Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Darkest Fear (Birthright, #1)” as Want to Read:
Darkest Fear
(Birthright #1)
by
Vivi’s animal instincts are her legacy—and maybe her downfall—in this start to a romantic fantasy series that will appeal to fans of The Nine Lives of Chloe King.
Vivi has known the truth about her family—and herself—since she was thirteen. But that doesn’t mean she’s accepted it. Being Haguari isn’t something she feels she’ll ever accept. How can she feel like anything but ...more
Vivi has known the truth about her family—and herself—since she was thirteen. But that doesn’t mean she’s accepted it. Being Haguari isn’t something she feels she’ll ever accept. How can she feel like anything but ...more
Get A Copy
Hardcover, 359 pages
Published
January 7th 2014
by Simon Pulse
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Darkest Fear,
please sign up.
Recent Questions
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Darkest Fear (Birthright, #1)

From lack of excitement to a protagonist I despised to a very bizarre romantic arc, I was happy to be done with this one. To paint a quick picture: the only interesting part of this book is in the blurb.
Darkest Fear starts with an intriguing Jaguar Shape-shifting lore that, for the most part, is well crafted. The narrative when in Jaguar form is particularly clever. I was certain it was the promising start of an impressive series, especially when only a few chapters in, something monumental happ ...more
Darkest Fear starts with an intriguing Jaguar Shape-shifting lore that, for the most part, is well crafted. The narrative when in Jaguar form is particularly clever. I was certain it was the promising start of an impressive series, especially when only a few chapters in, something monumental happ ...more

Dec 04, 2013
Ornella (Nyx)
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arcs,
abandoned-series
1.5 Stars
How do I even begin this review...It's going to be more of a rant because put simply this book was a mess. I think the only thing going for it was the writing style which made it incredibly easy to actually keep reading because I honestly don't know how I even finished.
The characters ... most of the secondary characters were actually pretty great and about half of them were LGBT couples which was both nice, but at the same time it felt like too much, as if she were compensating for the ...more
How do I even begin this review...It's going to be more of a rant because put simply this book was a mess. I think the only thing going for it was the writing style which made it incredibly easy to actually keep reading because I honestly don't know how I even finished.
The characters ... most of the secondary characters were actually pretty great and about half of them were LGBT couples which was both nice, but at the same time it felt like too much, as if she were compensating for the ...more

A few minutes ago I finished reading The Darkest Fear by Cate Tiernan and after desperately trying to make more pages appear by flicking my thumb across my iPhone I sat back and had two intense thoughts that I wish to share with the world right now:
1. That was an awesome book; I need more.
2. I need more; how can it possibly have ended so soon.
Basically... and I can't iterate this point strongly enough... I need more. Do you understand me??? More!
There are aspects of this book that bridge the ga ...more
1. That was an awesome book; I need more.
2. I need more; how can it possibly have ended so soon.
Basically... and I can't iterate this point strongly enough... I need more. Do you understand me??? More!
There are aspects of this book that bridge the ga ...more

I don't know what this is but of she writes it I will read it!
11/14/13 ...more
11/14/13 ...more

Cheers cate, fucking cheers!! Once again..an awesome read!
Ive missed cate's writing style so much.
It felt so good and familiar.
Im excited for these series, and I cant wait to see what vivi has in store for us! ;)
And by the way, I want to be a haguara too u know.
like holy shit how freeking mental! Its way to awesome..
I LOVE U CATE TIERNAN!!!!!♥♥♥ ...more
Ive missed cate's writing style so much.
It felt so good and familiar.
Im excited for these series, and I cant wait to see what vivi has in store for us! ;)
And by the way, I want to be a haguara too u know.
like holy shit how freeking mental! Its way to awesome..
I LOVE U CATE TIERNAN!!!!!♥♥♥ ...more

