Moonshifted (Edie Spence, #2)

Dec 15, 2012 Maja rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: highly-anticipating-2012, moments-of-great-frustration, netgalley, arc-2012, urban-fantasy, so-many-vampires, werewhatevers, zombies-zombies-everywhere, reviewed-in-2012

It’s no secret that I love urban fantasy more than any other genre out there, and I love it even more when urban fantasy flirts with horror just a little bit. I discovered the Edie Spence series entirely by accident, really enjoyed Nightshifted, the first book, and now I’m happy to report that the second book didn’t diminish my love for it in the least.

I think what people like most about Edie is that she’s just a regular woman, very non-heroic and plain. She works her night shifts at the hospita...more It’s no secret that I love urban fantasy more than any other genre out there, and I love it even more when urban fantasy flirts with horror just a little bit. I discovered the Edie Spence series entirely by accident, really enjoyed Nightshifted, the first book, and now I’m happy to report that the second book didn’t diminish my love for it in the least.

I think what people like most about Edie is that she’s just a regular woman, very non-heroic and plain. She works her night shifts at the hospital, gets conned over and over by her addict brother and pushed around by the supernatural community. She has no lasting relationship, no real friends, and her bond with her family is tenuous at best. One can’t help but feel compassion for Edie and her sad, quiet life, but there are times when she seems just a bit too passive. I like reading about regular people in unusual circumstances, and I don’t necessarily want them to be fearless or heroic, but resourceful would be nice. Edie is often just a pushover, for her brother, her co-workers, the mysterious Shadows and the entire supernatural community, especially the vampires. She gets involved in their business in very odd ways, they get her to do their dirty work with just two words of flattery and then keep her in the dark and fail to protect her from things they brought to her doorstep.

I pulled on my scrubs and all the silver that I currently owned. Between my belt, bracelet, and badge – which might warn me a second or two before any attack –I’d give myself even odds on surviving for five seconds once I was outside my door. Five whole seconds, although not necessarily painless ones.

In Nightshifted, Edie took it upon herself to save a vampire child, and now that vampire child, Anna, asks her to be some kind of Ambassador, involves her in things Edie doesn’t even begin to understand, and then just disappears without protecting her in any way.
There were times when I wanted to yell at Edie to grow a spine, but there would be no point. She is who she is.

"You can't just leave anyone. It's one of your biggest virtues, and one of your worst flaws.

Edie is constantly surrounded by grotesque creatures she relentlessly takes care of, even when it’s not her job to do so. As I said in my opening paragraph, I love it when urban fantasy flirts with horror, and Cassie Alexander balances the fine line between the two wonderfully. Sure, some of the descriptions might turn your stomach (they did mine, and I’m not exactly a delicate flower), but this is what sets the series apart and I really like it.

At this point, I’d hate for Edie to find a steady relationship and then get her act together and become less pathetic (harsh words, Maja, harsh!). I don’t want a man to fix her life, that would be even more pathetic. I want her to find her own footing, start taking care of herself and then maybe get into a serious relationship, preferably with Asher. I like Asher for her, and I have a feeling he wouldn’t just abandon her like Ty (although he did give me reason to think otherwise). He’s charming and attractive and, you know, definitely NOT a zombie. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

What I really wanted, but didn’t get from Moonshifted was a stronger story. The first half was essentially plotless, or at the very least directionless. So many things were happening at once, and at the same time, nothing was happening at all. I still couldn’t clearly outline the plot for you, nor do I wish to try. For the first 80%, Moonshifted suffered from the worst case of Second Book Syndrome I’ve ever seen, but at least it ended with a bang. Hopefully, the next book, Shapeshifted, will be a bit more exciting in that regard.

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Mar 05, 2013 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2013, paranormal, urban, vampire, werewolf

3.5 stars. This one had a lot of little annoyances again, and a bit of a wandering plot, but overall I'm still a fan of the book and the series. It didn't start off well; I don't like stupid coincidences just to make things easier for the author. In the entire city Dren the evil vampire with a grudge against Edie and Asher the shapeshifter who's her former lover both just happened to be at the same Target as she was on Christmas Eve? Dren didn't even act like he'd followed her there. There was a...more 3.5 stars. This one had a lot of little annoyances again, and a bit of a wandering plot, but overall I'm still a fan of the book and the series. It didn't start off well; I don't like stupid coincidences just to make things easier for the author. In the entire city Dren the evil vampire with a grudge against Edie and Asher the shapeshifter who's her former lover both just happened to be at the same Target as she was on Christmas Eve? Dren didn't even act like he'd followed her there. There was a weak excuse for Asher to be there, but the idea that of all the places in town that he just happened to be where she was on that night was dumb. It sure didn't set the right tone for me starting the book.

Then there were numerous annoyances after that. Edie was constantly such a brat about her zombie ex, Ti. It's fine to admit that him leaving hurt, but to resent it so much that it was mentioned over and over again was so immature. How many times did she whine about him leaving, "with no guarantee he'd ever be back." (Boy did she repeat that a lot. Did he owe her a guarantee after knowing her for such a short period of time?) He barely knew her and he risked everything for her. She isn't the one who'd be killed, or captured and researched forever, for just being what he is if people found out what he is. And he risked them finding out to save her. "Him choosing to keep his cover over me hurt." What else was he supposed to do? Especially because he so blatantly looked so different from normal humans with his patchwork body parts that he got rushing to save her, he didn't have time to match parts like he normally would. He had to go into hiding, had to change jobs and identities even after he was healed. Clearly the author wants to keep his memory alive so that he can be brought back in future installments, but the constant whining wasn't the right way to win our favor for a guy who wasn't such a great hero the first time around anyway. Here's hoping for a better outing in book three.

