Nika

by Tjalara Draper

A hunter’s routine is simple—train, hunt, harvest a shape-shifter of its valuables, eat, sleep, repeat.

Lycan shifters, Veniri shifters, Magneii shifters, you name it, if it shape-shifts, my family and I hunt it down. That was until the night a devastating hunting accident plunged my world into the unknown.

Those dearest to me—are long gone.
My self-assuredness—fractured.
My life-long dream—blasted to pieces.

Claiming kills and collecting luminescent blood samples from each shifter race is no longer what I desire. Dare I say the glory of it is starting to repulse me…

Who am I if not a hunter?

Genres: Fantasy

264 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

Hey Hey!

I’m Tjalara Draper, a small town Aussie who's started turning my whimsical daydreams into the written and bookish format.
My dream of becoming an author has been a fascinating journey of making friends with other authors and meeting readers who enthusiastically enable my book buying addiction.

I’m inspired to craft stories that resonate with readers of all ages. My writing is a testament to the power of imagination and the boundless possibilities of the human spirit. I'm a sucker for complex and wild characters who tend to have a mind of their own and take my stories where I never expect.

I love exploring the ability to forge worlds and magic systems for all my favourite genres—paranormal, fantasy, and sci-fi—all dappled with action, adventure, and amorous entanglements.

Along with side questing as an indie author, I'm also a wife and mother, residing in our quaint little town on the edge of the Australian Outback. When not logged into the left hemisphere of my world building escapades, I’m fearlessly navigating the Aussie landscape, dodging drop bears, and avoiding man eating crocs.
Nah! Just kidding! There are no crocs where I live.

Reviews

[Andhisnosestuckinabook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: This Copy Was Sent To Me By The Author For An Honest Review. 😊

#nika Is A Companion Novel To The #celestialshifters Series By #tjalaradraper We Meet Nika Briefly In Book 2 “Flames Of Mars” But She Enters As A Guarded, Cold & Abrupt Individual. I Was Unsure Of My Feelings Toward Her But I Knew There Was To Her Beneath The Surface. 😨

This Companion Book Takes Place Between Books One & Two. The Interesting Thing About This Companion Book Is Well Is That Instead Of Following The Celestial Shifters We Are Seeing Behind Enemy Lines With The Hunters. 🗡

Nika Is A Position That I Know So Many Women Can Relate To. She Is Working In A Male Dominated Environment, Doing The Exact Same Work As The Men Yet Having Constantly Having To Proof Her Worth. Seeing How Hard She Has To Work Alongside Her Brothers Who Are Revered And Yet If She Does Show Strength & Success Instead Of Praise She Is Labelled As Cold! 😡

This Book Honestly Completely Made Me Fall In Love With Nika. Early On In The Book Due To Someone Else’s Poor Judgement She Is Left To Suffer Consequences That Will Last Her Lifetime. This Leaves Physical, Emotional & Psychological Scars Leaving Her To Question If She Needs To Question Everything She Has Worked Toward And What Is Truly Important To Her! 🤯

I Loved This Companion Book So Much & Though Initially Unsure Of This Character As A First Backstory I Could Not Be Happier. Now I Am Truly Hoping To Get To See More Nika In #thornsofvenus 😍

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Nikki Minty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow… 🤩
This book was such a good read. The words just melted off the page.
I love that we got a hunters POV this time around, especially Nika’s. It was refreshing, and added another dimension to the overall Celestial Series story.
Nika is badass, but deep down she has a heart.
Her relationship with her brothers is interesting yet somewhat complicated. Is it brotherly love or is she merely seen as a possession? Do they care about her or only the family name?
There’s also a lot more to the hunters than it seems… I’m intrigued to know more. What happened to _____?
I need answers! I’m greedy, I want the next book now!
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this novella.

[Josephine Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a few hours or at least it felt that way it's so good. If the house was on fire I'm not sure I would have even noticed. I woke up from the trance of reading wondering what time, day, and year it was. It really pulls you in and keeps you there with the tension of hunting shapeshifters. Not to mention the sarcasm and bad bitch vibes are awesome.

Nika is a hot headed whirlwind of explosive temperament wearing a knuckle duster and ready to fill her amulet with the ten blood samples from each type of shapeshifter. Nika is determined not to let anyone close to her, especially the colourful clothes wearing, sweet-tooth, sincere, and charming, Elios.

I read it without having read the first Celestial series books so you can definitely do it that way. Though I'm obviously still going to go read both of those books! It's so good. I believe this spin off takes place after first and before the second novel.

[Natalie Gold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by Tjalara Draper and it won't be my last. I really enjoyed the writing of this author and this book had me hooked into the world from the beginning. I loved Nika as the protagonist and I am looking forward to reading more of her in the future. Loved it!

[Caz (whatcazread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the storyline to Nika and it’s so well paced there wasn’t a moment where I was bored reading it.

I loved that we got huntress Nika Brandstone’s perspective in this book, she’s so feisty and badass!

If you haven’t read Tjalara’s other books, Shards of Venus or Flames of Mars, then I recommend that you do as they’re action packed and full of interesting twists.

[Leaha Hosking · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not familiar with the author's Celestial Shifters Series, but after reading this book, it is one I am adding to my never-ending “I HAVE to read” list.
This book literally opens with a bang! It is action-packed from start to end. You do get to come up for air every now and then, but there is always another twist and another nail-biting situation on the next page.

Nika is a bad-ass hunter. She is tough, independent, driven and angry. But we come to see a very different side to her, as we learn from her past, what has shaped her into the hunter everyone sees. This is her story of discovering a future she thought was all she wanted, is not at all what it seems. The life that she was born into, maybe not the life she really wants.

I feel that from the beginning I had a empathy for the Shifters. They seem to provide the color in a dull khaki and black toned world. Elias is another colorful element to this story, along with his little sister, Peony. When they come into Nika's life, it helps her to see things differently, changes her views on her hunter life and may even change her future. They bring a little sparkle and even a smile.

This is a short book, only 188 pages, but it pulls you in and doesn't let you go, even when the last page is read. I am hooked on this story and want to know what the future does hold for Nika and Elias. I want to know what happened to Sagan and what is Matthais's deal?

The author included the first 4 chapters of Shards of Venus at the end and having read them, I am ordering it and Flames of Mars, as soon as I can.

[Cat (catnapsnbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nika is an urban fantasy set in a human world but with a number of original creative races of shifters based on the planets. Packed with action, hunters and suspense it is a spin off from her Celestial Shifter series and gives us a hint the amazing world and storyline that she has building in those books.

Nika is named for the main character, the daughter of one of the founding hunter families who has spent her whole life training and hunting shifters. In the hunter community it is a sign of prestige to fill your hunter amulet with samples of the glowing blood of the ten shifter races that you have killed and Nika is in a race with her older brothers to reach this honor. Then into her life crashes estranged childhood friend Elias causing Nika to question everything she has ever known. This book starts off with a bang and a fast-paced introduction to the world and its characters. It is an intriguing story, with some angst and drama thrown in and told from a side that we don’t often see. I really liked the characters of Nika and Elias and thought that their story was well written, though was thrown by the ending of this book.

Nika was an enjoyable paranormal/urban fantasy read that raised as many questions as it answered. As a spin off Nika just makes me want to jump into the main series to see what happens in the main storyline. Tjalara Draper has created an amazing new set of shifter races for the Celestial Shifter world with traits all their own and they are a must for any urban fantasy or paranormal fan.

