Shift

Oh. My. God. This is just a heart-stopper. I can't tell you how many times I stopped breathing. The tension alone is enough to leave you gasping. There is no mistaking that [b:Alpha|6449378|Alpha (Shifters, #6)|Rachel Vincent|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|6639480] will be a heart-breaker. Faythe is left with so many decisions to make, I do not envy her at all.

I don't want to say too much but I will disclose the following:

1) Faythe is referred to as Kaci's mother and I have no problem with that because Faythe truly acts like it. She selflessly puts her life in danger on multiple occasions to protect Kaci. Faythe sees a lot of herself in the young tabby and doesn't want her to make the same mistakes she has. Both have show more suffered so much pain and horror, they share a similar strength and have grown a great deal over the course of the books.

2) Faythe makes some Alpha-ish decisions. Big ones. Ones that test her sense of honour and morality. Understandably she finds them tough and hesitates to go further in one case where her father criticises her choice. I don't blame her, she values life as she should but she needs to find a balance and look at the future welfare of both herself and her pride when making these life and death decisions. Mercy is not always the answer.

3) The Thunderbirds. At first I thought they came across as heartless and unreasonable, and their warped sense of honour bugged me until near the end when we see how they deliver justice and how they interact with their children, part of the reason why they can't really socialise with humans. Young Thunderbirds shift easily and uncontrollably, the smallest change in their emotions and part of their bodies shifts in the blink of an eye. That's another thing, Thunderbirds shift lightening fast and have powerful upper bodies and weak spindly legs because they prefer flight. They make formidable opponents. The werecats may be good at facing earth-bound enemies but ones that drop out of the sky without warning with 10ft wingspans, a strong sharp beak, huge talons on their feet and claws at the end of their wings - not so much. The Thunderbirds are democratic (there has never been an Alpha), they are practical almost to the point of being unemotional and the punishment for the murder of one of their own kind can only be looked upon as painfully gruesome. *shivers*

4) Calvin Malone. Ugh. What a despicable man: he's a manipulative, self-serving SOB and his greed and lust for power may very well be his downfall. He does something which may have triggered the beginning of his demise and I'm hoping it has because that would be incredibly satisfying. He's responsible for so many deaths. The way he treats his enforcers, his own children, his blatant disregard for life in pursuit of power - I'd like to kill him myself!

5) The action. Oh man. There's impressive adrenaline pumping action as always, casualties on all sides (the Saunders pride, the Malone pride and the Thunderbirds) plus murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, testicular disfigurement (totally deserved), facial disfigurement (twice - once in retribution, again totally deserved) and more. The fast pace never let up, never gave you time to relax because every time you started to something shocks you, jumps out or makes you burst out laughing or cheering (the ball-busting was one of those occasions!).

6) Jace vs Marc - What everyone wants to know: Faythe's indiscretion with Jace IS revealed but I won't say how, I don't want to ruin it for you, sorry, though there are several moments when you think "Oh God, here it comes" ratcheting up that tension even more because we know it's coming, we just don't know how and when. Each of these moments gives a subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) hint to Marc about what is going on, it's frightening the number of times everything comes so close to exploding. And when the dirty laundry is finally aired you feel just as embarrassed, hurt, confused, scared and lonely as Faythe does.

I honestly don't know what will happen. Most of the book revolves around Jace and Marc with an emphasis on Jace, giving him a chance to show what he has to offer Faythe. Even though Jace has lost some of his happy fun-loving attitude since Ethan's death, with Faythe he regains some of the sparkle in his eye. There are times when Marc seems perfect for her and times where he drops the ball and Jace effortlessly picks it up. Marc is superior in a lot of ways but Jace, where Marc will dispute and challenge Faythe, Jace will trust her most of the time to do the right thing without any explanation or argument, a refreshing change. Now this can be both a good thing and a bad thing but Faythe likes to have room to make her own mistakes and Jace has always given her that, though as we all know Marc has been claustrophobic in his over-protectiveness in the past.

She obviously loves them both and I don't know how she's going to choose because I'm torn too. Normally I can't stand love triangles but this one is so realistic that I don't mind. I can't help but wonder if the choice will be taken away from Faythe. Will one of them die? Will one of them become Alpha of another pride? Overall, this is all just messy and I'm truly scared about the events in [b:Alpha|6449378|Alpha (Shifters, #6)|Rachel Vincent|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|6639480] - this book will be EVERYTHING. I'm certain it will be book that will require a box of tissues in order to get through it. September cannot come soon enough and I'm grateful I don't have to wait until next February. Two books in one year, we're so lucky!

