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    The Shapeshifter's Secret
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    The Shapeshifter's Secret
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    The Shapeshifter's Secret
    Ebook372 pages4 hours

    The Shapeshifter's Secret

    By Heather Ostler

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Like any sixteen-year-old, Julia's used to dealing with problems. From her overprotective father to her absent mother to a teacher who definitely has it in for her. But everything changes when Julia's reactions become oddly vicious and angry---more animal than human. This action-packed adventure has it all: humor, romance, and a plot that will keep you guessing to the very last page.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCedar Fort Publishing & Media
    Release dateJun 12, 2012
    ISBN9781462102426
    Unavailable
    The Shapeshifter's Secret

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    Reviews for The Shapeshifter's Secret

    3/5

    20 ratings7 reviews

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    • 1/5
      I added this book to my TBR mountain in June of 2012. I was attracted by the lovely cover and the paranormal elements. Unfortunately, the cover is the best part of the book.This story reads like it was written by a dreamy sixteen-year-old girl in her favorite unicorn-covered notebook with a sparkly pen. It is ridiculously unpolished. The characters never came to life for me since they seemed to keep changing and I couldn't understand where their emotions were coming from. The dialog is stilted and the conversations seem to be almost random. They all sound like they're speaking with the same voice. The sixteen-year-old roommate sounds like the doctor Julia goes to see. The plot has possibilities. A girl finding out that she is a shapeshifter from another world who happens to be a princess is a plot with possibilities. Add in a mother who has left her and gone over to the evil Guild and the possibilities for conflict are there.However, the plot was poorly executed. Julia's father Lancer has kept her in complete ignorance of her past and her future. When she does find out, which should have been traumatic, she just seems to accept it and go on like things are normal. Even knowing that the Guild and her mother are targeting her for some unknown reason doesn't phase her beyond wanting to offer herself as bait.And her love interests... First she fixes on Caleb who she first meets when he comes to her school as a new student. Lots of the girls are interested in him by Julie isn't one of them. Then he is introduced to her as her "uncle" Liam's son who she has apparently never met. He does help her get through the portal to Ossai but she gets very angry with him when she finds out that he already has a girlfriend. This seemed pretty strange since she wasn't interested in him earlier in the story. Next, she begins a secret romance with one of her father's soldiers - Terrence. They meet maybe three or four times and they exchange letters but that is apparently enough for them to fall in love. There are two more books in this series and I am sort of curious about them to see if the author improves her writing, plotting, and character development. I am mostly surprised that this book and its sequels were ever published.
    • 1/5
      I don't like it when the main character has a secret withheld from him or her that is supposed to be "for your own good." I think something as life altering as being able to turn into an animal would require some prep time to think about. There seems to be no good way to tell your teen, "oh hey, by the way, I'm a were and so are you, sorry you thought you were human." Seriously? There are too many stretches for me in this book. I DNF'd it. Julia, is so clueless and accepting of all these revelations, I was hard pressed to believe she'd have an actual friend, much less one who "coincidently" is also not human. I just couldn't buy it. Maybe if Julia had a "voice" worth listening to, or the writing did more showing then telling, or if she didn't seem so naive. I needed more everything.
    • 2/5
      Eh... Sometimes I read a book that I just can't connect with. I really wanted to like this book. I tried soooo hard. I even read the whole thing when I wanted to stop 3/4 of the way in. But I just couldn't get the warm fuzzies about this one. First off, the characters fell really flat in my opinion. Totally predictable. I never felt like I learned anything about them throughout the book. They also never seemed "real"-- if you know what I mean. The only word I can think of is lackluster. That's how the characters felt to me. Julia was alright, but she didn't wow me. I even had a hard time believing the whole shapeshifter aspect of her life. (That really could have been thought out better.) The best friend was ok. She was supportive and attentive. I liked her well enough. But the "villains" of the books I just didn't get. There wasn't much attention given to them to help me understand why they were supposed to be so diabolical. The plot also didn't wow me. I was promised a fast paced action-packed adventure, but that is not what I got. Yes, the plot moved quickly but it felt more like the cause of that was due to the jumpy nature of the story instead of the "action." There were many gaps and questions that I had during and after reading that were never answered. That's never a good feeling as a reader. One positive that I can say about the book is that there is a nice little surprise towards the end concerning one of the characers. I was rather surprised by some events. You'll have to read to see how that one plays out. I also thought the author did a nice job with her descriptions. Like I said, I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't work for me. I love the cover and the idea behind the book, but I know I won't be reading any other books in this series. They were not for me.
    • 4/5