Oct 31, 2012
Heather *Undercover Goth Queen*
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
popsugar-challenge,
series,
donate-trade,
word-vomit,
2015,
dumb,
werewolves-etc,
no,
sick-of-trilogies
This book had tons of problems. The writing was crap, there were too many characters, and the story seemed all over the place. I get that books end on cliffhangers sometimes (well, a lot), but this book wasn't even a complete story. And the cliffhanger was dumb. Oh, and Vivi's thoughts while she was a jaguar? I couldn't even read those. Those passages were SO AWFUL—uninteresting and poorly written.
I've enjoyed Tiernan's other work, but I definitely won't continue with this series. ...more
I've enjoyed Tiernan's other work, but I definitely won't continue with this series. ...more

I loved this book. Like I loved all other books by Cate Tiernan.
I Have to say it is more undefined than Cate's previous novels; the direction in which the story is going is unclear. This makes the storyline unfold a bit harphazardly and sometimes it seems like the pieces aren't comming together very well. On the other hand, it does make the story more interesting and held my attention.
Other than this, I loved Cate's writing-style. This particulary makes me love all her books so much, regardless ...more
I Have to say it is more undefined than Cate's previous novels; the direction in which the story is going is unclear. This makes the storyline unfold a bit harphazardly and sometimes it seems like the pieces aren't comming together very well. On the other hand, it does make the story more interesting and held my attention.
Other than this, I loved Cate's writing-style. This particulary makes me love all her books so much, regardless ...more

Apr 01, 2014
Stuti Rai
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-pr-everything-untoward
3.5
Overall, the book is quite good, almost contemporary NA-and yes, this is exactly what I thought NA should be like-the MC faces the same struggles a new adult would, getting out of school, facing the world, fitting in, finding her place, being overwhelmed, mending her childish ways, old friends growing apart, except, to some ahem... extraordinary capacities. So yeah, there are jaguars and family history and murders to be dealt with, but for the most part, her fears and insecurities are endemic ...more
Overall, the book is quite good, almost contemporary NA-and yes, this is exactly what I thought NA should be like-the MC faces the same struggles a new adult would, getting out of school, facing the world, fitting in, finding her place, being overwhelmed, mending her childish ways, old friends growing apart, except, to some ahem... extraordinary capacities. So yeah, there are jaguars and family history and murders to be dealt with, but for the most part, her fears and insecurities are endemic ...more

2.5 stars
Set-up
Vivi's parents told her the big family secret when she turned thirteen: she's descended from a long line of shape shifters called Haguari and can turn into a Jaguar. Instead of being thrilled about this news, Vivi was horrified, and has rejected everything about that nature since the day she found out about it. Why can't she just be normal? But when a tragedy strikes her family, Vivi is forced to confront who she is and reexamine everything she's denied about herself.
Thoughts
I be ...more
Set-up
Vivi's parents told her the big family secret when she turned thirteen: she's descended from a long line of shape shifters called Haguari and can turn into a Jaguar. Instead of being thrilled about this news, Vivi was horrified, and has rejected everything about that nature since the day she found out about it. Why can't she just be normal? But when a tragedy strikes her family, Vivi is forced to confront who she is and reexamine everything she's denied about herself.
Thoughts
I be ...more

See more of my reviews on The YA Kitten! My copy was an eARC I received from the publisher via Edelweiss.
The sole reason I wanted Darkest Fear can be summed up in one word: jaguars. I'm a huuuuge fan of the admittedly sucktacular American football team the Jacksonville Jaguars, so once I heard about this novel and the jaguar people in it, I knew I needed it. This is poor methodology for picking out books and I don't recommend it, but you know what? It worked this time. Darkest Fear is a great st ...more
The sole reason I wanted Darkest Fear can be summed up in one word: jaguars. I'm a huuuuge fan of the admittedly sucktacular American football team the Jacksonville Jaguars, so once I heard about this novel and the jaguar people in it, I knew I needed it. This is poor methodology for picking out books and I don't recommend it, but you know what? It worked this time. Darkest Fear is a great st ...more

