Isabel remembers nothing of her life before the day Prince Rokan came to take her from the Mistwood. She knows only that before he came, her days were spent living free and wild in the wood, shifting form from hawk to wolf to cat.Hundreds, perhaps thousands of years old, the Shifter is an immortal creature of power, wind and mist. Bound to protect the kings of Samorna, the Shifter is not human, and exists only to keep the royal house safe. Isabel knows that she is the Shifter, knows that she feels strangely, strongly protective of Rokan, but she can't remember anything else, and she doesn't know why. Rokan tells her that she fled the palace years before, when the old king died. Now, days before his coronation, Rokan is sure his life is in danger, and he needs the Shifter to keep him safe. Isabel knows he's leaving something out, maybe even lying, but she doesn't know what, or why. All she has are brief flashes of memory filled with blood and tears.
When Isabel discovers that she can no longer shift from human form, the mystery of what happened before her time in the Mistwood only deepens. Surrounded on all sides by enemies, she can trust no one, especially not Rokan, the prince she is sworn to protect. Still, Isabel finds a possible ally in the High Sorcerer's apprentice, Ven, who is fascinated with the legend of the Shifter, and is one of the few people at court who does not fear or hate her. But when Ven reveals the truth behind Isabel's flight from the palace, and the real reason Rokan sought her out in the Mistwood, he shatters everything she thought she knew about herself, Rokan, loyalty and love.
Deeply atmospheric, with assassins lurking behind every corner, sorcery and magic practically leaking off the pages, deadly court intrigue, and the mystery of Isabel's past floating tantalizingly just out of reach, this is a stunner of a debut novel. Thrown abrubtly into her magical world, readers will experience all of Isabel's confusion, frustration and fury as she struggles to discover who she was, and who she will become. Fans of Kristin Cashore, Juliet Marillier and Tamora Pierce should definitely add new author Leah Cypress to their list!
Megan
(who is looking forward to starting White Cat by Holly Black)
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