Guest Review: Prey (Shifters #4)

Sarah, my guest reviewer is stopping by with another review for us today!

Prey (Shifters #4)

- Rachel Vincent

Publisher: MIRA

Sometimes playing cat and mouse is no game...Play? "Right." My Pride is under fire from all sides, my father's authority is in question and my lover is in exile. Which means I haven't laid eyes on Marc's gorgeous face in months. And with a new mother "and" an I-know-everything teenager under my protection, I don't exactly have time to fantasize about ever seeing him again. Then our long-awaited reunion is ruined by a vicious ambush by strays. Now our group is under attack, Marc is missing and I will need every bit of skill and smarts to keep my family from being torn apart. Forever.

Hello all.  Ah, we are rapidly approaching the most AMAZING time of year, one I literally use the other 11 months of the year to plan for.  I am therefore reading a lot of Christmas-based fiction / non-fiction at the mo, just to ramp up my excitement levels to the cusp of a mental meltdown.  However, I am still finding time for plenty of fantasy reading, starting with Rachel Vincent’s Prey, the fourth in the UF Faythe Sanders series. 

Faythe, to those of you who haven’t met her yet, is a sassy, mouthy, fiercely loyal werecat, with a penchant for allowing situations to run away with her without stopping to think of the consequences.  This character trait in particular leads her to some dark and dangerous places, especially as in Prey her entire Pride is separated, threatened and undermined.  She continues to mature and grow into her role though, a process that Rachel Vincent is carefully crafting as the series progresses.  Her interactions with a willful, hormonal and stressed teenager in particular offer amusing reading when compared to the Faythe from book 1.

Prey does take a long while to really get going though, and does suffer somewhat from its own version of ‘middle part of a trilogy syndrome’.  It is obviously setting the scene for the rest of the series, and will no doubt become a vitally important read in that respect, but to me this does mean that the pace does become rather pedestrian at times.  There is also an awful lot of discussion on food and coffee consumption, which I did find grating after a while.

All in all Prey is a must-read if you’re following the series, but not a great standalone novel.  One for fans of Kelley Armstrong and Patricia Briggs, 7.5 out of 10.

Guest Review: Pride - Rachel Vincent

Pride (Shifters #3)
- Rachel Vincent

Publisher: MIRA

I'm on trial for my life. Falsely accused of infecting my human ex-boyfriend--and killing him to cover up the crime. Infecting a human is one of three capital offenses recognized by the Pride--along with murder and disclosure of our existence to a human.
I'm two for three. A goner.
Now we've discovered a rogue stray terrorizing the mountainside, hunting a wild teenage tabbycat. It's up to us to find and stop him before a human discovers us. With my lover Marc's help, I "think" I can protect the vulnerable girl from both the ambitious rogue and the scheming of the territorial council.
"If" I survive my own trial...

Hello Mel readers, I’m back again, and this time reviewing a book from Mel’s favourite genre (UF), and from a favoured series of hers too. Pride is the third visit to Rachel Vincent’s werecats, and my definite favourite thus far.

 

 

Pride is one of those books that grabs you by the shirt front right from the beginning and demands to be read, constantly. If work hadn’t got in the way I’d have read it in one sitting. As it was, I did seem to take VERY long lunchbreaks on the two days in which it took me to devour this book.

 

 

It follows straight on from the events in Rogue, with Faythe facing the wrath of a Territorial Council tribunal for her acts in that book. Acts that could lead to her execution. Pride as a novel is well named – it is as much about the pride of the werecats involved, as it is the preservation of their own Prides. Faythe especially needs to be mindful of her pride (and Pride), and her selfish side. She is growing as a person – this time around she even manages to talk herself out of trouble on occasion – but she still has a long way to go, and this means later books will be even more involving I’m sure.

 

 

Faythe’s daddy complex does get a little grating – yes, he’s her Alpha, and a loving father, but does she really need to call him ‘daddy’ whilst being tried for murder? Rather infantile, and doesn’t quite sit with her all-out sassy, stubborn nature. She doesn’t so much push her boundaries as kick them firmly in the arse and point to the exit. An attitude that is wonderfully endearing to the reader, yet still manages to make you want to shake her on occasion (or maybe not, she is a teeth and claws werecat after all!)

 

 

A fantastically enjoyable read nonetheless, although I wouldn’t recommend starting the series here. One for fans of Kelley Armstrong and Patricia Briggs, 8.5 out of 10.

