Mistwood

Title: Mistwood
Author: Leah Cypess
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2010

Review:
The Shifter was born from the mist in the Mistwood. She can take any form she wants and move faster than the human eye can follow. She’s immortal, soulless and emotionless, sworn to protect the king of Samorna. Oh, and she’s lost her memory. Some time has passed since she last protected a king, and the Crown Prince has come to retrieve her from her home in the Mistwood. Because during peaceful years, sometimes twenty to a hundred years, there has been no need for the Shifter. But that’s not what happened last time, and peace isn’t the reason the Shifter returned to the Mistwood.

Isabel, they call her. She doesn’t correct them. They may be right; she can’t recall. And she can’t shift. Something has gone terribly wrong for the Shifter. She can still move faster than sight, grab a dagger or an arrow out of the air before it hits its target. But something’s wrong. When it comes down to a battle, will she be able to protect her prince? Will she even know who her prince is?

Rife with choices and confusion, Isabel screams off of the page; her uncertainty is as endearing as her desire to know the truth. Coupled with the reader’s desire to understand the strange currents around the throne of Samorna, it is a powerful mix. The choices Isabel makes and the desires she feels are just as new to her (she’s not supposed to have feelings, she keeps reminding herself) as they are to her audience. The shifting tides of the court and the loyalties and betrayals that everyone hides makes Mistwood an enthralling, if surprisingly light, read.

Perspective:
Mistwood is told in third person, mostly from Isabel’s point of view.

My Thoughts:
I wish this book had been longer. The story was delicious, but it wrapped up quickly. It’s an easy one-sitting sort of book that left me longing to know more about the Shifter, her country, her past and her future. Hopefully there are more tales from Samorna to come.

Favorite Scene:
I really enjoyed the shocker Isabel finds when she goes back to Mistwood that first time.

Who this book is best for: Girls will resonate with Isabel far more than boys will. Ages 11 and up.

Stars: 3.5 of 5

Violence: 0 of 5