Shapeshifter's Quest

by Dena Landon

As the only shapeshifter not marked by the King, Syanthe is the only one who can travel to the capital city to purchase the medicine needed to keep her mother alive, but upon her arrival, Syanthe meets Jerel, a trader with magical powers, who invites her to join him and his people on their mission to stop the evil magic of the dark priests once and for all.

Genres: Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Young Adult, Romance, Magic, High Fantasy

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2005

Reviews

[Rain Misoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh boy… this book… I have so much to say about it. It sure was a journey to get through this book. Not because of the book lacking in content but because I have just been in a HUGE reading slump. Every book I picked up just… fell flat because I was just not in the mood to read. Nevertheless, I managed to get through this book and I am quite glad that I did. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I first picked up this book. This is a book that I would have never noticed on my own. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Let’s start from the very beginning, shall we? Yes. Let’s.

About two months ago, my best friend came to visit me from up North. It was more than five years since we last saw each other so naturally I was freaking excited and happy! Also, like any good friend would, I took her to my library! Well… one branch of it… I wanted to take her to the other branches but there’s only so much you can do with your best friend that you haven’t seen in five years in just nine days. (Man, I wish we had more time. DX) Anyway, we went to the library and began browsing the shelves, just to see what would catch our eyes. I found a few books I’ve been meaning to read, along with a few others my friend picked out, and then decided that I had enough books to last me for a while. Among the books my friend picked out was Shapeshifter’s Quest. I didn’t think it was too special but my friend was surprised to find a book about shapeshifters. Since she was a child, she was fascinated with the concept of a person being able to transform into any creature at will and, honestly, I don’t blame her! It sounded like a wonderful gift to have. So when she saw this book, she took the name down with its author and made a note about looking it up in her own library (since she never read this book or many other shapeshifter books). I’ve never read any books of this nature myself so I decided to take it home with me that day and look into this idea that my best friend seemed so fascinated on. Of course, I didn’t know if this book was going to be any good or not… but I had hope!

Long story short, I finished reading the book and… it was okay. I thought it was a very good book and that the story was unique and different from what I usually read. However, there are some things about the book I had an issue with. The first thing… the writing. Dena Landon isn’t a terrible writer. I like how she goes out of her way to describe the scenery to you. She even manages to convey the history of the shapeshifters very well. Another thing I like is that she doesn’t shy away from the cruelty that a higher power can hold over people just because they are different from oneself. Just the entire concept as a whole was fascinating to me. I really enjoyed visiting this world and getting to know its people. It was wonderful! However, I am not a fan of how she mentions things over and over again. It makes the book sound repetitive and I feel that it slows the book down. Speaking of which, I also felt that some scenes were too rushed! (I know… contradiction but it’s true.) Some scenes should have been drawn out a bit more so that way the reader can get the full enjoyment of what was taking place. What bothered me most about this book was that there was no balance. It either went too fast or too slow and that got to me. I wish the author would have just took her time to think things through a little more before executing some of the events that took place. One last complaint about the book as a whole before I move on to characters. What really got under my skin… WAS THE ENDING!!! My god woman!!! Why would you end a book on such a cliffhanger if you weren’t planning to write a sequel? Seriously, there is absolutely no closure whatsoever! Nothing is resolved except one problem and the characters are left to just… wander! I am so upset! I mean, sure, there are reports that Landon is working on a sequel but it’s been five years! FIVE YEARS! I know writing a book takes time but five years? *Sighs* As I’ve said, I don’t hate the book. I enjoyed it very much so… just… I was disappointed in some areas.

As for the characters, I like them. For the most part. I enjoyed a lot of the side characters a lot more than the main ones but that’s something that I always go through when reading books. XP Syanthe, the main female protagonist, was… annoying. Her stupidity was out of control! At first, I thought she was just naive because she spent her entire life trapped in a forest (I would tell you more… but that’s a spoiler) but she is really stupid! Who uses magic near the capital city where the evil King, who enslaved your people and has magical power that can literally kill you with just a thought, resides? He HAS the power to sense when others are using magic yet she STILL was stupid enough to call forth her own magic. And that’s not even the only time she did something stupid! No! There are other times where she put her whole caravan in trouble because she wanted an easy way out of the task that was placed upon her. See, her mother is ill and she needed to go to the capital to get the medicine. That’s all well and good… IF SHE DIDN’T TRY TO ASK EVERY FRIKIN’ PERSON SHE MET ABOUT THE MEDICINE!!! This medicine only works on shapeshifters. Shapeshifters were put into isolation. Shapeshifters have a bad rep with normal folk… YOU DO NOT ASK SUCH A QUESTION WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO HIDE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE, INDEED, A SHAPESHIFTER! God! What a moron! Ugh! I cannot STAND this girl! *Head/desk* Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

