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Torn

by Dean Murray (Goodreads Author)

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 165 ratings · 25 reviews

Shape shifter Alec Graves has spent nearly a decade trying to keep his family from being drawn into open warfare with a larger pack. The new girl at school shouldn't matter, but the more he gets to know her, the more mysterious she becomes. Worse, she seems to know things she shouldn't about his shadowy world.

Is she an unfortunate victim or bait designed to draw him into a...more

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Published (first published October 17th 2011)

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Jun 22, 2012 Bonnie Lamer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sure, Alec Graves is a shape shifter but he’s also an entrepreneur, a father figure, a leader, a soother, a fierce enemy and a guy falling in love for the first time. That’s a lot to fit in around high school classes and homework. Feeling the pressures build, Alec knows things are going to come to a head soon. The signs have been there for months now.
Torn by Dean Murray takes readers into Alec’s world and holds them there as the story unfolds. He shifts into a wolf but that doesn’t make him a we...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Evelyn Amaro rated it 3 of 5 stars

Read my full review on Paromantasy

Torn is a YA paranormal romance centered around Alec (the alpha of a shapeshifter pack), and Adriana (the new girl in school). I enjoyed the characters and the fact that each member bought a new dimension to the Pack, but I have to admit that while I did like Torn - there was still much to be desired.

Alec is the Alpha of his pack after his father was killed. He may be young but he is smart, strong and determined to keep his family together. Adriana is the new gi...more Read my full review on Paromantasy

Torn is a YA paranormal romance centered around Alec (the alpha of a shapeshifter pack), and Adriana (the new girl in school). I enjoyed the characters and the fact that each member bought a new dimension to the Pack, but I have to admit that while I did like Torn - there was still much to be desired.

Alec is the Alpha of his pack after his father was killed. He may be young but he is smart, strong and determined to keep his family together. Adriana is the new girl in school who has a tough exterior, but has a good heart. Life has never been easy for her and now it is going to get that much harder when she finds herself in the middle of a shapeshifter war. after she unknowingly hangs out with Alec's rival pack leader Brandon. Adriana soon sees the evil lurking behind Brandon's facade and the one person who can save her is Alec. Alec is set on finding out everything about Adriana. He doesn't trust her and is set on uncovering her secrets. What he finds changes his life forever.

Alec finds himself falling in love with Adriana , but when she decides to stay away from Brandon tensions rise even more between the Packs. Soon Alec must choose: save the girl he has fallen for or keep his family and his Pack safe.

I loved the characters and found myself invested in their story. Adriana is delicate, yet strong and I rooted for her from the beginning. I just wanted to give Alec a hug. He is young and had to deal with so much. He is the Alpha and his pack relies on him, as well as his human sister and ailing mother. Add a treacherous rival group of shapeshifters trying to bring you down and that is a lot to deal with. The pack member each had their own personalities and I felt like they were old buddies by the end of the book.

Why do I not love it? At times, the book would get unbelievably slow. We would get sucked into the monotonous daily life of Alec and just when I was about to put the book down, the action would start again. This cycle was continuous throughout the book. With a bit more editing I think this book could be great.
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Jan 14, 2012 Kathy Martin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reading Torn was like immersing myself in a new world. In fact, it felt like there was a whole complex history that I was just getting hints of because it was so familiar to the characters. This world has rival bands of teenage shape shifters who have remarkable powers and who are in a war for dominance. Into the battlefield comes a young woman named Adriana Paige. She immediately becomes a source of conflict between Alec and his rival Brandon. Alec is very suspicious of her at first because she...more Reading Torn was like immersing myself in a new world. In fact, it felt like there was a whole complex history that I was just getting hints of because it was so familiar to the characters. This world has rival bands of teenage shape shifters who have remarkable powers and who are in a war for dominance. Into the battlefield comes a young woman named Adriana Paige. She immediately becomes a source of conflict between Alec and his rival Brandon. Alec is very suspicious of her at first because she is unusual. Here is what he says:
She glowed. Not just a faint flow of a normal person or the slightly stronger glow of a wolf. She shone with the light of a powerful moon born hybrid, and she didn't belong to my pack, so she was an intruder.
But intruder or not Alec is fascinated by her. She even starts appearing in his dreams where they begin to get to know each other. After she stands up for Rachel, Alec's human younger sister, Alec determines that the pack will protect her. All of the pack is not in favor of this because it just escalates the rivalry with Brandon's pack. Alec is torn between wanting to get closer to Adri and knowing he shouldn't both for her safety and for his.

The story is filled with intense emotion as Alec struggles to keep his pack safe from Brandon's. The social dynamics in the story are interesting. Both Alec and Brandon are incredibly wealthy but Alec is the one who controls the town of Sanctuary to to point of bribing (or blackmailing) the mayor and the school principal. Alec lost his father in some unexplained but very traumatic incident that escalated the problems that he is facing now. He has been in charge of the pack for years even though he is only seventeen. There is some conflict regarding the larger community of shape shifters because of Alec's heritage. He feels that the Coun'hij - a governing body of the shape shifters - would support Brandon if it was called in because of this heritage. He does know that the Coun'hij would punish both sides of the conflict if it risked any chance of disclosing the existence of shape shifters to the human population.

