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Changers #1
Manifesting Destiny
Sixteen-year-old Cee has a hopeless crush on her best friend Marcus. Unfortunately for her, he’s gay. In the wake of Marcus’s older brother leaving home to join the Aerie, Marcus has become increasingly distant. When Cee discovers she has a troublesome dragon named Livian living inside her things grow even more complicated.
Marcus urges Cee to go to the Magi to have Livian removed, but the more Cee becomes attached to Livian, the more she questions the decision. Should she change her natural self for the crush who will never love her anyway?
Marcus urges Cee to go to the Magi to have Livian removed, but the more Cee becomes attached to Livian, the more she questions the decision. Should she change her natural self for the crush who will never love her anyway?
- GenresYoung Adult
216 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 3, 2016
1 person is currently reading
336 people want to read
About the author
M. Pepper Langlinais
15 books145 followersM Pepper Langlinais is an author, award-winning screenwriter, and produced playwright. She writes in a wide variety of genres including mystery, fantasy, and historical romance. M worked on the set of the film "Hope Floats" and was a participant in the Shakespeare at Winedale program at UT Austin. She has also taught Shakespeare, mythology, and creative writing. She earned a Master of Arts from Emerson College and worked for Houghton Mifflin and Pearson before deciding to write full time. M lives in Livermore, California.
Note that the author does not use a period after her first initial, though Amazon and Goodreads insist on including one.
Note that the author does not use a period after her first initial, though Amazon and Goodreads insist on including one.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 2, 2016
Everything is about to change in Cee's life, but not in the way she expects. She knows the day will come when she will have to say goodbye to her best friend, Marcus, a guy she's hopelessly in love with, and they'll go live with their own clans. The thing is, Cee has a dragon inside of her which are supposed to be extinct. She has no clan. Marcus suggests having the dragon removed, but Cee doesn't know if she can. Will she give up her dragon for a man who will never love her back?
A wonderfully written YA paranormal fantasy with shapeshifters, psychics, and dragons, oh my! Well, one dragon named Livian. I best give him the spotlight lest he eat me! He's a bit troublesome, but he and Cee are learning to live together in the same body. It's fun and fascinating to read about how Cee deals with the changes within her, and how her friends are dealing with theirs. Each of them are going through a different journey as their powers come to bear as they approach adulthood. The majority of the population shapeshifts into animals, and then they go live with their particular clans. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
I also loved everything going on underneath the trouble Cee and her friends are having. The Magi, the various clans, the Brigade, and all the conflicts and politics that go with them. Who to trust? And where will each path lead? There's a great mystery in the east as well. Lots going on and everything is woven together beautifully.
M. Pepper Langlinais has created an incredible world with great characters for young and old readers alike. I can't wait to read more in the Changers series!
A wonderfully written YA paranormal fantasy with shapeshifters, psychics, and dragons, oh my! Well, one dragon named Livian. I best give him the spotlight lest he eat me! He's a bit troublesome, but he and Cee are learning to live together in the same body. It's fun and fascinating to read about how Cee deals with the changes within her, and how her friends are dealing with theirs. Each of them are going through a different journey as their powers come to bear as they approach adulthood. The majority of the population shapeshifts into animals, and then they go live with their particular clans. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
I also loved everything going on underneath the trouble Cee and her friends are having. The Magi, the various clans, the Brigade, and all the conflicts and politics that go with them. Who to trust? And where will each path lead? There's a great mystery in the east as well. Lots going on and everything is woven together beautifully.
M. Pepper Langlinais has created an incredible world with great characters for young and old readers alike. I can't wait to read more in the Changers series!
December 2, 2016
Cee only knows the small town she grew up in. Everyone belongs to a clan outside of this town, but they stay with their foster parents until their transformation. During this Relinquishing they'll morph into the animal of their clan and then they will live with their people, leaving their friends and the only life they've ever known behind. Their change is supposed to happen somewhere around their 18th birthday. Some clans are more feared than others and some are even extinct. If they don't change they'll stay in the village and will be getting a job and/or become a foster parent.
Cee has a secret crush on her best friend Marcus. Marcus is gay, so the chance of him loving her back on a romantic level is not in the cards. Cee is dreading the day that she and Marcus will change because the chances of them belonging to the same clan are minimal. This means that they'll probably never see each other again. When Marcus has a school assignment with a boy named Rand, Cee and Rand's best friend Guin also join their newfound friendship. All of them discover that they have unique and exceptional gifts. The Draconas are claimed to be extinct, but when Cee finds out that she's sharing her body with a dragon named Livian she has to make a decision about what to do. Being the only one means that Cee doesn't have a clan to fall back on, so she and her friends go on a journey to the Magi to see if Livian can be removed from her body.
During their journey Cee starts to question herself. She grows attached to Livian, even if he's not always the nicest dragon. I felt sorry for Cee to be in love with someone who will never return her feelings. Living in a small town kept her a bit naïve and it was fascinating to read about the way she deals with her struggles and how she's growing as a person. Cee is kind and honest towards her friends, but she's also confident and sure of what she's feeling. She is open minded towards Livian and towards what is happening in her body. The internal dialogue Cee has with Livian was fascinating to read. I found myself wishing for her to find a solution that would work for both her and Livian.