Her love interest, Jerel, was a lot better. I thought he was going to be an ass at first but he soon proved me wrong. Thank God! One idiot in this book is bad enough. He turned out to be quite intelligent and caring. He was so gentle and even when Syanthe did something incredible stupid, he forgave her and thought her to be charming (he clearly has bad taste in women but I digress). What I love most about him was that he always thought ahead. He didn’t just RUSH into things without thinking about every possible course of action beforehand. Also, I just love how gentlemanly he was. You could say he won me over in the end. XD There is one thing about his character though that pissed me off: INSTALOVE! That’s right! He fell victim to what other YA protagonists fall victim to. Instalove. I’m serious. He met Syanthe one night and the next day he was already having feelings for her! What the frig? Really? It takes a lot longer to fall in love with someone than just a day! You need to get to know the person, find out their history, see if you have some things in common, and so on. Not just meet, say “Wow… you’re purddy!” then have babies! It doesn’t work that way! (Not that they had babies in the book… I’m just saying.) It just annoys me to no end when characters in books do that. I would love to see them grow, develop some more, before seeing them fall in love. *Sighs* Shame really… because I was really liking Jerel.

As for side characters, I don’t have much complaints about them. I thought each of them were innovative and fun! There are quite a few side characters that appear in the book but I am only going to talk about my two favorites! (Because if I talked about all the others… I would be here for quite some time.) The first one I want to talk about is Johann. Granted he doesn’t appear a lot in the book, but when he does it’s always memorable! He is witty, blunt, and hilarious! I love his one-liners because they were always so sarcastic! Just! AH! I love him! The other character I want to mention is Dell. He is my absolute FAVORITE character! I love him! He’s so gentle and sweet and caring and nice but he’s not a pushover! He knows when to step up his game. I think he is so cute! He has a gapped-tooth smile! Tell me that’s not adorable! <333 Also, he has a very tragic past… when they revealed what he had been through, I just wanted to grab him and give him a huge hug! The man needs it, damn it! DX Anyway, this is turning slightly “gushing fangirl” so I shall end this here. Just wanted to say that when it comes to both Dell and Johann… I just love them so much!!!! WAH!

All-in-all, this book wasn’t bad. I liked it. I’m glad I read it. I’m glad my friend was there to point it out to me; otherwise, I would have never read it. The story was great, a lot of the characters were memorable, and I got to see some fantastic magic! If the writing was a bit sharper, the story wasn’t rushed, and the main character was such an idiot, I would have loved the book a whole lot more. Oh, and if the ending had a PROPER ENDING!!! The reason this book got a three was mainly because of the ending. Ugh… what a bother. *Sighs* If Landon ever decided to write a sequel, I might give it a shot. Until then, this book was just… meh… for me. Try reading it for yourselves. You may end up liking it a lot better than me. Who knows?

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

Syanthe is special, and she knows it. She doesn't have the tattoo on her face required for all Shapeshifters at birth. The tattoo that keeps the Shapeshifters locked in the forest because of it's magical poison. The one that differentiates Shapeshifters from humans. She's been kept hidden, all of her life, from the humans that sometimes come to the forest. But "special" doesn't always mean good things. She is harassed, teased, and ostracized by her peers. Between the constant hiding and abuse, she has become a bit of a hermit. Aside from being with her mother, the only thing Syanthe takes pleasure in is her training. Shapeshifters exist to care for nature; it is their purpose and goal. And because of that purpose, Syanthe's life is about to change.

The trees at the edge of the forest are diseased. No one can explain it, nor do they know how to fix it. They only know that the cure is outside of the forest. Time is getting shorter; the disease is spreading. It's even beginning to affect Shapeshifters, namely Syanthe's mother. Due to her lack of a tattoo, Syanthe is the only one who can leave the forest and hopefully save them. She'll have to pass as a human, in a world she knows nothing about, without knowing who to trust. Even if she can find a cure for her mother, she'll have to get back somehow. Syanthe is terrified, but there isn't much of a choice. It's time to take a risk, or twelve.

Syanthe is a strong character. Even being almost paralyzed with fear, she keeps going. Things don't always work out perfectly, or as planned. Sometimes it's better that way, and sometimes not. She makes surprising friends in the midst of danger. She sees things she could never have imagined, and things she would never have wanted to imagine. I hope that we get to find out more beyond this book. I think Syanthe has a lot left to do, and more mysteries to uncover.

