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Shifters #1
Draw One In The Dark
Every one of us has the beast inside. But for Kyrie Smith, the beast is no metaphor. Since she was 15, when she first shape-shifted into a savage, black panther, Kyrie has questioned her humanity and moved from town to town, searching for a way to feel human again.
Kyrie's lonely life changes forever while waitressing at a cheap diner. Investigating screams from the parking lot, Kyrie stumbles upon a blood-spattered dragon crouching over a mangled human corpse. The dragon changes back into her co-worker, Tom, naked, dazed and unable to remember how he got there.
Thrust into a world of shape-shifting dragons, giant cats and other beasts waging a secret war behind humanity's back, Kyrie may find the answers she seeks—with help from Tom, a mythical object called the Pearl of Heaven, and her own inner beast.
Kyrie's lonely life changes forever while waitressing at a cheap diner. Investigating screams from the parking lot, Kyrie stumbles upon a blood-spattered dragon crouching over a mangled human corpse. The dragon changes back into her co-worker, Tom, naked, dazed and unable to remember how he got there.
Thrust into a world of shape-shifting dragons, giant cats and other beasts waging a secret war behind humanity's back, Kyrie may find the answers she seeks—with help from Tom, a mythical object called the Pearl of Heaven, and her own inner beast.
338 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
124 people are currently reading
626 people want to read
About the author
Sarah A. Hoyt
199 books175 followersSarah A. Hoyt was born (and raised) in Portugal and now lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, and a variable number of cats, depending on how many show up to beg on the door step.
In between lays the sort of resume that used to be de-rigueur for writers. She has never actually wrestled alligators, but she did at one point very briefly tie bows on bags of potpourri for a living. She has also washed dishes and ironed clothes for a living. Worst of all she was, for a long time, a multilingual scientific translator.
At some point, though, she got tired of making an honest living and started writing. She has over 30 published novels, in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, historical mystery, historical fantasy and historical biography. Her short stories have been published in Analog, Asimov's, Amazing Stories, Weird Tales, and a number of anthologies from DAW and Baen. Her space-opera novel Darkship Thieves was the 2011 Prometheus Award Winner, and the third novel in the series, A Few Good Men, was a finalist for the honor. She also won the Dragon Award for Uncharted (with Kevin J. Anderson.)
a.k.a. Sarah D'Almeida
a.k.a. Elise Hyatt
a.k.a. Sarah Marqués
In between lays the sort of resume that used to be de-rigueur for writers. She has never actually wrestled alligators, but she did at one point very briefly tie bows on bags of potpourri for a living. She has also washed dishes and ironed clothes for a living. Worst of all she was, for a long time, a multilingual scientific translator.
At some point, though, she got tired of making an honest living and started writing. She has over 30 published novels, in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, historical mystery, historical fantasy and historical biography. Her short stories have been published in Analog, Asimov's, Amazing Stories, Weird Tales, and a number of anthologies from DAW and Baen. Her space-opera novel Darkship Thieves was the 2011 Prometheus Award Winner, and the third novel in the series, A Few Good Men, was a finalist for the honor. She also won the Dragon Award for Uncharted (with Kevin J. Anderson.)
a.k.a. Sarah D'Almeida
a.k.a. Elise Hyatt
a.k.a. Sarah Marqués
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
March 16, 2013
I really liked this book. It had a few drawbacks, but it kept me intrigued the whole way through.
One problem, I think, is that for the first half of the book we're dealing with two protagonists who are so isolated and fearful of entanglements with other humans that we get a lot of inner monologue. It's actually interesting, which is unique, but it does make some segments drag a bit.
The other problem is that it has a YA feel in that the leads tend to be obtuse and make big decisions based on misunderstandings.
But the thing is, it all makes sense if you think about who these characters are. You just have to remind yourself of that when you want to shake them. And usually, Hoyt speaks to it not long after it happens.
I liked the two leads and their little posse well enough that I've already bought the next book in the series.
This was a freebie, so it's worth giving a try.
PS: The conversion to e-book seems to have been problematic because there is some mental editing required. Whoever did the job didn't do a very good one. It's not enough to ruin the story, but it's noticeable.
One problem, I think, is that for the first half of the book we're dealing with two protagonists who are so isolated and fearful of entanglements with other humans that we get a lot of inner monologue. It's actually interesting, which is unique, but it does make some segments drag a bit.
The other problem is that it has a YA feel in that the leads tend to be obtuse and make big decisions based on misunderstandings.
But the thing is, it all makes sense if you think about who these characters are. You just have to remind yourself of that when you want to shake them. And usually, Hoyt speaks to it not long after it happens.