Manifesting Destiny is a fantastic story about a new and interesting world. I loved the idea of a young girl who has a dragon living inside of her. The fact that she is the only one made the story even more exciting. I liked the interactions between the teens very much. While they are changing and are belonging to different clans they are still determined to keep their friendship intact. They are all struggling with their own issues and the vivid writing about them makes them believable characters. I had no troubles at all to connect to their personalities and the story itself. M. Pepper Langlinais writes about a world that grabbed my attention straight away and she manages to keep the story interesting and intriguing until the very end.
Cee has a secret crush on her best friend Marcus. Marcus is gay, so the chance of him loving her back on a romantic level is not in the cards. Cee is dreading the day that she and Marcus will change because the chances of them belonging to the same clan are minimal. This means that they'll probably never see each other again. When Marcus has a school assignment with a boy named Rand, Cee and Rand's best friend Guin also join their newfound friendship. All of them discover that they have unique and exceptional gifts. The Draconas are claimed to be extinct, but when Cee finds out that she's sharing her body with a dragon named Livian she has to make a decision about what to do. Being the only one means that Cee doesn't have a clan to fall back on, so she and her friends go on a journey to the Magi to see if Livian can be removed from her body.
During their journey Cee starts to question herself. She grows attached to Livian, even if he's not always the nicest dragon. I felt sorry for Cee to be in love with someone who will never return her feelings. Living in a small town kept her a bit naïve and it was fascinating to read about the way she deals with her struggles and how she's growing as a person. Cee is kind and honest towards her friends, but she's also confident and sure of what she's feeling. She is open minded towards Livian and towards what is happening in her body. The internal dialogue Cee has with Livian was fascinating to read. I found myself wishing for her to find a solution that would work for both her and Livian.
Manifesting Destiny is a fantastic story about a new and interesting world. I loved the idea of a young girl who has a dragon living inside of her. The fact that she is the only one made the story even more exciting. I liked the interactions between the teens very much. While they are changing and are belonging to different clans they are still determined to keep their friendship intact. They are all struggling with their own issues and the vivid writing about them makes them believable characters. I had no troubles at all to connect to their personalities and the story itself. M. Pepper Langlinais writes about a world that grabbed my attention straight away and she manages to keep the story interesting and intriguing until the very end.
June 12, 2017
I really enjoyed this novel and found myself wanting to know more about the four young people in this story. Ms Langlinais has created a wonderful world full of magic populated by all manner of people and I'm keen to know what comes next in this entertaining read. I'm really glad I won this in a goodreads giveaway. Thanks
September 8, 2016
An intriguing story idea. The world created by Langlinais has people who can morph into their inner animal.
Unfortunately for Cee, inside her lives a Dragon. On her journey - with her best friend, and some others along the way - she must deal with the inner struggle of whether or not to give into the dragon and accept her destiny or not.
This book couldn't hold my attention but I pushed through nonetheless. I did find the premise very cool. The writing is well done, the characters are decently developed and the inner struggle Cee deals with is all to real (hello metaphors). Overall, if you like fantasy and self-acceptance stories, give it a shot.
Unfortunately for Cee, inside her lives a Dragon. On her journey - with her best friend, and some others along the way - she must deal with the inner struggle of whether or not to give into the dragon and accept her destiny or not.
This book couldn't hold my attention but I pushed through nonetheless. I did find the premise very cool. The writing is well done, the characters are decently developed and the inner struggle Cee deals with is all to real (hello metaphors). Overall, if you like fantasy and self-acceptance stories, give it a shot.
November 29, 2016
UncagedBooks.com
At times the book was very slow and over-detailed, but the writing and editing is very well done. Where the story ended, didn’t really wrap-up anything, but it still ended without a true cliffhanger, which I appreciate. It’s easy to recommend this story to young adult/fantasy fans.
4 1/2 stars
Read the full review in the December issue of Uncaged Book Reviews
At times the book was very slow and over-detailed, but the writing and editing is very well done. Where the story ended, didn’t really wrap-up anything, but it still ended without a true cliffhanger, which I appreciate. It’s easy to recommend this story to young adult/fantasy fans.
4 1/2 stars
Read the full review in the December issue of Uncaged Book Reviews
February 10, 2017
3.5/5.0
A YA fantasy novel, “Manifesting Destiny” is the first of the “Changers” series.
Read full review in the 2017 February issue of InD'tale Magazine.
A YA fantasy novel, “Manifesting Destiny” is the first of the “Changers” series.
Read full review in the 2017 February issue of InD'tale Magazine.
April 10, 2017
This YA fantasy is engaging, touching, and exciting. In a world where most people undergo a startling metamorphosis upon reaching maturity, Cee and Marcus face the prospect of their close friendship being forever severed when they realize that they are transforming into members of enemy clans. Accompanied by two friends, they venture into the wilderness seeking help only to find ever increasing danger. They face the prospect of losing their very selves and find that their world and its inhabitants don't match what they've been taught to believe.
The writing is clean, modern, and vivid without being fussy or overwrought. The characters are all realistically drawn, their flaws and strengths combining to render each sympathetic in her or his own way. The world building is skillfully executed, communicating both the wonder of magical talents and the quotidian oppression of a dystopian society that the characters have grown up to accept. The plot is interestingly woven, and I impatiently await the sequel.
The writing is clean, modern, and vivid without being fussy or overwrought. The characters are all realistically drawn, their flaws and strengths combining to render each sympathetic in her or his own way. The world building is skillfully executed, communicating both the wonder of magical talents and the quotidian oppression of a dystopian society that the characters have grown up to accept. The plot is interestingly woven, and I impatiently await the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews