Customer Reviews

Shift (The Shifters, Book 5)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Well, I finished Shift last night, and even after sleeping on it and debating this review, I'm left with this thought: Thank hell there's only one book left in the series.

I've been with the series since the beginning and have felt all the way through that the books are entertaining, but the main character is a chore. In this book, I actively detested her. And unfortunately there wasn't any overall series arc development to distract myself from the tedium of Faythe in Shift. In fact, this entire book felt more like a dark, depressing detour from the great highway of the series as a whole. It certainly did nothing towards furthering the plot of upcoming war between prides. It possibly provided a sort of ally...maybe...but the sort of ally that'd eviscerate you sooner than help you. I just don't get it. And I'm sorry, but for some reason it really started to grate on my nerves that Faythe is the main character of this series, because frankly, it makes EVERYONE else around her seem ineffective at best, and completely idiotic at worst - including her father, the alpha. If Faythe is the best that the pride can do to actually get things done, they've got bigger problems than Malone.

And is it just me, or does the same sort of thing happen in every book? Faythe gets kidnapped. Her value as a tabby is shoved down our throats. Her all-important (but by this point, overwritten) struggle to maintain her value as an enforcer is called into question. She's assaulted and bedraggled. She overcomes some sort of stupidity of her own making. She pushes away/denies/betrays Marc. She looks back and pats herself on the back for her "growth." Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Faythe is one of the most self-centered, narcissistic, selfish, petulant, immature characters I've ever had the misfortune of seeing star in a series. Her misplaced sense of entitlement is beyond the pale. I tolerated her through the first few books because I thought the surrounding story was good enough and I expected her to grow into a stronger, better person. After Shift, I've given up hope of that. Her behavior concerning the Jace-Faythe-Marc debacle was utterly contemptible. Period. The fact that that triangle exists at all and that the author beat us over the head with it to the exclusion of arc progression was inexcusable. The utter prostitution of Marc's character development in the series to date to ALLOW for it is reprehensible. And if the ONLY reason Vincent killed off Ethan, one of my favorite characters of the series, was to give Jace and Faythe a reason to screw, it's disgusting. If I wanted to read an urban fantasy series ripe with inexplicable emotional vomit spewing across the pages, I'd go back to reading LKH's Anita Blake series.

All that being said, I give Shift two stars. The second one was for the creation and originality of the thunderbird race. Rachel Vincent can tell a story - obviously, I don't always agree with the manner in which she does so, but I will not deny that her narrative is compelling and her imagination is impressive. I wish a bit more thought had been given to the series arc and the gradual progression of her characters, so each book didn't have the same rough formula, but I have read each book and intend to read the last, so that's something, I guess. Shift, though, was disappointing, and I felt it a severe step back in character development and a detour in series arc.

I had to step in and write a review for this travesty. All the bunny happy everything is soooo good without any reason was just too much. Let me preface this with saying that the first three in this series were rated all 4 or 5s. The fourth instance getting a low (for me) three star rating because it was very, very (I cannot get enough veries in this) redundant. This book was so bad that I will admit to a much deserved anger streak... I mean I buy the audiobook versions and they cost a lot.

Every book starts with Faythe screwing up her life and ending with her barely making amends only to say the tag line in each book "If I take this road... I can never be the same/look back" or something similar. Yet each book has her once again doing the same thing, the same way. It is nauseating that the character development only exists in each book and falls like tatters to the ground between books.

**Character spoilers below**
Jace's development doesn't come as a surprise.. and is very congruent with his personality. He is opportunistic and slightly slimy.. This is the only male character who acts consistently through the book.

Marc is an aggressively alpha kind of alpha. He is very possessive, yet we are supposed to believe that he would willingly wait for his turn with Faythe (who is valued over anything else) and wouldn't rip out Jace's throat RIGHT after saying he will have to kill Jace for being a potential rival for the alpha male position (which he values less). This Genre seems to have been peppered with prose written by women who have a Mary Sue complex and have never been within 100 feet of a possessive male. The character shark jump makes the pathetic love triangle unreadable and downright nauseating.

