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The Kiesha'ra #1-5
The Shapeshifters: The Kiesha'ra of the Den of Shadows
Five shapeshifter novels—one fascinating read!
Hawksong
Danica Shardae, an avian shapeshifter, will do anything in her power to stop the war that has raged between her people and the serpiente—even pretend to be in love with Zane Cobriana, the terrifying leader of her kind’s greatest enemy, and accept him as her pair bond. But will Zane strike as swiftly and lethally as the cobra that is his second form?
Note: Descriptions for books 2 - 5 contain spoilers for their previous books
Snakecharm
A surprising union has brought peace to the avians and serpiente. Soon a child will be born to carry on their royal lines. But Syfka, an ancient falcon, is claiming that one of her people is hidden in the avian and serpiente land. Is Syfka’s lost falcon just a ruse to stir up controversy among them?
Falcondance
Nicias is a falcon, the son of two exiles from Ahnmik, and images of this distant island have always haunted his dreams. When his visions become more like reality, his parents send him back to the homeland—and a royal falcon—they’ve tried their best to forget.
Wolfcry
Oliza Shardae Cobriana is heir to Wyvern’s Court, home of the avians and serpiente, whose war with each other ended just before Oliza was born. But hatred is slow to die, and Oliza’s serpiente suitor is found beaten in avian land. How can she be expected to lead a unified society if her people still cannot live peacefully together?
Wyvernhail
Hai, daughter of a falcon mother and a deceased cobra father, is considered a mongrel by most, an ally by some, and a friend by few. When Hai’s cousin abdicates the throne of Wyvern’s Court, Hai has visions of destruction. Now she will do anything to protect her new home—even if it means betraying the very people who need her most.
Hawksong
Danica Shardae, an avian shapeshifter, will do anything in her power to stop the war that has raged between her people and the serpiente—even pretend to be in love with Zane Cobriana, the terrifying leader of her kind’s greatest enemy, and accept him as her pair bond. But will Zane strike as swiftly and lethally as the cobra that is his second form?
Note: Descriptions for books 2 - 5 contain spoilers for their previous books
Snakecharm
A surprising union has brought peace to the avians and serpiente. Soon a child will be born to carry on their royal lines. But Syfka, an ancient falcon, is claiming that one of her people is hidden in the avian and serpiente land. Is Syfka’s lost falcon just a ruse to stir up controversy among them?
Falcondance
Nicias is a falcon, the son of two exiles from Ahnmik, and images of this distant island have always haunted his dreams. When his visions become more like reality, his parents send him back to the homeland—and a royal falcon—they’ve tried their best to forget.
Wolfcry
Oliza Shardae Cobriana is heir to Wyvern’s Court, home of the avians and serpiente, whose war with each other ended just before Oliza was born. But hatred is slow to die, and Oliza’s serpiente suitor is found beaten in avian land. How can she be expected to lead a unified society if her people still cannot live peacefully together?
Wyvernhail
Hai, daughter of a falcon mother and a deceased cobra father, is considered a mongrel by most, an ally by some, and a friend by few. When Hai’s cousin abdicates the throne of Wyvern’s Court, Hai has visions of destruction. Now she will do anything to protect her new home—even if it means betraying the very people who need her most.
968 pages, Paperback
First published December 22, 2009
164 people are currently reading
1605 people want to read
About the author
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
35 books3,431 followersI grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, where I matriculated through the public Concord-Carlisle school district from kindergarten until my graduation in 2001. The best part of school, from fifth grade until the year I graduated, was definitely chorus. I love music, and I love to sing, and though I never had the courage or the talent to participate in any of the high school plays as a performer, I enjoyed being involved at other levels; the music and drama community at CCHS was the highlight of my high school career. I was also on the fencing team for two years, an experience that actually inspired a couple storylines, and regret that I did not continue with that sport.
I now live in Massachusetts with several pets... as well as, of course, my family. I am a student at the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. I hope to work either as an English teacher at the secondary level, or in special education. I have strong opinions about literacy, education, and how our educational systems are treated- strong enough that most of my friends know not to get me started on the subject.
My non-writing hobbies are eclectic, and cover everything from rather domestic pastimes like cross-stitch and cooking to aquarium keeping, playing piano, gardening, carpentry, Harley-Davidsons, driving, and arguing- there are few things I enjoy more than a good debate with someone who knows how to argue, which might have something to do with a best friend who works in politics. I love to learn, so if I have down-time and nothing to do, it is not at all unusual to find me pouring over some book, website or video designed to teach me some new skill, from belly dancing (something I desperately want to learn but have not yet been brave enough to sign up for classes on) to JavaScript.
I now live in Massachusetts with several pets... as well as, of course, my family. I am a student at the University of Massachusetts, with an English/psychology double-major. I hope to work either as an English teacher at the secondary level, or in special education. I have strong opinions about literacy, education, and how our educational systems are treated- strong enough that most of my friends know not to get me started on the subject.
My non-writing hobbies are eclectic, and cover everything from rather domestic pastimes like cross-stitch and cooking to aquarium keeping, playing piano, gardening, carpentry, Harley-Davidsons, driving, and arguing- there are few things I enjoy more than a good debate with someone who knows how to argue, which might have something to do with a best friend who works in politics. I love to learn, so if I have down-time and nothing to do, it is not at all unusual to find me pouring over some book, website or video designed to teach me some new skill, from belly dancing (something I desperately want to learn but have not yet been brave enough to sign up for classes on) to JavaScript.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
May 25, 2011
You HAVE to read this part first. There are only two rules before reading this book:
1) Do not read the summaries at the back of the book. Read only the excerpt of which you are going to read because there will be spoilers and I’ve seen them myself which I regret reading.
2) Do not analyze the family tree because there are spoilers, yet again. To elaborate, you will know who are dead, who’ll be together and who their children would be.