I liked the two leads and their little posse well enough that I've already bought the next book in the series.
This was a freebie, so it's worth giving a try.
PS: The conversion to e-book seems to have been problematic because there is some mental editing required. Whoever did the job didn't do a very good one. It's not enough to ruin the story, but it's noticeable.
January 14, 2020
The beginning was familiar to me, I must have started this book once before but never finished it! So with that in mind, I enjoyed it the second time around! Good characters and story line!
May 8, 2011
I really liked this! Why haven't more people heard of it, talk about it, suggest it?
This unusual UF novel about shapeshifters in fictional Goldport, CO (near Denver) doesn’t have a P.I., nor is it noir, and the heroine isn’t a kicking- rear type. She’s a waitress, who shifts into a panther and her name is Kyrie. Tom shifts into a dragon and works at the same diner as Kyrie, Rafiel shifts into as lion and works as a policeman. Kyrie who was raised in foster homes and first changed when she was 15, she’s been on her own since. Tom, who was thrown out of his Dad’s house at 16, and has been homeless since, find community and acceptance together. There’s another book in this seriesGentleman Takes a Chance, I hope I get around to reading it soon.
This unusual UF novel about shapeshifters in fictional Goldport, CO (near Denver) doesn’t have a P.I., nor is it noir, and the heroine isn’t a kicking- rear type. She’s a waitress, who shifts into a panther and her name is Kyrie. Tom shifts into a dragon and works at the same diner as Kyrie, Rafiel shifts into as lion and works as a policeman. Kyrie who was raised in foster homes and first changed when she was 15, she’s been on her own since. Tom, who was thrown out of his Dad’s house at 16, and has been homeless since, find community and acceptance together. There’s another book in this seriesGentleman Takes a Chance, I hope I get around to reading it soon.
March 27, 2016
Interesting take on hidden shifters in an urban setting.
Particularly as it seems the talent is NOT directly inherited, no parents to learn from. Just the suspicion that you may be crazy?
Particularly as it seems the talent is NOT directly inherited, no parents to learn from. Just the suspicion that you may be crazy?
April 23, 2014
This is the first book in a great series. It has very interesting characters, and provides quite the ride.
February 13, 2020
Interesting take
On shifters. A whole lot of.drama and inner monologues. Light on the action. More talking and telling. .blah. . .
On shifters. A whole lot of.drama and inner monologues. Light on the action. More talking and telling. .blah. . .
August 20, 2018
Once again I’ve read a series in reverse order, and once again learned that my constructed history of the characters was very wrong on important points.
This book introduces us and the characters to Goldport, Colorado, somewhere near Colorado Springs. The action centers around a diner, The Athens in this book and The George in subsequent books. The title comes from old diner slang—and where the slang comes from specifically is explained here.
Two of the three main characters work at The Athens; most of the secondary characters do as well, though Tom’s father is a lawyer from New York City. The third main character, Rafiel Trall, is a Goldport police officer.
Corpses are showing up mutilated outside The Athens. Tom is implicated, and he doesn’t always remember what he does in dragon form. Meanwhile, there’s a group of shapeshifting mobsters, the Dragon Triad, causing trouble for Tom, Tom’s father, and whoever else runs across their path.
How all this fits together, and why there’s a critical mass of shifters in little Goldport, combines with Young Love and Official Misconduct to make a really nice urban fantasy about people who shapeshift into all sorts of mundane and strange animals. This is not a story I would likely have read if I’d read the description of Noah’s Boy more closely, but I’m glad I did.
There is a turn of phrase about halfway through the book that ought to be more common but is, as far as I can tell, unique to this book:
Like the second book, and, presumably, the third book, it tells us the title of the next installment in the final paragraphs. (If this trend continues to the fourth book, I am very frightened for the characters.)
This book introduces us and the characters to Goldport, Colorado, somewhere near Colorado Springs. The action centers around a diner, The Athens in this book and The George in subsequent books. The title comes from old diner slang—and where the slang comes from specifically is explained here.
Two of the three main characters work at The Athens; most of the secondary characters do as well, though Tom’s father is a lawyer from New York City. The third main character, Rafiel Trall, is a Goldport police officer.
Corpses are showing up mutilated outside The Athens. Tom is implicated, and he doesn’t always remember what he does in dragon form. Meanwhile, there’s a group of shapeshifting mobsters, the Dragon Triad, causing trouble for Tom, Tom’s father, and whoever else runs across their path.
How all this fits together, and why there’s a critical mass of shifters in little Goldport, combines with Young Love and Official Misconduct to make a really nice urban fantasy about people who shapeshift into all sorts of mundane and strange animals. This is not a story I would likely have read if I’d read the description of Noah’s Boy more closely, but I’m glad I did.
There is a turn of phrase about halfway through the book that ought to be more common but is, as far as I can tell, unique to this book:
His suit was rumpled, his hair looked like he’d washed it and not given it the benefit of comb or clergy…
Like the second book, and, presumably, the third book, it tells us the title of the next installment in the final paragraphs. (If this trend continues to the fourth book, I am very frightened for the characters.)
March 12, 2013
<3
This is a weird little UF book. It has an interesting plot centring on a mystery and an absolutely fresh world-building (I think it's the first time I read of insect-shifters). There's good characterization with some in-dept HAHA moments. :)
Its main problem? The pace, slow as a snail in some points, above all the first half of the book. And some heavily use of misunderstanding as a trope. More than once I found them WTF moments as they were inexplicable for me...(Why would he think there was drugs in the sugar?No, strike that. I can understand why. But why has she to be a user? Why not Keith?)
The book has a strong YA feeling. Way too strong, to the point that I wondered if it's not a YA book (meaning is written for them, rather than safe for). Both the family theme and the sexuality (or absolutely lack thereof) points that way.
It's a decent book and if free or on offer I would say to try it, but don't think I'll buy the sequel.
This is a weird little UF book. It has an interesting plot centring on a mystery and an absolutely fresh world-building (I think it's the first time I read of insect-shifters). There's good characterization with some in-dept HAHA moments. :)
Its main problem? The pace, slow as a snail in some points, above all the first half of the book. And some heavily use of misunderstanding as a trope. More than once I found them WTF moments as they were inexplicable for me...(Why would he think there was drugs in the sugar?No, strike that. I can understand why. But why has she to be a user? Why not Keith?)
The book has a strong YA feeling. Way too strong, to the point that I wondered if it's not a YA book (meaning is written for them, rather than safe for). Both the family theme and the sexuality (or absolutely lack thereof) points that way.
It's a decent book and if free or on offer I would say to try it, but don't think I'll buy the sequel.
January 23, 2012
I'm not really a fantasy fan, but I enjoyed "Darkship Thieves", the last SF book I read by Hoyt, so much that I decided to give this one a try. It's okay. It would be quite good, but the story uses the same gimmick repeatedly. One character or another misinterprets the situation. It's incredibly obvious that they are wrong (e.g. "He hates me" (he doesn't), "She hates me" (she doesn't), "She drugged me" (she didn't), "The only way to solve my problem is to run away" (rather than rely on your friend who doesn't hate you), etc.) Since they are so wrong, the author has the characters repeat their belief over and over in case you need to be reminded as to why they are being so stupid.
Come to think of it, they did that in the "Darkship Thieves", too. It was annoying then, but not as much. First, it wasn't as obviously wrong some of the time. Second, it didn't happen nearly as often. Maybe Hoyt is improving as an author. Or maybe this book is more target at teens and/or fantasy readers and Hoyt thinks they are more stupid than SF readers. Probably not.
Anyway, the story was okay, but not great. For fantasy that's probably a decent review coming from me.
Come to think of it, they did that in the "Darkship Thieves", too. It was annoying then, but not as much. First, it wasn't as obviously wrong some of the time. Second, it didn't happen nearly as often. Maybe Hoyt is improving as an author. Or maybe this book is more target at teens and/or fantasy readers and Hoyt thinks they are more stupid than SF readers. Probably not.
Anyway, the story was okay, but not great. For fantasy that's probably a decent review coming from me.
March 3, 2015
This book never quite grabbed me; though I was interested enough to read the whole thing, I was skimming pretty thoroughly by the end. Stilted dialogue and characters who never quite seem real, there was an excellent book hovering just out of reach, behind the one that actually exists. I will probably try more of Hoyt's works, but probably not the sequel to this one.
May 11, 2009
Slower than molasses. Far too much time spent on internal dialog. Didn't finish.
Read
November 16, 2020So, I read According to Hoyt, Sarah's blog, nearly every day, and I find her commentary thoughtful and interesting, but I must confess that so far, though I've read Darkship Thieves, the first 50 pages or so of Ill Met by Moonlight, and a collection of her short stories titled Crawling Between Heaven and Earth, I have yet to find a series novel by her that leaves me thinking "Oh my gosh, I gotta read the next book!"