Guest Review: Rogue

Rogue (Shifters 2)
- Rachel Vincent

Publisher: MIRA

Okay, so cats don't always land on their feet.
I know that better than most. Since rejoining the Pride, I've made big decisions and even bigger mistakes: the kind paid for with innocent lives. As the first and only female enforcer, I have plenty to prove to my father, the Pride, and myself. And with murdered toms turning up in our territory, I'm working harder than ever, though I always find the energy for a little after-hours recreation with Marc, my partner both on- and off-duty.
But not all of my mistakes are behind me. We're beginning to suspect that the dead are connected to a rash of missing human women and that they can all be laid at my feet--two or four, take your pick. And one horrible indiscretion may yet cost me more than I can bear...

My book world would be severely limited without Mel to direct me, and the Faythe Sanders UF series is a perfect example of this. Basically, Mel handed be the first book and said ‘read it,’ then, a few weeks ago, she handed me the second book and said ‘review it.’ And here I am! Oh, it’s a hard life….

This series, by Rachel Vincent, stars the werecat Faythe Sanders, who is the only daughter of the Pride leader, and a rare commodity. Without giving too much away for those who have not read the first instalment in this series – Stray – this novel deals with the repercussions of Faythe’s decision to come home and work for her father, and her relationship with fellow werecat, and Pride enforcer, Marc. That storyline, however, is secondary to that of the murdered werecats being dumped in Pride territory. All murdered without defensive wounds, and all with the same smell on their bodies. Who could take out a healthy werecat without recompense? Why dump them where they’d cause trouble? And what has any of this to do with Faythe’s very human, very ex college boyfriend?

The Faythe Sanders series works because, well, Faythe is a bit of a pain in the arse! Whilst I do love a book where I totally empathise with the lead character, it is refreshing to find one where the opposite is often true. Yes, I definitely chafe along with Faythe (oops, no rhyme intended!) at the limited world she is expected to experience, and in fact, revel in, I wonder at her often self-centered, stubborn, patronising way, and her reluctance to confront her own mistakes. However, before I have you turning away from Faythe (oooo, bad pun now!), these character flaws allow you to really enjoy her growth. By the end of Rogue she is definitely not the finished article, but nor is she the girl she started as, and I for one am looking forward to seeing her develop more in the later novels.

Faythe aside, the family dynamics in Rogue are wonderfully rich and humorous, and the action and suspense well-crafted and well-executed. This is not a perfect series thus far, but I can only see it improving. 

One for fans of Chloe Neill and Karen MacInerney, 7.5 out of 10.

Alpha Review

Alpha (Faythe Saunders 6)

– Rachel Vincent

Publisher: US - Mira books (October 2010)

Power, revenge, and justice - prepare yourself for the final battle! In the final chapter of "The Shifters Series", Faythe and her Pride must fight a tyrannical werecat intent on taking over the territorial council, and the south-central Pride in particular. It's down to Faythe to take on the role of Alpha before she feels completely ready for the job. Forced to rise to the occasion, Faythe must balance experience, advice, and the urge for vengeance. She must also finally choose between Marc and Jace...No decisions will be is easy, and not everyone will survive this epic fight to the death.

I’ve been following Faythe and her struggles for independence to be treated equally in a male dominated werecat society since Stray and in this, the final Shifters book, the battle becomes all out war. Faythe and her pride put everything on the line to defeat the tyrannical Cal Malone.

It’s amazing how far Faythe has come since the first book in the series – from spoilt whinging girl to strong leader who puts her people first. She still has man troubles though, and is torn between her long-time lover Marc and Jace, her younger brother’s best friend. This is the only part of the story that I had some frustration with – I just wanted her to decide! She makes so many choices about other parts of her life but leaves both men hanging for the whole book. But I’m happy with her choice in the end!

As this book is the final in the series, it is full steam ahead nearly from the get go. There is plenty of action from small personal battles through to a big battle. Faythe uses her head and even manages to keep her temper in check when needed! I’m sorry this is the last book though. While most of the major plot points are wrapped up, there are still some bits I’m keen to see. The first meeting of the new council after the war, what happens with Malone’s pride and how Faythe handles peace time with her man. It still seems like there’s plenty left to explore in this world. While I respect Rachel Vincent’s  decision to finish the series and not force the series to go on pass it’s premise, I’ll miss Faythe, Marc and rest of the pride.

Recommended for fans of Kelley Armstrong – but start with the first book in the series, Stray! 9 out of 10