Shapeshifting

[Mallory Porshnev]

I think with fantasy, it is hard to come up with ideas that haven't been done already anyway. At least some elements will feel familiar. As long as it is done in a somewhat fresh way, I think it's okay. And I don't think this takes away from the novel overall.

[kdstrack]

I think the shapeshifting is appropriate since this belief is part of Celtic tradition. The author has obviously done the necessary research and included authentic elements of their culture.

[Goober12]

Shapeshifting in the novel was well tied in. Shapeshifting does happen in the real world but in a different way you know. I believe it supports both sides of fantasy and what the author is trying to convey.

[TALIA ONYANGO]

Shape shifting supports the aura and mysticism in the novel. At the same time, it makes the novel to sound more of a fantasy novel. It is a fictional art.

[Sweet Psamy]

It doesn't detract from the overall novel. It only adds to the mysticism in the novel.Wolves can be mysterious.

[JR Mercier]

I think it's great. Although shapeshifting is used a lot, it is a very wide and varied power. It also appears in a ton of different cultures, religions, and mythologies around the world, which makes it a bit more 'acceptable', if that makes sense.

[kdstrack]

I think it's great. Although shapeshifting is used a lot, it is a very wide and varied power. It also appears in a ton of different cultures, religions, and mythologies around the world, which makes it a bit more 'acceptable', if that makes sense.

I agree. Not sure just how prevalent it is in the US, but definitely this belief is common in other cultures and religions around the world. The idea of being able to shapeshift into a dog (wolf in the story) also seems to be common.

[ea_anthony]

Shapeshifting makes the novel to sound more of a fantasy. That does not happen in real society. It is possible fictions.

I get your point, shapeshifting brings the novel fully into the realm of fantasy. Fantasy buffs (I think I am one) will like the extra dimension.

[Elizabeth Gipson]

I think it does tie into the story, because the author made it clear that Catrin can also shapeshift into a raven and that is the reason her senses are out of place every time she connects with the raven. I think that the story would be out of place with the curse if the shape shifting aspect was not included. But I also think she included it to stay true to what the Druids believed in 24 AD.

[Laura Del]

It seems a rather interesting plot device. Shapeshifting is good when done right, but I'll have to read the book in order to see if that's the case. It's interesting to say the very least.

[Amy+++]

Shapeshifting for another character in the book is ok as long as it is in with the novel and doesn't take away from the book. Sometimes you can have a character change form or do something entirely different and it ends up taking away from the book and you forget what the book was about in the first place.

[P Reefer]

The shape-shifting of Catrin's brother into a wolf is not farfetched for the narrative as Catrin herself has supernatural ability to communicate with a raven and view occurrences from a raven's vantage point.

[Rafaella Michailidou]

I didn't mind. I guess I thought magic and mysticism run through the family veins and I didn't give it much thought. I guess werewolves are not really suitable in this story but for some reason, it didn't give me the feeling of the werewolf so I was ok with it.

[HRichards]

I have yet to read the book, please correct me if I am wrong. Is it written like magical realism?

To me, it is written like "Oh, I know, I'll include someone who can shapeshift into a wolf." At the beginning, the book was like a historical fiction with some mysticism mixed in. It then got strange with the shapeshifting and then Catrin's ability to see the futures connected to individuals when she goes into another realm.

I'm not sure why, but a lot of movies that deal with the Celts feel a need to just get crazy too. I mean if you want your book to have someone who can turn into a wolf, have at, but I'm not sure why anything with Celts seems to sort of get that treatment. I guess thinking about Centurion and King Arthur and like five hundred other B movies that include that element I'm just sort of puzzled.

[Samy Lax]

I have this huge collection of books with shapeshifters in it. So, if you haven't guessed it already, I am a fan of the theme! In this book too, I think the shapeshifting blended well into the overall plot without changing it for the worst.