Alycia Christine

As involved as it is vividly eloquent, Alycia Christine’s Skinshifter (Sylvan Cycle Book One), will satisfy any reader of young adult high fantasy. This multifaceted coming-of-age, YA fantasy read is fueled by engagingly twisted fantasy elements, vivid imagery, appealing characters, rousing adventure and terse storytelling. Skinshifter is the first book in this promising Sylvan Cycle series.

The story’s young protagonist Katja Escari is a truly engaging character; she is tough, brave, stalwart and a female werecat. But there is something deeply different about her that she struggles to keep hidden. It is a secret that not only endangers her, but those around her as well. When the other members of her Feliconas Clan are ruthlessly murdered by the greatly feared Asheken deadwalkers, Carrying the weight of survivorship guilt, Katja flees–determined to survive and seek vengeance.

While en route, Katja meets human, high-born Princess Lauraisha another young and resolute character who is also on the run for her life from the evil machinations of her wicked king father. The two females, although quite different in some ways, soon learn just how similar they are and what eventually develops is a friendship so deep, it is like they are sisters. After agreeing to help each other achieve their respective goals against the predominant evils in their lives, their direction is unexpectedly altered by a plea for help from a surprising source that sends them running into the adventure of a lifetime to save the Sylvans from the coming Asheken hordes. With danger at every turn, they join forces with other Sylvans in a race against time, profound magic and pure evil. Their journey is extraordinary as they encounter the denizens of the magical world they are risking life and limb to save.

I enjoyed Skinshifter. Author Alycia Christine developed an entertaining story that was well suited to the genre. Chock full of fantasy elements, moments of tense action, and populated with intriguing characters this book presents a great introduction to the series that not only deals with the coming-of-age theme well, but also approaches tolerance of cultural and physiological differences. Skinshifter was a worthwhile read and I look forward to the next in the series. This book is definitely recommended reading for Fantasy buffs.… (més)