I bow down in respect to [a:Rachel Vincent|415967|Rachel Vincent|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1262900481p2/415967.jpg]'s astonishing writing ability, to make readers feel her characters' emotions and have them laugh and cry right along with them. It's beautiful. After reading some really crappy and so-so books lately, this was an utter joy to read. 5 stars! show less

This series couldn't get any better (unless Faythe ends up with Jace, that is!) The first few books in the Werecats series were good but shaky. The last three or so have been UNSTOPPABLE. The world of these werecats is an amazing, evolved, detailed and emotional place. As "Shift" opens, the family is gathered together and reeling from the death of Fayth's brother. Calvin Malone is set to fight Faythe's pack for the the powerful leader of the council position. As he has proved before, he is not afraid to kill for this power and will stop at nothing to get it. Few people outside of Faythe's father's pride actually believe Calvin has killed and plotted to take control but they need to convince the others to choose their side and fight with show more them because this war is immenent. Even more deaths come to pass when Thunderbirds, (rare, shape-shifting birds) stalk the Pride's home and occupants, including some members of thier allies Prides. The Thunderbirds quickly establish that they are after vengence because someone from the Pride killed on of theirs. This ends up being due to some more conniving from Calvin Malone and when one of their tabbies is kidnapped it is up to Faythe, Marc and Jace to get her back, along with the evidence to call off the Thunderbirds. The love triangle here is truly wrenching, and while I don't mind Marc, I have always adored Jace. I think he would be a better match for Faythe and with only one book left to close the series, it won't take too long to find out whom Faythe chooses. The story never wavers from being thrilling and I have to give the author kudos for this. The pacing, the intensity, the emotional is all on target. The Thunderbirds are intriguing in their own right and I loved all the interaction with them, especially in their own aviary. (I wouldn't mind seeing this world further explored!) Faythe has grown from an annoying, whiny child to a strong, caring, woman who can do the right things for the right reasons. While I absolutely can't wait until "Alpha", I do dread losing a series that is this amazing. show less

Faythe’s pack is preparing werecats of North America are poised on the edge of the civil war…

Until a new threat appears – Thunderbirds. None of them are used to fighting the birds and they scrabble desperately to find some way to stop the assault

As ever, Faythe and her fellow tabbies are prime targets.

This book has opened the world building of the series a lot more to include another of the shapeshifter creatures that occupy this world. The Thunderbirds

It would have been really nice if “Thunderbirds” actually involved even a shred of Native American mythology beyond just the word. Instead it just means “werebird”. Actually, given the “spicy latinos” of the first book, I think I’m leery of wishing this book includes show more more than its two token latino characters.

The werebirds themselves are relatively interesting – especially since they seem to show a very different culture which should, really, be a wonderful challenge to all that is wrong with werecat culture. It’s not patriarchal and it’s completely non-hierarchical. I also like how they’ve adopted a level of avian nature into the shapeshifters with things like carrion eating. One of the many complaints I’ve had of the werecat world building is how it has failed to really establish them as cats (like they keep going for “runs”. Cats play in many ways, but they’re not wolves, they’re not endurance runners)

While the world building of the Thunderbirds is interesting and I’d actually like to see more of this new society, the plot is just a bit meh

The Thunderbirds are attacking… but the sheer inability of them to actually sensibly change their decisions is… dubious

Similarly the werecats inability to come up with any strategy to fight back seems equally dubious. All they did was cower inside, completely unable to fight back against a Thunderbird strategy that seemed limited to picking them up (sometimes needing 2 birds) and the dropping them. On top of that we had an equally dubious decision for Faythe and Kaci to go running off virtually unguarded for their own safety

This is a classic hallmark of dubious decisions pushing a plot that has a gaping hole in it. This whole decision is there to keep Faythe centred on the plot line rather than find a more obvious solution that actually makes sense but doesn’t involve her (like call in other pack members and telling them to come with guns).

Another significant portion of the book is consumed by a ridiculously tiresome love triangle which has designated-love-interest-but-not-really being eternally distracted by the need to rebel and arm wrestle Mark. It consumes a lot of pages and really shows that he’d make a terrible Alpha simply because he cannot focus on the task at hand

Like with the last few books I have to return to how this series is ruined by the awfulness of the first book (and, to a lesser extent, the second). The thing is, while I think there is a considerable amount of author regret over that book, there’s no real walking back what happened in that first book and the context of that continues on.

One of the most galling of which is the continued comparison of Faythe to Kaci (I think there was even a deliberate choice to give them unusually spelled names to emphasise the similarities). Kaci is in the same position that Faythe was in book one – rebellious, determined to insert herself while everyone (Faythe included) tries to shelter and protect her. She is even hunted by ALL THE THINGS because she is a Tabby and that’s basically what this entire world is built on – precious objects-who-are-not-people

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TROUBLE IS IN THE AIR...

Being the first female werecat enforcer isn’t easy. Scars accumulate, but I’m stronger in so many ways.

As for my personal life? It’s complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother’s death and my father’s impeachment, it’s all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.

With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option… From RachelVincent.com

Shift is absolutely amazing! There is no nice introduction to this review as I show more can’t form one from being completely wowed by just how superb this book is! It’s unique, it’s a little creepy, it’s packed full of action, adrenaline, and emotion, and you know what I loved most? Just like all of Rachel Vincent’s Shifters novels, it’s clever. Those intricate little plot threads that were a big deal, but not so huge in the great scheme of things, all tie in later, and it’s just brilliant!