      Background: Julia is a teenage girl who lives in New York with her single, over-protective father. One day strange things begin to happen to her, she cannot control her anger, and her father becomes more over-protective than ever before. She learns that she is not actually from New York but from another place entirely, and the humans do not know it exists. She is pulled from her home into a new reality where she learns that her mother wants her dead, and she can change into a werecat of the most prestigious kind.Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. I think that Ostler did a great job writing it. I loved the characters and their stories, and the world she created for them. Now that being said, I also felt like I had already read a very similar much loved story.Julia, is a YA version of Harry Potter... Before people freak out, let me explain... Prestigious girl finds herself in a new world learning she is a werecat, there is someone out to get her and kill her, and she is stubborn and does stupid things which make it seem like she is helping, only to get her into more trouble. Also, she is going to school in a castle. Ostler's characters are intriguing; Julia is entertaining, and Sierra and Gabe, her best friends, are constantly arguing over small things. These connections were so similar in my head while reading that I could not let them go.Granted, I really liked the story, I also really LOVED Harry Potter, so I am not sure how much of that love was transferred because of the similarities. Very good, fast read.Recommended for those who need a YA version of Harry Potter, Like shape-shifting, or need some teen drama in their lives.Received from Netgalley for review.
    • 4/5
      The Shapeshifter's Secret by Heather Ostler 4 STARSYA fantasy novel that starts in a regular school than her world is turned around on her.Julia was raised by her father who is very protective of her. Gives her a ride to high school and home every day even though they live close enough for her to walk. She knows nothing of her mom even if they were married or not.Julia is losing her temper more often. After talking one day during lunch and mentioning she sneaks out her window when she is grounded never being caught. Her window at home has prison bars on it. Only hers , Then she finds out that she is not normal and doesn't come from here. Finds out people want to kill her. Has to escape to different land through portals and goes to a special school in a castle and learn how to shift into an animal.Thier is regular high school dramas and thier is a whole new way of life she has to learn about. Still have questions that I want answered hopefully in more books.The book was fun and easy to read. Look forward to more books in this series.I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.06/12/2012 PUB Cedar Fort Sweetwater
    • 4/5
      Julia is thrust into a piece of her life that she was unaware existed. She finds herself a pawn in a politically motivated scheme.Julia is sixteen and living in New York. After she turns 16 she begins to have anger management issues. It is not normal for a young woman to growl like a feral beast when upset. Attacking her classmates? Yes, she has issues. Next thing she knows, she is fleeing for her life.She finds herself through a portal into a different realm. This is the realm of her birth and she is a descendant of royalty.I really enjoyed this take of the paranormal shapeshifter. Heather Ostler has written a great story that has political intrigue, a touch of romance, loyalty, betrayal, and action.This is a clean book and I think it is well written.
    • 3/5
      My notes for this novel clearly indicate how I felt about it - I have extensive notes on the first hundred pages, and then just three comments for the rest. The beginning of the book is haphazard at best, non stop action with no reprieve and no time to process what is happening. Which means that 60 pages in, I had no idea what was going on. There is a lot happening and suddenly, Julia ends up in another dimension, at school learning to shapeshift into a tiger.After the hundred page mark either the book got better, or I got used to the writing style of the author, because I was surprised to find myself enjoying it. There were still a few things that I did not like, but overall the book improves a lot once all the information dumps are out of the way and it was easier for me to lose myself in the world that Ostler has created.At times book reads like a draft - everything could be tighter and sharper. There is a tendency for the author to over explain everything - every look, gesture and facial expression is accompanied by an unnecessary explanation. I also noticed an overuse of qualifiers that make it seem like Julia is always experiencing an extreme form of any emotion - she swings between elated and severely depressed or very angry and very excited.Julia is a very difficult character to like. She acts a lot younger that her supposed sixteen years - some of her reactions are extremely juvenile and I had a hard time taking her seriously. Obvious facts overwhelm Julia, but she takes surprising twists in stride. She also takes a long time to figure out things, which is frustrating because she is unduly surprised or angered as a consequence. Julia is constantly seeking new information but when it is offered to her she has tantrums because she 'doesn't want to know'.While she has no problems with her best friend Sierra keeping secrets from her for years, Julia stops talking to Caleb because he neglected to inform her he has a girlfriend, despite only knowing her for two days. I would have been more forgiving if Julia harboured feelings for Caleb, but she doesn't, so I am left mystified why she treated Caleb so badly and took such a strong and instant dislike to his girlfriend. Equally unexplainable is her swift attraction to Terrance. I couldn't fathom why she is attracted to him at all, but by the end of the novel he had gained my grudging respect.One of the final things I will mention are the unmistakable throwbacks to Rowling's Harry Potter. The otherworldly school Julia is taken to resembles Hogwarts, and not only because of the castle it is situated in or the sumptuous meals served there. A twist in the story where mysterious writing is found on wall reminded me strongly, in both wording and intent, of the ominous words "The chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the Heir beware!" Even the dynamic between the trio is similar, but with the genders reversed: Julia is obviously the leader, mysteriously connected to the villain of the story, Sierra is her loyal best friend and only voice of reason, and Gabriel is a walking encyclopaedia of facts.The Shapeshifter's Secret is obviously a debut novel, with all bumps and quirks associated with debuts, but there are moments in this novel that are amazing. If you get through the first hundred or so pages, then I believe you will enjoy it for the same reasons I did.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.