[Liv Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot damn!
Before diving into this review, I have to confess that I am a massive fan of the Celestial Shifters books. I was beyond excited to see that Draper was releasing another story in the universe. I mean, I'm still eagerly awaiting the third, but I am totally ok with this coming out first because it was a great read.
This novel follows the story of the complex, bad-arse huntress Nika Brandstone. In Flames of Mars she was a wonderful character that I loved and hated in equal measures. Getting the chance to dive into a bit more of her personal story (set between books 1 & 2 of the Celestial Shifters series) was so much fun. It added depth and motive to her that I was not aware of before.
The storyline was awesome, but I can't end this review without speaking about the writing itself. WOW. Draper totally knocked it out of the park with this one. The prose was well, written, smooth, and so darn tight. Every word added to the story, and it was so easy to sink into Nika's point of view. I haven't felt this immersed in a character's perspective for such a long time. There wasn't a single bit I didn't enjoy. The writing was, in short, utterly superb. If you like feisty female leads, hilarious banter, action-packed scenes, and a touch of swoon- go get this. Run, don't walk!

[Shayla Morgansen]

Tjalara Draper's Celestial Shifters series is easily my favourite take on the shapeshifting genre, and I admit I bumped this read up my TBR to get to it quicker! I enjoyed sliding back into this gritty, well-imagined universe and especially the insider look at hunter lifestyles and politics. I even warmed toward Nika, the POV character, who I should confess I despised in the main series 😅 Getting to see the circumstances and events that made her into the person we see in Flames of Mars was an unexpected insight. While I missed the nice-guy characters (Violet, Nathan, Thane, Gus...) this book about a relative antihero on the other side of the divide deepened their story and has only made me more excited for Thorns of Neptune where I get to dip into this amazing world once again! Thanks Tjalara!

[Mihaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, what an unique shifter story!
Once again, I did the error of starting it before bed and offcourse I didn't sleep until I finished it. It grabbed me from the start and it kept me glued to my kindle.
The shifter concept is new for me, with different types of shifters that draw their abilities from planets of the solar system (i.e. Venari shifters from Venus). Adding to the mix human hunters that hunt the shifters for harversting parts of they bodies and you have an explosive plot and unputdownable book!
I fell in love with Nika and I can't wait to see her role in the other books. Tjalara has a masterful writing style and the story flowed so well, and made me fell all that Nika felt.
Totally recommend it!

5 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

[Sop · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got a free copy to review, all opinions are my own.

This is my first time reading Tjalara Drapers book. And the writing is pretty good.
Seeing as this is a novella, I was unsure if I made the right choice reading Nika first.
The book literally starts with a bang. We were introduced to a lot of characters at first which was a little to much for me. Regardless, I really liked the book. And I'm really looking forward to continue with the series.
I think this world is going to be really interesting, especially with all these new shifters that I haven't heard of before.
And the book is action packed, not slow at all. Most of the characters didn't have that much depth, but I'm sure we will get that in the other books. Nika is a really strong character and I really want to read more about her!
I don't really have much to say other than, please give this book a try, it's really good!

[Plus Size Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpected... this is the best word for me to describe this story. This is my first read to Tjalara Drapper so I went in blind. Let me tell you, this girl knows how to write. She built a very vivid world that touched my heart. Created villains and potential allies who are intriguing, entertaining, and diverse. A bish was enthralled. (Did I use that word right?? I looked it up I think I did.)

I'm gonna be honest, when I first started the book, I thought it was slow. Which in hindsight makes NO sense because it starts with our girl Nika being injured during a hunt. The desperation of her brothers trying to save her and the aftercare of these life changing injuries was rough on her emotionally and mentally.

With that said, our girl is a total bad ass. I got Baddie vibes reminiscent of Anita Blake. Her nickname is the Branstone Iron Maiden. She's petite but lethal and has a tendency to throat punch those who disrespect her.

Now, being a huge shifter fan, I was appalled to learn that she was a proud, skilled, shifter hunter. This led me to a ton of theories as to how this could play out. All of which were wrong.

This was not marketed as a love story, at least not to me but there is a love interest, feelings, hope, and heartfelt moments. The ending of this story did not give me what I wanted. It's not tragic but it's sad. Like I wanted to go grab some tissues and sit by the water staring out and ask "Am I worthy??"

We're told at the end of the book Nika's story is not over and we get to see her in book two of the Celestial Shifter series. I had not realized this was a spinoff of said series and am thrilled to revisit this world.

