From Goodreads: Naomi Roberts finally receives a scholarship for a semester abroad in Maine. When Naomi’s grandmother suddenly claims that Naomi will soon be transformed into a panther, like her great grandmother Romina, Naomi believes it is a final and desperate attempt to keep her from departing to the USA.

Having arrived in Maine, Naomi enjoys her student life with new friends and her first love, Roman. Even though she feels magically drawn to a mysterious clearing in the woods, believes she is being watched and begins to sleepwalk, she does not remember the prophecy of her grandmother. Until her very first transformation. And – Naomi is not alone, which not only exposes her to mortal danger, but also Roman.

_______________________________________________

This is a very interesting take on the shape-shifter story, focusing on that of werecats.  It’s quite original, though the translation itself makes it a somewhat brusque tale.  I read the most recent release of this novel, which I am told is much better than the original translation that was in a funky color and didn’t capture the story very well.  And, in this latest translation, I thought the translator did a good job portraying the story, but it is still a bit rigid and choppy, as I would expect a translation to be.  Yes, its syntax seems to be short and simple, but I, personally, found the diction level to be on target and the story itself was explained well enough that I wasn’t really bothered by the choppiness, though the overall story did leave me with a lot of questions at the end.

I really liked the beginning of this book. Although the background story isn’t actually explained in any further detail throughout the story, it piqued my interest and hooked me right away.  But, as the story continued, I began to note that the story itself slowed down in order to explain, in detail, all of Naomi’s new friends and their outings.  Now, I’m not sure if it’s the translation or the story itself, but I found this to be a rather dull section as the action began to lull.  It did pick up again, as we learn that not all the characters are good, but here, and I think it depends on how picky of a reader you are, a lot of information seems to be glossed over.  There is much more action near the end of the novel as we learn who is good and who is not, but in doing so, we have some situations that occur that aren’t explained to the reader very well, such as the “rape” that is mentioned in passing. It’s just sort of there, and while I think I understand where Bidell is going with it, the fact that so little attention is given to the monumental detail was a bit jarring.  Likewise, readers aren’t really given too much specific background information explaining the different factions of  the werecats, and so I wasn’t sure what made Sammy and Kai so different aside from the quick conversation Kai and Naomi have.  But, then again, this is only part one of the saga, and so it is very likely that the missing information in this novel will be explained in the next portion—I just think that the choppiness of the novel makes it a little more blatant that pertinent information is missing, whereas a novel that flowed a bit more seamlessly wouldn’t make it as obvious that some explanations are absent.  Overall, though, I enjoyed the story.  Three stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.