Mistwood

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

from harperteen.com

Beth says 2.5 Stars...

I was super excited about this one. Something that wasn't a paranormal romance, plus a debut. I was unfortunately let down. It had the same sort of general feel as Kristen Cashore's novels, but without the power and combination of everything that makes them so remarkable. The storyline had the potential to be interesting, and it and the concept were the two best parts of the book. I say potential because the writing kept everything from becoming great. The plot had issues with pacing and clarity. I didn't always know what was going on and why I should have been interested in whatever was occurring on the page. I spent a good deal of the book wondering why I was reading it. There was also an unequal distribution of revelations in the mystery aspect of the story, which can kill the pacing with swift blows. Additionally, the background and mythology of the universe weren't explored at all, which increased the feeling of artificiality in the world. I wanted to learn more about what made the magic tick, and was completely let down.

The characters weren't any better. I felt no connection to Isabel, which was partially due to her nature as wild and different. Even though I understood the need for this, it served to alienate me from the story; keeping me from becoming emotionally invested in her fate. Rokan was the most likeable of the characters, but that's really not saying terribly much. Every one of them was so incredibly flat that I couldn't bring myself to care about what was happening. It's not the fantasy element, but just that there wasn't anything remarkable in the slightest about this book.

This was so disappointing. I wanted to love it but simply couldn't. I honestly don't think that it's really worth it at all. So, even though I hate saying this about a book, don't pick it up. You won't miss a thing.
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