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Shifted World #2
Kindred and Wings
On the back of the dragon Wahirangi, Finn the Fox flees the world he has known. As he sets out to find the brother he never knew of, he still holds in his heart the memory of the Hunter. He has denied his love for her, but he cannot deny it forever.
In the halls of the Last Believers, Talyn begins to uncover her own mysteries, but her lust for the death of the Caisah is still strong and clouds her vision. She must choose her path, as the Seer of her people or as the assassin of the overlord.
Meanwhile, Byre, Talyn's brother, must venture into the fiery world of the Kindred, to rebuild the pact that his ancestors made. He will risk everything he is as he forms a new pact that will change his people forever.
Dragons and myths will be reborn, as the Hunter and her Fox face each other once more.
In the halls of the Last Believers, Talyn begins to uncover her own mysteries, but her lust for the death of the Caisah is still strong and clouds her vision. She must choose her path, as the Seer of her people or as the assassin of the overlord.
Meanwhile, Byre, Talyn's brother, must venture into the fiery world of the Kindred, to rebuild the pact that his ancestors made. He will risk everything he is as he forms a new pact that will change his people forever.
Dragons and myths will be reborn, as the Hunter and her Fox face each other once more.
340 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Philippa Ballantine
71 books1,032 followersBorn and raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Philippa is a writer and podcaster of fantasy fiction.
Immersed in books from an early age, she moved onto to become a librarian. She'd been dreaming of being a writer since a teenager, but in the last ten years she's devoted herself to it.
She's the author of the Books of the Order series from Ace Books. Geist, Spectyr, Wrayth (2012) and Harbinger (2013).
Also, with Pyr books the Shifted World series, Hunter and Fox (2012) and Born and Made (2013)
Philippa is also the co-author of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. Phoenix Rising and the Janus Affair (2012)
Philippa currently resides in Manassas, Virginia with her husband and co-writer Tee Morris, their daughter and a clowder of five cats who keep them all in line.
Awards
2011 Goodreads Short Listed for Best Science Fiction
2011 Airship Award winner for best written work (with Tee Morris)
2011 Sir Julius Vogel Award nominee for Best Novel- Adult
2010 Parsec Award finalist for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast
2010 Sir Julius Vogel Award finalist for Best fan production
2009 Parsec Award finalist for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast
2009 Sir Julius Vogel Award winner for Best fan production
2009 Sir Julius Vogel Award nominee for Best Novel- Adult
2007 Parsec Award finalist for Best Writing Podcast
2006 Sir Julius Vogel Award nominee for Best Novel
Immersed in books from an early age, she moved onto to become a librarian. She'd been dreaming of being a writer since a teenager, but in the last ten years she's devoted herself to it.
She's the author of the Books of the Order series from Ace Books. Geist, Spectyr, Wrayth (2012) and Harbinger (2013).
Also, with Pyr books the Shifted World series, Hunter and Fox (2012) and Born and Made (2013)
Philippa is also the co-author of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. Phoenix Rising and the Janus Affair (2012)
Philippa currently resides in Manassas, Virginia with her husband and co-writer Tee Morris, their daughter and a clowder of five cats who keep them all in line.
Awards
2011 Goodreads Short Listed for Best Science Fiction
2011 Airship Award winner for best written work (with Tee Morris)
2011 Sir Julius Vogel Award nominee for Best Novel- Adult
2010 Parsec Award finalist for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast
2010 Sir Julius Vogel Award finalist for Best fan production
2009 Parsec Award finalist for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast
2009 Sir Julius Vogel Award winner for Best fan production
2009 Sir Julius Vogel Award nominee for Best Novel- Adult
2007 Parsec Award finalist for Best Writing Podcast
2006 Sir Julius Vogel Award nominee for Best Novel
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 21, 2013
originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2013...
A few weeks back I read the first book, Hunter and Fox in the latest series Shifted Worlds, of Philippa Ballantine. My opinion of Hunter and Fox was very positive and Philippa Ballantine showed an interesting interpretation on Epic/High Fantasy, using several elements that you normally but giving it totally her own spin. Hunter and Fox left the story on a bit of a cliffhanger with multiple storyline ready for continuation in the next book.