Faythe is not a flawed character who is slowly learning to be a better potential alpha. She is a skank who is so unbelievably selfish that she seems to be incapable of even being true to herself. Marc sacrifices himself for her, and the pride... so when he is in trouble she skanks around, then She ends every book saying how much she has learned and saying how she can never go back to what she was like because she has crossed some milestone in growing up. That is until the beginning of the next book. It is like the author has a story generator and just puts in a few choices and it spits out a story.
Read: Faythe cannot deal with her life the way it is so she screws up by ___________. Then comes face to face with her worst fear of being kidnapped (or someone tries to kidnap someone) by a bunch of ____________. The _____________ are out for blood because the members of the South Central Pride are smack in the middle of _______________. Faythe makes all this much worse by ____________, but realizes her mistake (which inevitably was the same mistake she vowed she could never go back to because she crossed some invisible line). She then tries to make amends on her own only to get kidnapped and threatened with rape and violence. She then gets a hail Mary pass in the form of _____________, which allows her to over come her current situation where everyone is astonished by her awesomeness. She then realizes that she has crossed a barrier or some other threshold and can never.. ever go back to being the way/person she was (until the next installment generator is run). All the while perpetrating horrors on Marc. She deserves neither of these two men (even Jace), and Marc doesn't deserve to have to be with her. This story writing isn't anguish to make the story more interesting... if that was the case it would be a new anguish or realistic character response to the character's problems. Marc standing in line for his turn with Faythe reads as unrealistic for the entirety of the whole series and everything in this book until he says this. Of course Jace said he would share also (which even Faythe says she doesn't believe). The whole story reads like a scary story genre over board party with horrible Mary Sue wet dream fulfillment from the author. I have rarely been so disappointed in an author as I am in this one. The rabid narcissistic self fulfillment in this romp reads as real to the character development as the Enquirer is to real news.

The war development is very stagnant within the confines of the majority of the book. This is the first time we see the South Central pride and their group consolidating some power base and seeing them use even the slightest bit of wisdom to create external relationships to benefit them, but only as an after thought. To be honest the horrible, horrible and contrived relationship stunt made me want to put the series down... but by some misguided love for the earlier books in the series I tried to soldier on. This is quickly becoming the new Anita Blake ever de-evolving story line.. at this point at least the author only plans on humiliating good taste for one more book. Her single story power for writing is great (one hit wonders).. but her multi book story arc and originality lack everything to be desired. Here is to hoping she pulls out something good and original for her final episode and that she kills the series with as little fuss as possible. Faythe deserves to be unceremoniously put out of our misery.

I bought this book.

Since this is the fifth book in the series readers really should be familiar with Faythe, Marc, Jace and the shifter world before picking this volume up. If you start here you should be able to pick things up, but the true levity of the situation is more complicated than this one book can explain. In fact, when compared to the rest of the series Shift is clearly a focusing book, eliminating some plot lines and focusing as the series comes to an end.

Faythe Sanders is a werecat, the prized female of her family, but abhorred by much of the rest of werecat society, which holds females to be used and manipulated for power (and to pop out babies to get more of the rare "tabbies".) But in her family Faythe is an enforcer, bodyguard and extension of the alpha (her father)'s rule, and an unheard of position for the valuable females of the species. But living in a society that has fallen to such extremes such as women being kidnapped and bred over and over like in puppy mills, children being snatched to be raise to be broodmares instead of real people and women's voices being overridden by any male in the area, has made Faythe unwilling to let herself of her cousins and extended family to continue being treated unequally. Her father has risked much to train her to be his own replacement, rather than forcing her to marry off. And for his own choices he's now facing a full on werecat civil war against the clans that want things to remain as they are (with the power where it is as well).

However, Shift tones down the gender play and focuses on the family and pride dynamics. This book almost side steps from the direct plot arc to the werecat civil war and instead pits Faythe's pride against a rookery of thunderbirds, avian shifters not seen in decades, who suddenly descend on the pride's ranch out for blood.

Shift is partly side quest, part calm before the storm, which is saying something since most of the book is spent with the werecats fighting the onslaught of werebirds. But the focus is on untangling the depth of the situations Faythe finds herself in and in her learning how to work autonomously, making her own decisions. In essence, Faythe by this book is no longer working on defending her own right to be a valuable member of her pride rather than a valued possession of it, she's learning the complications of being an alpha, no doubt preparing her to face the man out for her father's blood.