So, for my reviews, I will avoid putting spoilers so you can read them even if you have not read the first book, Hawksong, or any other book, yet. Believe me when I say I’ll check it 10 times before posting it. But, if you know nothing about the story and want to keep it that way, then just look at my rating below. I will update it each time I finish a “The Kiesha’ra of the Den of Shadows” book. :)
5 stars: Interesting story, must read again someday
4 stars: Interesting story, might not read again
3 stars: Not interesting story, will read again someday
2 stars: Not interesting story, wish I had not read it
Hawksong 5 STARS
Snakecharm 4 STARS
Falcondance 5 STARS
Wolfcry 2 STARS
Wyvernhail 4 STARS
(Note: The ratings above are meant only for this omnibus edition.)
Hawksong: The main character is a princess so the setting has regality in it. I don’t know why but I feel sort of inspired when reading this book because of the setting. It sort of reminded me of The Sims™ Medieval. Anyway, the first part was inspiring so I got through it. As it progressed, I became to engrossed in it that I didn’t notice what page I was in and what chapter I was reading. It was that good. I felt like my head was floating, in a good way. It could not have been better than it already was. I had a hard time focusing, though, because the words were a bit too formal but that’s expected. During the climax of the book, I got so tensed, giddy and I couldn’t stay still that I had to burn off that excess energy by playing Fur Elise on the piano with a tempo of 200/148 a couple of times and I did it almost too perfectly it was frightening. Even now that I have finished the book, I still feel giddy and my heart’s all fluttery. Conclusion: this book is more than I had anticipated and it exceeded my expectations despite my first thought that it would be too boring that I might have to finish it in at least two weeks! READ IT AND YOU WON'T REGRET IT! :)
Snakecharm: I had to read this for about three days but for less than 72 hours because the day after I finished Hawksong, I feared that Snakecharm will not be as good as Hawksong despite the knowledge that all of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's books had improved one book after the other. So, when I finally did read it, I was a bit confused and noticed some errors. One was that a person in the story stood up. Two pages later, the said person stood up again even though I have not read anything that she had sat down or anything. That confounded me and there were also some facts here that strongly conflicted with the facts in the first book but it was later more explained but I still felt that it was lacking. I was totally confounded with this book but I found the story plot AMAZING. Can't tell you anything about it but it was simply amazing. There are things revealed here or are otherwise imagined so vividly that I was swept away but it was still confusing about how their conversation got there. Conclusion: this book is confusing but it has a good story to let your imagination fly away. Despite this, I don't think I'll ever read a book so confusing as this one. (P.S. Notice how I wrote this review in a way like in medieval times? This is how the words are written in the book and I am influenced enough by it to write my review like it, and I'm not doing it intentionally.)
Falcondance: The atmosphere of this book is similar to Snakecharm but the information that has been revealed here are a lot heavier and useful. I really loved this book and the only reason I might be reading this again is to understand the heavy information more. It was a thrilling read and I was not at all disappointed. People say that they don't want imagining the older characters as parents but in my case, I forgot that I read about them before in a very different way. The only downfall to this WHOLE SERIES is that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is not consistent with the genre. Hawksong is sort of a love story then the next two are kind of like fantasy. It's very different and I was shocked by it too. Conclusion: Falcondance is a heavy read but it is really a book to love. My advice is to not rush while reading it because you're going to need all the time you have to fully understand this one. I was not able to do that because I made a promise that I will finish it on May 1, 2011 but I failed so I finished it the next day instead. I also think that this book was compressed because all the details just kept coming without your understanding the statement before it. I think this book deserves a book as thick as Harry Potter. A lot were revealed but there are still tons of problems and questions that are not yet solved.
Wolfcry: Disgusting. That’s my first thought when I think of this book. Very disgusting. Don’t think of what I just said as discrimination, though. As you know, I’ve seen the family tree that I told you not to look at, and I knew about this thing and wasn’t expecting one thing to be the other. You wouldn’t understand what I just said, would you? Well, guess not. Anyway, I read The Hunger Games Trilogy as my “break” from The Kiesha’ra of the Den of Shadows series and… I don’t remember my reason for saying that. I guess I’m not very focused right now so I’ll make this brief. There’s a part here about falcon’s magic that interests me a bit. I’ve encountered it before it the TV series Charmed and remembered how it became confusing if you kept thinking about it so I didn’t think about it. The interesting thing about this magic is you can actually do it without any magic in real life. Can’t tell you what I’m talking about because I consider them spoilers but you can ask me about it if you like. So, besides that interesting bit about falcon magic, I didn’t like this book… and I just remembered why I mentioned The Hunger Games trilogy! It’s because while I was reading that series, I felt a lot in my heart. Love, hatred, hope, happiness and all that kind of stuff whereas in Wolfcry, all I felt was disgust. Can’t tell you why either but again, you can ask me about it. Conclusion: I don’t recommend this book to anyone. It does tell more, I guess, about the setting this story took place in but besides that, I don’t find anything remarkable in this book. If anything, it was a waste of my time. I apologize to the author but I simply thought that it would bring relief that I needed from reading Snakecharm and Falcondance. But it didn’t. Lastly, I would like to advice all the readers of this series not to read it. I feel that some of you wouldn’t be as troubled as I am by this book so pardon me if you think I’m heartless.
Wyvernhail: Interesting. Very interesting. I loved this book so much that I just kept reading and reading and I still want to read more although there’s nothing left to read. I really want to say that I want to read it again but I really don’t want to read it again, probably because I’m lazy and have tons of other books to read. I really liked the story of this book and I felt all of the main character’s hardships and stuff. I don’t really know what to say about this book. So far, my mind is going blank. Conclusion: Read this one. It’s probably the perfect ending for the series and you wouldn’t want to miss this for your life.
Round-up Rating:
1st place: Hawksong (Book 1)
2nd place: Wyvernhail (Book 5)
3rd place: Falcondance (Book 3)
4th place: Snakecharm (Book 2)
5th place: Wolfcry (Book 4)
1) Do not read the summaries at the back of the book. Read only the excerpt of which you are going to read because there will be spoilers and I’ve seen them myself which I regret reading.