And how about that totally bizarre sex scene? (view spoiler) The whole scene was so out of nowhere. I'm still not quite sure I get who this girl is. Is she a doormat who lets everyone take advantage of her or a strong, sexy woman? Where did this sudden enjoyment of pain that she mentions several times throughout the book come from? Is it an attempt by the author to explain her weak personality, or to give her more depth? The explicit sex scene just felt very out of place in the context of the rest of the book, which was straight urban fantasy, very much not erotica or even much in the romance department, despite Edie's constant whining about Ti. I don't mind sexy books, it just seemed really out of character. Of course, now that I think about it, this is the same woman who had a one night stand with Asher in the first book and didn't use a condom, despite being a nurse, so maybe it is consistent with her character and I'm just not seeing it yet.

And yet with all of the little annoying things, the farther I got into it the more I enjoyed it. The author's experience as a nurse really paid off again. As with with first book, I thought it made the story really realistic without coming across too heavy-handed or overly detailed. I was able to picture the hospital and her work so clearly, it's really the not-so-secret weapon in this series. But it isn't the only positive. I kind of guessed the bad guy, but it wasn't super obvious and there were a few twists to keep things interesting. Sike was her usually cool self this time around. Edie's family relations continued to make her relatable; my family might not be quite so screwed up but I think most people will find something to identify with somewhere in her loyalty to and frustration with her brother, mother and step-father. Her friendship with fellow nurse Gina was expanded. I don't really get why Asher does so many things for Edie yet, but at least there was an attempt to fill in who he is a bit more as well.

So the story was inconsistently paced and it does wander a bit, and that sex scene was truly odd, and there were some annoyances that were what I'd call bad a matter of taste, and some that I really hope the author will learn to do without as she gets more experienced, like using dumb coincidences as plot devices instead of coming up with things that make more sense. But in the end there's still a lot to recommend about this book and this series. The world is vividly drawn and compelling and I think most fans of urban fantasy would enjoy giving it a try.(less)

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Dec 06, 2012 Kara-karina rated it 5 of 5 stars

4.5/5
Despite oh so very deceiving synopsis, Moonshifted is not about choosing sides or men. Just like Nightshifted, it is a constant attempt of one lonely human with a big heart to survive among scary supernatural forces. That's it.

Nurse Edie doesn't have any superpowers, she is not particularly pretty, especially working night shifts (Edie, I know how you feel. I don't like the look of myself in the mirror after a week of night shifts too) and she doesn't have awesome powers of deduction. In ot...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Kristina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review Courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

Where NIGHTSHIFTED, the first book in the Edie Spence series setup Edie’s crazy life and hospital job, MOONSHIFTED expanded on the danger and supernatural consequences of Edie’s actions as a nurse in the Y4 wing of her hospital. The first book focused heavily on vampires and, while they are featured in MOONSHIFTED I was excited to see my favorite supernatural creatures, werewolves, be the focus of this book. Their introduction and the plot surrounding t...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Edie Spence, nurse on Y4, the secret floor of County Central Hospital where the supernatural are treated – the vampires, the werewolves and, in the past, even zombies and dragons. She doesn’t have nearly enough time, especially with the holidays coming up, and even less money hence her taking overtime during the holidays in the hope of more money to pad her rapidly disappearing paycheck.

That in itself would be exhausting, but that’s before the king of the werewolves gets run over in a hit and ru...more Edie Spence, nurse on Y4, the secret floor of County Central Hospital where the supernatural are treated – the vampires, the werewolves and, in the past, even zombies and dragons. She doesn’t have nearly enough time, especially with the holidays coming up, and even less money hence her taking overtime during the holidays in the hope of more money to pad her rapidly disappearing paycheck.

That in itself would be exhausting, but that’s before the king of the werewolves gets run over in a hit and run right in front of her. He’s badly injured to the point of death and even the medical professionals on Y4 can’t raise the dead – but the werewolf politics should he die (and the accusations that fly) are dangerous things to get in the middle of.

And then there’s Anna, the vampire she preciously helped and even considers a friend. She has a job for Edie as she prepares to found her own vampire house, a job that requires her to keep a ceremonial knife safe.

Whichever is the cause – werewolf or knife –people start trying to kill her, ransacking her home and even risking the wrath of the shadows, the hospital’s mystical protectors, to get at her. And to make matters worse, her drug dealing brother is digging himself into trouble, her parents are coming for Christmas dinner and she has a German Ghostly Cyborg eating her electronics.

That was immense fun. I liked the first book, Nightshifted, and found it interesting and pretty entertaining, but Moonshifted is head and shoulders above it. With the beginning of this world introduced, we’re now running with this story in all directions and nearly everything is pretty much excellent.

The world building is incredible – there has been such a lot of research that has gone into the various supernatural lores that are relevant in this book – including the 101 ways to make a werewolf which is drawing on some really obscure legends that I had to re-look up and I thought I was pretty overwhelmed with shapeshifter legends already. The way the vampires work, the way the werewolves work – they’re all really really deep and with their own separate twists that add a lot of originality to the story; concepts like the werewolves’ shorter life span (which makes so much sense when described) and the vampire shortage not of human blood, but of actual vampire blood since it takes so long for them to produce. All of these add wonderful new facets to old myths and legends and a completely new spin on everything.

But along with the mystical world building which is wide open and growing, there’s also the powerful realities of being a nurse. I love books when the protagonist has a profession and I’m left thinking “this author has worked this job” because it’s so real, they’ve either worked it or really put some sterling effort into making it real. John Hartness does it, Diana Rowland does it and Cassie Alexander certainly does it. It’s not glamourised, it’s not sugar coated and it’s not clean – but the nitty gritty of nursing is there, the good and the icky, the sheer value and importance of it coupled with how undervalued and difficult it is. It’s a really good depiction and makes the entire series so much stronger and more real because of it.

What is best about both of these elements of world building is that they’re used appropriately. There’s no massive info dumps and no long monologues. It is shown rather than told, what we need to know is revealed in as much detail as we need to know it. It’s completely restrained and leaves me hungry to know more – like what exactly the Consortium, and Meaty, actually are for one! everything feels natural because the knowledge is presented in a realistic fashion without every leaving us floundering.

And the story is fun – it intertwines excellently with Edie’s life but her life doesn’t stop because of it. This is something else I love about this book, in a lot of Urban Fantasy it feels like the protagonist can just put their entire lives on pause while they deal with the plot of the book. Edie isn’t like that – she has a job, she needs money, she even needs the desperate holiday overtime. She can’t just not take those extra hours because the plot has been dropped on her, life goes on. And it’s not just her job – she has family she can’t just drop because dramas are happening, she had her brother and his issues, she has her parents coming round for Christmas Dinner. She can’t cancel all this – and she has to clean up the flat ready for them – just because she has plot drama! Life goes on! Perhaps most impressive to me is Edie’s friend’s – they have their own lives, their own issues and that isn’t subsumed because of Edie’s plot issues. Charles has a thing with werewolves, he’s not setting that aside because Edie is having problems. Gina has relationship drama, Edie can’t just ignore it because of plot reasons – he’s Gina’s friend, she owes it to her to be supportive. Edie can’t just refuse Anna’s plea because it would be convenient to do otherwise. This is such a change from so many urban fantasies where friends just exist to support the protagonist.

But aside from twining nicely with both the world building and Edie’s life, the plot is fascinating. It’s excellently paced and written, even with those elements blended into it, the book continues moving forward and never has slow periods. Even Edie having to go buy a couch cover just fits so neatly and adds to the book, these mundane tasks all add something, all develop something and help highlight the relationships without long monologues or info dumps. The mystery behind the injured werewolf king is a curious one. From the beginning I realised that the accused was clearly not the person behind it – it was too obviously a red herring – but I didn’t even remotely predict who was actually behind the attack nor how it all came together with werewolf and vampire politics interlinking. It was really well done, all made sense, and all was a complete surprise. On top of the mystery, the actions scenes, when they arrive, were well written and had that perfect balance of pace versus description.

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Jan 19, 2013 Aspen Junge rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ripping-good-yarns

Once again, the traditional nurse adventure from the 1940s has been reborn with a modern paranormal twist. It's very nice that the author is herself a working nurse, so the technical parts of the story ring factual.

Edie has a problem; one of the patients in her hospital's secret Ward for the Weird is the leader of one of the more powerful local werewolf packs, and it doesn't look like he's gonna make it. Considering her current role in the vampiric political scene, she really doesn't need to get...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: girls-who-do-things, good-uns, urban-fantasy

Originally reviewed here @ Angieville.

You'll remember my excitement upon discovering Cassie Alexander and Nightshifted--her fabulous urban fantasy debut. I loved everything about it, from the killer cover to the hard-working, conflicted protagonist inside. When I realized the sequel was set to be published just a few months later I was, well, over the moon. Go on. Raise your hands. I know I'm not the only one who waits (with barely concealed ill grace) a year for each new installment in her favo...more Originally reviewed here @ Angieville.

You'll remember my excitement upon discovering Cassie Alexander and Nightshifted--her fabulous urban fantasy debut. I loved everything about it, from the killer cover to the hard-working, conflicted protagonist inside. When I realized the sequel was set to be published just a few months later I was, well, over the moon. Go on. Raise your hands. I know I'm not the only one who waits (with barely concealed ill grace) a year for each new installment in her favorite series. It can be a hard wait. I understand why, and I am nothing if not extremely grateful for everything that goes into the writing and publishing processes. But it can be a hard wait. That's why two in one year? Such a treat. That said, the closing events of Nightshifted were portentous to say the least. And I was pretty anxious about where Edie would be (and in what condition) when I found her next, who would be around to help her, and who . . . would not.

Edie Spence isn't fresh off the shelf on the Y4 ward of her county hospital anymore. She's earned her stripes and is even approaching tenuous friendships with her fellow seasoned nurses. It's been months now since her cringe-worthy induction into life as a nurse for the undead (and every other supernatural creature that comes their way) and Edie is still rattled by the fallout. Indebted to powers she'd really rather not name and struggling to define her unwanted role in local vampire politics, she's less than pleased to find herself holding vigil over a werewolf alpha in a coma. Edie was on the scene when he was attacked and soon every wolf in the pack is banging down her door looking for clues. This includes a wolf by the name of Lucas who stands to inherit the alpha mantle should the old man not pull through. Lucas is a bundle of contradictions and Edie is 99.9% sure she should keep her distance. But when her home is attacked and the vampires become involved, there is little she can do to stay removed from the action.

Edie is nobody's fool and I love her for that. With the possible exception of her brother, she has very few blind spots. She does her best to avoid disaster scenarios. She really does. Unfortunately, her world has teeth and seems to be supremely uninterested in cutting her a break. That's not to say that she's without her share of foibles. But even when she's making a clear mistake, she remains fully cognizant that it is her choice and that she is making it. Usually to fend off something even darker, for which I can rarely fault her even as it fills me with concern for her and the bleakness that surrounds her. Edie is flawed and lonely and allergic to asking for help for herself and I am incredibly fond of her. Witness a couple of reasons why (taken from my uncorrected ARC):

"I introduced him to my parents, Edie. I thought he was the one."

I didn't know what to say. I didn't think I'd ever felt like that. I'd stood on the edge of The Oneness before, and maybe peeked into the valley below, but I'd never made the final jump. I'd learned that if you thought of people as disposable, it hurt less when they disposed of you.

Her heartrending frankness hits me every time.

