Cass: Shifters of Lost Paradise Mountain Book One by Athani Lynn Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is a new favorite in the shifter genre for me. I love, love, the idea of shifter gargoyles. I especially loved the way that the author puts a slightly different spin on the shifter concept so that there are basically two entities sharing a single body. I enjoyed the way that the gargoyle side of Cass and the human side argued over things, and the concept of locking each side away.
The romance element between Savana and Cass is done in a fun, entertaining way. I enjoyed the two characters, and I’d like to see more with their friends in future books.
There is some really dark backstory here, so be prepared for a very serious element to emerge. There is a nefarious character who brings the super-dark, and it’s good how unlikable that person is. Also, in case this needs spelling out, there is explicit sex in this book. I think it’s pretty well written sex, but if you have a problem with reading that it’s not going to make it any better.
I want to give this book a five star rating for so many reasons, but around the halfway point in the book the editing quality fell off, and the errors started to disrupt the reading flow. There were also a few inconsistencies that caught my attention, things like how during one shift the clothes are torn off but while shifted again later they’re still on. They were minor things, but they still stuck out. With a little extra editing, this book could completely be a 5 star and I’d be happy to revise my rating on it.
Either way, I definitely want to read more in this series. I’m in love with shifter gargoyles now, and I need more of this in my life!
