Customer Reviews

The Shapeshifters: The Kiesha'ra of the Den of Shadows

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book actually comprises the five short books in this series, and it is very nice to have a series all in one place.

In this world there are shapeshifters of various kinds and in a refreshing change from werewolves the major focus for most of the books is on the Serpiente (snake shapeshifters) and the Avians (bird shapeshifters). These two species of shapeshifter have been at war since time immemorial. In the first book, Hawksong, the heirs to each respective throne decide to wed in an attempt to create peace. The first two books focus on Danica and Zane and their efforts to unite their respective peoples. The third book's protagonist is Nicias, the son of two falcon exiles living among the avians. In this book we start to learn more of the secrets of the falcons, why they are so powerful compared with other shifters, and why they want to keep the avians and serpiente apart. The fourth book focuses on the wyvern Oliza, daughter of Danica and Zane and her struggle to make the best choices for her combined people. The final book follows Hai, a mongrel falcon/serpiente plagued by visions trying to save the avians and serpiente from the terrible future she has seen.

Each books' short length makes them quick to read and the pacing is well done with a nice mix of action and romance. The first book is the most romantic as Danica and Zane try to overcome their respective prejudices and different cultures in an intially purely political alliance and find love. The world building mostly focuses on the featured shapeshifters and their cultures, but is well done and an original take on the shapeshifter genre. The emotion in the books is well rendered and the main characters are generally likeable. Hal is probably the most difficult character in the books but the author manages to strike the right note so that she ends up as prickly and damaged rather than genuinely unlikeable. The choices the characters make are sometimes difficult ones and the books manage to avoid making everything too easy for them.

All in all I very much enjoyed these books and would recommend them to those that enjoy the lighter versions of fantasy, especially if combined with a bit of romance. They are quite short and don't have explicit sex scenes or bad language which is probably why they are classed as YA, but they're not restricted to this age group - I'm pretty sure I don't count as YA anymore. They are much more original and interesting than most YA paranormal books I've read.

The Kiesha'ra series is my favorite non-movie series out there. I have admired Atwater-Rhodes' work since I was 14 and I read 'Demon in my View'. It got me into the pro-vampire phase that made me like Twilight, but 'DimV' was ENTIRELY different from Twilight.

This series- The Kiesha'ra series- is difficult to explain to those who avoid shapeshifter stories because of Twilight. This is NOT Twilight, I repeat, NOT Twilight. This is... Good! I mean, Hawksong (Book 1) is about the ending of a centuries-long war between two groups of people, the avian and the serpiente. It follows the soon-to-be Tuuli Thea (Queen) of the avian people, Danica Shardae, and her desires to end the war and live up to her people's wishes. It is truely heart-warming and an amazing story that gives you passion without being adult, gives you a female character who can be a lady but not a wuss, and a male character who is as smarmy as they come, but can also be sweet.

If you like the Kiesha'ra series at all, get this compilation. If you like Twilight, try this compilation, you may like it. If you hate Twilight, but like the ideas of shapeshifters, then read this series!

If I was reviewing Hawksong (which I have), I would give this book a five. Alas, this book includes all novels of the series.

The problem with this book is that the author falls in love with the tale of Zane and Danica at the beginning, making it difficult to accept where Amelia takes the overall plot. I adored Hawksong, because of which I despised the later books. Snakecharm was alright, I guess, but the remaining books took several plot elements a little too far (I would go more indepth, but would prefer to not spoil it), which led to me not liking them as much.

My recommendation? Buy Hawksong on its own. It is the best book in the series, and you would not want to read the others at the risk of them ruining the first.

Ive been reading this authors works from the beginning. i love all her older works, i still have all her books with the original covers and all. Hawksong, is definately my favorite of all her works. sadly though, the rest do not hold you as much. the series slowly declines in its worth. Definitely worth reading, but only once.

This book is a compilation of five books in the Kiesha'ra series. The book consists of: Hawksong, Snakecharm, Falcondance, Wolfcry, and Wyvernhail.