Readers might find this the weakest book in the series, since most of the tension comes from an entirely new adversary and most of the drama comes from Faythe being torn between two men. It is still a fast, enjoyable read, pushing the series to a (hopefully) powerful conclusion. The growing up is hugely evident in this book, as is the focusing and accumulation feel to the overall plot line. Readers should savor every word and be ready for the final scene, Alpha, the sixth and last book due out this October (2010).

I really liked the addition of the Thunderbirds and the overall development of the plot but I have issues with Faythe's character. In the first book I found her to be almost unlikeable because of her selfish and stubborn ways but I was happy to discover that her character seemed to find some maturity and strength in the subsequent books. However, all that maturity and strength has apparently disappeared when Faythe continues to make horrible decisions that are camouflaged by her attempts to make things right. Jace is supposed to morph into a bigger and better male but he just seems kind of shady and dishonorable to me. Mark is betrayed by the people who are closest to him and I honestly don't think that Faythe even deserves him. I don't know what is going to happen in the next book but it doesn't seem fair if Faythe gets to have her cake and eat it too. She doesn't deserve one of the men and much less two of them. I understand that tabbys are very rare and precious but I think both men can do better because Faythe may be turning into a strong leader but she makes a horrible girlfriend.

I received this book from NetGalley and it's book 5 in the Shifter series. The first four books are: Stray, Rogue, Pride and Prey. I think it's impossible to review this book without spoiling the last one so stop reading now if you still plan to read that one.

After reading the last page of Prey (book 4), I just couldn't wait to get the next book. All the emotional and political struggle in the last book made a great foundation for this one. I was so curious about what would happen because of the whole Jace incident.

The story in Shift is really not what I expected. I thought we would get more political struggles and intrigues with a little bit of one-on-one action. I imagined this book to be a bit more relationship concentrated but nope, it's not at all like that. It's not bad that it isn't, but I had kind of hoped it would be. But I have to say the way the whole situation was handled in this book was great too. Faythe really is an adult now and she has to make one hard decision after the next. She's not the rebelling young girl any longer and I can totally see her as an alpha now.

I loved to learn more about the relationship that developed between Jace and Faythe and how this whole thing will or will not work out with Marc. I can think about that problem for hours and still I'm not sure how I want it too end. I like how Ms. Vincent showed the problems that arise with it and I have to say she really made me afraid of the future. Me personally, I want Faythe to get both men. Even better than being the first female Alpha ever is being the first and have 2 hunky males at your side. But I think that chance is really low. Makes me sad.

As always I loved the secondary characters and the development they made. They all touched my heart and I so feel for them it seems to be nearly obsessive.

I'm so curious about how Ms. Vincent will wrap everything up in the last book and I'm more than ready to read it as soon as possible.

Shift was supposed to be a great book in a great series. It really was, and it had the potential to pull the rest of the series out of Faythe's Room of Eternal Bitchiness.

But Vincent let it fall flat, and the Thunderbirds may have provided that last gasp of "Maybe," but ultimately, they fall just as short as the werecats.

No one likes a Mary Sue, but Faythe is so flawed she's even more detestable. Faythe is the most egotistical, narcissistic, whiny female lead I have ever read, right next to Anita Blake, and I didn't like her either. Between running away from Marc ("But I didn't WANT to get married at 18, I'd rather get a useless degree and lie about my sex life to Daddy! And you!") and the future responsibility of being the first female Alpha, she whines about the unfairness of the sociopolitical makeup of the Prides and the damage to her body. Even on the back summary, she's complaining about the scars she's racking up because she got what she wanted. Instead of focusing on those issues, if Faythe had accepted the role of Alpha-in-training, she might have found a way to get some of the oh-so-important feminist liberties she demands all males accept.

I'll admit, I liked Faythe for the first two chapters of Stray. Then she fell into a long loop of "Oh me, poor me, whatever shall I do without_________?" And she always has to be right.