The story of Kindred and Wings picks up directly after the its predecessor, and follows the different storyline of Talyn, the once-Hunter for the Caisah, Finn the Fox, a talespinner and the brother of Talyn, Byre and a blood witch. We already got a great feel of these characters in the first book, Philippa Ballantine showed that she has a knack for creating interesting characters, but in this type genre, the epic and high fantasy, as a reader I want to see characters grow. This is exactly what you get when you start in the second book. Talyn, once a confident bounty hunter, quit her relation working for the Caisah and set out to find a cure and lift the Harrowing. However just abandoning her loyalties and finding a way for her own proved to be difficult to say the least, her new alliance with the Phage the purest of the pure Vaerli could help her more... but Talyn does find out that their goals are darker than she first had imagined. Talyn again readily draws the story forward and her part of the story is in strong relation to one of the other characters. Talyn acquires a scroll that has to be burned by dragon fire. Now in the first book Finn Named a Kindred and got himself a dragon, Talyn is thus strongly reliant on Finn. But, yes there is a but, Finn and Talyn has a complicated past and doesn’t make it easier for her to fulfil her quest. I really liked how Philippa Ballantine re-introduced us to the precarious relation that the two had and with the gift that Talyn, editing memories showed so fine storytelling.
The part of Finn’s story is very interesting. Finn now rides on the back of Wahirangi CloudLord (a dragon), who he Named in the first book. In the beginning there are some nice revealings about Finn’s character and family, and Finn finds out that he has a brother, Ysel, which he is determined to find. I really liked how Finn character was shown in his part, what you could make out from the first book was that he was a bit of a prankster kind of way, just spinning stories, making jokes and having a lot of fun. However with other things now in the back of his mind he characters perspectives changes a lot, and doesn’t feel as a stopgo situation but when you look back on all the events it goes gradually and Finn’s character becomes that much stronger throughout the pages. Also it seems that Finn has found a new buddy in Wahirangi, and when they are thrown into perilous situation, realying on each other is the only way to go and makes their bond that much stronger. Added to this is that Philippa Ballantine doesn’t introduce dragons as the normal stereotype but she uses some things you normally see but with some new features as well, look at the cover of the book and you know what I mean and for the finer details make sure you read the books. These creatures feel alive and when you see them breathing fire it surely heats up everything!
The last storyline that you follow is the part of Byre and Pelanor. I had high hopes for this part of the story and Phillipa Ballantine lived up to them and went beyond. Byre and Pelanor stood in front of the entrance of the Kindred! Yes! We glimpsed some of their power in the first book and I really really wanted to find out more about these creatures. And as you see Byre and Pelanor delving deeper and deeper in this strange realm, taking place in the past, it great to see just how vivid these events are described and there is this certain proposed eeriness that adds a lot of dimension to this storyline.
Just as in Hunter and Fox, the world that you again get acquainted to feels lively, vibrant and colourful. Especially in visiting different places in the different storylines. From the beginning of Kindred and Wings you are thrown right smack in the middle of it all, and in moving the story forward, Philippa Ballantine hardly spares you a moment to catch your breath, the nice pacing in the book doesn’t take away any quality time spend with the well fleshed out characters or the world itself, and once you are allowed to catch up with all, letting the surroundings and all the happened fully sink it makes it all the more worthwhile.
Kindred and Wings takes the Shifted World series further into the right direction. From the word go you are guided by different perspectives and on the back of a dragon through the rich world of Conhaero and other dimensions are added to this. Just as what I have come to learn from Philippa Ballantine’s other works, the characters and the world itself are just brimming in color and her writing style deftly completes her stories, once you are swept up in her writing you are in a current that you cannot get out off. The vision of Epic/High Fantasy shown in the Shifted world, be it on some fronts complex, is worthwhile to experience for yourself!
A few weeks back I read the first book, Hunter and Fox in the latest series Shifted Worlds, of Philippa Ballantine. My opinion of Hunter and Fox was very positive and Philippa Ballantine showed an interesting interpretation on Epic/High Fantasy, using several elements that you normally but giving it totally her own spin. Hunter and Fox left the story on a bit of a cliffhanger with multiple storyline ready for continuation in the next book.