The story takes place in a world of shapeshifters. The first book (Hawksong) focuses on finding a peaceful solution to end the war that exists between two races: the Avians, who have the power to shapeshift into birds, and the Serpiente who have the power to shapeshift into snakes. In order to bring peace a marriage takes place between Danica, the heir to the Avian throne, and Zane, the heir to the Serpiente throne. Hawksong tells the story of Danica and Zane's romance as well as their efforts to unite their two kingdoms peacefully. I absolutely loved Hawksong. The entire concept is completely unique and a refreshing change from many other generic fantasy series. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is very imaginative in her creating the history and customs of each culture. I also found that I loved both the characters of Danica and Zane. The two remain on my list of top favorite book characters. The second book revolves around Danica's pregnancy as well as continued efforts to blend the two races despite distinctly different cultures. Although not as good as the first book I would still recommend Snakecharm.
From book three to the end of the series, however, I would not recommend. At the end of Snakecharm the author suggests that perhaps the two races are finally at peace and can coexist together in the future. In the third book you discover that the Avians and Serpiente are still dealing with many of the same problems they were years before. The idea of blending the two races suddenly seems impossible. In all of the other books the plot becomes confusing and it seems as if the author can't make up her mind on what she wants to happen.

Again I would like to reiterate that I would definitely recommend the first two books in the series. It is only the other three that I would not recommend.

This series is a great read. I bought them when they were separate, not included in one, and the anticipation for the next book was high. I read alot of books, and I must say this author does well in telling the story of these races she created and it's amazing to read about these unique characters & their cultures/customs, etc.

I've always been fascinated with stories involving shapeshifters. The 5 novelettes included in this book are not heavily focused on the shapeshifting aspect, yet the reader is always aware of it and it keeps the storylines engrossing.

I love the whole idea behind the series, its great alternative to some of the lighter fantasy series. I am by no means a die-hard fantasy reader but this series really works for me. The part of fantasy I do like, the concept or shapr shifting and the building of worlds is amazing in this which is why I love it. Some things were slightly off and rather deus ex machina type plot twists but overall I love the series.

It's a great value for all five books.

I'd read all these already, just wanted to own them. It's nice that it's all one book.

Having at least temporarily exhausted the whole vampire theme, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' second series turned its attention to shapeshifters. And while "The Shapeshifters: The Kiesha'ra of the Den of Shadows" is better than her first round of short novels, it still has an overabundance of angst, uneasy romance and build-as-you-go worldbuilding. The result flies as well as a snake.

In "Hawksong," the only way to end a war between the serpiente (snake shifters) and avians (bird shifters) is to marry the princess Danica Shardae to the heir Zane Cobriana. The two royal teens plot together, but as they uneasily unite their two peoples -- and reluctantly fall in love -- they must deal with some lurking assassins. And "Snakecharm" jumps ahead when someone tries to kill a pregnant Danica, and a vicious, powerful falcon named Syfka disrupts the alliance.

"Falcondance" bounces away to Nicias, the son of two falcon exiles. When his latent magic begins to awaken, his parents send him to the falcon city of Ahmik -- where he discovers a terrible secret that may disrupt the Wyvern's Court. And in "Wolfcry," Oliza Shardae Cobriana is torn between two potential suitors, one avian and one serpiente -- but when she's kidnapped, she faces terrible futures if she chooses either of them. And finally in "Wyvernhail," the serpiente/avian Hai sees terrible visions about the horrible future of the Wyvern's Court -- forcing her to determine her true self, and her true role.

It's pretty obvious in "The Shapeshifters: The Kiesha'ra of the Den of Shadows" that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes had been working hard on her writing. It's less "goth Mary Sue" than her early vampire novellas, and she attempts to sketch out an epic arrangement of different shapeshifting civilizations -- birds, wolves, tigers, snakes and various combinations of the above.

Unfortunately, it's also obvious that she needs a lot more seasoning. Each plot is pretty much straightforward, and it slowly oozes along in a cloud of angst and tepid romance, only for Atwater-Rhodes to pull a slapdash quickie ending out of her hat. And then it all collapses in each book's final chapters, as if Atwater-Rhodes had been making it up as she went along and had no idea how to untangle the various crises. Instead we get showdowns where nothing happens, anticlimaxes, and a character who randomly "turns lesbian" so Atwater-Rhodes won't have to address the love triangle she's set up.

And she has countless good ideas -- Ecl, werewolves, schemes, conspiracies, a segregated court, a united two-species court -- but just lets them marinate forever. Her writing is somewhat more pared-down in these books, but sometimes it also ends up being rather bland and lacking in feeling.

Fortunately her characters also also more intermittently interesting -- the conflicted Danica and the conflicted, fearful Nicius are perhaps the best of the characters, since one is an unhappy princess thrown into an alien culture and the other is an odd duck... er, falcon in a blended culture. Unfortunately, the male characters still tend to be elegant bad boys (until they turn into soppy romantics), Oliza comes off as a selfish whiner, and Hai is simply not very endearing.

"The Shapeshifters: The Kiesha'ra of the Den of Shadows" starts each novel solidly, but eventually they all collapse into unsatisfying, unbelievable endings. Just... no.