Asher met me at the door, looking like the Asher I knew best. Olive skin, dark hair, dark brown eyes. He took one look at me, and then past me at Gina, still slumped over in my passenger seat. "You want to put her in a spare room, or a spare bathroom?"

"Someplace with a lot of tile."

He followed me out to my car, and we retrieved her. Gina kept murmuring things that sounded sad, while Asher helped me help her down his entry hall. We made it up the stairs together, and I arranged her inside a claw-foot tub while Asher went to get extra towels. I sat on the toilet beside her, petting her hair, and Asher returned to lean against the wall.

"Do I want to know what happened?"

"Girl meets were-bear, girl falls for were-bear, were-bear says if you love me you'll let me bite you, girls says good-bye." I wished I had an IV start kit and a banana bag--IV fluids with vitamins and minerals--right about then. We could've set her impending hangover straight in no time.

Asher's eyebrows rose high up his forehead. "I meant at your house."

Alexander graces this novel with the perfect amount of humor and horror. Edie's life is awash in gray. Worn down by her relentless job, her succubus of a brother, and the demands of the paranormal, she's acutely wary of any scraps of happiness that float her way. I understand her caution, especially given how she's been burned in the past. But I can't help but hope for her, too. I enjoyed her interactions with the her fellow nurses (Gina in particular) and the local weres (Lucas in particular) immensely. And her encounters with the elusive Asher fill me with alternating glee and uncertainty. I choose to view these tentative forays as harbingers of the hope she deserves. My concerns and hopes aside, MOONSHIFTED absolutely shone in the sequel department, extending my affection for the characters, while introducing new angles to sink my teeth into. It also possesses one humdinger of a climax. I was swept away in the force with which it built and the raging rush to the finish. I'm more attached to Edie than ever. This is urban fantasy of the highest order. However will I survive the wait for book three?(less)

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Jan 05, 2013 Teresa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-it, shapeshifters, vampires, favorites

3.5 stars.
This is the second book in the Edie Spence series. In this one Edie, a nurse in the Y4, a special floor of the hospital that treats vampires and werewolves and other things that go bump in the night, is walking across the street with a fellow nurse when they witness a hit and run. The victim turns out to be the pack leader of the local werewolf pack. Now Edie is caught between two rival packs and she has to deal with her vampire friends too. When Edie starts getting attacked by weres w...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Dianne Socci-Tetro rated it 5 of 5 stars

Moonshifted
An Edie Spence Novel
Cassie Alexander
…

I am so glad that I had the good judgment to give this author another try. I had been slightly unhappy with the last book but had seen the potential and this second novel is fantastic! If I was unhappy with the lack of world building in the last book, the author made up for that lack in this one. I now know so much more about Edie’s world and it really helps to get the reader ‘into’ the story/

Things are going tremendously weird in Edie’s’ life lat...more

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Jan 25, 2013 K. Bird rated it 4 of 5 stars

Moonshifted picks up right where Nightshifted left off, with nurse Edie still working on the "special" floor of the county hospital mostly caring for daytimers (vampire servants) and werewolves. She has an uneasy truce/attraction with shapeshifter Asher and her zombie boyfriend Ti is gone after sustaining severe damage at the end of book one.

A werewolf gets run down in the street in front of her, and her vampire friend Anna asks her to play a special role in a ceremony giving Anna the power to s...more Moonshifted picks up right where Nightshifted left off, with nurse Edie still working on the "special" floor of the county hospital mostly caring for daytimers (vampire servants) and werewolves. She has an uneasy truce/attraction with shapeshifter Asher and her zombie boyfriend Ti is gone after sustaining severe damage at the end of book one.

A werewolf gets run down in the street in front of her, and her vampire friend Anna asks her to play a special role in a ceremony giving Anna the power to start her own vampire "house." Edie soon realizes attacks on her life, her brother's new job, and all the other stuff are connected and she'd better figure out how before it all comes crashing down around her and the hospital itself.

Looking at this description, it sounds like non-stop fantasy action. In a way, it is, but actually the best part of this series is still the nitty-gritty details of drug names, charting, nurse politics, night-shift woes, etc, that is a major part of Edie's life. The parts of the book happening in the hospital are my favorite parts.

For my own taste, Edie's personal relationships are just way too messed up for me (I'm a romance junkie, but can forgive lack of romance if other relationships within the story develop as emotionally complicated and fulfilling). Not only her druggie brother, but Asher, new werewolf interest Lucas (especially their hookup scene, which is a bit rough and disturbed me when I read it, but left a deep impression on me as meaningful to understanding Edie's character) and Dred/Sike. The impression I am left with is how unutterably twisted and grim things are in Edie's life. (Don't get me started on Gideon, what happens to him is just so whacked).

Don't get me wrong, this book is well-written (except for the slightly too-convenient nature of the way the hospital-protecting Shadows are absent during a crucial period), Edie is very believable and real, and the subcast of characters are all fascinating. My dissatisfaction is mostly a personal taste matter.

I recommend reading the first book in the series before this one if you're new to Edie, but this is a worthwhile sequel.

This Book's Snack Rating: More BBQ Kettle Chips for the smoky/bitter bite of relationships on a sturdy crunch of well-constructed characters and urban fantasy world

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Nov 26, 2012 The Book Tart rated it 5 of 5 stars

I LOVE this urban fantasy series by Cassie Alexander! I stumbled upon her debut novel , Nightshifted,late last spring and I devoured it in one gulp. I've been counting down the months and then the days for the sequel to be released. *Kermit flail* It's here! It's here!

OK, do you read urban fantasy? Do you like stories with paranormal elements? What if the paranormal creatures aren't all sparkely or even very nice for that matter? Still game? Then come meet Edie and fall in love.

The heroine of th...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Beth Cato rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, netgalley, nightshifted-series, urban

I was provided this Advance Reader Copy by the publisher.

Alexander begins this book with the same brisk action and unique perspective that made the first book, Nightshifted, so enjoyable. Alexander is a real-life nurse, and brings that realism to her urban fantasy featuring a nurse working on Y4, the top-secret paranormal creature wing of the hospital. There are a gazillion urban fantasies out there right now, and for me that touch of medical realism is what sets this series apart and makes it a...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Natalie rated it 4 of 5 stars

The second in the Edie Spence series, the first being Nightshifted. I highly recommend reading the first in the series before starting this one--the story makes a little bit more sense.

Edie is back and back to work. But work isn't normal, and things definitely take a turn for the weird.

I don't want to say anything and spoil the story, but the story starts off with an accident and just runs from there. Edie, of course, is working at County Hospital in the Y4 ward so her brother, a junkie, will s...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really didn't intend to continue on with this series after reading the first book "Nightshifted". It had a great premise but I thought the execution was rather weak. Then I found this book on sale and picked it up on a whim. Yet another whim had me moving it straight to the top of my TBR pile. I am quite glad I went ahead and tried to read more about Edie.

For starters "Moonshifted" had a much more cohesive plot. The world didn't get fully explained but we did finally get more details about it...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Sophia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Better than the first book. The situations that Edie gets in are just crazy. Her life is crazy. But I guess that’s half the fun of the book. The first book was just bouncing all over the place there was no clear plot. This book luckily there was the overall mystery of the almost dying Winter dude. And thankfully everything tied back into that whole story line so it wasn't just an a book recording the “Day in Edie Spencer’s life”.
Some things that did bother me were, Edie is grieving over her los...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Krystal Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Moonshifted is the 2nd book in the Edie Spence series and I LOVED it!! It was such a fun read. The story became more indepth and the ending was unexpected. The ending did what an ending in a series should do....make the reader excited to continue the story. In this novel, we see Edie continuing her dangerous nursing job on y4 the top secret, supernatural floor of the hospital. She witnesses and hit and run while she is on a break that results in a were-war. Edie is in the middle of werewolves, v...more

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May 03, 2013 Tanya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, urban-fantasy

Moonshifted wasn't as good as Nightshifted, but I like Edie, so I still enjoyed it. I felt the plot on this one was even more all over the place than the last one. On a break, Edie witnesses the hit and run of the local werewolf leader. So, naturally, she gets involved with the werewolves since they are in & out of Y4 while the werewolf is there dying. She's also involved with the vamps again since Anna has asked her to be at her "coming out" kind of party to rise to the group of vamp leader...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Melliane rated it 5 of 5 stars

4,5/5

Mon avis en Français

My English review

After a very good first novel, it was a pleasure to immerse myself in the second volume of the adventures of Edie Spence. I enjoyed the first book with its originality and the hospital environment in which we evolve. And this new novel is no exception to the rule!

We find our young heroine in her life full of events. Well, since she knows Anna, she has many more problems than usual. Okay, it's true, that working in Y4 does not help either. But then when s...more 4,5/5

Mon avis en Français

My English review

After a very good first novel, it was a pleasure to immerse myself in the second volume of the adventures of Edie Spence. I enjoyed the first book with its originality and the hospital environment in which we evolve. And this new novel is no exception to the rule!

We find our young heroine in her life full of events. Well, since she knows Anna, she has many more problems than usual. Okay, it's true, that working in Y4 does not help either. But then when she thought she could have a normal life again, everything turns upside down in a few seconds. Indeed, Anna needs her for her vampiric ceremony, a ceremony that seems very important. In addition to this, she finds herself in the middle of a werewolves power struggle when she saves their pack leader after an accident. But it is not over, her family comes to see her and her brother is here as well, being convinced that he will be able to be a better person now, although she isn’t really convinced about that. I must say that after all the troubles; it is difficult to trust him. And even if she wants to, she realizes that he always manages to find problems whatever he does.

After discovering a first volume that plunges us into the vampires world, this one allows us to discover the werewolves one. And I must say it is much more complex than we might think. We meet some new characters, we quickly enjoy. I especially liked Lucas, the nephew of the pack leader who seems quite interested in our little Edie. And I must say that I completely fell under his spell! I think it is difficult to be otherwise. We find a young man who despite what he would like, has a destiny he doesn’t want. But of course this is impossible and we see how he manages his feelings and how he can control this situation. He is brave, kind, but tough when necessary. However we see the flaws in his shell throughout the story, showing us his fragility. Asher is also there and it's true he does everything we can to help our heroine, and although I appreciate him, I really think Lucas is as important. However, I was quite surprised to not see our zombie, I thought he would appear in the book, but with all these changes, we finally don’t care about it. There's so much in this novel and we’re carried away by the story as soon as we read it. I admit that as soon as Lucas is featuring, we only see him!

I really enjoyed this novel and it was difficult to put it down once started. However, I was very surprised by the end of the book. We wonder how Edie will manage to find a way out. This is terrible because once finished we only want more and have the third book in hand. This novel starts some big changes for our heroine and I can not wait to read more. I just have to wait I think.

