Mistwood

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sandyram4, January 1, 2012 (view all comments by sandyram4)
this first novel is action-filled, dramatic, and keeps you turning pages, always to be surprised by what happens next. For all ages, I recommend Mistwood as a charmed=filled study of young adults.

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The Eager Readers, July 27, 2010 (view all comments by The Eager Readers)
A shifter who can't remember her past, a prince in a dangerous position, and a court full of deceptions make Leah Cypess' Mistwood an impressive debut novel. This book is an intriguing YA fantasy that will appeal to fans of Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, Kristin Cashore's The Seven Kingdoms trilogy, and Megan Whalen Turner's The Queen's Thief series.

What I Liked:
- Isabel is a formidable heroine. She is intelligent and courageous. As the story unfolds, she is faced with increasingly difficult choices, but she remains brave and decisive even while frustrated by her lack of memory. Her unique abilities are intriguing, she is not shy about her intimidating presence, and she handles conflicts with clever calculations and impressive physical skills.
- Many of the secondary characters have hidden agendas, so there are some excellent twists in this story. As one mystery is solved, another is revealed. Isabel is not certain who to trust, and neither is the reader. Fun!
- I love that the characters in this book are drawn in many shades of gray. Even the individuals you may find yourself rooting against have understandable motives, and I truly wasn't sure which path Isabel would choose until her allegiance was put to the ultimate test.
- Romance is not the primary focus of this story, but it contributes to the complexity of the choices facing the characters when it does appear.
- The mysteries and subplots are satisfactorily wrapped up by the end of the book, but I still found myself thinking about this novel long after finishing it.
- Although Mistwood has a conclusive ending and works well as a stand-alone novel, I was thrilled to hear that Leah Cypess is working on a companion novel.

What I Wished:
- Isabel is a great character and I enjoyed following her as she struggled to utilize her abilities, understand her past, and make challenging decisions. But I wanted to get to know the other important characters a little more. Rokan, in particular, had much less page time than I expected.
- I do think the minimal amount of romance suited the story, but I was personally hoping for a bit more romance. This isn't intended as a huge complaint. After all, Tamora Pierce's YA fantasy novels are among my very favorites, and I nearly always want them to have a little more romance too.


Mistwood is an entertaining YA fantasy with a strong and conflicted heroine. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the story and look forward to reading more from debut author Leah Cypess.

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Cinnamon, May 18, 2010 (view all comments by Cinnamon)
MISTWOOD by Leah Cypess is a robust tale of royalty, deception, self-discovery, romance and a decent amount of the paranormal. As we follow Isabel throughout the story, we learn more about her and the memories that slowly come back to her. Snatches of memory and good reasoning skills allows Isabel to discover that Rokhan may not be who he truly seems although the compulsion of the Shifter magic forces her to protect him anyway. Uncovering more about Isabel and Rokhan, we find ourselves in the midst of deception. Full of sorcerers, princes, princesses, kings and the Shifter, MISTWOOD is a wonderful tale of magic and the strength of the human spirit.

Originally drawn to MISTWOOD by the beautiful cover, I was amazed at just how good the story was. Isabel is unlike many of the shape-shifters that we see nowadays. Ms. Cypess has done an amazing job of creating her own world and her own set of rules. What really made this book fantastic was how well she stuck to those rules. I have experienced many paranormal books where suddenly the characters could do things that had been impossible for them to do previously in the story. Here, Ms. Cypess gives Isabel her quirks and limitations while actually sticking to them. That made the story much more believable and realistic, which is great for something so full of magic.

Relationships played a major role in MISTWOOD. As Isabel learns more about herself and uncovers the truths about others, we see relationships grow and falter. This is more than a single week of time in the life of some girl. While not covering a huge expanse of time, this book does seem to cover quite a large expanse of events. Ms. Cypess does a fantastic job of allowing the story to ebb and flow throughout the book, giving us little mini adventures and allowing each event to come Isabel’s way to really shine. When I said that the story was robust, that really is the best way to describe it. MISTWOOD is a very full story with plenty of twists and turns. Every time it felt like the story was coming to a close, something else would happen that would keep our heroine constantly moving forward.

For me, the true test of a story is how long it stays in one’s mind after the final page has turned. With the plot twists throughout the book and especially at the end of the story, I believe MISTWOOD will stay with me for a while. This story is dark and mysterious, the lies surrounding Rokhan and the loss of Isabel’s memory aiding the mystical feel of the book. The way in which this book has fully wrapped around my mind is evidence of Ms. Cypess’s clear writing style and beautiful story development.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780061956997

Author:

Cypess, Leah

Publisher:

Greenwillow Books

Subject:

Magic

Subject:

Fantasy

Subject:

Action & Adventure - General

Subject:

Fantasy & Magic

Subject:

General Juvenile Fiction

Subject:

Children s-Adventure Stories

Edition Description:

Hardcover

Publication Date:

20100431

Binding:

HARDCOVER

Grade Level:

from 7

Language:

English

Pages:

320

Dimensions:

9.00x6.10x1.30 in. .88 lbs.

Age Level:

from 12