Snog? Marry? Avoid? Shapeshifters...
To all who are reading this,
Once more you join me on the journey into the world of books. So far, I have blooged about Crime, Vampires and Magic. If you joined me for yesterday's blog, then you already know what this is about.
If you read the title, then you will probably know about today's topic. And that is...
Shapeshifters.
Shapeshifters can have many different names and can take different forms. One of the most common is the ability to shape into a wolf, whether by the pull of the moon and the pain of an infectious bite (a traditional werewolf) or by a sense of mind and your own force of will (known as lycanthropy).
Some people even suffer more a condition known as clinical lycanthropy, which is the delusion that they are an animal and have the ability to shift.
The idea of lycanthropy comes from Ancient Greece, where it is belived that King Lycaon, the King of Arcadia, attempted to persuade Zeus to eat human flesh. The flesh of Lycaon's own son. Zeus was thoroughly disgusted and cursed the King to turn into a beast. And that's where lycanthropy comes from.
I use wolves as an example, but there are many others, and can span the globe as myths. Sometimes they appear in childrens folktales and even movies, such as a Prince being turned into a Beast, until he came be loved and accepted, despite appearances. Yes that was Beauty and the Beast!
Let's take a walk on the wild side with this shapeshifting texts!
1. Stray by Rachel Vincent.
"Faythe Sanders looks like an ordinary student, but she's hiding a dark secret: she is a werecat, a powerful supernatural predator. Yet headstrong, independent Faythe resents her power, heading to college to escape her family and her overprotective ex, Marc. That is until a stray - a dangerous werecat without pride or territory - catches her scent. With two werecat girls already missing, Faythe is summoned home for her own protection. But Faythe will do whatever it takes to find her kidnapped kin. She has claws - and she's not afraid to use them."
Published in 2009, Stray is the first in The Shifters series, written for adults. I came across this in my local library and as soon as I saw the word, cat, I had to read it! And I was pretty impressed that I had the same pink leopard print belt as on the front cover. And, I'm so thrilled I did read it. A fast moving plot, the book is thrilling and engaging. Some scenes have difficult themes, but Vincent handles it with a clear thinking and intelligent writing. I felt a certain kinship to Faythe. Whether this was her behaviour or attitude, I was hooked. The were-cat males, or Toms, seem easy on the eyes too, and that makes reading even more fun. Even though my favourite is not Marc, but another werecat, Jace.
It is not often that werecats are seen in fiction, but when they appear, they don't half pack a punch. And Faythe Sanders leaves one hell of a mark. You could almost say, she leaves a pawprint on the page.
I give this: MARRIAGE!
2. Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
"Bride McTierney has just been dumped via FedEx. There's not much that could ease such a broken heart until Vane Kattalakis wanders into her shop and her life. Their whirlwind affair feels too good to be true. Deadly and tortured, Vane Kattalakis isn't what he seems. Most women lament that their boyfriends are dogs. In Bride's case, hers is a wolf. A Were-Hunter wolf. Wanted dead by his enemies, Vane isn't looking for a mate. But the Fates have marked Bride as his. Now he has three weeks to either convince Bride that the supernatural is real or he will spend the rest of his life neutered - something no self-respecting wolf can accept... But how does a wolf convince a human to trust him with her life when his enemies are out to end his? In the world of the Were-Hunters, it really is dog-eat-dog. And only one alpha male can win."Show More Show Less Published in 2004, this is the second book in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Were-Hunter series, and the eighth book in the Dark-Hunter series (both entwine reguarly). It left a mark on me, and I think what made it that was the characters. Bride is an average girl, a little on the large side. Now I struggle with my weight, so seeing a character find sadness and happiness with that, I was quite pleased. Vane, as a character however, is entirely different. Shapeshifting is a magical art, and that's what he is. His background is a little sad, but all the tragic heros are. The plot is simple enough and straight forward, but at the same time, it's also got its layers of complexity. Some readers may find it strange, but this is perhaps due to the layers of world building.I've read a multitude of wolf texts, but there was something a little lacking. Nevertheless, I would (and have) read more Kenyon.I give this: SNOG!
3. Dark Heart Forever by Lee Monroe.
"Jane Jonas is nearing her 16th birthday and troubled by unsettling recurring dreams where the same mysterious boy her age comes to her, telling Jane that they are each other's destiny. Her mother is increasingly anxious about Jane's disruptive sleepwalking episodes, but for Jane her dream world and reality are about to collide... When she develops a friendship with an enigmatic stranger in town, the blond, uber-cool Evan, it's exciting, it's new, and Jane wants him more than she's ever wanted anybody - until her mystery dream boy gets in the way. Now Jane is caught between two worlds: one familiar, but tinged with romance and excitement; the other dark and dangerous, where angels, werewolves, and an irresistible stranger are trying to seduce her..."Show More Show Less The first in the Dark Heart series, it was published in 2010. Sadly, I was disappointed. The cover promises more than it delivers. The plot is a great idea, but the writing leaves you wanting so much more than what you are given. It falls short, especially when we are thrown into the story, with no explanation. The blurb makes it appear in the higher end of the YA market, but then the problems arise... The characters need fleshing out more, especially when there is a twist with one. A twist that I guessed. Characters can be fleshed out in the rest of the books, but for our heroine, Jane, who claims to be a freak and to be bullied, she needs to stop harping on about her "long glossy hair". It's a classic trick of the YA fiction, and this isn't the first book to try it. There are some niggles with the location and I found myself thinking it was American at times - I noticed a few slip ups with the spelling of "Mum" or "Mom". Actually, I never felt it was clear that where we actually were.This book seems to fill a void with the rest of the "shapeshifting" books of the YA market. Sadly, it doesn't do its job. And neither does the rest of the series, which I tried, and read.I give this: AVOID!---Watch out for tomorrow's blog post about Horror!Yours, with eternal ink,Zoe---Currently reading: Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret StohlShow Less
Once more you join me on the journey into the world of books. So far, I have blooged about Crime, Vampires and Magic. If you joined me for yesterday's blog, then you already know what this is about.
If you read the title, then you will probably know about today's topic. And that is...
Shapeshifters.
Shapeshifters can have many different names and can take different forms. One of the most common is the ability to shape into a wolf, whether by the pull of the moon and the pain of an infectious bite (a traditional werewolf) or by a sense of mind and your own force of will (known as lycanthropy).
Some people even suffer more a condition known as clinical lycanthropy, which is the delusion that they are an animal and have the ability to shift.
The idea of lycanthropy comes from Ancient Greece, where it is belived that King Lycaon, the King of Arcadia, attempted to persuade Zeus to eat human flesh. The flesh of Lycaon's own son. Zeus was thoroughly disgusted and cursed the King to turn into a beast. And that's where lycanthropy comes from.
I use wolves as an example, but there are many others, and can span the globe as myths. Sometimes they appear in childrens folktales and even movies, such as a Prince being turned into a Beast, until he came be loved and accepted, despite appearances. Yes that was Beauty and the Beast!
Let's take a walk on the wild side with this shapeshifting texts!
1. Stray by Rachel Vincent.
"Faythe Sanders looks like an ordinary student, but she's hiding a dark secret: she is a werecat, a powerful supernatural predator. Yet headstrong, independent Faythe resents her power, heading to college to escape her family and her overprotective ex, Marc. That is until a stray - a dangerous werecat without pride or territory - catches her scent. With two werecat girls already missing, Faythe is summoned home for her own protection. But Faythe will do whatever it takes to find her kidnapped kin. She has claws - and she's not afraid to use them."Published in 2009, Stray is the first in The Shifters series, written for adults. I came across this in my local library and as soon as I saw the word, cat, I had to read it! And I was pretty impressed that I had the same pink leopard print belt as on the front cover. And, I'm so thrilled I did read it. A fast moving plot, the book is thrilling and engaging. Some scenes have difficult themes, but Vincent handles it with a clear thinking and intelligent writing. I felt a certain kinship to Faythe. Whether this was her behaviour or attitude, I was hooked. The were-cat males, or Toms, seem easy on the eyes too, and that makes reading even more fun. Even though my favourite is not Marc, but another werecat, Jace.