Kyrie is a waitress in a small café in Goldport, Colorado, who hears a scream in the parking lot out back one night, and steps outside to a scene that totally changes her world, probably forever. For most of her life, since adolescence, she has been able to convince herself that her memories of shifting to the form of a great black panther are merely hallucinations or extraordinarily vivid dreams, but when she encounters a bloody, mauled body outside, her visceral reaction to the blood scent is to immediately shift to her animal form, where she is surprised to find she is not the only shifter on site, there's also a huge Nordic dragon who, in human form, is Tom, a hard luck case that the owner of the restaurant, Frank, hired to cook there. As Kyrie is trying to get a rather stunned and blood soaked Tom away from the crime scene, a third shifter shadows them for a time, in the form of a great golden-maned lion, who later turns out to be a police officer, Rafiel.
(Sorry, folks...missing some paragraphs as originally written here. The following makes no sense without them. Darned laptop touchpad messes things up all too often.)
I kept pushing on through, though, as I really want to give Sarah a fair shake. The dragon triads keep after Mark, and then Sarah, and they eventually force Mark's estranged father (a sleazy lawyer) to try to track him down and convince him to give up the magic jewel, which Mark has hidden in a rather creative location. We later encounter a were-coyote murder victim, and then some were-scarab beetles (what's up with the clues on the identity of the scarabs? The first clue was plenty, she didn't need to show one of them sparing the life of another insect; are they really related, and then should all were-mammals band together to stop killing Bambi?), which for me is where it went even further off kilter. Are there actually any non-shifter humans left in the world, or does everyone have a shifted shape that they merely haven't been forced into yet. Were-slugs? Were-poodles? Were-bunnies?
I love Sarah as an astute observer and blogger, I really wish I could find her books nearly as readable as her essays. I pushed through to the happy ending, but I'm not particularly motivated to find out what happens to Kyrie and Tom and their friends.
Kyrie is a waitress in a small café in Goldport, Colorado, who hears a scream in the parking lot out back one night, and steps outside to a scene that totally changes her world, probably forever. For most of her life, since adolescence, she has been able to convince herself that her memories of shifting to the form of a great black panther are merely hallucinations or extraordinarily vivid dreams, but when she encounters a bloody, mauled body outside, her visceral reaction to the blood scent is to immediately shift to her animal form, where she is surprised to find she is not the only shifter on site, there's also a huge Nordic dragon who, in human form, is Tom, a hard luck case that the owner of the restaurant, Frank, hired to cook there. As Kyrie is trying to get a rather stunned and blood soaked Tom away from the crime scene, a third shifter shadows them for a time, in the form of a great golden-maned lion, who later turns out to be a police officer, Rafiel.
(Sorry, folks...missing some paragraphs as originally written here. The following makes no sense without them. Darned laptop touchpad messes things up all too often.)
I kept pushing on through, though, as I really want to give Sarah a fair shake. The dragon triads keep after Mark, and then Sarah, and they eventually force Mark's estranged father (a sleazy lawyer) to try to track him down and convince him to give up the magic jewel, which Mark has hidden in a rather creative location. We later encounter a were-coyote murder victim, and then some were-scarab beetles (what's up with the clues on the identity of the scarabs? The first clue was plenty, she didn't need to show one of them sparing the life of another insect; are they really related, and then should all were-mammals band together to stop killing Bambi?), which for me is where it went even further off kilter. Are there actually any non-shifter humans left in the world, or does everyone have a shifted shape that they merely haven't been forced into yet. Were-slugs? Were-poodles? Were-bunnies?
I love Sarah as an astute observer and blogger, I really wish I could find her books nearly as readable as her essays. I pushed through to the happy ending, but I'm not particularly motivated to find out what happens to Kyrie and Tom and their friends.
December 8, 2020
I don't know when I read this, but it was before Baen partnered with Amazon. I suspect it was before 2003, though. This is the second edition, which includes small extras, so that something something something. It's POSSIBLE that this was the first of Sarah A Hoyt's work I read; no wonder I fell in love with her writing.
She's a panther shifter, he's a dragon shifter. They meet while working at a Greasy Spoon Diner, in a college town in Colorado. And what follows is MOST of the Amazon review I posted in 2014.
I think the best books are those which take ordinary people and put them in extraordinary places.
If this was the ONLY review published, I'd go into more detail, but frankly, after two doctors' appointments yesterday, doing homework, making dinner, followed by a surprise PTA meeting with my third grader performing, I'M BEHIND ON MY READING!
So let me just reflect on one of the end scenes. The darkest hour. Hope is lost. And the two heroes have had their guts kicked out, one figuratively, one literally. Kyrie sits at the table, and wails the 'If Only' song to herself.
