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Hearts of Prey
Shaka Reed is an outsider, not only because she struggles to relate to other young women, but because she has a secret ability that sets her she is a shape-shifter. In the deep woods of her Northern Minnesota home, never does she feel more herself than when she is running through the forest on animal feet.Her secret is known only to her grandfather, not her life long friend Rena, or the charming new stranger who keeps turning up in her path.But despite her discretion, her secret is out and the wrong people know.Now a once directionless research scientist has learned about the secretive existence of shape-shifters and made it his life's work to give this supernatural ability to those born without it, but at a horrible cost to Shaka and those like her. Suddenly Shaka finds herself with no choice but to embrace her true nature if she is going to stop him from turning her people into test subjects.
361 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2020
4 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Schultz
2 books6 followers
Jennifer Schultz is the author of The Shaka Reed Series of supernatural thrillers. Always drawn to the mysterious and inexplicable, writing about the supernatural seemed inevitable as she began her first novel, Hearts of Prey.
Jennifer grew up reading H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood and Stephen King, drawn not only to their mystical and often ominous plots, but also to their examination of the emotional depths of the human condition.
Though she brings the influences of these writers and others to her own work, like many creatives, the true source of her writing comes from an unknown place which begs to be expressed.
In addition to being a writer, Jennifer is a registered nurse and works in cardiac care at a Northern Minnesota hospital. In her free time, she likes to explore the wilderness, be it on snowshoes, in a kayak, or on a hiking trail.
She is currently working on the third book of The Shaka Reed Series which is set for release in 2024.
Jennifer Schultz is the author of The Shaka Reed Series of supernatural thrillers. Always drawn to the mysterious and inexplicable, writing about the supernatural seemed inevitable as she began her first novel, Hearts of Prey.
Jennifer grew up reading H.G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood and Stephen King, drawn not only to their mystical and often ominous plots, but also to their examination of the emotional depths of the human condition.
Though she brings the influences of these writers and others to her own work, like many creatives, the true source of her writing comes from an unknown place which begs to be expressed.
In addition to being a writer, Jennifer is a registered nurse and works in cardiac care at a Northern Minnesota hospital. In her free time, she likes to explore the wilderness, be it on snowshoes, in a kayak, or on a hiking trail.
She is currently working on the third book of The Shaka Reed Series which is set for release in 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 9, 2021
The unity, family bond, and love of nature anchor this story to the beauty of human and animals coexisting domestic or wild.
Read full review in the 2021 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2021 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.
September 19, 2025
My review is rounded up from a solid 3.5.
I don’t often read shifter stories, especially YA ones (I won’t say no to brooding shadow daddies in the more adult themed genres), so it honestly took me probably a third of the book to really become invested in the story and characters.
However, once things became established and the mystery of what was happening to other shifters started rolling out, I started enjoying the book a lot more. The characters are solid as is the premise. My only nitpick is there is a more - tell don’t show - way of storytelling with the book. I tend to enjoy more details and having things play out in more depth than just being told what happened and when. But that’s just a personal preference.
On that note I already started book 2 and I can tell the author’s storytelling skill has improved and I’m already hooked just a few chapters in unlike the slight slog I went through for the first part of this book.
Overall it was a good read and I’m really looking forward to continuing the series!
I don’t often read shifter stories, especially YA ones (I won’t say no to brooding shadow daddies in the more adult themed genres), so it honestly took me probably a third of the book to really become invested in the story and characters.
However, once things became established and the mystery of what was happening to other shifters started rolling out, I started enjoying the book a lot more. The characters are solid as is the premise. My only nitpick is there is a more - tell don’t show - way of storytelling with the book. I tend to enjoy more details and having things play out in more depth than just being told what happened and when. But that’s just a personal preference.
On that note I already started book 2 and I can tell the author’s storytelling skill has improved and I’m already hooked just a few chapters in unlike the slight slog I went through for the first part of this book.
Overall it was a good read and I’m really looking forward to continuing the series!
August 24, 2020
A paranormal suspense story with a romance element and a YA tone of voice
Hearts of Prey by Jennifer Schultz was not exactly what I expected. I think this is due to the fact that it is labeled as "paranormal romance": although it technically has a paranormal element (shifters) and a romance element, I don't think the romance element is what drives the plot forward. I would categorize it as "Paranormal suspense".
Character-wise, there were many things I liked about this story. I think Shaka is a well-rounded character, strong and resilient without being annoying and with an interesting moral compass and code of conduct. Her grandfather is also a great character and Winston is so fascinating I'd probably want to read a book about his story. But... these are the only three characters you can really root for and understand their motivations. You can find my complete review at Reedsy Discovery. https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/hea...
Hearts of Prey by Jennifer Schultz was not exactly what I expected. I think this is due to the fact that it is labeled as "paranormal romance": although it technically has a paranormal element (shifters) and a romance element, I don't think the romance element is what drives the plot forward. I would categorize it as "Paranormal suspense".
Character-wise, there were many things I liked about this story. I think Shaka is a well-rounded character, strong and resilient without being annoying and with an interesting moral compass and code of conduct. Her grandfather is also a great character and Winston is so fascinating I'd probably want to read a book about his story. But... these are the only three characters you can really root for and understand their motivations. You can find my complete review at Reedsy Discovery. https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/hea...
February 6, 2024
My MIL got me this book. When I read that it was about wolf shapeshifters and was about my home state I was so thrilled. I wish I could give this book a higher rating but I sadly can't.
*Spoilers*
The story was fantastic, but the pacing of the book is what bothered me. It felt way too rushed. It would skip time between events.
We get a very brief description about Shaka and Renea's relationship as well as that of Shaka and her grandfather. Very little is mentioned about her bio father (strained relationship). Then random shifters come into play. I get there is supposed to be a sense of coincidence, but it felt off. Then adding the Fisher family at the end felt like a rushed add in. The Rosy showing up and being a mystery and then getting into her backstory a little didn't help much.
This book's plot alone could have been two or more books. It just felt so rushed. Again wish I could rate it higher but I can't.
*Spoilers*
The story was fantastic, but the pacing of the book is what bothered me. It felt way too rushed. It would skip time between events.
We get a very brief description about Shaka and Renea's relationship as well as that of Shaka and her grandfather. Very little is mentioned about her bio father (strained relationship). Then random shifters come into play. I get there is supposed to be a sense of coincidence, but it felt off. Then adding the Fisher family at the end felt like a rushed add in. The Rosy showing up and being a mystery and then getting into her backstory a little didn't help much.
This book's plot alone could have been two or more books. It just felt so rushed. Again wish I could rate it higher but I can't.
April 24, 2021
*4.5
The only thing stopping me from giving this 5 stars is that I can't quite decide how I feel about the ending. It wasn't horrible or anything, I'm just still wrapping my head around it.
That being said, I absolutely loved this book. It was a step outside of my comfort zone genre-wise, but I'm so glad I took that step. I sped through it because the story was so intriguing that I couldn't put it down. It was fast-paced and had something new and interesting at every turn. I mean, what's not interesting about a bunch of shapeshifters?
I'll definitely be reading anything else Jennifer Schultz has to write.
The only thing stopping me from giving this 5 stars is that I can't quite decide how I feel about the ending. It wasn't horrible or anything, I'm just still wrapping my head around it.
That being said, I absolutely loved this book. It was a step outside of my comfort zone genre-wise, but I'm so glad I took that step. I sped through it because the story was so intriguing that I couldn't put it down. It was fast-paced and had something new and interesting at every turn. I mean, what's not interesting about a bunch of shapeshifters?
I'll definitely be reading anything else Jennifer Schultz has to write.
January 24, 2024
I found this book, and met the Author, at a book signing/meet the author. After reading the synopsis I was intrigued and bought a copy and had it signed. The story is very well written and well detailed. Jennifer was a pleasure to meet and talk to! I bought an early copy, before the dates given below and don't remember the timeline...but definitely worth the price...a great read!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews