Shifter (The Were Chronicles, book 3)
by Alma Alexander
My rating: 4.95 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Saladin, or Chalky as Mal March has always called him, may not be family by blood, but he is the closest thing to a brother Mal has, and he has always been there for him. It stands to reason that when things get difficult for Mal, Chalky is the one he calls. When it comes to book three in the Were Chronicles, it also stands to reason that it should be Saladin's story. Shifter picks up the story were Wolf ends and continues it from there, while at the same time giving us Chalky's own history and story. Author +Alma Alexander has done it again with a third book in this series that is captivating, will have you reading to the end, while at the same time you will cheer and cry with the characters. Once you sit the book down, you will be thinking about all the events, the social injustices, the outrage and linking it to the current times.
Shifter is the third, and final, book in the Were Chronicles. You might be ok reading them alone, but the story is so much bigger and emcompasses so much more when you read all three together, in order. While it is fun and exciting to read about shape-shifters, there is a socially charged underlying story with the discrimination and forced labeling of their kind. Author Alma Alexander gives you what you want to read in a wonderfully written and page-turning book. Yet when you really think about what she is saying, you will find yourself thinking about the world around you and what occurs. It would make an excellent book club series, even moreso it would be a great series to read in school! I recommend it to all readers, of all ages, and I also recommend that you think and talk about it with others afterwards! This is the kind of book that while it was written for enjoyment, it has the power to change people and thinking.
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Wolf (The Were Chronicles, Book 2)
by Alma Alexander
My rating: 4.95 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
Mal March has just set his life off in a complicated and unprecedented journey. He has become a were-wolf, a rare and totally not random shape-shifting form, which means that he will have to leave his family and become part of the wolf pack. For Mal, this means redemption and a way to find answers in his life, but nothing ever turns out exactly as planned. Wolf is the second book in the Were Chronicles, and were the first book was his younger sister Jazz's story, this book is Mal's story. It goes back and gives some history and his view on some things leading up to his turning into a wolf, which occurred at the end of Random. This book takes up were book one ended and goes one. Author +Alma Alexander once again gives a book that is captivating and exciting. You will not want to put it down until you finish it, and then you will be screaming for book three!
The Were Chronicles, book one Random and now book two Wolf, really need to be read in order, although you might be ok if you don't. I was so captivated by the story that I read all three books one right after the other! This book is all Mal's story and takes him from leaving his family through his journey. This book may be a paranormal, fantasy book but there is genetic testing and experiments, forced registration and so much more that is socially cutting edge. Author Alma Alexander gives readers a book that is fun and exciting, but if you sit back and think about it, it could provide excellent book club conversations! This series is my absolute favorite style, something that is fun and gets kids and teens reading, but at the same time has some many unlying socially conscious themes that it forces you to look at life and the world around you at the same time! Everyone should read this series!
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Random (The Were Chronicles, Book 1)
by Alma Alexander
My rating: 4.95 of 5 stars
Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite
At first glance, Jessica March, or Jazz to her family, looks like your typical almost fifteen year old; but one look inside her family and you realize she is far from normal. Jazz, and her family, are Random Weres. This means that each month on the full moon, her parents change shape into their were form, and being random means that it can be anything that first time. Her older brother Malcolm, or Mal is almost eighteen, and still hasn't managed to shift, which is concerning, but when you start delving into her family it becomes understandable. Random is the first book in the Were Chronicles and focuses on Jazz and her life and the family up to the point of her first turning. Author +Alma Alexander creates a complex and socially relevant family saga that will keep you reading from page one to the end.
Random, being the first book in the Were Chronicles, focuses mostly on Jazz, in that it is her story throughout the book. It tells of the family's journey to this country and some history, but Jazz is the focus. This book, aside from being a fun story of were's or shape shifters, is the story of discrimination, forced registration, and social injustice. Author Alma Alexander writes a story that draws you in and is exciting and captivating, while at the same time is thought provoking and scary. One issue is that everyone who is a were, or shape shifter, must register and they have a government id that is unique, with a paw print on it, instead of plain. Humm, is it just me or does that make you think of the forced labeling of Jews during the reign of Hitler? I recommend this book to all readers, while it is fun and a great story, there is plenty to talk about when you really look at the story!
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