It's just so beautifully done; it's real, and evokes the moments I've been there. I'm thinking of reading this part to my son tonight, or at least this weekend. Perhaps if I can speak to his emotions as well as this scene speaks to mine, maybe he will have the foresight to avoid some of the If Only moments in his life.
She's a panther shifter, he's a dragon shifter. They meet while working at a Greasy Spoon Diner, in a college town in Colorado. And what follows is MOST of the Amazon review I posted in 2014.
I think the best books are those which take ordinary people and put them in extraordinary places.
If this was the ONLY review published, I'd go into more detail, but frankly, after two doctors' appointments yesterday, doing homework, making dinner, followed by a surprise PTA meeting with my third grader performing, I'M BEHIND ON MY READING!
So let me just reflect on one of the end scenes. The darkest hour. Hope is lost. And the two heroes have had their guts kicked out, one figuratively, one literally. Kyrie sits at the table, and wails the 'If Only' song to herself.
It's just so beautifully done; it's real, and evokes the moments I've been there. I'm thinking of reading this part to my son tonight, or at least this weekend. Perhaps if I can speak to his emotions as well as this scene speaks to mine, maybe he will have the foresight to avoid some of the If Only moments in his life.
January 18, 2018
I think this was Ms. Hoyt's first, or near-first, novel, and it feels like it, to me. It wasn't too bad, and she's obviously been successful as a novelist during the time since, so I can only assume she got better with later novels. Compared to some big-name authors' first works, this one is a gem, hehe.
The characters were fairly well-developed and the concept for the book was very interesting, especially when you consider that the whole urban fantasy genre hadn't been completely inflated at that point. What I mean is, the genre still had lots of room for new ideas, and this would have stood out, back then. I won't do spoilers here, since the twists on the genre that she used are integral to the story, but they are unusual.
I was a bit disappointed with how everything wrapped up at the end of the novel, but perhaps it lends something to the other books in the series somehow.
The flow of the novel felt a bit muddled, somehow, but the plot did make sense as it unraveled, and everything fit together by the time I got to the end.
Overall, I liked it, and I'd give the author another shot.
The characters were fairly well-developed and the concept for the book was very interesting, especially when you consider that the whole urban fantasy genre hadn't been completely inflated at that point. What I mean is, the genre still had lots of room for new ideas, and this would have stood out, back then. I won't do spoilers here, since the twists on the genre that she used are integral to the story, but they are unusual.
I was a bit disappointed with how everything wrapped up at the end of the novel, but perhaps it lends something to the other books in the series somehow.
The flow of the novel felt a bit muddled, somehow, but the plot did make sense as it unraveled, and everything fit together by the time I got to the end.
Overall, I liked it, and I'd give the author another shot.
January 3, 2021
Eh, I feel bad about the two stars, as it wasn't horrible and the good intentions were there and we didn't see (m)any of the dumb tropes plaguing PNR/UF, but... but... well, the characters are not exactly the brightest bulbs in the tanning bed. There, I said it. I understand that we need conflict for the story to progress and I understand that our two MCs are essentially emotionally parked at 16 because of their experiences, but still the lack of smarts that shines throughout this book (and covers each and every character, not just these two) cannot be excused.
I also have a feeling we didn't have any of the sexytimes not because the story wouldn't cut it, but because the story is being kept "appropriate", if you catch my drift (for example, as in Mercy Thompson's story) /interrupts review and looks up the writer for further info AAAAAND AFTER A BIT OF GOOGLEFU LATER:
Good news is this is not coming from trying to push any religious agenda. However, the author's philosophy and political stance do not really sit well with me, to put it mildly. So unless someone tells me that the next book in the series is straight up amazing, I probably won't be reading this one further.
I also have a feeling we didn't have any of the sexytimes not because the story wouldn't cut it, but because the story is being kept "appropriate", if you catch my drift (for example, as in Mercy Thompson's story) /interrupts review and looks up the writer for further info AAAAAND AFTER A BIT OF GOOGLEFU LATER:
Good news is this is not coming from trying to push any religious agenda. However, the author's philosophy and political stance do not really sit well with me, to put it mildly. So unless someone tells me that the next book in the series is straight up amazing, I probably won't be reading this one further.
March 8, 2018
Kyrie is a girl who lived her life in foster homes and also happens to be a panther. Tom is a homeless junkie who happens to be a dragon. When Kyrie finds her mysterious co-worker Tom in the alley behind the diner where they work in dragon form over the body of a human, it starts an adventure that she never bargained or looked for. The dragons are angry because someone stole an ancient artifact of theirs. This book introduces you to a world of shifters that do their best to pass as normal and not give each other away to the humans. There were moments when it got a little slow, but all in all it was an enjoyable read that you don't have to take too seriously.
