplishment, and I’m hoping for many more books written by Leah Cypess in the future.
Leah Cypess wastes no words in her writing. Instead, every sentence provides a wealth of material about the story: setting the scene, describing Isabel’s inhuman-like thoughts and her struggles. It is fascinating to watch Isabel change over the course of this novel. The change is subtle yet carefully crafted, and just when you thought you had things figured out, Cypess comes along and throws you for a loop that is unexpected but, on second thought, completely appropriate and wildly appreciated. As I’ve said in previous reviews, I like when books outsmart me, and I was delighted that all my predictions were blown out of the water in a totally plausible manner.
The secondary characters were not as well developed as Isabel, which can oftentimes lead to confusing conversations. Likewise, the plot can always get rather confusing at times: I found myself having to read slowly in order to fully understand the intricacies of particular scenes. Not that I didn’t enjoy doing it, however. All the enjoyable twists and turns—and yes, even the confusing bits—ensured that I didn’t want this book to end.
Overall, MISTWOOD was a book that started off strong and just got better by the ending. The publicity line for the book, comparing it to works by Kristin Cashore, Tamora Pierce, and Megan Whalen Turner, doesn’t lie. This is an incredible debut accomplishment, and I’m hoping for many more books written by Leah Cypess in the future.
I had difficulty reading Mistwood . I started reading it mid 2013 but stopped only to pick it back up yesterday. Something about Isabel and Rokan and Clarisse just didn't attract me..
Above all things Mistwood is about a girl discovering herself amongst the ruins of her past. Isabel is the Shifter but she can't remember everything that the Shifter is. For someone of my age, I suppose, the discovery was a tad bit too childish. Isabel is a child with the memories of a thousand year old being, and I just think that the story could have been better.
I believe that if I had picked up Mistwood a couple of years ago I would have found and given it better than 2 stars, but at this moment.. It is hard to do so.
Above all things Mistwood is about a girl discovering herself amongst the ruins of her past. Isabel is the Shifter but she can't remember everything that the Shifter is. For someone of my age, I suppose, the discovery was a tad bit too childish. Isabel is a child with the memories of a thousand year old being, and I just think that the story could have been better.
I believe that if I had picked up Mistwood a couple of years ago I would have found and given it better than 2 stars, but at this moment.. It is hard to do so.