I really liked this story overall and would recommend it. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because I have a strict personal rule that I only give 5 stars to books that cause a strong emotional or physical reaction while reading. Granted as mentioned above, I definitely was in my feelings but not so much that I cried, gasped, shouted, or shook my fist in rage at the literary gods. That doesn't mean that you won't do all of those things while reading this.

Check me out on bookstagram/book tok: https://linktr.ee/ps.biliophile

[Abbigail (Abbie) Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nika a spin off of Draper’s Celestial Shifter series, blew me out of the water and I will definitely be picking up the rest of the Celestial Shifter books asap!

Nika, the main character, is the daughter of one of the founding hunting families and she has spent her entire life training and hunting. Nika is in a race with her older brother to see who can fill their amulet with the ten samples of glowing blood from the ten shifter races.
Nika meets Elias who makes her question everything she’s ever known.

I loved the fast paced story! It was very intriguing and well written. You can tell that Draper really fleshed out Nika and Elias as characters and people.

[Mel Bears · Rating 5 out of 5]

The details the writer put into this book really put me into the settings. I felt like I could easily imagine the characters world! I'm reading Nika before the author's Celestial Shifters series and it definitely left me wanting to read more once I finished it. The characters were easy to connect with especially one or two that I myself found I relate to on a personal level. As I read more and more of the story I couldn't keep myself away from it, I binged 14 chapters (and finished the book) in less than a day! I can't wait to read the Celestial Shifters series and the writer's other stories!

[Kellie Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read Nika's book between book 1 & 2 of the Celestial series ( go get them if you haven't already) her story starts at the end of book one and continues in book two.
I loved getting to see the hunters side of things and how/why they do what they do.
This book definitely grips you from the first page it's action packed and insightful into who Nika is. Nika is a string FMC with a soft side she doesn't like to show, she has the family name and reputation to live up too.
The writing is flawless Tjalara has outdone herself

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed with Nika’s decision towards the end book, I was hoping she’d choose the path that she did. Phew.
I enjoyed watching her and Elias’ relationship thaw and grow. I am praying that in the next installment I will find out that her seemingly act of betrayal is actually an act of desperation. An agreed swap, one life for another.
I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to finding out if my prediction is correct. 🤞🏻

[Linsey Toney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nika: A Celestial Shifters Story is a really good read. The author did a great job with the storyline, characters and details in this book. I really enjoyed this book and the series from this author. I think if you are unsure if you wanna read this series this book will help you decide! This book itself is addicting.

[rebecca brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good read. Some great writing. It was easy to follow and just love how strong headed nika is. It is action packed. Love the twist on the shifter that was something new and different for me but was worth it. Cant wait to read more

[Ky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need more of Nika and Elias right now!!

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not going to lie, Nika was not my favourite character - I even slightly disliked her - but this book opened my eyes to so much about her character. I just couldn’t put it down, her back story was so intriguing and I just wanted to know more.

It was written so beautifully, and really made me feel for Nika and everything she was having to go through. I really enjoyed this book in the end, and was happy to have an eye opening journey into Nika which made me appreciate her role in the main series!

Cannot wait to keep reading this series and the next novellas the author has in store!

[Katy Meow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing with a side of heartache

Really enjoying this world. My heart hurt for the characters in this book & I can’t wait to see what the next book brings.

[readingwithpapillons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was so so happy to go back into the Celestial Shifters world! I absolutely LOVED Shards of Venus & Flames of Mars. I read those two back in Dec 2020/Jan 2021, and now I’m like damn I really need to re read those two books 😂 I’m sure I’ll love them even more than the first time I read them, especially after this book!
Nika was such a fun, fast paced read that really messed with you’re emotions 😂😂 a perfect edition to the Celestial Shifters world

Tjalara became one of my favourite Aussie authors when I read Shards of Venus, and I can definitely say she always will be! 💜 100% an auto read author for me 😍

Just be warned everyone, Tjalara becomes an evil author at the end of this book
😂💕