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Feb 28, 2013 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this second book in the Edie Spence series and thought it was a fantastic follow up to Nightshifted. After the events of that book, where Edie survives a particularly nasty attack by vampires, Edie has recovered and has just returned to her job in Y4, the supernatural area of the hospital when this story begins. Edie and a co-worker witness a hit and run and when they rush to aid the victim, they discover he’s not only a werewolf, but the leader of a local pack. Much drama ensue...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Alice Liu rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really liked this book, but I have to agree with some of the other reviews that I've read that the story/characters are a little all over the place. The who's who and the why of things get a bit convoluted. On the other hand, "convoluted" is par for the course when it comes to vampire and were politics. What I like about Edie is that while she doesn't like being caught up in the vampire/were games, she deals with it without self-pity. Whenever I have a bad day, I will think of her and be grate...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Bookcrazy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-german-2012

Meine Meinung zum Buch
--------------------------
Der Anfang war recht vielversprechend, leider gefiel mir das Buch zum Ende hin immer weniger. Schade, da mir Bd. 1 wirklich gut in Erinnerung bleibt.
Was mir nicht so gefiel? Schwer zu sagen, aber für mich war in dem Buch zuviel Werwolfzeug und Vampire und es drehte sich irgendwie wenig um Eddies Arbeit, ihre verschiedenen Patienten, sondern vielmehr nur um einen - einen Werwolf und die daraus resultierenden Schwierigkeiten.
Auch die Entwicklung hin...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Angela the Fair ~Lusty Lace~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

Review also posted at Under The Covers Book Blog

“Edie Spence series is for sure one of the best UF books around.” ~Under the Covers

Moonshifted is the second installment of Edie Spence series. Ms. Alexander delivered another well written and engaging story. She managed to make this book even better with a more detailed but complex plot. I devoured it in about two and half days which is big for me considering I’m a slow reader.

Edie continues to get her nursing experience working at a secret unit...more
Review also posted at Under The Covers Book Blog

“Edie Spence series is for sure one of the best UF books around.” ~Under the Covers

Moonshifted is the second installment of Edie Spence series. Ms. Alexander delivered another well written and engaging story. She managed to make this book even better with a more detailed but complex plot. I devoured it in about two and half days which is big for me considering I’m a slow reader.

Edie continues to get her nursing experience working at a secret unit called Y4 where her patients are of the supernatural kind. If you read Nightshifted (book1), you know that Edie is a special nurse. She is a patient advocate and she goes above and beyond her duties. She is good at what she does and can handle high stress level situations. Well, she definitely proved that here when chaos occurs at her work as well as her personal life.

The world building is more in-depth in this installment. Ms. Alexander definitely widened the world, it’s not just limited to the patients in Y4 but even beyond the hospital walls. Edie is more involved with the faction of vampires’ and the wolves’ hierarchies during the overturn of leaders. Along with the caring for a patient who happens to be the Alpha of his pack; she also promised to be responsible and be a part of a vampire coronation ceremony. Both factions are involved in a power struggle that is of course brewing into war. Edie just finds herself in the midst of all the chaos. I’m telling you, they all seem to flock to her for help. While she does well with this type of chaos, I can’t say the same for her love life.

She still doesn’t have one. After her zombie boyfriend left her she just can’t seem to shake him off. Not that she doesn’t have any choices, in fact, she has two good candidates. Asher, a sexy shifter is at her beck and call. And Lucas, a wolf up for the Alpha leadership position is also very interested. It’s frustrating to see her attraction for them but not able to give a relationship a chance. I mean, both men are super sexy, very powerful and did I mention sexy? I just totally disagree with her sleeping around and I can’t wait for her to give love a chance. *Preferably with Asher*

Edie’s co-workers, her brother and even her mom were fun to read about. They are so easy to love or hate (as far as her brother goes). Ms. Alexander is obviously knowledgeable about nursing care but what awes me is her incorporation of it into a paranormal world. It was really cool to see how protocols are handled when your patients are supernaturals. Ms. Alexander ended this book with a bit of a cliffhanger. There were some decisions that seemed final and I’m curious to see how she will pull Edie out of that situation.

I enjoyed every bit of this book. The plot is very intriguing, full of action and a good amount of smexy. Edie Spence series is for sure one of the best UF books around.

*ARC provided by publisher
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Apr 25, 2013 Chanin Malley rated it 3 of 5 stars

I give this book a 3.75.
I enjoyed this book the characters and plot made everything really interesting it was like watching the ER only supernatural. There were a couple things that i didnt understand or couldnt relate with like her connection with her brother,her fear of the supernatural relationship wise other things like that. all in all i enjoyed this book and might get the third in the series.One of the reason i couldnt relate to the brother was it seemed as if he wanted to ruin his own lif...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Jessica at Book Sake rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed by Jessica for Book Sake.

First up, full disclosure: I’m a new nurse and I love reading paranormal tales, so that might make me a sucker for this series. Do you need to be a nurse to enjoy the series? Nope, but it sure doesn’t hurt.

Moonshifted is the second book in the Edie Spence series and it’s even better than the first. There was more action, more snarkiness, and even more sexiness in this one. Edie’s coworkers at the hospital are all interesting characters on their own, and they are...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Carmel (Rabid Reads) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

Cassie Alexander has really hit her stride with this second installment by adding werewolves into her unique para-medical world. The story is richly detailed, the plot is complex and Edie Spence is absolutely delightful. Moonshifted offers a fresh perspective on a popularized genre by combining nursing with dark humor and wackiness to create a winning blend that’s not to be missed.

Instead of the typical who-done-it, this book’s plot revolves around who-can-be-trusted and...more Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

Cassie Alexander has really hit her stride with this second installment by adding werewolves into her unique para-medical world. The story is richly detailed, the plot is complex and Edie Spence is absolutely delightful. Moonshifted offers a fresh perspective on a popularized genre by combining nursing with dark humor and wackiness to create a winning blend that’s not to be missed.

Instead of the typical who-done-it, this book’s plot revolves around who-can-be-trusted and the answer isn’t as straightforward as you might expect. Through no fault of her own, Edie finds herself surrounded by questionable friends. Everyone seems to have their own hidden agenda except for Edie, she just wants to do her job and have the odd one night stand. I enjoyed the constant power plays in this installment; it was hard to know who to trust and the ending does a bang up job of disproving all of your suspicions.

