Most of us recall our teenage years as awkward times of trying to find ourselves. For Nickie, finding herself is about to take on a whole new meaning.
A year ago, Nickie’s father went missing. Without rhyme or reason, he simply disappeared. Andrew, her little brother, is too young to pick up on anything other than Dad being gone. Remaining tight-lipped, her mother offers little hope. However, at sixteen, Nickie has a suspicion that something is definitely not right & feels her father isn’t dead.
After some strange occurrences, Nickie’s suspicions increase. Chance encounters with a new neighbor, Xavian, & stranger, Derek, lead her to believe there is much about her dad that she never knew. Odd things are happening to Nickie, too. Cravings for tuna & panther sightings aren’t normal teen angst. What in the world is going on with Nickie? What really happened to her Dad?
‘Shifting Pride’ is much different than a normal teen romance or mystery. Shape-shifting teens probably don’t reside in your town. But in this era of ‘Twilight’, teens will most likely eat this up (no pun intended).
Laura Diamond has done a great job of relating Nickie’s feelings & how most teen girls would react in light of their parent disappearing. I liked the fact that she didn’t give up on her Dad even when those around her doubted. She’s a strong-willed character who didn’t swoon at the sight of a cute boy just because he’s a cute boy. In the genre of young adult fiction, that’s rare.
As an adult, ‘Shifting Pride’ might not have been on my normal reading list, but Laura Diamond did a fantastic job of it. None of the shape shifting was too out of this world. She almost made it realistic which isn’t always easy. For a great creative mind & a well done novel, I rate it as a 5 of 5 stars.
You can find more info on Laura & her works through the publisher http://www.etopia-press.net. I received 1 eBook to write my review. All opinions are my own. No further compensation was provided. The cover photo is property of Etopia & was provided to me by them.
