This is the first in a series, and I received it from my SantaThing gift-giver… I’d not heard of the author before, which was nice, and I sat down and read this one in an afternoon. (It’s not long, so that’s easy to do.)

It was alright. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t dislike it, and it kept my interest for the duration of the novel. If I can find the sequels for a decent price at a used bookstore, I’ll pick them up, but I can’t see myself seeking them out by choice.

The plot: The main character is an avian shapeshifter, and her worst enemy is a serpiente shapeshifter… but in order to stop the war between their people, they’ll both have to make the ultimate sacrifice by agreeing to the worst possible alliance imaginable: marriage.

The problem: The storyline is very linear, with little to no subplots. The description is minimal, and the characters are outrageously one-dimensional. I honestly didn’t care what happened to any of them… and I found the change in Zane, the “bad guy”, far too quick and inexplicable.

The verdict: Pick it up at a used bookstore, but don’t purchase it new.

Ultimately, I’m thrilled that I had the opportunity to read a new author that I probably would never have discovered on my own… and I realize that there are lot of people out there who absolutely adore this novel. Really, they love it wholeheartedly and will probably be disappointed at my thoughts on it… but I have to be honest, and it just didn’t work for me. Who knows, maybe you’ll love it! ( )

It's interesting when you switch genres of literature, styles of writing, time periods... it feels like you are changing realities - like you are being subjected to the same culture shock as if you Bill and Ted stepping into the phone booth in sunny so-cal only to step out onto a stormy battlefield in France during one of Napoleon's campaigns.

Sometimes that switch is not easy - sometimes I find myself struggling through the beginning of a book, like this one, for the simple reason that it is not the same (in any way) from the other book I am reading or the book I just finished.

I spend the first few chapters thinking, Wait! this isn't morbidly funny like The Dust of 100 Dogs. It isn't eerily gothic like A Great and Terrible Beauty. It isn't Felicity-esque like Under the Rose.

That initial struggle dissapates once I become invested in the characters and their own unique story, and whereas the following may sound strange considering the characeters are shapeshifters who spend equal amounts of time in a human form or an animal form, but, I think I rely heavily on the plausibility factor. I need something to believe in when I read - even in the most fantastical setting.

All that to say, I didn't latch on to the story until a few chapters into it but I know that is not due to any inherant quality (or lack thereof) in the story but only due to the hiccup of switching genres so abruptly like I tend to do.
Hawksong is a lovely story. I loved experiencing the difficulty the characters went through because they wanted to trust in something unknown and how they were scared to because it meant danger and sacrifice. ( )

As an avian shapeshifterhow far do you trust the shapshifter cobra even though you are trying to do the right thing? ( )

One of the Hawk kind and one of the Serpent kind decide that only an alliance between themselves will stop the bloodshed that plagues their people. But will the very people they are trying to save destroy their fragile trust?

In a land that has been at war so long that no one remembers the reason for fighting, the shapeshifters who rule the two factions agree to marry in the hope of bringing peace, despite deep-seated fear and distrust of each other. Was not very well-written. ( )