2) Do not analyze the family tree because there are spoilers, yet again. To elaborate, you will know who are dead, who’ll be together and who their children would be.
So, for my reviews, I will avoid putting spoilers so you can read them even if you have not read the first book, Hawksong, or any other book, yet. Believe me when I say I’ll check it 10 times before posting it. But, if you know nothing about the story and want to keep it that way, then just look at my rating below. I will update it each time I finish a “The Kiesha’ra of the Den of Shadows” book. :)
5 stars: Interesting story, must read again someday
4 stars: Interesting story, might not read again
3 stars: Not interesting story, will read again someday
2 stars: Not interesting story, wish I had not read it
Hawksong 5 STARS
Snakecharm 4 STARS
Falcondance 5 STARS
Wolfcry 2 STARS
Wyvernhail 4 STARS
(Note: The ratings above are meant only for this omnibus edition.)
Hawksong: The main character is a princess so the setting has regality in it. I don’t know why but I feel sort of inspired when reading this book because of the setting. It sort of reminded me of The Sims™ Medieval. Anyway, the first part was inspiring so I got through it. As it progressed, I became to engrossed in it that I didn’t notice what page I was in and what chapter I was reading. It was that good. I felt like my head was floating, in a good way. It could not have been better than it already was. I had a hard time focusing, though, because the words were a bit too formal but that’s expected. During the climax of the book, I got so tensed, giddy and I couldn’t stay still that I had to burn off that excess energy by playing Fur Elise on the piano with a tempo of 200/148 a couple of times and I did it almost too perfectly it was frightening. Even now that I have finished the book, I still feel giddy and my heart’s all fluttery. Conclusion: this book is more than I had anticipated and it exceeded my expectations despite my first thought that it would be too boring that I might have to finish it in at least two weeks! READ IT AND YOU WON'T REGRET IT! :)
Snakecharm: I had to read this for about three days but for less than 72 hours because the day after I finished Hawksong, I feared that Snakecharm will not be as good as Hawksong despite the knowledge that all of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's books had improved one book after the other. So, when I finally did read it, I was a bit confused and noticed some errors. One was that a person in the story stood up. Two pages later, the said person stood up again even though I have not read anything that she had sat down or anything. That confounded me and there were also some facts here that strongly conflicted with the facts in the first book but it was later more explained but I still felt that it was lacking. I was totally confounded with this book but I found the story plot AMAZING. Can't tell you anything about it but it was simply amazing. There are things revealed here or are otherwise imagined so vividly that I was swept away but it was still confusing about how their conversation got there. Conclusion: this book is confusing but it has a good story to let your imagination fly away. Despite this, I don't think I'll ever read a book so confusing as this one. (P.S. Notice how I wrote this review in a way like in medieval times? This is how the words are written in the book and I am influenced enough by it to write my review like it, and I'm not doing it intentionally.)
Falcondance: The atmosphere of this book is similar to Snakecharm but the information that has been revealed here are a lot heavier and useful. I really loved this book and the only reason I might be reading this again is to understand the heavy information more. It was a thrilling read and I was not at all disappointed. People say that they don't want imagining the older characters as parents but in my case, I forgot that I read about them before in a very different way. The only downfall to this WHOLE SERIES is that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is not consistent with the genre. Hawksong is sort of a love story then the next two are kind of like fantasy. It's very different and I was shocked by it too. Conclusion: Falcondance is a heavy read but it is really a book to love. My advice is to not rush while reading it because you're going to need all the time you have to fully understand this one. I was not able to do that because I made a promise that I will finish it on May 1, 2011 but I failed so I finished it the next day instead. I also think that this book was compressed because all the details just kept coming without your understanding the statement before it. I think this book deserves a book as thick as Harry Potter. A lot were revealed but there are still tons of problems and questions that are not yet solved.
Wolfcry: Disgusting. That’s my first thought when I think of this book. Very disgusting. Don’t think of what I just said as discrimination, though. As you know, I’ve seen the family tree that I told you not to look at, and I knew about this thing and wasn’t expecting one thing to be the other. You wouldn’t understand what I just said, would you? Well, guess not. Anyway, I read The Hunger Games Trilogy as my “break” from The Kiesha’ra of the Den of Shadows series and… I don’t remember my reason for saying that. I guess I’m not very focused right now so I’ll make this brief. There’s a part here about falcon’s magic that interests me a bit. I’ve encountered it before it the TV series Charmed and remembered how it became confusing if you kept thinking about it so I didn’t think about it. The interesting thing about this magic is you can actually do it without any magic in real life. Can’t tell you what I’m talking about because I consider them spoilers but you can ask me about it if you like. So, besides that interesting bit about falcon magic, I didn’t like this book… and I just remembered why I mentioned The Hunger Games trilogy! It’s because while I was reading that series, I felt a lot in my heart. Love, hatred, hope, happiness and all that kind of stuff whereas in Wolfcry, all I felt was disgust. Can’t tell you why either but again, you can ask me about it. Conclusion: I don’t recommend this book to anyone. It does tell more, I guess, about the setting this story took place in but besides that, I don’t find anything remarkable in this book. If anything, it was a waste of my time. I apologize to the author but I simply thought that it would bring relief that I needed from reading Snakecharm and Falcondance. But it didn’t. Lastly, I would like to advice all the readers of this series not to read it. I feel that some of you wouldn’t be as troubled as I am by this book so pardon me if you think I’m heartless.
Wyvernhail: Interesting. Very interesting. I loved this book so much that I just kept reading and reading and I still want to read more although there’s nothing left to read. I really want to say that I want to read it again but I really don’t want to read it again, probably because I’m lazy and have tons of other books to read. I really liked the story of this book and I felt all of the main character’s hardships and stuff. I don’t really know what to say about this book. So far, my mind is going blank. Conclusion: Read this one. It’s probably the perfect ending for the series and you wouldn’t want to miss this for your life.
Round-up Rating:
1st place: Hawksong (Book 1)
2nd place: Wyvernhail (Book 5)
3rd place: Falcondance (Book 3)
4th place: Snakecharm (Book 2)
5th place: Wolfcry (Book 4)
January 25, 2010
I cried in book 4! This is 5 novels placed in one very large book. A series of events that take place in order and over generations. It trapped me from the beginning and took me all the way through. Had I not needed sleep I wouldn't have put it down. One fantastic epic tale!
August 6, 2023
My GOD that was SO GOOD! I'm so glad I read it again and that I own it now because I honestly can see myself reading it again in the future. Every book has a different protagonist and I kept thinking I wasn't gonna bond with the switch but I was here for every character by the end of it and MAN what a ending it had! It's a living breathing world with a rich culture and lore and I love how many sides we get to see it from by the end!
July 5, 2011
Well, all I have to say is WAY TO GO Amelia Atwater-Rhodes!!!!!!!
You've once again managed to create what nobody in the genre has really created yet. Books about shape shifters are difficult (in my experience) to come by, and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has done an amazing job of introducing this mix into the teen romance genre.
MINIMAL SPOILERS HERE GUYS IF YOU WANT TO READ FURTHER YOU WILL NOT BE SPOILED!!
Book 1: Hawksong
I immediately took to the characters. They were loveable, and had tangible personal connections to one another that made the story more real. All the pieces come together just in time for the climax (and pieces you didn't even think about - or disregarded as irrelevant information). This book makes you fall in love with the world that the shapeshifters live in. It is sort of confusing at first because you don't really understand the cultural cues, but it gets easier (I promise ;))
Book 2: Snakecharm
Gosh. I loved the characters from the first book. And (knowing Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' style from The Den of Shadows Quartet) assumed that they would be gone for the second book. I was really mourning them being gone forever until BAM!!! They're back. This book expands on the shapeshifter world, and gets you more into some other aspects of it that you hadn't really considered before. The plot of this story wasn't as easy to become sucked into, and wasn't as captivating as the first book, but really builds your knowledge base, and makes the next books easier to understand (it also introduces some key characters - that you didn't expect to be key).
Book 3: Falcondance
OMG, I LOVE NICIAS!! He is one of my new favourite characters (although it's difficult to see some of our - previously - primary characters become old). I loved how he felt actual temptation to go against his better instincts, and didn't just stay all high and mighty throughout the book. He actually developed as a character throughout the book, and it was good to see him grow and mature in that way. This book (again) is not to be praised particularly for it's plot, but really expands how much you know about more than just the serpiente or the avians.
Book 4: Wolfcry
Wow. Didn't see that one coming. Let me just say, when you think that the story is not going to develop, and stay completely dull through out the entire book, you're SO WRONG. It throws plot twists at you like an expert knife thrower. Didn't see any of that ending the way it did. It hashed out completely different than I would have expected or even dreamed, but I still absolutely loved it to pieces. This match was a first (if you know what I mean ;)) This one pretty much could compete with the first book (plot loving wise) and surpassed my expectations for plot twists and surprise endings.
Book 5: Wyvernhail
I wasn't really impressed with Wyvernhail. It seemed to revolve around politics and lost that sense of a love story that seemed to carry throughout the rest of the books and it also lacked the closure I felt was necessary for such a monumental book. Also it felt like the only reason that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes wrote the last book was to tie up all of the loose political ends she left at the end of Wolfcry, not because there was a story that was actually worth telling. I was rather disappointed in this last book, but if you want to have a (somewhat) tied up end then you have to read this book to get it, because it comes about in a way you wouldn't think possible.
You've once again managed to create what nobody in the genre has really created yet. Books about shape shifters are difficult (in my experience) to come by, and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes has done an amazing job of introducing this mix into the teen romance genre.
MINIMAL SPOILERS HERE GUYS IF YOU WANT TO READ FURTHER YOU WILL NOT BE SPOILED!!
Book 1: Hawksong
I immediately took to the characters. They were loveable, and had tangible personal connections to one another that made the story more real. All the pieces come together just in time for the climax (and pieces you didn't even think about - or disregarded as irrelevant information). This book makes you fall in love with the world that the shapeshifters live in. It is sort of confusing at first because you don't really understand the cultural cues, but it gets easier (I promise ;))
Book 2: Snakecharm
Gosh. I loved the characters from the first book. And (knowing Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' style from The Den of Shadows Quartet) assumed that they would be gone for the second book. I was really mourning them being gone forever until BAM!!! They're back. This book expands on the shapeshifter world, and gets you more into some other aspects of it that you hadn't really considered before. The plot of this story wasn't as easy to become sucked into, and wasn't as captivating as the first book, but really builds your knowledge base, and makes the next books easier to understand (it also introduces some key characters - that you didn't expect to be key).
Book 3: Falcondance
OMG, I LOVE NICIAS!! He is one of my new favourite characters (although it's difficult to see some of our - previously - primary characters become old). I loved how he felt actual temptation to go against his better instincts, and didn't just stay all high and mighty throughout the book. He actually developed as a character throughout the book, and it was good to see him grow and mature in that way. This book (again) is not to be praised particularly for it's plot, but really expands how much you know about more than just the serpiente or the avians.
Book 4: Wolfcry
Wow. Didn't see that one coming. Let me just say, when you think that the story is not going to develop, and stay completely dull through out the entire book, you're SO WRONG. It throws plot twists at you like an expert knife thrower. Didn't see any of that ending the way it did. It hashed out completely different than I would have expected or even dreamed, but I still absolutely loved it to pieces. This match was a first (if you know what I mean ;)) This one pretty much could compete with the first book (plot loving wise) and surpassed my expectations for plot twists and surprise endings.
Book 5: Wyvernhail
I wasn't really impressed with Wyvernhail. It seemed to revolve around politics and lost that sense of a love story that seemed to carry throughout the rest of the books and it also lacked the closure I felt was necessary for such a monumental book. Also it felt like the only reason that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes wrote the last book was to tie up all of the loose political ends she left at the end of Wolfcry, not because there was a story that was actually worth telling. I was rather disappointed in this last book, but if you want to have a (somewhat) tied up end then you have to read this book to get it, because it comes about in a way you wouldn't think possible.
September 30, 2010
I had a late night of reading last night and yesterday and I decided to read all of Amelia Atwater Rhodes shifter's series in one huge compilation. If you have never read and of Rhode's books, your should totally pic one up.
These stories are short and sweet. In each story there is a tale of love overcoming and obstacle overcome, even diplomacy between animal groups. There are leaders, lovers, last chances and dramatic moments in the stories. The central characters are making huge growth in themselves and in what they want for their people.
If you want to sit down to a series and come out feeling really good and happy for everyone in the end, then pick up the Kiesha'ra series. It will not leave you disappointed.
These stories are short and sweet. In each story there is a tale of love overcoming and obstacle overcome, even diplomacy between animal groups. There are leaders, lovers, last chances and dramatic moments in the stories. The central characters are making huge growth in themselves and in what they want for their people.
If you want to sit down to a series and come out feeling really good and happy for everyone in the end, then pick up the Kiesha'ra series. It will not leave you disappointed.
April 15, 2011
Holy freaky jesus!!!!!! THIS BOOK IS EPICALLY AWESOME IT WAS SO AWESOME IT MAKE ME CRY BECAUSE I WAS OVERWHEMLE OF IT AWESOMENESS!!!! It the whole series of Hawksong or the serious which is call The Kiesha`re of the den of shadows! I will tell you one thing! You have to read it!
Walking through Borders looking for some books and this book caught my eyes and now i don`t regret getting this as my late Christmas present from my cousin.
You should read it. . .also ps. i would of given more stars if their weren`t only 5
Walking through Borders looking for some books and this book caught my eyes and now i don`t regret getting this as my late Christmas present from my cousin.
You should read it. . .also ps. i would of given more stars if their weren`t only 5
September 25, 2010
This book is really 5 semi-short stories (around 200 pages each). I don't really like short stories but thought maybe I could handle this one. I really liked the first story about Zane and Danica and wish that one would have been longer so the author could have focused a little more on the world building. The other stories didn't really catch my interest and I didn't even read the last one.
August 11, 2013
Ah, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, the purple prose enabler of my youth. (I’m not slamming her; look, she was fourteen when In the Forests of the Night was published, the writing’s not perfect. She’s gotten better.) Between seventh and tenth grade, I devoured the entire Den of Shadows quartet and loved them. And then I read Hawksong and that was the last book I read by her until All Just Glass came out a few years ago. It’s not that I wasn’t interested at all in the Kiesha’ra series, I just never got around to reading them as they were being released.
I’m also going to review this as one whole book, as opposed to reviewing it by volume. Because this is one continuous story, just experienced by different characters. And there lies on of my big problems with the books and Atwater-Rhodes’s writing—she really doesn’t do a lot to differentiate voices from book to book. I understand that yes, Nicias is going to sound more like Danica due to their upbringing, but Zane comes off cold and distant in his book, and it’s been established that he doesn’t have emotional reserve. It’s more jarring to me in here than it was with her other omnibus, especially reading this in one go, and it makes the book feel extremely dry. It doesn’t bother me for every book—her narrative style does work in Hawksong and Wolfcry. It just doesn’t gel with the characterization of the narrators at time.
But the really weak part of this whole series, and this is a problem that I have with nearly all of her books, is that Atwater-Rhodes cannot write a decent climax to save her life. She does great character studies. I like it when her climaxes are contained and small battles and the big breakthrough is for the character emotionally. Here, this feels like she so wants this series to be big and epic and sweeping and every single volume ends with the characters talking at one another. I get the backstory, I do. I get that this world has seen so much bloodshed that none of the main characters wants to continue…but I never get the idea that the stakes are high enough that bloodshed will be inevitable. Only one major named character dies in this series, and her murderers are brought to justice without a big fuss. (Andreios doesn’t count in my book. I may have swore a lot at that reveal.) There’s so much talk about the falcons being a constant danger in the post-war world, but they don’t really do anything except swoop and talk about “Yeah, you’re all going to die if you continue to live together.”
Everything about this series feels too easy. One of my main problems with Hawksong is that each side manages to handle their respective leaders marrying for politics with relative ease. Aside from Charis Cobriana’s assassination and Danica’s near-assassination (which feels more like a move of jealousy, not politics), there’s no on-screen escalation of violence. And it never escalates in any of the further books. The only time we get an exploration of how complicated things are is in Wolfcry, and Oliza’s internal struggle about choosing a mate. That book really does illustrate that while Wyvern’s Court may look like a haven of peace, there’s still old wounds and struggles and it’s all piled on top of Oliza until she can’t take it anymore. Wolfcry is one of the few instances across the series where I didn’t mind the protagonists talking at the climax until it backs down because it made sense.
Falcondance and Wyvernhail were the two weakest books in the series, in my honest opinion. While I consider the world-building one of the strongest aspects of these books (and why I’m actually planning on picking up the Maeve’ra books when they come out), I do not like the falcons. They have a larger purpose in the narrative, but every time a falcon from Ahnmik shows up it feels like they’re only there to be mysterious and ancient. They don’t make as huge of an impact as they should on the books, especially since Nicias and Hai are major players in the end. And Wyvernhail in particular. Again, I get what Atwater-Rhodes is doing with Hai’s visions. But nothing in the plot completely suggests that everything’s going to die and a lot of character actions feel forced, or rather, Hai automatically jumps to conclusions. It feels jarring when the character decides “Fuck what the future holds,” when I can’t see the logical conclusion from “Oh Oliza will have to take the throne after all” to DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.
