You'll Love the Changs in "Shifting"

 Title:  Shifting
Author:  Bethany Wiggins
Format:  Kindle Edition
Length:  356 pages
Publisher:  Walker and Co.


After bouncing from foster home to foster home, Magdalene Mae is transferred to what should be her last foster home in the tiny town of Silver City, New Mexico. Now that she's eighteen and has only a year left in high school, she's determined to stay out of trouble and just be normal.

Agreeing to go to the prom with Bridger O'Connell is a good first step. Fitting in has never been her strong suit, but it's not for the reasons most people would expect-it all has to do with the deep secret that she is a shape shifter. But even in her new home danger lurks, waiting in the shadows to pounce. They are the Skinwalkers of Navajo legend, who have traded their souls to become the animal whose skin they wear-and Maggie is their next target.

Full of romance, mysticism, and intrigue, this dark take on Navajo legend will haunt readers to the final page.

-Goodreads 


My Review
Maggie Mae is a girl that you can't help but love.  Your heart goes out to her from the start and you spend the entire book praying that she will find the happiness and acceptance that she deserves.
When she seems to start doing just that after being taken in by Mrs. Carpenter, her foster mother, whom she trusts enough to reveal the secret of her shifting nature; you just want to stand up and cheer.
But...
Before the happy dancing can truly begin, you must first deal with the "fly in the room" aggravation that is her hot/cold relationship with  the mysterious, rich boy, Bridger O'Connell.  Their attraction to each other is a force that can't be denied...no matter how many pages in the book are wasted trying to do so. (There are a lot.)
More focus was placed on the two of them making half-hearted attempts to be "friends" than on her shifting.
This game of emotional cat and mouse,coupled with his uncanny ability to "feel Maggie's emotions" and always be there when she needs him, really makes one want to know just what the deal is with Mr. O'Connell.
Ok...enough with the griping.
Now for the good parts.
The attention to detail that went into the Native American spiritualism that serves as the basis for this tale is second to none. This is in fact one of the saving graces of this book at many points where there is a lull in the action or the loves me/loves me not that is Maggie and Bridger get tedious.
What really makes this story however, is the ending and the ten or so chapters that lead you there.
This is where the majority of the story's questions get answered, mysteries get solved, and th sweet bow that makes the "pretty ending" is tied nice and tight.
The thing that makes the end of this book so special s that it is timely.  There is no rush.  
Yes, the action does speed up a bit, but not in a forced way.
What happens is just a natural progression.
This is a fun stand alone read that will definitely leave you happy at it's ending.

My Rating:




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