Rachel Vincent had a great idea: Skip the vampires and the werewolves, go feline and (eventually) fowl. But then she used the same formula for every book: Faythe "proves" her toughness by punching/breaking/threatening someone/thing, has a fight with whichever male is closest, has sex, gets in another fight, gets someone hurt because of her vanity and pride, gets kidnapped, attempts to fight for her feminist rights (fails, because she uses lies and her femininity to escape/coerce her way out) then runs back home and basically says "Sic 'em!" to the guys. And she may pay lip service, but she's never sincere.

At this point, I'm not sure I want to pick up Alpha when it comes out in October. Whether I keep the books I already have is also in question.

I have always been a bit torn on my feelings for this series. I was initially a fan of Vincent's writing have read and enjoyed her YA "Soul Screamers" series. Naturally, when I find an author I enjoy, I devour everything said writer has written. I'm sort of wishing I had skipped this one.

Shift continues the story just a couple of weeks after the ending of "Prey". Faythe and the rest of her Pride are still devestated by the loss of an important Pride member and are preparing to go to war to exact their revenge and stop Calvin Malone's attempt to take over the Pride Council. But attack comes in an unexpected form when they are set upon by the Thunderbirds, a Flight of bird shifters who are determined to destroy the Pride. When the Thunderbirds manage to kidnap Kaci it falls to Faythe to discover what they want and to figure out a way to rescue her.

Perhaps I am simply burnt out when it comes to this series, this is book 5 afterall. Or maybe my initial impression of Vincent was false, regardless, I found "Shift" underwhelming and I had to force myself to slog through it. If you are a tremendous fan of the series, I'm certain that this addition to the series will be pleasing. However, if you struggle for your affection like myself, you would be better served to bypass this installment.

the author seems to be getting bored with the series or hard up to keep it moving along ... another "were" species is OK if you buy "weres" at all, but a made up giant bird species? it's hard enough buying "were" versions of animals that exist ... Faythe keeps behaving like an idiot, this is the next Alpha? Kaci behaves stupidly as an easy means to plot development ... Greg is continually out-thought by his enemies, this is an Alpha and former head of the Council? ... and a ranch with bored men, they don't have guns for at least target practice, guns are gadgets, guys=gadgets ... and not even a shotgun or two when the guys get tired of nice bloody deer and want a duck or goose for a change ... this books fails the "suspension of disbelief" test is so many ways one would think the author tried to see how many she could rack up in one book

I'm not sure what to think about this book. I realize that it sets up the conditions for the series finale, Alpha (Shifters Book 6), but some of it just comes out of nowhere. It feels as if Vincent shuffled the "plot device deck" and pulled out cards at random. Worse yet, there's an exhausting amount of running around, back and forth, in a flurry of activity that does little to move the plot or characters forward.

Lots of things are the same: Calvin is an evil, plotting, misogynistic, butt-head. Faythe is tough-as-nails, with a heart of gold and a tormented psyche. Faythe's dad is still convinced that she's the perfect successor to be alpha, and Marc (the saint) is still on board to support her in that role (even if she pounds the final nail in the coffin of their relationship). We even have a kidnapping, a hostage situation, Faythe's bad choices coming back to haunt her, plus multiple unprovoked attacks, and a rescue from unlikely source. But in the midst of all this sameness, Vincent introduces a previously unmentioned species and creates an actual Love (with a capital L) triangle out of.. maybe not thin air, but thin emotions, to say the least.

If this were the middle book of the series, I'd probably stop here, but since there's only one more, I'll stick it out to the end and hope that the finale makes it all worth while.

I've read this series from the begining. I loved it at first and couldn't wait for each book in the series. This one was a dissapointment. I like it when characters grow across a series, and Faythe has a lot of room to grow for sure. At first I felt Faythe was getting somewhere, but now like other reviewers I feel like been there done that. It just seems like the author is stretching out the events from the previous book. The bird people are new characters, but I felt that this book is probably only written to introduce them for some purpose in Alpha. The whole plot just felt artificial. I also don't understand the love triangle between Faythe, Mark, and Jace. I mean is the "love" between Fathe and Mark really love at this point? I don't want to spoil events, so I'll just put this out there.... perhaps the only reason Mark is hanging around is because you can count the number of tabbies on one hand? Speaking of characters changing is it me or is Jace now "Mark light" or what? I have a feeling I should have skipped this book and gone right to Alpha. I haven't read Alpha yet so I'm hoping the author redeems herself.