Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis: The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod. But when she is needed she always comes. Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have. Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty--because without it, she may be his greatest threat. Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them. Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

Review: This was UNBELIEVABLY AMAZING AND BRILLIANT. I am at a loss of words at how it left me. I never knew what was coming, and all the characters were so well rounded that they left me yelling at the pages when every chapter ended although I would have liked the secondary characters explored a bit more.

I just HAD to find out what would happen next. Not reading it would be like an a drug addict quitting on drugs--bad comparison, but really, I couldn't stop reading. In all the pages, it packs suspense and mystery. It was rivetting going through everything Isabel went through throughout the book as she discovered herself.

I never expected to like it this much, not to mention love it. Even though toward the end it became a teensy bit predictable, I didn't really care. The plot is indeed amazing with subtle romance and a great big hunk of mystery.

Definitely appealing. I really recommend this to everyone! On the back of the book, it says "For fans of Kristin Cashore..." I could see how it was similar with a girl protecting a prince and all, but it is surely really, really special in its own way. I have been told not to compare books by completely different authors so I'll just shut up for now. Shift-shapers are now my favorite supernatural creatures!

What I thought of...

The Beginning: I was a bit confused--like Isabel--but I think that was how it was supposed to be.

The Middle: Lots of jaw-dropping and nonstop screaming (seriously!). There were so many things I did not expect. For one, WHY THE HECK WAS I YELLING AT FICTIONAL CHARACTERS? I had to take a few seconds to calm down. I was tweeting along while I read...and had a few people ask what on earth was I doing...hehe...

The End: I think this was what I should expected. It was a bit open, and I'm willing to beg for a continuation, but it fit the book.

This is another YA debut! :) Definitely going to buy it when it releases.

FTC: received from publisher to review.