It is not often that werecats are seen in fiction, but when they appear, they don't half pack a punch. And Faythe Sanders leaves one hell of a mark. You could almost say, she leaves a pawprint on the page.
I give this: MARRIAGE!
2. Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
"Bride McTierney has just been dumped via FedEx. There's not much that could ease such a broken heart until Vane Kattalakis wanders into her shop and her life. Their whirlwind affair feels too good to be true. Deadly and tortured, Vane Kattalakis isn't what he seems. Most women lament that their boyfriends are dogs. In Bride's case, hers is a wolf. A Were-Hunter wolf. Wanted dead by his enemies, Vane isn't looking for a mate. But the Fates have marked Bride as his. Now he has three weeks to either convince Bride that the supernatural is real or he will spend the rest of his life neutered - something no self-respecting wolf can accept... But how does a wolf convince a human to trust him with her life when his enemies are out to end his? In the world of the Were-Hunters, it really is dog-eat-dog. And only one alpha male can win."Show More Show Less Published in 2004, this is the second book in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Were-Hunter series, and the eighth book in the Dark-Hunter series (both entwine reguarly). It left a mark on me, and I think what made it that was the characters. Bride is an average girl, a little on the large side. Now I struggle with my weight, so seeing a character find sadness and happiness with that, I was quite pleased. Vane, as a character however, is entirely different. Shapeshifting is a magical art, and that's what he is. His background is a little sad, but all the tragic heros are. The plot is simple enough and straight forward, but at the same time, it's also got its layers of complexity. Some readers may find it strange, but this is perhaps due to the layers of world building.I've read a multitude of wolf texts, but there was something a little lacking. Nevertheless, I would (and have) read more Kenyon.I give this: SNOG!
3. Dark Heart Forever by Lee Monroe."Jane Jonas is nearing her 16th birthday and troubled by unsettling recurring dreams where the same mysterious boy her age comes to her, telling Jane that they are each other's destiny. Her mother is increasingly anxious about Jane's disruptive sleepwalking episodes, but for Jane her dream world and reality are about to collide... When she develops a friendship with an enigmatic stranger in town, the blond, uber-cool Evan, it's exciting, it's new, and Jane wants him more than she's ever wanted anybody - until her mystery dream boy gets in the way. Now Jane is caught between two worlds: one familiar, but tinged with romance and excitement; the other dark and dangerous, where angels, werewolves, and an irresistible stranger are trying to seduce her..."Show More Show Less The first in the Dark Heart series, it was published in 2010. Sadly, I was disappointed. The cover promises more than it delivers. The plot is a great idea, but the writing leaves you wanting so much more than what you are given. It falls short, especially when we are thrown into the story, with no explanation. The blurb makes it appear in the higher end of the YA market, but then the problems arise... The characters need fleshing out more, especially when there is a twist with one. A twist that I guessed. Characters can be fleshed out in the rest of the books, but for our heroine, Jane, who claims to be a freak and to be bullied, she needs to stop harping on about her "long glossy hair". It's a classic trick of the YA fiction, and this isn't the first book to try it. There are some niggles with the location and I found myself thinking it was American at times - I noticed a few slip ups with the spelling of "Mum" or "Mom". Actually, I never felt it was clear that where we actually were.This book seems to fill a void with the rest of the "shapeshifting" books of the YA market. Sadly, it doesn't do its job. And neither does the rest of the series, which I tried, and read.I give this: AVOID!---Watch out for tomorrow's blog post about Horror!Yours, with eternal ink,Zoe---Currently reading: Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia & Margaret StohlShow Less
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