The heroine of this series really stands out amidst the sea of women in Urban Fantasy. She’s a very life-like fictional character with real responsibilities and I’m happy that Alexander continued to build upon this aspect after Nightshifted. Edie isn’t your typical protagonist that leaps before looking; she makes real, conscientious efforts to avoid trouble but unfortunately for her, trouble loves company. On more than one occasion she voices that she’s about to do something silly but it’s usually an attempt to stave off an even worse outcome so you can’t help but admire a heroine who’s not only able to identify evil but chose the lesser option. The only thing about her personality that has me a little perplexed is her penchant for one night stands. After two books there still doesn’t appear to be a clear cut love interest which is fine just… a little peculiar for this genre.

I consider myself to be a rather tough werewolf critic so I was surprised by how easily Cassie’s lupines passed my tests. I honestly wasn’t expecting the lore to be very thorough seeing how each installment in this series revolves around a different breed of preternatural but Alexander’s attention to detail is commendable. She describes the differences between bitten and born wolves, old blood vs. new, and how the moon affects each subgroup. The hierarchy, history and mourning process are also explained. This book kind of makes me wish that Alexander would write a spin-off werewolf series!

Moonshifted demonstrates that there are still untapped areas left to be explored in Urban Fantasy and that Cassie Alexander has found one with her Edie Spence series.

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Jan 31, 2013 Tammi rated it 5 of 5 stars

What has Edie Spence gotten herself into now? After everything that happened in Nightshifted, she has no desire to become that involved in the paranormal again. Then she and co-worker, Charles, witnesses a hit and run with a werewolf. They quickly put their medical training to work and the werewolf becomes a patient on Y4. They soon learn that this werewolf is the alpha of one of the local packs.

What Edie doesn’t realize is that this is the start of a war between rivaling werewolf packs and that...more What has Edie Spence gotten herself into now? After everything that happened in Nightshifted, she has no desire to become that involved in the paranormal again. Then she and co-worker, Charles, witnesses a hit and run with a werewolf. They quickly put their medical training to work and the werewolf becomes a patient on Y4. They soon learn that this werewolf is the alpha of one of the local packs.

What Edie doesn’t realize is that this is the start of a war between rivaling werewolf packs and that the hit and run wasn’t an accident. Someone is trying to get rid of the alpha. She has vowed not to get involved. She has been down that road before and has been burned. Then Lucas comes into the picture. He is the nephew of the alpha that was hit. As much as she tries to stay neutral, it doesn’t happen. She tries to get assistance from her vampire friend, and when that doesn’t work, Edie needs the help of the pack to remain safe. Lucas is the one who is assigned to guard her. What will happen to Edie? Will she be able to stay uninvolved? How will this werewolf war be resolved?

I have said it before that I really like the Edie Spence series. Being in the medical profession, it is hard to read books (or watch shows) that represent medicine in a serious nature because I get nitpicky about things that they are doing wrong. That is my job. When it is present in a comedy, it is easier for me to forget my job and just enjoy what is happening to the characters. That is exactly what this series does. I know that this is not reality and I can put my nurse hat away.

That being said, I love paranormal books. Having both of those two wrapped up together is the perfect package for me. I really like Edie Spence in the fact that she is a new nurse and is especially new on Y4. That means that she doesn’t always know what the policies/procedures are. This is good because the reader doesn’t know them either. You learn when she is learning. Alexander’s writing is done in a way that you don’t really have to know anything about medicine to understand the book. That is not what it is all about. It doesn’t go into medical jargon that the lay person cannot understand. It is an easy read and one that I highly recommend to anyone who likes paranormal books.

I also like the variation in the books. You never get bored reading them. Nightshifted was mostly about vampires. Moonshifted is mostly about werewolves. Even though those are the main themes, there are other paranormal creatures in the books. In Nightshifted, there was an incident with a fire-breathing dragon. Y4, the paranormal unit within the hospital, houses every kind of paranormal being, so there is a vast assortment to write about and still make sense within the story line. Lastly, I love the quotes. I had shared some with my review of Nightshifted and I’ll share some here too. Most of these are funny because they hit home and again, I shared quotes with my co-workers.(less)

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Feb 27, 2013 Ann-Kristin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-other, favorite

