Release Day Review: Shapeshifted (Edie Spence, #3)

Author: Cassie Alexander
Series: Edie Spence, #3
Release date: June 4th 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

Nurse Edie Spence is once again called upon to save a life…and this time, it’s personal. Can her new community of zombies, vampires, and shapeshifters come to her rescue when she needs them most?

When Edie was fired from her paranormal nursing job at County Hospital, her whole world came crashing down. Now she’s is once again shaken to her core. Her mother is deathly ill and there’s only one thing that will save her: vampire blood. But with the paranormal community shunning Edie, where can she obtain it…without losing her own life in the process?

Edie hopes to procure it at her new job at the clinic across town, where the forces of evil loom large. Vampire gang wars are rampant. Old underground enemies are rising to the surface. And Edie’s zombie ex-boyfriend has arrived at the scene—but is he the same man he used to be? And what should she make of the enigmatic doctor with whom she shares an unexpected connection? She’ll have to figure it out soon, because all hell is about to break loose—literally—and time is running out…

The number of urban fantasy series I still get excited about becomes smaller every year. I’ve been disappointed by authors and characters more times than I can count, and I even flat-out refuse to speak of a series that went in an unwanted direction. (I’d totally tell you which series it is, but you know, I’m refusing to speak about it.;) I am very emotional where urban fantasy is involved and I can hold a grudge like nobody’s business. But sometimes (rarely) an author surprises me in a very different way, and that’s exactly what Cassie Alexander has done.

The Edie Spence series is right back on track and I’m happier than a bird with a french fry. My relationship with Edie Spence wasn’t always smooth and painless. She is a very lonely character, a night shift nurse with a brother addicted to heroin and very few friends. In the first book, Nightshifted, she was so easy to identify with, and while I’m sure she would never want my pity, there were times when I just couldn’t help it. The second book, Moonshifted, brought with it a different Edie, one who took loneliness to a whole new level. She was in a very bad place back then, but I didn’t appreciate how she handled it. Instead of fighting for herself, she allowed every supernatural creature in town to walk right over her and it didn’t take long for it to become very tedious.

In Shapeshifted, Edie is different yet again. Depressed, yes. Possibly lonelier than ever. But she is also determined to do something about it, to find a way to help herself and those she loves, and that’s something I can work with. I adored this new Edie, and I loved seeing her out of her element. Her job in Y4 was fun, but working with human patients while at the same time struggling with supernatural issues was even better.

Shapeshifted shows significant improvement in the romance department as well. This is the second romantic involvement for Edie since the beginning of the series, and while the romances Cassie writes are never straightforward or simple (or even sweet, for that matter), I loved that this one had time to develop, that it was born out of mutual trust and friendly affection. I’m trying to avoid mentioning the name of this love interest, but it is someone I was rooting for from the start. I think he’s the only one who really sees Edie, and he’ll probably be great for her self-esteem.

So yes, I am a huge fan of this series once again, and I hope the next book will be as exciting as this one. Can I please have it now?