The story of Kindred and Wings picks up directly after the its predecessor, and follows the different storyline of Talyn, the once-Hunter for the Caisah, Finn the Fox, a talespinner and the brother of Talyn, Byre and a blood witch. We already got a great feel of these characters in the first book, Philippa Ballantine showed that she has a knack for creating interesting characters, but in this type genre, the epic and high fantasy, as a reader I want to see characters grow. This is exactly what you get when you start in the second book. Talyn, once a confident bounty hunter, quit her relation working for the Caisah and set out to find a cure and lift the Harrowing. However just abandoning her loyalties and finding a way for her own proved to be difficult to say the least, her new alliance with the Phage the purest of the pure Vaerli could help her more... but Talyn does find out that their goals are darker than she first had imagined. Talyn again readily draws the story forward and her part of the story is in strong relation to one of the other characters. Talyn acquires a scroll that has to be burned by dragon fire. Now in the first book Finn Named a Kindred and got himself a dragon, Talyn is thus strongly reliant on Finn. But, yes there is a but, Finn and Talyn has a complicated past and doesn’t make it easier for her to fulfil her quest. I really liked how Philippa Ballantine re-introduced us to the precarious relation that the two had and with the gift that Talyn, editing memories showed so fine storytelling.
The part of Finn’s story is very interesting. Finn now rides on the back of Wahirangi CloudLord (a dragon), who he Named in the first book. In the beginning there are some nice revealings about Finn’s character and family, and Finn finds out that he has a brother, Ysel, which he is determined to find. I really liked how Finn character was shown in his part, what you could make out from the first book was that he was a bit of a prankster kind of way, just spinning stories, making jokes and having a lot of fun. However with other things now in the back of his mind he characters perspectives changes a lot, and doesn’t feel as a stopgo situation but when you look back on all the events it goes gradually and Finn’s character becomes that much stronger throughout the pages. Also it seems that Finn has found a new buddy in Wahirangi, and when they are thrown into perilous situation, realying on each other is the only way to go and makes their bond that much stronger. Added to this is that Philippa Ballantine doesn’t introduce dragons as the normal stereotype but she uses some things you normally see but with some new features as well, look at the cover of the book and you know what I mean and for the finer details make sure you read the books. These creatures feel alive and when you see them breathing fire it surely heats up everything!
The last storyline that you follow is the part of Byre and Pelanor. I had high hopes for this part of the story and Phillipa Ballantine lived up to them and went beyond. Byre and Pelanor stood in front of the entrance of the Kindred! Yes! We glimpsed some of their power in the first book and I really really wanted to find out more about these creatures. And as you see Byre and Pelanor delving deeper and deeper in this strange realm, taking place in the past, it great to see just how vivid these events are described and there is this certain proposed eeriness that adds a lot of dimension to this storyline.
Just as in Hunter and Fox, the world that you again get acquainted to feels lively, vibrant and colourful. Especially in visiting different places in the different storylines. From the beginning of Kindred and Wings you are thrown right smack in the middle of it all, and in moving the story forward, Philippa Ballantine hardly spares you a moment to catch your breath, the nice pacing in the book doesn’t take away any quality time spend with the well fleshed out characters or the world itself, and once you are allowed to catch up with all, letting the surroundings and all the happened fully sink it makes it all the more worthwhile.
Kindred and Wings takes the Shifted World series further into the right direction. From the word go you are guided by different perspectives and on the back of a dragon through the rich world of Conhaero and other dimensions are added to this. Just as what I have come to learn from Philippa Ballantine’s other works, the characters and the world itself are just brimming in color and her writing style deftly completes her stories, once you are swept up in her writing you are in a current that you cannot get out off. The vision of Epic/High Fantasy shown in the Shifted world, be it on some fronts complex, is worthwhile to experience for yourself!
November 25, 2018
Great conclusion, wish there were more in this series.
August 5, 2013
I reviewed Hunter and Fox and thought it would be a great introduction to those that want to read fantasy, but just haven't tried one yet. This book is the sequel but it is more heavily into the fantasy world than the first. I think that first book leads you easily into this one. However, just don't take too long to read this one or I would suggest rereading the first before diving into the second installment.
In this book we continue where we left off in the first book. We find ourselves less concerned with the characters than the world. The characters are still important, but do take a back seat to the shifting world and what happened before. It is all about taking that world that was established in the first book and making a puzzle out of it. We find that it was already a puzzle, but we weren't completely aware of that fact until now. The mystery of why things happened to the people of this world isn't as easily known as we first thought. We even find that those we deemed evil outright have a softer side. Nothing is straight forward and the more knowledge we gather a much fuller picture emerges. So, it is the unraveling of the world we knew as well as the build up of that world. With all the details the author gives, I commend her vast imagination of a world that you are convinced could exist. There is enough detail to make it work.
I give this book 4 stars. It is much more rooted in the fantasy type reads out there than the first. I enjoyed this installment and really liked the way this book pulls at the strings of our characters prejudices and fills them with correct knowledge. I recommend it to those that enjoy fantasy.
In this book we continue where we left off in the first book. We find ourselves less concerned with the characters than the world. The characters are still important, but do take a back seat to the shifting world and what happened before. It is all about taking that world that was established in the first book and making a puzzle out of it. We find that it was already a puzzle, but we weren't completely aware of that fact until now. The mystery of why things happened to the people of this world isn't as easily known as we first thought. We even find that those we deemed evil outright have a softer side. Nothing is straight forward and the more knowledge we gather a much fuller picture emerges. So, it is the unraveling of the world we knew as well as the build up of that world. With all the details the author gives, I commend her vast imagination of a world that you are convinced could exist. There is enough detail to make it work.
I give this book 4 stars. It is much more rooted in the fantasy type reads out there than the first. I enjoyed this installment and really liked the way this book pulls at the strings of our characters prejudices and fills them with correct knowledge. I recommend it to those that enjoy fantasy.
March 21, 2014
Kindred and Wings picks up where book 1 left off and continues the story pretty immediately. Again, reading for the story and not the setting, the books was pretty enjoyable. As with its predecessor there is a lot of information that goes with no explanation, questions left unanswered, etc. The world in this series seems extremely unique so it really is a shame that the author didn't explore it more and just tried to cram everything into a rather short novel and a short series. This is also where my problem with this book lays. Aside from how unorganized it read the ending was also pretty... empty. Especially for an ending that is supposed to be tying up this series since there's no third book. Overall it wasn't bad, it just left me a little unsatisfied.
September 5, 2013
I received a free review copy from Pyr.
Kindred and Wings is the second book in the Shifted World series. I strongly suggest starting with Hunter and Fox (A Shifted World Novel) the first book in the series. In my review of Hunter and Fox (on my blog), I gave the novel 3 1/2 stars. Sadly, book two did not really progress the story.
The story seemed to churn and I found myself daydreaming while attempting to read this novel. Don’t get me wrong the story isn’t bad but this YA novel failed to hook this nearly 55 year-old man. I suppose that I felt that I had read many of these elements in other stories.
I found the book to be average and give it the average score of 3 stars.
Kindred and Wings is the second book in the Shifted World series. I strongly suggest starting with Hunter and Fox (A Shifted World Novel) the first book in the series. In my review of Hunter and Fox (on my blog), I gave the novel 3 1/2 stars. Sadly, book two did not really progress the story.
The story seemed to churn and I found myself daydreaming while attempting to read this novel. Don’t get me wrong the story isn’t bad but this YA novel failed to hook this nearly 55 year-old man. I suppose that I felt that I had read many of these elements in other stories.
I found the book to be average and give it the average score of 3 stars.
October 25, 2013
This is not quite as good as Hunter and Fox, the first in the series but, after a slow start, it produces a well-paced ending with one unexpected outcome.
http://opionator.wordpress.com/2013/1...
http://opionator.wordpress.com/2013/1...
December 13, 2013
Still waited till around pg 48 to actually begin the story, and never really engaged the (my) imagination in the flashbacks/forwards/sideways... I am guessing without the first book, it is like trying to start a game midway through the 5th inning... I may look at the first one.
September 12, 2013
excellent.
March 23, 2014
As many have said much harder to get into but worth the effort
September 18, 2013
3.5
Not my favourite (I still think the first book is much better), but TALKING DRAGONS. <3
Not my favourite (I still think the first book is much better), but TALKING DRAGONS. <3
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews