Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Title: Mistwood	Loved it	Graded
Author: Leah Cypess
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Elements: Shapeshifter, Kingdom
Series: Stand alone

Everyone tells Isabel that she is the Shifter - the ancient shape-shifting creature who has protected the kings of Samorna for centuries. They need her to be the Shifter. Prince Rokan risked everything when he rode into the Mistwood to summon her to his side; Ven, the magician's apprentice, has devoted his life to studying her legend; and even Princess Clarisse, who fears and hates her, depends on Isabel's powers to further her own plans.

But Isabel doesn't feel like the Shifter. She feels like a lonely human girl, beset by flashes of memory that do more to confuse than to help her. If she is the Shifter, why can't she change her shape? Why doesn't she remember what made her flee the castle so many years ago? As she is drawn deeper into a web of magic and assassination, Isabel will have no choice but to look for answers. But her search will lead her to the one question the Shifter hasn't faced in a thousand years: where does she come from, and what does she really want?

This review is spoiler free because I want those of you who haven't read it, to go out and get it.

It's been a long time since I've had such pleasure reading a book. It's also been a long time since I was engrossed enough, interested enough to actually finish one. I was blown away from the first page.

Mistwood was exactly what I needed. Cypess continued to surprise me with every turn of the page, and the tension is never-ending. I kept trying to guess what would happen, and there's really nothing I like better than to be proven wrong, especially when it's done so artfully. It's rare for books to impress me anymore, and for just one book to disarm me countless times is an achievement in itself.

Rokan as the human is beautifully imperfect with all his flaws next to the cool, distant beauty of Isabel. Isabel is deliciously not human, and her own internal struggles made me hurt for her. Being in her head was like going to have dinner at the restaurant you've been gushing about for a year. You get the appetisers in the first opening pages of the novel, where you whet your appetite with seeing Rokan and Isabel at their first ever meeting (which you can read here). Isabel and Rokan's voices were strong and distinctive, and they were really very engaging characters. There's not much internal monologue, which I really like because it's all action and less talk.

One thing that really surprised me was the understated romance. I was so caught up in what was happening that it only occurred to me somewhere in the last few pages. Cypess is a wonderful story-teller, and the Mistwood universe is one that I'd love to explore more.

Full of political intrigue and loads of action, Mistwood reminds me of Tamora Pierce's Tortall books. A really one of a kind debut, I'm looking forward to the companion novel, which really can't come fast enough. The problem with a really great book is that there's the risk that the other novels set in the same universe won't be as good. That's a risk I'm willing to take without a doubt.