Blog Tour Stop: Shifting Selves by Mia Marshall ★★★★★

Shifting Selves by Mia Marshall
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Mystery
Series: Elements #2
Publication Date: 16th April 2013
ISBN: 9780988976146
Page Count: 342
Rating: ★★★★★
Review Copy: ARC
Reviewed by: Lynsey



Synopsis:

The Elements urban fantasy series continues in this fast-paced sequel to Broken Elements.

Aidan Brook's world was shattered when the actions of a brutal murderer revealed long-buried secrets about her past. A powerful elemental, Aidan discovered she possesses the wrong kind of magic. It's a secret that could cost her sanity—or even her life.

What she needs is some peace and quiet. What she gets is a phone call from a division of the FBI so secret it doesn’t even have a name, asking for her help with a series of shifter disappearances.

Before Aidan can settle into a new routine of pancakes and evenings by the fire, the case develops claws. She quickly finds herself caught between uptight bears, deadly mountain lions, overprotective parents, and unhappy federal agents. Throw in a stalled romance with an enigmatic shifter and the slow dissolution of her chosen family, and it’s hard to say which will drive her mad first: her magic, or her chaotic life.

About the Author

Mia Marshall has always been obsessed with stories. When younger, her version of cleaning her room involved neatly organizing her books, then ignoring all other messes in favor of re-reading The Wizard of Oz series just one more time. As an adult, she earned an unnecessary number of degrees in literature, education, and film. She planned to spend the rest of her life teaching stories to others until she got distracted and started writing those stories herself.

Mia has lived all over the US west coast and throughout the UK. These days, she lives somewhere in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where she is hard at work on her next book.

Review:

Another fantastic read. I'm really loving this series!

Despite real world time constraints weighing me down at the moment, the second I spotted the familiar cover art design for this series and realised review copies for SHIFTING SELVES were out, I picked up my copy without a single hesitation, in the sure and safe knowledge that I would be in for another great, magic-filled read. And I'm so glad I did, because I was right!

That level of certainty I felt—despite having only read one other book from this author—all comes down to the strength of book one, BROKEN ELEMENTS, and how much I thoroughly enjoyed reading it last year. It was one of the standouts of 2012 for me, and I recommend it highly for all Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal Mystery fans.

We learned an awful lot in book one about Aidan and her magic, and also about how Mia Marshall's Urban Fantasy world works. We also met the rather extensive cast of colourful characters who make up what I like to think of as "The Gang". Because although the series is written in first person and clearly follows a lead character, it really feels more like an ensemble cast, and each member is as vital and essential as the next.

Aidan's character is much changed from the person we met at the start of BROKEN ELEMENTS. The development has been immense and is progressed even more in SHIFTING SELVES as we see the overarching plot concerning Aidan's powers further explored. Also, the tentative romance between Aidan and bear shifter Mac that began (albeit very slowly) in book one, is also cranked up a few heat levels. And you will not hear me complaining about that. No, ma'am. Not me.

What I love most about Mia's writing is how everything feels so wonderfully balanced; there's humour and drama, tension and playfulness, romance and friendships. All worked brilliantly around a great mystery centre. And the teensy, tiny little scraps (Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration) of romance we get are just enough to satisfy (for now), but don't overwhelm the story in any way.

That's not to say I would actually mind being overwhelmed by Mac. As you may have gathered, I'd rather like some more Mac and Aidan romance scenes. I realise I asked for more Mac in my last review, and to be fair, Mia definitely delivered lots more Mac in SHIFTING SELVES. So on the one hand I'm happy. But on the other hand, I'm also a disgustingly greedy and unrepentant sort, and so I say to you once again, Ms Marshall: More Mac! There is no such thing as too much, just in case you were wondering *wink*

5 Stars ★★★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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