Kim Curran

The daughter of a noble and a slave, Brigid is sold in marriage but she asks a goddess to help her and so releases powers. Tied into he new religion of Christianity, Brigid founds a convent, Cill Dara, on the lush meadows of the Curragh. This convent becomes a place of sanctity and refuge for women from around Ireland. As Christianity becomes the main religion of the land, Brigid still has to balance the old 'pagan' ways with the sexism she encounters.
I loved this book. Curran's first novel show more was really good and this is along the same vein, mixing legend with fact and written in a beautifully flowing prose. Brigid is a hero with feet of clay and I like that as she is not a perfect role model but someone who has to make hard choices. It's a lovely and moving book. show less

Shift opens in a way that makes you think you need to cancel all plans, sit down and read until you get to the final page. Quickly you find yourself pulled into the book, the idea of being able to change a decision you’ve made and have reality alter as a result is an intriguing one and the idea that these changes could be disastrous as well as beneficial is well explored and left me thinking long after I’d finished reading. I already can’t wait for the follow up book, this is a world I show more want to visit for longer. show less

Shift opens in a way that makes you think you need to cancel all plans, sit down and read until you get to the final page. Quickly you find yourself pulled into the book, the idea of being able to change a decision you’ve made and have reality alter as a result is an intriguing one and the idea that these changes could be disastrous as well as beneficial is well explored and left me thinking long after I’d finished reading. I already can’t wait for the follow up book, this is a world I show more want to visit for longer. show less

Shift by Kim Curran is a fun, fast-moving, actiony sci-fi based novel that teens will most definitely find entertaining and interesting.

Uniquely, it is a concept I am sure many people have pondered but have not gone any further than just the thought. The concept is basically this: If you made a decision in your life and you wish you had taken an alternative path so that something would not have happened, what if you had the power to undo any decision you have ever made? In this novel, show more Curran brings out the idea and applies it to teens who have the power to undo their decisions or "shift" to switch to an alternate reality in which the alternative path has been taken. Although once someone shifts, they can only recall the previous reality for a few minutes before the old memory is replaced by the new memory. The story tells of a boy - the main character - named Scott who is a shifter and has the extra ability of remembering his past realities after he has shifted to new ones.

Packed with explosions, chases, hostage situations, and best of all, fighting, this novel receives 5 stars because of its unique, twisty storyline that would be difficult to find in any other book. Not only does it tell the story of a teen with a special power, but it displays the common emotions and thoughts of a 16-year-old teen. Kim Curran conveys the image of a teen who is simply trying to find his way into society after being a shy, quiet one for his previous years. If you take the time to observe young people and how they behave, you will see that many are like Scott.

That said, I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a story that absorbs your attention and makes you want to do nothing but read it. Every chapter leads your curiosity onto the next, therefore making it extremely difficult to set down the book. Through mystery and mind-boggling adventure, Kim Curran exceeded my expectations and I am looking forward to reading sequels and other novels of hers. show less