A lot of the story revolves around the nature of these shape shifters. Brandon has an advantage because he has manifested a special power that Alec can't match. Alec believes that in any face to face fight with Brandon, he will lose. He is always hoping that his power, whatever it might be, will manifest too. Another special power that the shape shifters have is related to their relationships with humans. Their touch is addictive. The human who becomes addicted to a shape shifter's touch can't survive without it. Alec knows this first hand because his mother is human. While she survived his father's death, she is living in the past and constantly cycling through emotions. She doesn't often even recognize that Rachel is her child or, if she does, she treats her badly. She is an object lesson for him about the dangers of loving a human.

This story was told from Alec's point of view and really emphasized his own struggle with his shape shifter nature. He even calls himself a monster and has to keep a tight control over his emotions and his actions. When I found out that Dean Murray had written a companion novel - Broken - which tells the story from Adri's point of view, I knew that I had to read it too to get the rest of the story.

This was an emotional and intense read with lots of fighting and violence. Alec is under tremendous amounts of stress trying to solve all of the problems on his shoulders but through it all he is honorable, protective, and caring to those under his care. I recommend it for older young adults because of the level of violence.
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Jul 14, 2012 Cassandra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Torn wasn’t my favorite werewolf story. It didn’t drag me into the story like other werewolf novels do. I felt that there were important details missing from the story that left me lost and confused – this may be due to the fact that there is a companion novel Broken that is based on Adri’s perspective that maybe fills in the holes. I like the idea of the story being told by 2 different characters but I think it would have been more beneficial for this story to have switched narrators than 2 dif...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Sandra (Rather Barefoot than Bookless) rated it 4 of 5 stars

For some reason I had trouble reading this book in the beginning. I didn´t really get into it. I wanted to give it a chance anyway and I am really happy I did so. Towards the middle of the book the storyline picked up and it was really exciting and a book in my taste. The story about Alec and Adri was really enticing and lovely.
Alec was a strong character whom I really grew to like. I didn´t feel him in the beginning. First I just thought he was a stuck up kid who got everything he wanted. In t...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Jennifer Bielman (Reading and Writing UF and PNR) rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YA Paranormal Romance Readers

Shelves: young-adult, self-published, reviewed, paranormal-romance

The Good
Young Adult is not a genre I frequently read, but the few YA books I have read I thoroughly enjoyed. Torn is no different. When I finally got to sit down and actually read the book, I did it in two days. I just had to know what was going to happen next.

We are introduced to Alec, the leader of his shapeshifter pack who's trying to save the pack and his family from the many attacks by the rival pack in town. He may seem like just another normal teenager on the outside, but the weight of t...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Aube D'été Holgate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: boytoy, fantasy, lovely, mysterious, romeos, secrets, adventurous, books-i-own, battalion, kindle, entertaining, family-focus, kinda-sad-but-gets-better, revenge, series

One of the most poetic, yet strategically written YA novels I've read, Dean Murray is an extreme romantic. His natural flow of feelings, barriers, and mind-blowing thoughts will curb your appetite for more.

The scent of the potted roses with which we'd filled the space between the stone walls had been divine all by itself, but once it mixed with Adri's natural scent it became something beyond description.

Alec, first of all, is an amazing character. Easy to fall for, easy to love and extremely...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Kimba (Caffeinated Book Reviewer) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My rating 3.5 coffee cups. Torn is a YA paranormal romance filled with shape-shifters and power struggles. Murray creates a tale that is both fascinating and unique. This novel kept me engaged and I finished it in one evening.

The tale focuses on Alec Graves. He is the alpha of his wolf pack and seventeen years old. They live in Sanctuary; a small town surrounded by woods. Alec is having trouble with another Alpha named Brandon. Brandon’s pack has been pushing deeper into Alex’s territory trying...more My rating 3.5 coffee cups. Torn is a YA paranormal romance filled with shape-shifters and power struggles. Murray creates a tale that is both fascinating and unique. This novel kept me engaged and I finished it in one evening.

The tale focuses on Alec Graves. He is the alpha of his wolf pack and seventeen years old. They live in Sanctuary; a small town surrounded by woods. Alec is having trouble with another Alpha named Brandon. Brandon’s pack has been pushing deeper into Alex’s territory trying to claim dominance. Murray gives just enough back-plot to let us know there has been a rift, and that it was caused by Alex's deceased father. There is tension within Alex's pack and he is working to resolve it. Both packs are wealthy and Alec seems to control the small town, but Brandon is seeking to change that. As if Alec doesn’t have enough on his plate already in walks Adriana Paige. Something about Adriana is different; she glows but doesn’t appear to be a shape-shifter. Alec is leery of her at first, but she begins appearing in his dreams and ultimately she becomes very important to him. This would be lovely, but she had also attracted the attention of Brandon and she appears to be dating him.

The tale that unfolds is fast paced, with battle scenes as the shifters defend their territory. Murray’s descriptions of the shape-shifter transformation and battle strategies are fascinating. There are some key characters whose stories I wanted to learn more about. The romance between Adriana and Alex is sweet and develops at a natural pace. I really liked Alex. He has what seems like the weight of the world on his shoulders. In a lot of ways he is a typical teen, but he is also loyal, honorable and attempts to be a good leader. The ending offers an epic battle scene that had me quickly turning the pages.

Overall, I liked this character driven novel and recommend it to fans of shape-shifters and paranormal romance. I am hoping that Murray writes a second novel, so that we can learn more about the world and characters he has created. This novel was told from the POV of Alec and you can read it from Adriana’s point of view in the novel Broken. Torn is currently available in eBook format. I look forward to reading more work by this author.

I want to thank the author for providing this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
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Feb 28, 2012 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blog-reviews

Torn by Dean Murray could fit into a couple of different genres especially when you take into account it's sister book of Broken. It fits best into YA and paranormal romance. The story follows Alec and his group of shifters in their daily lives as they try to survive the advances of their rival pack led by Brandon. Alec's life is a constant struggle as his pack is weaker just trying to survive while Brandon's is full of sadists that will kill innocents for fun. The most interesting aspect is the...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wasn't sure if I would like this book since it basically told the same story as Broken, but I was pleasantly surprised. Reading the same story from Alec's perspective provided additional insight and explained a few things that happened. For example, if you only read Broken, you truly would question why Alec and his friends did not stand up for Rachel in the cafeteria, but by reading Torn that is all clarified. It made a character that seemed distant, more likeable.

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Jan 08, 2012 Sharonda (SexxyBlogger) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the story and the adult feel of it.

Alec must protect his family and pack from his rivals pack everyday. So when the new girl move into town, he can't understand why he's so drawn to her. She seems like the typical selfish 17 year old high school girl.

Adrianna isn't exactly happy about the new move her and mom has made. The town is small and the kids seem rich and spoiled. But she now finds herself drawn in between a war between two powerful alphas and their packs.

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Dec 10, 2011 S.J. Bell added it · review of another edition

I was not too enamored of Torn to begin with, but at the end it did something that outright infuriated me. By now regular readers know that I'm not a fan of books that tell half a story and leave the rest for the sequels. Well, Torn is like that, but worse. It's one side of a story that is intended to be seen from two sides. In other words, there's a complete story here, you're just not getting it. For that, you have to pay for another book. And if Torn by itself is any indication, both together...more

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May 30, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rating: 4.75/5

Really, really good story! It is very interesting when you get to read a novel told in the opposite sexes point of view. You almost feel like a fly on the wall. I really loved Alec's unselfish character who always thought everything through, and only based decision on the good of the entire pack. Torn is full of suspense on what will happen next with the new girl and what her true intentions are for being in their town. I loved every second of it and can't wait to read the other tw...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This YA Paranormal Romance was a great read. Characters were created with great insights into the minds of teenagers. It was a nice change to read from a males point of veiw (Alec's point of view). I really enjoyed the intense fights between the packs, and the The plot was good, and the pace moved along nicely. Overall it is a great book to reccomend to your teenagers. - Were Vamps Romance Reviews

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Jan 06, 2013 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was better to read than Broken. Probably because I associate a little better with the guy. But I think this is good writing. Again, read it way too fast, meaning I stayed up way too late reading it.

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Sep 11, 2012 Arbonboy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very engaging book. I ordered this as an audiobook and enjoyed the narrator immensely. While the book did leave out some important details that seemed to be referenced but never delved into, it still left me fully engaged. Fun to see such quality writing coming from newer authors.

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Jan 20, 2012 Ashleigh Kuhns rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved Torn just as much as Broken. I thik it is amazing to be able to see more than one character's view on what is happening and am ecstactic about getting the chance to get inside Alec's head. I am extremely exited and can not wait until Splintered comes out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dean Murry is with out a doubt one of the best writers whose books I have had the privelege of reading and rereading.

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Apr 19, 2013 Azra rated it 4 of 5 stars

A good read as it lets you see how Alec had perceived things from his side but just gets a bit daunting when you seem to know what's going to happen.

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Oct 23, 2012 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to say i liked Broken but Torn gave me a whole new perspective and understanding for Alec. His love is like no other! I cant wait to read Splintered next.

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Mar 19, 2013 Tabetha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This version explained all the things I was confused about in broken. The editing wasn't bad like in broken.

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Jun 04, 2013 Aubriana is currently reading it

I don't know how to start to read a book someone help

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Oct 18, 2012 Georgia rated it 5 of 5 stars

OMG the best book I have ever read! Read it!!!!!!

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Feb 16, 2013 Cherilyn Clarke rated it 2 of 5 stars

Very captivating

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May 17, 2012 Tiffany added it

loved it!

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Jun 16, 2013 Daniella marked it as to-read

Jun 13, 2013 Maria Angel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jun 12, 2013 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jun 11, 2013 Ruthy marked it as to-read

Jun 09, 2013 Jeane Kays added it

Jun 09, 2013 Monty Green added it

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