Guest Review: Shifting Plains by Jean Johnson

Posted December 11, 2009 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 7 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance


Kris’ review of Shifting Plains by Jean Johnson

Centuries before the time of the Sons of Destiny, a female shapeshifter became the leader of the people of the Shifting Plains…

Tava Ell Var never really knew her mother, but she did know her tragic fate at the hands of a band of cruel shapeshifters-a history set down by Tava’s father as a warning about life on the Shifting Plains. But after her father is murdered, Tava encounters a Shifterai warband fighting to rid the Plains of the terrorizing bandits

Shifterai leader Kodan Sin Siin is sympathetic to Tava’s suffering, but he’s determined to bring the wary young woman to the Plains. Because he knows her secret: She, like he and his men, is a shapeshifter. Once she joins them, he knows that she will see for herself the true fate that awaits her on the Plains, and most of all, lose her fear of his people. And, in time, he knows she will find her place is in their fight-and by his side.

Great book. It takes place in the same world as the Sons of Destiny series but it is not necessary to read those before this one. If you did read those this takes place in the part of the world where the sisters from the original series come from. But this takes place long before that time.
This is a good book for setting up the details of a world. Tava is invited to join the Shiftarai people and agrees to stay for a year to learn about the culture and the people before deciding if she will stay with them or set off on her own. So through her learning about the Shiftarai people, the reader does as well. So I liked that. The world was very well thought out, the customs, the buildings, amenities, and religion of the people were explained for you so you did not have to infer anything or learn as you went.

I will say this book reminded me a lot of Elizabeth Vaughn’s Warlord series, but a little warmer in romance. It was not that i kept comparing them but I kept having to remind myself that this was a different world. I think it was that they both were nomadic with a central city but lived on the Plains. So the geography and as such some of the style of living was the same or similar.
The romance was nice and steamy 🙂 I think she is a lot more comfortable writing the love scenes then when she first started her series.

The story flew by for me and I had a hard time putting it down. I am not sure if she will return to these characters with a next book, it ended as a fine stand alone. But with the world she has created there is a lot of good fodder for more stories, maybe Kadon’s brother…

A very enjoyable read, I give it a 4.75 out of 5.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here.


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7 responses to “Guest Review: Shifting Plains by Jean Johnson

  1. ok what up wid da boobage? Feels a little guy porny to me but I’m intrigued enough by your review to actually consider buying it- despite the blushes that will ensue when I place it on the check out counter. (hmmm maybe I should just order it from Amazon…)

  2. and they def. scream FAKE!

    The more I think about it the more it almost ticks me off.

    I mean C’mon, I already gotta cover up the gratuitous hot neked men on the covers when reading in public for fear of snide comments -please lets not start a fake- boobies trend!! PLEASE!

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