[Aelvana · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's listed in the back as being her first novel, and it shows. Aside from the heavily clichèd elements of fantasy, it made a very stilted and predictable romance. Perhaps the most galling thing was that she'd gotten facts about the animals themselves wrong: a hawk, to point out the most glaring, does NOT have 270 degree vision like some smaller birds, it has binocular vision. Therefore, shapeshifting into a hawk does not mean you'd see a ton from the side of your vision. Their vision is extremely restricted, which is why it's so sharp. The beginning was too little too late. Things only got explained pages after they should've been fleshed out, descriptions weren't exactly stellar, and the book never really resolved. Did the plan work? The priests could've found a way to counteract it, in my opinion. And it seemed silly that such a thing would work at all, given the type of magic currently in use by the victim. If you're looking for a good shapeshifting book, look elsewhere. Not Recommended.

[Maria]

wish there was another one

[Grace Melton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is in the genres of Fantasy and Adventure with a bit of unneeded Romance. It is a teenage girls “quest” to find a cure for her mother, but that quest ends up changing course along the way. It has a bit of suspense and a great story line.Though I do have one problem with part of the story line. There was no need to add a romance in to the story it takes away from the plot and other scenes that could have been put in.
I like the sense of comradery between the characters, and the developments of their relationships. Whether those relationships be a friendships, sibling like, or something romantic. I liked the development of Syanthe from a meak scared young girl, into a strong willed courageous young woman. I liked the involvement of magic, but that they don’t rely on it completely.I didn’t like that there was a romance put in. It is unneeded and takes away from the main plot. I feel like there could have been more exciting scenes or more information about what is happening if there wasn’t a romance. Another thing is that it isn’t even done well. The romance is somewhat built up but the realization of it between the characters is completely sudden.The author is very descriptive in her writing. At times while I was reading I would feel like I could actually see what was happening in the story with my own eyes. The way she did the dialogue between the characters. It would really show their relationship and was easy to follow.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and adventure. Honestly I could see both men and women reading this book, but would recommend it more to the teens and 20s age range. I don’t think much older would like it and any younger may be above their reading level. I also think if a person has read “Harry Potter” and liked it they will probably like this book.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a good story until the end. It seemed super rushed.

[MillietheHuman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary
Years ago, the King had the shapeshifters confined to Carlbine Forest. Every birthing season, the King's priests enter Carlbine Forest and place a tattoo on the cheek of every infant; if any shapeshifter with a tattoo attempts to cross the forest's boundary, the ink in the tattoo will poison them.

But when one of the Elders has a vision that the shapeshifter Brytha will have twins, they make preparations to hide the first of the twins from the priests.

Now Syanthe is eighteen, and she is the only shapeshifter without a tattoo. Though she has been ridiculed for her difference, the time has come for her to pay her debt. The King's death magic is leaking into Carlbine Forest, and if Syanthe can't find a way to stop if from spreading, the shapeshifters will die with the forest.

My Impression
I really enjoyed how this book played with the concept of magic. While shapeshifters and death magic aren't new to the fantasy genre, this is one of the first times I have seen them both appear in one book as a sort of opposition to each other: the shapeshifters promoting healing and nature, while the King's priest promoting violent, death, immortality, and the unnatural. I honestly couldn't predict where the novel was going, or how Syanthe could even begin to fight the destruction.

I also liked the little bit of romance that appeared in the book. While the romantic element isn't central to the book (and I would have honestly liked to see more between them), I appreciated that these two characters had obligations that took priority over their romance. When it came down to duty and the fates of their own homes/community, they both chose the community.

My one problem with this book: the ending. The book does a good job of tying up the story arc pretty well, and I wasn't unhappy with how things ended; however, the book leaves a lot of uncertainty about what happens next. Though the events of the book are clearly a step in the direction towards saving Carlbine Forest and the shapeshifters, there is no guarantee that suddenly everything will be okay. Syanthe also makes some significant discovers about shapeshifters, but because they are not part of her main quest, there is no resolution to these discoveries. Basically, this book is in need of a sequel (or two), but since this book was published in 2005, I'm not sure if that is a possibility.

Why I Picked Up This Book
I first saw this book in my high school library. It was on the shelf of "New Arrivals" and I loved the cover/title. It was a book that I read in one day because I got hooked.

[Eskana · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

I read this book when I was younger, and I remember there being [i]something[/i] that I really liked about it. Reading it again, it doesn't stand out as much- the characters are pretty much what you'd expect, and the plot's not really anything new. Young girl must go on quest to save homeland from disease caused by evil king and finds new friends, a new perspective, and love along the way.

Syanthe is the MC, and she is a shapeshifter. Like all shapeshifters, she is confined to the Forest by the orders of the King in punishment for a great rebellion many years before. However, Syanthe is unmarked; all shapeshifters are required to be given a tattoo at birth that creates a spell that forces them to remain in the forest. Syanthe's family hid her, so she is unmarked, so when her mother and the forest begin to die, it is up to Syanthe to travel beyond the forest and find the medicine. As she journeys, she finds out not all humans are bad and many are resist the king's rule.
There are some novel parts of the plot. I haven't seen too much with shapeshifters, so Syanthe did bring something to the plot for me, although her character wasn't anything spectacular. Her friends Jerel and Dell weren't either, kind of the typical guy heroes on a mission, strong and silent, but inwardly kind, caring, passionate, and smart enough to come up with some pretty good plot ideas.

So, although this book had some good parts, I felt its ordinariness makes it a good casual read, but nothing to go out of your way for.

[Nicole Ristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a quick and entertaining read. The main characters, a shape-shifting girl and a young merchant trader, are very likable. The girl, Syanthe, and her people are confined to a rapidly declining forest by an evil king. Any shape-shifter who leaves dies. She escapes to find medicine for her dying mother and to find out what the king is doing that is infecting her forest home. If the forest dies then her people die. It's fun to read as Syanthe's personality develops throughout the book. Some of the descriptions of different aspects of the story were a bit vague and I would have liked a little more explanation but that oversight was not enough to keep me from enjoying this book. I'd like to read a sequel.

[TheSaint · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is easy to view the theme of Shapeshifter's Quest as a metaphor for the current state of the United States. Easy, and in fact necessary. The plot is pretty predictable fantasy fare: Syanthe needs to leave the safety of the only life she has ever known, to search for the only medicine that could cure her mother's degenerative disease. On the way she meets a cast of right-thinking characters determined to right the myriad wrongs of the underclass brought upon by an evil king.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a quick read at only 180 pages or so, but the story was entertaining and the ideas found in the book could easily be expanded to a larger novel or series. I liked the ideas of the shapeshifters, their ties to nature, and why they couldn't leave the forest.

A nice adventure story with a hint of romance (not enough to induce gagging). Wikipedia mentions the author is working on a sequel, which I would be happy to read when it comes out.

Rating: PG.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a YA book. I thought it was good for lower level YA readers. It is a pretty decent shapeshifter novel with a young woman who goes out to help her people find why they are imprisoned in a certain part of the forest that is now being attacked by a deadly mold that also affects people. There is a romance as well as the quest. It calls out for a sequel, but I don't know if there is one.

[JC · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick and fun read. Syanthe is on a journey to save her mother and must travel a great distance to find the medicine she needs. Syanthe has never left her town before and she encounters real humans. The story of the book was a lot of fun. If you want to take a break and read something easy and fun, then this book is definitely one to do it for you.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. I guess the number one problem I had with it was that it was a tad bit, er, cheesy? Lack of better word. Anyway, the plot is clear, which is always a good thing. I am now bored, so overall it was a very good book.

[Constance Burris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Could have been excellent, but for a first book it wasn't bad. The book was published in 2005 and I was hoping the next book in the series would be out, but no go. Is there going to be another book? The author certainly made it seem like it would be.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the premise which is what drew me to the book in the first place. It is well written and engaging, however, it feels rushed in some places. I wish the author would write a sequel since it was left wide open for one.

[Kenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I wish I could write like this. I was into it the whole time, in fact I read it about ten times in a weekend it was so good. Yes it's a short read but its very good. I really hope there is a second one.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a quick read, and while there was a fair amount of predictability and bits that seemed rushed and not properly formed, over all it was captivating and I wanted to finish it. If the author wrote a second one, I would certainly pick it up and see how the world might grow.

[Space Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very wonderful story of adventure and romance. I really enjoyed reading this book and I recommend it to everyone.

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

[Marika]

I thought it was pretty good, I did find it was a bit of a cliff-hanger at the end though. If a sequel does come out I would love to read it.

[Payton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning novel. It was one of those books that I find where I know that it has to end but still can't bear to read the last page. Again, utterly and completely superb.

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was overall a good book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it can't wait for the sequel.

[Shana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread an old high school favorite which made me feel super nostalgic. A great young adult fantasy read.

[Jarret Stoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good, where it left off i hope that they make a new one to come after this. I really want to see what happens to the race and if they rebel of not!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this novel. I am off to see if there is a sequel!!