September 24, 2019
One of her best
I've read a number of Sarah Hoyt's Science Fiction novels and enjoyed all of them. This fantasy novel was very different. The character development was outstanding. The issues of character interaction was some of the best I've read. I was so drawn into the story that sometimes I had to stop reading so that I could reconnect with the "real" world. I had to think about the difficulties the characters were facing and put myself in their situation and question what I might have done before going back to their "reality". Thank you Sarah Hoyt for one of the best if not the best fantasy novel I've ever read.
I've read a number of Sarah Hoyt's Science Fiction novels and enjoyed all of them. This fantasy novel was very different. The character development was outstanding. The issues of character interaction was some of the best I've read. I was so drawn into the story that sometimes I had to stop reading so that I could reconnect with the "real" world. I had to think about the difficulties the characters were facing and put myself in their situation and question what I might have done before going back to their "reality". Thank you Sarah Hoyt for one of the best if not the best fantasy novel I've ever read.
February 25, 2024
It's a people story, but with... Differences...
At it's heart, this is a coming of age YA Romance. It is well written and engrossing. The 'people' are able to shift into animal shapes, Lions, Panthers & Dragons (Oh My), which is what I mean by different.
It has a cool mythos that leaves one curious for more details (there are sequels). The only "con" I'll list is that it is a bit too 'convenient' in places for my tastes (to drive the story in a particular direction. No details b/c it would be spoilery).
It's a fine book for a fun read & I can recommend it with 4 out of 5 stars.
At it's heart, this is a coming of age YA Romance. It is well written and engrossing. The 'people' are able to shift into animal shapes, Lions, Panthers & Dragons (Oh My), which is what I mean by different.
It has a cool mythos that leaves one curious for more details (there are sequels). The only "con" I'll list is that it is a bit too 'convenient' in places for my tastes (to drive the story in a particular direction. No details b/c it would be spoilery).
It's a fine book for a fun read & I can recommend it with 4 out of 5 stars.
February 24, 2023
this one did really succeed where a lot of paranormal/"shifter" books don't; namely, i liked the characters (the male characters in particular gave me a killer klowns vibe that i dig), and they cared more about the plot than the romance. i mean, the romance was there, and it was a love triangle, but also a guy got eviscerated.
Read
November 26, 2024ngl a lot more racism than I was expecting. like describing people with "exotic features" that allegedly make them more liable to crime?? (honestly can't remember if this was in this book or the second one but pretty sure this one.)
when reading it keep in mind its era and be prepared for people to be described as "oriental"
when reading it keep in mind its era and be prepared for people to be described as "oriental"
November 12, 2022
Great fun!
This is only the second book by Ms Hoyt that I've read. The first was her collaboration with Larry Correia. Both excellent! Now I'm on my way into the next book of this series.
This is only the second book by Ms Hoyt that I've read. The first was her collaboration with Larry Correia. Both excellent! Now I'm on my way into the next book of this series.
July 28, 2020
If it seems like it'll be dumb, don't. Fun read though.
January 27, 2021
Excellent fun
I haven't stayed up late to finish a book in decades. This one was worth every lost moment of sleep.
I haven't stayed up late to finish a book in decades. This one was worth every lost moment of sleep.
April 3, 2021
Good urban fantasy novel
October 17, 2021
So good
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It's well written and interesting. I love the characters and I'm very much looking forward to the next one.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It's well written and interesting. I love the characters and I'm very much looking forward to the next one.
April 18, 2023
Great story
This is the second ti.e I read this but it is a great story and worth another read. I like the characters and how the story curves around
This is the second ti.e I read this but it is a great story and worth another read. I like the characters and how the story curves around
June 8, 2024
Great Fantasy
Really enjoyable, good character development without too much fluff. Easy to identify with the characters and thus slip into the fantasy world of the book.
Really enjoyable, good character development without too much fluff. Easy to identify with the characters and thus slip into the fantasy world of the book.
December 31, 2015
Kyrie Smith had carved out a nice, normal life for herself working at a diner. And then she heard the scream, and found Tom, her coworker, shifted to a dragon and standing over a corpse. She'd never suspected he was a shifter---or that her "hallucinations" about turning into a black panther were no dream at all. Now she's in the middle of a spat between Tom and a criminal group of dragon-shifters, corpses are multiplying at an alarming rate, and a handsome police officer is complicating her life.
This book is a good introduction to a fascinating world of shifters who live alongside normal humans. And, in a rare twist, they're actually born into normal families for the most part and only find out they can shift when they hit adolescence. This makes any "society" among shifters hard to come by, as most of them don't even know there are others until much later, if at all. I liked the world, and how shifters weren't limited to the usual and expected. Having the book start out with dragon shapeshifters is a nice touch.
The point of view shifts frequently, though the scene breaks help keep this straight. This helps flesh out Tom and Kyrie more, particularly when they both react to the same event with false assumptions. It's nice to see both of them as they struggle to decide if they want to trust the other, because otherwise one or the other would come off as unreasonable. I liked Kyrie for being level-headed and practical even when she had a clear crush situation going on. She's responsible enough to deny herself, or at least hold back enough to validate whether her feelings and reality were on the same page. I liked Tom for being understated---he gets things done without showing off, and Kyrie is mostly clever enough to notice those little gestures. I even liked Rafiel for being mostly true to his duty and trying to find the least-bad path through a murky situation (although when he gets slapped, he totally deserves it). And Keith was a pleasant surprise, even if he felt like a bit of a plot device in a few places because he hadn't gotten the level of background the other characters do.
I sort of like the romance. There's too much description around either Tom or Rafiel (particularly the latter) being attractive to Kyrie in some places, and I'm never a fan of love triangles, but this one doesn't triangulate so badly I want to kill everyone involved (which is what usually happens). But it's easy to want Kyrie and Tom to work out, even when all of their personal issues seem insurmountable.
The book can also be unexpectedly funny. My favorite moment, where I had to put the book down because I was laughing so hard, is when the dragon-shifters prove their beast-minds can't tell the difference between a lion and a panther. (And that Tom ALSO falls for it makes it doubly good.)
Overall this was a fun little story, with a good setup for adventures to come. It's also currently free on Amazon for Kindle, so it's worth grabbing just to check out. I rate this book Recommended.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
This book is a good introduction to a fascinating world of shifters who live alongside normal humans. And, in a rare twist, they're actually born into normal families for the most part and only find out they can shift when they hit adolescence. This makes any "society" among shifters hard to come by, as most of them don't even know there are others until much later, if at all. I liked the world, and how shifters weren't limited to the usual and expected. Having the book start out with dragon shapeshifters is a nice touch.
The point of view shifts frequently, though the scene breaks help keep this straight. This helps flesh out Tom and Kyrie more, particularly when they both react to the same event with false assumptions. It's nice to see both of them as they struggle to decide if they want to trust the other, because otherwise one or the other would come off as unreasonable. I liked Kyrie for being level-headed and practical even when she had a clear crush situation going on. She's responsible enough to deny herself, or at least hold back enough to validate whether her feelings and reality were on the same page. I liked Tom for being understated---he gets things done without showing off, and Kyrie is mostly clever enough to notice those little gestures. I even liked Rafiel for being mostly true to his duty and trying to find the least-bad path through a murky situation (although when he gets slapped, he totally deserves it). And Keith was a pleasant surprise, even if he felt like a bit of a plot device in a few places because he hadn't gotten the level of background the other characters do.
I sort of like the romance. There's too much description around either Tom or Rafiel (particularly the latter) being attractive to Kyrie in some places, and I'm never a fan of love triangles, but this one doesn't triangulate so badly I want to kill everyone involved (which is what usually happens). But it's easy to want Kyrie and Tom to work out, even when all of their personal issues seem insurmountable.
The book can also be unexpectedly funny. My favorite moment, where I had to put the book down because I was laughing so hard, is when the dragon-shifters prove their beast-minds can't tell the difference between a lion and a panther. (And that Tom ALSO falls for it makes it doubly good.)
Overall this was a fun little story, with a good setup for adventures to come. It's also currently free on Amazon for Kindle, so it's worth grabbing just to check out. I rate this book Recommended.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
February 14, 2016
A satisfying contemporary urban fantasy with new adult age (18-25) people as the main characters. The heroine can shape-shift into a panther, the hero into a dragon, and a secondary love interest into a lion. Unlike most stories where the characters are big fighter types, the hero and heroine work in a diner as a waiter and waitress and don't feel it is a dead end until greatness happens. They like working at the diner at night, feeding people in the little community of night owls. These two really are ordinary people who just happen to have discovered they were shapeshifters in their teens.
Then a murder happens in the back of the diner. Oh, and the dragon syndicate shows up because the hero may, or may not, have stolen something from them back when he was a stupid teenager before he got his act together kicking drugs and getting a real job.
Lots of themes related to self-agency; people's ability to control their own lives and take responsibilities for their actions. The hero and heroine both go through this, as does a couple other characters. The morality was obvious and often - and dragged down the enjoyment of the book. I don't mind a little morality - Aesop fairy tales rock, for example. But no need to have three different characters go through the epiphany of taking responsibility for their actions in one book. Yes, it is a common theme of people moving from the non-agency of teenage when parents and the government still control where you live, where you work and where you school into the self-agency of a first apartment, first job, and trying to pay bills. But this book goes over an above.
Overall a good story. Could have used a little content editing to trim the story tighter. Had the story been sharper paced, the morality would have been less annoying and more, well- yes I agree with how the concept of taking responsibility. About 50 pages too long.
Note: Three different characters, at least, have Point of View (POV) at different times during the book. I didn't have a problem following the change of POV.
Favorite character - Keith - who discovered tire irons and dragons in small spaces are equalizers for a pure human. Might continue reading the series just to see what happens to him.
Picked up while free on Kindle.
Then a murder happens in the back of the diner. Oh, and the dragon syndicate shows up because the hero may, or may not, have stolen something from them back when he was a stupid teenager before he got his act together kicking drugs and getting a real job.
Lots of themes related to self-agency; people's ability to control their own lives and take responsibilities for their actions. The hero and heroine both go through this, as does a couple other characters. The morality was obvious and often - and dragged down the enjoyment of the book. I don't mind a little morality - Aesop fairy tales rock, for example. But no need to have three different characters go through the epiphany of taking responsibility for their actions in one book. Yes, it is a common theme of people moving from the non-agency of teenage when parents and the government still control where you live, where you work and where you school into the self-agency of a first apartment, first job, and trying to pay bills. But this book goes over an above.
Overall a good story. Could have used a little content editing to trim the story tighter. Had the story been sharper paced, the morality would have been less annoying and more, well- yes I agree with how the concept of taking responsibility. About 50 pages too long.
Note: Three different characters, at least, have Point of View (POV) at different times during the book. I didn't have a problem following the change of POV.
Favorite character - Keith - who discovered tire irons and dragons in small spaces are equalizers for a pure human. Might continue reading the series just to see what happens to him.
Picked up while free on Kindle.
January 13, 2015
This is another of the books that I got on sale from Amazon. I read this on and off on my iPod for several months, and I'm very glad I decided to go back to it and finish it.
The main thing that made me consider giving up on this book was the number of comments about various characters' exotic attractiveness.
What kept me reading was the handling of Tom's relationship with his father, Edward. I'm glad Kyrie sees through Edward right away, and I'm very glad he doesn't get to totally redeem himself. He makes good progress during the book, but most of it happens because he realizes Tom might be able to be a Good Respectable Son for him after all, not because he actually values Tom as a person. You can't go from the kind of person who has considered his son hopelessly troublesome and disobedient since the kid first learned to speak, to a decent father, overnight. Kyrie's reaction has a dash too much "the poor kid just needs to be seen" for me, but I'm certainly glad she doesn't swallow the idea that there's something wrong with Tom.
The ending is incredibly sweet, and I like that it subverts a lot of romance-novel-derived expectations. The guy with the incredible sexy magnetism is a bit of an asshole, and mostly the main character just doesn't like him. When she does end up in a relationship, they both recognize that they know nothing about relationships, and they agree to take it very slow- slow enough that they aren't going to do anything but kiss for the foreseeable future.
The main thing that made me consider giving up on this book was the number of comments about various characters' exotic attractiveness.
What kept me reading was the handling of Tom's relationship with his father, Edward. I'm glad Kyrie sees through Edward right away, and I'm very glad he doesn't get to totally redeem himself. He makes good progress during the book, but most of it happens because he realizes Tom might be able to be a Good Respectable Son for him after all, not because he actually values Tom as a person. You can't go from the kind of person who has considered his son hopelessly troublesome and disobedient since the kid first learned to speak, to a decent father, overnight. Kyrie's reaction has a dash too much "the poor kid just needs to be seen" for me, but I'm certainly glad she doesn't swallow the idea that there's something wrong with Tom.
The ending is incredibly sweet, and I like that it subverts a lot of romance-novel-derived expectations. The guy with the incredible sexy magnetism is a bit of an asshole, and mostly the main character just doesn't like him. When she does end up in a relationship, they both recognize that they know nothing about relationships, and they agree to take it very slow- slow enough that they aren't going to do anything but kiss for the foreseeable future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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