Spoiler free

One reviewer wrote "More romantic urban fantasy, this time Nurse Edie jumping on the Edward vs. Jakob debate.". Well, hello there? Have we even read the same book? And when did Twilight get to be on top and every other book with a were and vamp are "like Twilight?".If there are two paranormal creatures and a woman that likes them both, then it's like Twilight? If Twilight was as old as the Bible I could see your point, but it's not like Meyer invented the whole PNR-triangle.
First o...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Inhalt
Edie Spence, immernoch Krankenschwester auf Station Y4 (der Station für Vampire, Werwölfe und alles übersinnliche), hilft dieses Mal auf der Station für Werwesen aus. In ihrer Mittagspause wird sie Zeugin wie ein Mann von einem Laster überfahren wird und eilt sofort zur Hilfe. Zu zweit bringen sie den Verletzten schließlich ins Krankenhaus und schließlich wird ihnen klar, dass sie niemand geringeren als den "König"/Rudelführer der Werwölfe vor dem sicheren Tod zu retten versuchen... Edie v...more Inhalt
Edie Spence, immernoch Krankenschwester auf Station Y4 (der Station für Vampire, Werwölfe und alles übersinnliche), hilft dieses Mal auf der Station für Werwesen aus. In ihrer Mittagspause wird sie Zeugin wie ein Mann von einem Laster überfahren wird und eilt sofort zur Hilfe. Zu zweit bringen sie den Verletzten schließlich ins Krankenhaus und schließlich wird ihnen klar, dass sie niemand geringeren als den "König"/Rudelführer der Werwölfe vor dem sicheren Tod zu retten versuchen... Edie vermutet einen Mordanschlag und erneut ermittelt die mutige Krankenschwester auf eigene Faust!
Fazit
"Night Shifted" Visite bei Vollmond ist der zweite Band der Night Shifted Reihe von Cassie Alexander. Wie schon Band 1 ist dieser Roman sehr außergewöhnlich geschrieben und bringt endlich mal frischen Wind in die Fantasy-Szene. Anders als andere Romane beschränkt sich dieser nicht auf eine Spezies sondern das ganze Buch hindurch werden alle möglichen Formen von fantastischen Wesen angesprochen, zu Hauptfiguren gemacht, in die Geschichte mit einbezogen und vorgestellt. Das ganze wirkt sehr erfrischend, spritzig, spannend und interessant, die Charaktere sind durch die Bank weg sehr tiefgreifend und hintergründig und die Geschichte nimmt so manch spannende Wendung. Band 2 konnte mich noch ein Stück weit mehr faszinieren als Band 1, überzeugt er doch mit seiner spannenderen Geschichte und neuen Charakteren, die die alten jedoch nicht ersetzen sondern wunderbar in das Geflecht der bestehenden Figuren mit eingesponnen werden.
Man erfährt noch mehr über die Krankenschwester Edie, kann tiefer in ihre Gedanken- und Gefühlswelt eintauchen und lernt sie im Gesamtbild viel besser kennen. Der Charakter des Gestaltwandler Asher taucht vermehrt auf, bildet sich mehr zu einem der Hauptcharaktere und wird ein ganzes Stück sympathischer, der Leser wird dazu gebracht ihm Vertrauen entgegenzubringen - man muss ihn einfach mögen. Edies Bruder Jake taucht ebenfalls des öfteren auf, seine Drogensucht scheint zwar besiegt doch dieses Mal handelt er mit einer geheimnisvollen Substanz die sich Luna Lobus nennt und noch einige Geheimnisse birgt...Jake macht im Gegensatz zu den anderen Figuren kaum eine Entwicklung durch, er bleibt immer wieder derselbe - was ihn zu einem beständigen Charakter macht, der auch in jedem Roman vorhanden sein sollte. Mir persönlich ist der gute Mann dann aber doch etwas suspekt, ich bin mir nie sicher in welche Schublade ich ihn stecken soll und diese Einstellung änderte sich den ganzen Roman über nicht mehr. Die Figuren von Anna und Sike lernt man ebenfalls besser kennen und trotz ihrer gefährlichen, etwas seltsamen Art verspürt man doch eine gewisse Sympathie, besonders da sie sich trotzallem als loyale Partner erweisen - die Geschichte um die beiden, die mitunter zur Hauptgeschichte gehören begann schon in Band 1 und wird hier weiter ausgeführt. Sehr suspekt war mir dann aber doch die Gestalt des Großvaters, bzw. die des Guideon - irgendwie waren mir die "Vorgänge" dieser "Personen" dann doch etwas zu weit hergeholt und überstiegen stellenweise einfach meine Vorstellungskraft. Mir persönlich blieben um diese/n Charakter(e) zuviele Fragen offen und ich hoffe fast ein bisschen, dass sich das im dritten und abschließenden Band der Reihe dann doch noch etwas klärt.
Die Werwölfe rückten in diesem Band besonders in den Vordergrund, meiner Ansicht nach eine sehr gute Idee, vorallem da in Band 1 die Vampire dominierten. Die Werwölfe wurden sehr gut und glaubwürdig beschrieben, man konnte sie schon fast vor sich sehen, sie riechen und spüren. So manches Mal entgleiste meine Fantasie tatsächlich soweit, dass ich mich in dieser Welt wiederfand und sie einfach spüren wollte - fast als müsste ich nur die Hand ausstrecken und nach ihnen greifen.
Eine Liebesgeschichte tritt dieses Mal nicht auf, lediglich das ein oder andere Beziehungs-Drama von anderen Protagonisten bzw. Techtelmechtel von Edie. Dies stört jedoch nicht den Fluss der Geschichte, man muss ja schließlich nicht immer eine Liebesstory dabei haben, sofern die erotischen Szenen trotzdem passend eingebaut sind - was in diesem Roman durchaus der Fall ist. Blutig ist es aber nach wie vor - alles andere wäre schließlich auch langweilig. ;-)
Band 1 "Medizin um Mitternacht" sollte man unbedingt gelesen haben, ansonsten werden viele Beziehungen und Verbindungen nicht klar und die Geschichte erscheint unvollständig da zuviele Hintergrundinformationen fehlen. Der Roman "Visite bei Vollmond" wurde flüssig und in gut verständlicher Sprache verfasst, die Kapitel sind ausreichend lang und die Schrift ist groß genug gewählt. Die Wortwahl finde ich sehr gelungen, die Autorin schreibt mit Witz und schafft es auch in spannenden Situationen immer die Spannung aufrecht zu erhalten.(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, urban-fantasy, werewolves, zombies, clear-eyes-full-shelves, because-angie-said-so

4.5 stars - Even better than the first!

{This review was originally published on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.}

Cassie Alexander's debut novel, Nightshifted, was one of the more memorable and creative urban fantasies I've read in a long time. Needless to say, I was thrilled to get my hands on an early copy of Moonshifted, Nightshifted's fast-paced and riveting sequel.

[Note: I have made every attempt to avoid spoilers for Nightshifted. Read my review of that book Read my review of that book here.]

Moons...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Ghadeer A rated it 4 of 5 stars

I LOVED it...

Poor Edie...the things she had to deal with in this book....
But that is what I like about her no matter what life throws at her she has a strong will and a big heart. That often gets her in trouble...
In ths book we know more about her coworkers and they became more like friends actually especially Gina ...although we still do not know a lot about meaty not even the gender :)
We also meet her mom and stepdad and I loved them both they were ....real I guess ..
As for the love interest...more

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Moonshifted (Edie Spence #2)

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