Just when you think you’ve seen it all when it comes to the Shifters world, Rachel Vincent does it again and brings you something new – thunderbirds! I cannot tell you how creepy I found them! Sure, the werecats themselves could be seen as a little scary, but we know the characters now, we know their culture and their politics. We know there have are other weres in this world, as we came across a werebear in Pride, but their culture is at least known to the werecats. The thunderbirds are not only new to us, but they’re also fairly new to the werecats too – in that no-one has seen or heard of them in over 60 years. They’re huge, they’re vicious, and they have completely different rules to that of the werecats. And because of a misunderstanding, they’re after blood – the South Central Pride’s blood. And half-human, half-bird creatures look pretty freaky – at least in my head – when the thunderbirds are in partial shift. But they are brilliant!

With the arrival of the thunderbirds, and the impending war with Calvin Malone and his allies, there is no time for the characters we love to properly grieve over Ethan’s death, and everyone is moving. Shift sees Faythe taking a bit more of a lead role in what happens than she’s used to – sometimes with the permission of her father, and sometimes without. Decisions need to be made, and Faythe has to make them, and they’re not always easy – especially as there are consequences to any path taken that could be detrimental to the Pride. Faythe shows incredible bravery, intelligence, and determination, and like in the other novels before, it’s hard not to be in awe of her.

But as well as Pride problems on her shoulders, Faythe also has personal problems – and they’re much bigger than she realised. After she and Faythe gave in to their attraction through grief over Ethan’s death, she’s come to realise it wasn’t just grief induced lust, that she actually has a connection with Jace. The truth has to come out, and she has choices to make, and things will not be pretty for anyone involved.

The action is incredible! The way these thunderbirds fight is just seriously gruesome; beaks and claws can do quite a lot of damage, and being fuelled by rage and the need for revenge leaves no room for restraint, and the thunderbirds really go for it. Bloody is an understatement, but exciting, and a little scary it is! The race against time to save the life of a loved one is immense, where every second is felt by all involved, with Faythe so tense, spontaneous self-combustion seems probable. It’s fantastic!

I have literally just finished reading this book, and as much as I loved it, I’m a little sad that I read it so quick. There will only be one more book in series, Alpha, and it’s a testament to Rachel Vincent’s imagination, writing, and superb genius, that although I’m looking forward to reading it, I’m not looking forward to finishing it. Rachel will obviously be writing other books, for her Soul Screamers series and another adult series she’ll be starting, but it will be the end of Faythe and the South Central Pride, and I’m really not looking forward to saying goodbye. Alpha will be released some time in September, and as excited as I am to read about the fallout of Faythe’s personal problems, and what will happen to the Pride in the civil war, I’m glad I have to wait.

This book, this whole series is absolutely incredible. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again; if there’s one series you have to read in your lifetime, the Shifters series is it.

From Ink and Paper - Fantasy Book Review Blog show less

I find reviewing books that are a part of a series difficult because I if you haven’t read the previous book(s) I don’t want to spoil anything for you. I have seen many bloggers add “spoiler warnings” before their review however as a curious reader I always ignore that message so I am left with the same dilemma. So bare with my hopefully spoiler free review and forgive me if it is not as in depth as others but this series is a gem of the urban fantasy genre so what I leave out you will hopefully gain when you read the series yourself!

I began reading this series when the first book, Stray was released in June of 2007. I had read quite a few novels featuring shifters but never a novel focused on were cats. I was and still am show more enamored with Rachel Vincent’s magical and descriptive writing style, characters full of depth and genuineness, and ability to leave me screaming, “WHAT!” at the end of every novel. The fifth and second last book in the Shifter series titled, Shift is the best novel in the series so far; which is saying a lot since the entire series is by far one of the best in the urban fantasy genre. Now is where this review gets difficult as one of the best parts of this book is the romantic relationship(s). Without giving anything away this book had me with my face pressed against the pages, drinking tea out of a straw so I didn’t spill on myself (I don’t have good hand eye coordination when my eyes are focus on the pages), closeted in my room for three hours with a do-not-disturb sign on my front door, and my phone on silent. The relationship dynamics between Faythe, Marc, and ******* (see no spoiler) had me freaking out in books four and five and I am not yet over having to wait to find out more until Alpha, the final installment in this series is out.

There are some truly fan-frickin-tastic authors out there in the Urban Fantasy genre; Laurell K Hamilton, Kelley Armstrong, and Kim Harrison to name a few, but with Shift, Rachel Vincent established herself as one of the top writers in her genre. show less

Oh Rachel Vincent, you cruel woman. This was another good story that ended with my biggest question still unanswered...so, cliffhanger! Here I am, waiting until October for Alpha...

I'm left with little to say that won't be a spoiler other than, "Dangit, why can't more authors work in some polyamory instead of using the same old jealousy-based plots?" Because I do NOT find that entertaining or interesting at ALL! The Thunderbirds are very interesting, and I'd like to know a lot more about their culture than what we get here.I'm having a lot of trouble believing some of the political machinations in the plot, but I suppose I'm extremely naive about what people will believe when they want to ignore the truth.