(It’s not that I dislike Snakecharm save for the ONE THING ABOUT REI. SORRY NOT THAT UPSET. You can also tell how long it’s been since I’ve actually read the first book because the flashbacks to Sebastian and Danica meeting for the first time had me going “What, was that in the first book originally?” Anyway. Snakecharm’s not bad, it’s good. It’s just more a breather book and expands more on the history of the avians and the serpentiente.)
Again, I do give Atwater-Rhodes credit for creating a series with a complex mythology and sticking with it. (Den of Shadows mythology was wibbly at points.) But the lack of any consequence or stakes pretty much kills my enjoyment of the series. I don’t know if I would have liked the Kiesha’ra better if I had originally read the individual volumes, but the omnibus really illustrates the problems with Atwater-Rhodes’s writing, especially since it does begin to feel repetitive when the solution to each book is the exact. Same. Method. I’m not saying that it’s a terrible series, but I do feel like it’s a weak one. Again, I’m hoping that the upcoming Maeve’ra will fill in some of the large plot issues (particularly with the falcons).
I’m also going to review this as one whole book, as opposed to reviewing it by volume. Because this is one continuous story, just experienced by different characters. And there lies on of my big problems with the books and Atwater-Rhodes’s writing—she really doesn’t do a lot to differentiate voices from book to book. I understand that yes, Nicias is going to sound more like Danica due to their upbringing, but Zane comes off cold and distant in his book, and it’s been established that he doesn’t have emotional reserve. It’s more jarring to me in here than it was with her other omnibus, especially reading this in one go, and it makes the book feel extremely dry. It doesn’t bother me for every book—her narrative style does work in Hawksong and Wolfcry. It just doesn’t gel with the characterization of the narrators at time.
But the really weak part of this whole series, and this is a problem that I have with nearly all of her books, is that Atwater-Rhodes cannot write a decent climax to save her life. She does great character studies. I like it when her climaxes are contained and small battles and the big breakthrough is for the character emotionally. Here, this feels like she so wants this series to be big and epic and sweeping and every single volume ends with the characters talking at one another. I get the backstory, I do. I get that this world has seen so much bloodshed that none of the main characters wants to continue…but I never get the idea that the stakes are high enough that bloodshed will be inevitable. Only one major named character dies in this series, and her murderers are brought to justice without a big fuss. (Andreios doesn’t count in my book. I may have swore a lot at that reveal.) There’s so much talk about the falcons being a constant danger in the post-war world, but they don’t really do anything except swoop and talk about “Yeah, you’re all going to die if you continue to live together.”
Everything about this series feels too easy. One of my main problems with Hawksong is that each side manages to handle their respective leaders marrying for politics with relative ease. Aside from Charis Cobriana’s assassination and Danica’s near-assassination (which feels more like a move of jealousy, not politics), there’s no on-screen escalation of violence. And it never escalates in any of the further books. The only time we get an exploration of how complicated things are is in Wolfcry, and Oliza’s internal struggle about choosing a mate. That book really does illustrate that while Wyvern’s Court may look like a haven of peace, there’s still old wounds and struggles and it’s all piled on top of Oliza until she can’t take it anymore. Wolfcry is one of the few instances across the series where I didn’t mind the protagonists talking at the climax until it backs down because it made sense.
Falcondance and Wyvernhail were the two weakest books in the series, in my honest opinion. While I consider the world-building one of the strongest aspects of these books (and why I’m actually planning on picking up the Maeve’ra books when they come out), I do not like the falcons. They have a larger purpose in the narrative, but every time a falcon from Ahnmik shows up it feels like they’re only there to be mysterious and ancient. They don’t make as huge of an impact as they should on the books, especially since Nicias and Hai are major players in the end. And Wyvernhail in particular. Again, I get what Atwater-Rhodes is doing with Hai’s visions. But nothing in the plot completely suggests that everything’s going to die and a lot of character actions feel forced, or rather, Hai automatically jumps to conclusions. It feels jarring when the character decides “Fuck what the future holds,” when I can’t see the logical conclusion from “Oh Oliza will have to take the throne after all” to DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.
(It’s not that I dislike Snakecharm save for the ONE THING ABOUT REI. SORRY NOT THAT UPSET. You can also tell how long it’s been since I’ve actually read the first book because the flashbacks to Sebastian and Danica meeting for the first time had me going “What, was that in the first book originally?” Anyway. Snakecharm’s not bad, it’s good. It’s just more a breather book and expands more on the history of the avians and the serpentiente.)
Again, I do give Atwater-Rhodes credit for creating a series with a complex mythology and sticking with it. (Den of Shadows mythology was wibbly at points.) But the lack of any consequence or stakes pretty much kills my enjoyment of the series. I don’t know if I would have liked the Kiesha’ra better if I had originally read the individual volumes, but the omnibus really illustrates the problems with Atwater-Rhodes’s writing, especially since it does begin to feel repetitive when the solution to each book is the exact. Same. Method. I’m not saying that it’s a terrible series, but I do feel like it’s a weak one. Again, I’m hoping that the upcoming Maeve’ra will fill in some of the large plot issues (particularly with the falcons).
July 8, 2023
this book is amazing!
only 2 rules, do not read reviews, and don't anolyz the family tree, it will ruin the book for you
only 2 rules, do not read reviews, and don't anolyz the family tree, it will ruin the book for you
September 9, 2012
It took me a while to finish it. Yes, I admit this. But I loved it all the same. I loved Danica's book. Absolutely adored it. She was amazing, fierce and took the steps to protect her country. And let's face it. I love wings. The avians weren't my favorite shapeshifters (the serpiente were), but seeing them through her was different because she grew to love Zane and how she handled her emotions through her avian will was both challenging and romantic.
Then Zane came along. And I liked him, don't get me wrong. But it just wasn't the same as Danica. I loved Zane through her eyes. But he was still good to read. I suppose the hardest part was that Zane's book was more about two other shapeshifter's than it was about him and Danica. And I was still on a high from them.
So when I got to the third book, with Nicias, I was a bit disappointed. It's plenty of years later, no one we know is present, and we are introduced to a whole new world. I felt like it was a book that had to be thrown into the middle to introduce a character that was pivotal for the another book. I love Nicias, absolutely find him to be a favorite character, in the last two books through other characters eyes. But in his own book? Don't really care at all. I wasn't moved to make a connection with him in his own story.
The fourth book, Oliza's, was much better. I found I liked Oliza much better than I thought I would. And we came back to familiar territory, thank god. I've read from other reviews that they found Oliza to be whiney or what-not. But in all honesty, she was born to a kingdom still harboring the hatred and pain of thousands of years of bloodshed, that she was working very hard to dispel and bring together. And whom she all loved very dearly but couldn't figure out how to do that but stay true to her own heart. And in the end her decision had me crying. The only time I was truly moved to emotion in one of these books.
And thus the fifth book, Hai. Truly I found this one better than the fourth. Hard to say if I liked it better than the first, but I really loved it. Hai was an interesting character to be a part of and at times I felt confused because that was how her mind worked. But it was intriguing and the way she opened up and her developing feelings for a certain shapeshifter who I love through other people's eyes had me gobbling this book up in four hours.
These books are so short they should be relatively easy to read. I loved them.
Then Zane came along. And I liked him, don't get me wrong. But it just wasn't the same as Danica. I loved Zane through her eyes. But he was still good to read. I suppose the hardest part was that Zane's book was more about two other shapeshifter's than it was about him and Danica. And I was still on a high from them.
So when I got to the third book, with Nicias, I was a bit disappointed. It's plenty of years later, no one we know is present, and we are introduced to a whole new world. I felt like it was a book that had to be thrown into the middle to introduce a character that was pivotal for the another book. I love Nicias, absolutely find him to be a favorite character, in the last two books through other characters eyes. But in his own book? Don't really care at all. I wasn't moved to make a connection with him in his own story.
The fourth book, Oliza's, was much better. I found I liked Oliza much better than I thought I would. And we came back to familiar territory, thank god. I've read from other reviews that they found Oliza to be whiney or what-not. But in all honesty, she was born to a kingdom still harboring the hatred and pain of thousands of years of bloodshed, that she was working very hard to dispel and bring together. And whom she all loved very dearly but couldn't figure out how to do that but stay true to her own heart. And in the end her decision had me crying. The only time I was truly moved to emotion in one of these books.
And thus the fifth book, Hai. Truly I found this one better than the fourth. Hard to say if I liked it better than the first, but I really loved it. Hai was an interesting character to be a part of and at times I felt confused because that was how her mind worked. But it was intriguing and the way she opened up and her developing feelings for a certain shapeshifter who I love through other people's eyes had me gobbling this book up in four hours.
These books are so short they should be relatively easy to read. I loved them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2010
Definitely some of the best books I've ever read. Personally, I think they're better than the Twilight Saga, and can compete with Harry Potter(maybe). My favorite of all the books had to be Wolfcry.
Whenever Oliza or Hai performed a sakkri'a'she, I cried almost every time, especially the one that showed Keyi with one of the Obsidian guild. One of my favorite, but saddest quotes is "I want to chase the butterflies," -Keyi (Wolfcry)
Whenever Oliza or Hai performed a sakkri'a'she, I cried almost every time, especially the one that showed Keyi with one of the Obsidian guild. One of my favorite, but saddest quotes is "I want to chase the butterflies," -Keyi (Wolfcry)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2012
I liked it at first, but it started to loose me at the end.
July 27, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I read them all together and finished them in about 3 days. The first and third were probably my favorite but all together they are still worth 5 stars!
September 7, 2012
This book is not for me
August 2, 2024
The Shapeshifters is a series of 5 books by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. This collection is a timeline of two rival kingdoms that become one, starting with a marriage of convenience. Books 1 and 2 follow Danica Shardae of the Avians and Zane Cobriana of the Serpentine. These tell the story of their marriage and the adapting to and combining of two opposing cultures. Book 3 is the story of falcon Nicias Silvermead, as he travels to the city of Ahnmik. Pursuing information on dreams, he learns to control his falcon magic. His quest is to help Wyvern's Court, his place of birth, and the court he calls home. Book 4 follows Oliza Shardae Cobriana. She grapples with her impending coronation and struggles to make decisions that would not spell disaster for the combined kingdoms. Lastly, Book 5 is the story of Hai, a half-serpent, half-falcon child. She struggles to stay afloat with terrifying visions of Wyvern's Court up in flames. Hai will do everything in her power to stop that from happening because she does not want to see a place she calls home to be lost to blood and war.
The Shapeshifters was unlike any shapeshifter book I've read before. It was not simply a book of war and personal affairs. It covered difficult topics like diplomacy and decision-making and set up an elaborate but necessary backstory for this world. It touched on religion, and how there are discrepancies between what is a legend and what is true, which fascinated me. The characters realistically overcame their challenges, and the story had good representation. There were some large jumps in the timeline, but they made sense and didn't hurt the plot. Finishing this series, I was relatively happy with the conclusion. It leaves off on a note that makes you think about the reality of what our individual lives mean. We are just a tiny blip in the large timeline that is the universe.
Overall, this was a good read. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who are interested in; fantasy world-building, exploration of religious motifs, and of course, shapeshifters. I probably would not re-read this book. However, it is worth a read if you are looking for a light and fluffy romance.
P.S.
The start and end dates have nothing to do with the book's quality. In that period I went to college and never picked up the book because I was so busy with schoolwork.
The Shapeshifters was unlike any shapeshifter book I've read before. It was not simply a book of war and personal affairs. It covered difficult topics like diplomacy and decision-making and set up an elaborate but necessary backstory for this world. It touched on religion, and how there are discrepancies between what is a legend and what is true, which fascinated me. The characters realistically overcame their challenges, and the story had good representation. There were some large jumps in the timeline, but they made sense and didn't hurt the plot. Finishing this series, I was relatively happy with the conclusion. It leaves off on a note that makes you think about the reality of what our individual lives mean. We are just a tiny blip in the large timeline that is the universe.
Overall, this was a good read. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who are interested in; fantasy world-building, exploration of religious motifs, and of course, shapeshifters. I probably would not re-read this book. However, it is worth a read if you are looking for a light and fluffy romance.
P.S.
The start and end dates have nothing to do with the book's quality. In that period I went to college and never picked up the book because I was so busy with schoolwork.
June 22, 2020
If Twilight and Game of Thrones had a baby, I think it might look something like this.
Warring kingdoms, shapeshifters, people with godlike magical power, struggles to maintain a way of life either by persuasion or by force. The books gradually build momentum, changing from a paranormal romance to a metaphysical examination of how we keep ourselves balanced. Similarly the writing style grew stronger, more detailed.
One thing that bugged me was the almost total lack of humor. I mean, I know this is heavy stuff, but lighten up a bit. Also, while the character development was solid, the voices were mostly rather similar. It got a bit monotonous sometimes.
Overall, these stories surprised me by how deep they went.
Warring kingdoms, shapeshifters, people with godlike magical power, struggles to maintain a way of life either by persuasion or by force. The books gradually build momentum, changing from a paranormal romance to a metaphysical examination of how we keep ourselves balanced. Similarly the writing style grew stronger, more detailed.
One thing that bugged me was the almost total lack of humor. I mean, I know this is heavy stuff, but lighten up a bit. Also, while the character development was solid, the voices were mostly rather similar. It got a bit monotonous sometimes.
Overall, these stories surprised me by how deep they went.
January 20, 2023
I remember reading these books in middle school and being utterly enraptured by the whole concept of shape shifters, star-crossed romances, and political intrigue. I am still enraptured by those concepts now that I'm an adult, and revisiting these books is a really interesting exercise in remembering how it all started. However, reading these books as an adult also clears away some of the nostalgia I had. It's a good YA series, though a bit dated, and it has some really excellent bones when it comes to world building. I would love to read a revamped, adult version of these books that paid homage to those bones, because the glimpse of the cultures in these books are fascinating. It's a little disappointing to want more and know you're never going to get it.
June 19, 2019
I originally read this series in middle school, where it was pitched by the school librarian. I read Hawksong at the time and fell in love.
Sometimes when I revisit books or shows that I liked when I was younger, I find problematic things that I missed when I was younger. Revisiting this series, I was happy to see the book series was as I remembered.
I would say that my rating of five stars likely includes my nostalgia, and also accounts for the original age which I read this series (middle school/high school). It was nice to revisit something that I loved 10 years ago and see exactly what I loved about it all over again.
Sometimes when I revisit books or shows that I liked when I was younger, I find problematic things that I missed when I was younger. Revisiting this series, I was happy to see the book series was as I remembered.
I would say that my rating of five stars likely includes my nostalgia, and also accounts for the original age which I read this series (middle school/high school). It was nice to revisit something that I loved 10 years ago and see exactly what I loved about it all over again.
August 10, 2023
I loved this book series.
Such in-depth beautiful creation of a world, morals, history, religion and each character was so unique and well written.
I’ve never read such a well formed world about shapeshifters without just leaving that fact in the background. This brought the shapeshifters to life with religion and lore and at the forefront.
I loved that each section was from a differing perspective character and each character was morally grey in the truest most realistic way.
I commend this author and I think this series should get more recognition <3
Such in-depth beautiful creation of a world, morals, history, religion and each character was so unique and well written.
I’ve never read such a well formed world about shapeshifters without just leaving that fact in the background. This brought the shapeshifters to life with religion and lore and at the forefront.
I loved that each section was from a differing perspective character and each character was morally grey in the truest most realistic way.
I commend this author and I think this series should get more recognition <3
September 2, 2020
I loved this!
The universe was clearly imagined, and the characters relatable. Even though I usually have a hard time following series that continue the same story from different viewpoints, the clear realization of the world and it's people made this very easy for me. Time consuming, because it's 5 books in one, but TOTALLY worth it!
The universe was clearly imagined, and the characters relatable. Even though I usually have a hard time following series that continue the same story from different viewpoints, the clear realization of the world and it's people made this very easy for me. Time consuming, because it's 5 books in one, but TOTALLY worth it!
January 2, 2019
man i loved this - did not expect it, possibly a bit of a guilty pleasure but wtf who cares - powerful story, really engaging and i read it cover to cover with a couple of liters of caffeine - absolute cracker.
August 4, 2020
I've read this book once a year (although I can recall a few years I read it more than once) for the past 10 years. I'm not sure how to put into words how much I truly enjoy it, so I'll just leave it short and sweet. Seriously, read this series.
November 1, 2023
I absolutely adored this book growing up. Having read it again as an adult, it still holds up.
The author really made me care about these characters and what happens to them, the world is such a fascinating premise, I love it all!
The author really made me care about these characters and what happens to them, the world is such a fascinating premise, I love it all!
June 8, 2018
This book is gripping I stayed up often quite late to finish the "next" chapter.
June 28, 2018
This series brought me through twists and turns some expected many not. It was an adventure I am glad to have taken.
September 5, 2018
I didn't think i was going to enjoy reading this book and had bought it on a whim. As i read the book I started to get into the book and throughly enjoyed the book.
October 1, 2018
So unique
I read this series in highschool and finally found it again as an adult. It's so good! I love the take on shape shifters 😍
I read this series in highschool and finally found it again as an adult. It's so good! I love the take on shape shifters 😍
January 20, 2021
After 10 years this is still one of my favorite books to read. The world in writing is beautiful and keeps you invested through each part.
September 12, 2023
I adored the first book in the series, Hawksong, and SnakeCharm isn't bad, but after that they lose me a little bit. Still good stories, but can't quite match up to the first one.
October 9, 2023
I first read this series as a teenager in the library, and I fell in love instantly. The romances are all cute, the plot was interesting, and this book series was the first one I had read that had a queer character in it openly.
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