Darkest Fear is a tale that begs lovers of paranormal stories to pick it up, promising a closer look at a lesser-known shifter than the werewolves who are so prevalent in supernatural fiction, and while the jaguar-shifter element holds us fascinated throughout, this first installment feels more like a novel-length prequel rather than the opening book in the series. We’re introduced to a variety of different plot threads–not so many as to be frustrating luckily, just enough to give the story a we
...more

Feb 26, 2013
Renee B.
is currently reading it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
cant-wait-any-longer-2014
I think we've established that I will read anything she writes, provided I can get my hands on them. Lol
...more

I tried... however Darkest Fear just wasn't what I had hoped :(
...more

For more reviews, gifs, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Though I ended up really enjoying the one other Cate Tiernan novel I’ve read after a rocky beginning, I wasn’t sure what to make of Darkest Fear and I wasn’t really in a hurry to read it. Still, when it came up as an option on YABC, I thought I’d give it a chance, especially since it had a couple of decent reviews from friends. My hesitance was that paranormal novels are very hit or miss for me, and ...more
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Though I ended up really enjoying the one other Cate Tiernan novel I’ve read after a rocky beginning, I wasn’t sure what to make of Darkest Fear and I wasn’t really in a hurry to read it. Still, when it came up as an option on YABC, I thought I’d give it a chance, especially since it had a couple of decent reviews from friends. My hesitance was that paranormal novels are very hit or miss for me, and ...more

*Genre* Paranormal Romance
*Rating* 2.5
*First Thoughts*
As a fan of The Nine Lives of Chloe King, Cate Tiernan's Darkest Fear is yet another book that has let me down. This is my first experiment with one of Tiernan's books, and I am sad to say that I will most likely not continue further into this series.
I am absolutely disappointed in the writing and direction that this story took. I am frustrated that such a weakly written lead character didn't do anything special to keep me excited about readi ...more
*Rating* 2.5
*First Thoughts*
As a fan of The Nine Lives of Chloe King, Cate Tiernan's Darkest Fear is yet another book that has let me down. This is my first experiment with one of Tiernan's books, and I am sad to say that I will most likely not continue further into this series.
I am absolutely disappointed in the writing and direction that this story took. I am frustrated that such a weakly written lead character didn't do anything special to keep me excited about readi ...more

Cards on the table here, folks: I have been reading Cate Tiernan’s books since I was twelve years old. Twelve. That’s fourteen-going-on-fifteen years, and more than twenty books. I’m a fan, to say the least, and unfortunately I picked up this book with the mindset of “well it’s Cate, so I’m going to like it no matter what.”
Bad! Bad E! Smack on the nose! Being blindly loyal to an author is all well-and-good, but if you’re going to operate a book review blog, you have to be objective – you have to ...more
Bad! Bad E! Smack on the nose! Being blindly loyal to an author is all well-and-good, but if you’re going to operate a book review blog, you have to be objective – you have to ...more

Darkest Fear is a book I was eager to read and that caught my attention because the main character is transformed into a jaguar, and I really like books about shifters and was intrigued to see how they handled the origins of these Haguaris. But the truth is that I struggle a lot with this book, I was about to drop it because I felt that nothing was happening when in fact they were a lot of things happening because Vivi and her parents are attacked by a jaguar and from the attack only Vivi surviv
...more

You know those books that you fly through, find addictive, but once you sit down to think about it, you're left with a little confusion? This totally gave me reader whiplash.
Vivi is a shifter. She's known since her 13th birthday - and she wants to be anything but. The story starts with a flash as her parents are suddenly murdered, shredding all the plans for the future she had, and leaving her...empty. In her search to find answers about her family, she finds more questions, sending her on a roa ...more
Vivi is a shifter. She's known since her 13th birthday - and she wants to be anything but. The story starts with a flash as her parents are suddenly murdered, shredding all the plans for the future she had, and leaving her...empty. In her search to find answers about her family, she finds more questions, sending her on a roa ...more

Vivi, a reluctant jaguar shape shifter (haguara), is just like any other girl in that she just wants to be normal and fit in. She wants this so much, that she has completely shut out her jaguar culture, so that when her parents are murdered, she is completely unprepared to take care of herself. This is partly because she has been a sheltered teen, but also because her dual nature has to surface. In her search for answers, she ends up with her cousin in New Orleans and finds that shape shifters r
...more

I was really hesitant to read Darkest Fear for the sole reason the blurb says fans of The Nine Lives of Chloe King will like this book. I read all three books in the Chloe King series and I really disliked each and every one of them.
But Darkest Fear was able to pull though (kinda).
I first want to call out who ever created the cover. They are stupid and don't know how to do their job. With the huge, bold print, you'd think this book was called Birthright. That's what I thought. But no. The seri ...more
But Darkest Fear was able to pull though (kinda).
I first want to call out who ever created the cover. They are stupid and don't know how to do their job. With the huge, bold print, you'd think this book was called Birthright. That's what I thought. But no. The seri ...more

I didn't exactly have any intention of reading this book but I saw it in the library yesterday and thought it looked cool. We all say don't judge a book by its cover and we shouldn't. But I judged this book by its cover and I have to say, it was judging well done. I didn't quite understand what it was about when I read the blurb but I picked it up anyone. But what can I say about this book? Oh. My. Gods. This book was amazing. As soon as I realized this not your usual paranormal book I did a lit
...more

Another fantastic book by Cate Tiernan. She is one of my favorite authors and I absolutely loved the book. Tiernan is a wonderful storyteller who creates really interesting, and well developed characters. Darkest Fear tells the story of an 18 year old girl who has to come to turns with being a haguara, a person who can turn into a jaguar, after the death of her parents. In coping with her parents death, Vivi finds out that she has an estranged aunt living in New Orleans. When Vivi goes to find h
...more

(2.5-3 stars) This was nothing like I'd expected from the author who penned one of my favorite YA trilogies, Immortal Beloved. Add to that the fact that her new series features feline shifters -- Love! The shifter mythology is intriguing; the characters, for the most part, are likable; and the MC's loss and struggle to find/accept herself was touching. Yet, sadly, there was something off. I read the book in one sitting and, by the end, which was a whiplash jarring sudden stop, I was left wonderi
...more

May 28, 2015
Emy
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
a-surrey-county-libraries,
2015
The story was good, but I utterly loathe books which end without the conclusion of at least the basic book-story. I enjoy overarching story arcs which covers many physical books, but I like individual volumes to be complete in themselves. If feels more like cynical marketing when a single book is split into a series.

This wasn't as bad of a book as I thought it might be. It's another example why you shouldn't take reviews too seriously. My only complaint is that this should have had more action in it. Nothing exciting really happens until the very end. I might continue on with series. I'll just wait and see how I feel.
...more

Another amazing read by Cate Tiernan! Full review to come :)

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA? girl who's a shapeshifter, parents killed, moves away. [s] | 4 | 24 | Feb 19, 2018 10:01AM | |
Crazy for Young A...: Pair #5: Hannah and Bookbuyer (January Besties) | 19 | 21 | Jan 17, 2017 01:07PM | |
Bargain Basement: Giveaway for Darkest Fear by Cate Tiernan | 1 | 5 | Jan 17, 2014 10:43AM |
"was born in New Orleans, LA, in 1961. New Orleans is one of the most interesting American cities, and it has an incredibly rich and exotic culture that had a profound influence on me. Kids in other cities have lemonade stands; we sold voodoo gris-gris and made wax dolls in the likenesses of our enemies. It's a very beautiful city, and the constant heat and humidity make gardens grow out of contro
...more
Other books in the series
Birthright
(3 books)
Related Articles
Meet-cutes and misunderstandings, steamy kisses and heartfelt declarations: It must be Romance Week! Get in the Valentine's Day mood with our...
333 likes · 118 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »