5 Stars for Native Shifter by Cindy Borgne

Native Shifter by Cindy Borgne

Native Shifter is Cindy Borgne’s best novel. I enjoyed her Vallar series, and her shorter novelette TransShifter, but Native Shifter brought it all together for me. Not only does Native Shifter have a great protagonist with complete three-dimensional characterization worth rooting for; it has a concise plot structure building to a climatic ending with small fiery details in-between.

The protagonist in the story, Leotie is a warrior at heart, who wants to do anything but string beads for her tribe. She is in love with a boy named Keme, her life-bond and someone who understands her dilemma, because he wants to be anything but what life has offered him. He wants to be a healer not a warrior.

Together they are perfectly matched; however, due to an increased war between the Natives and the white man they are pulled apart, and their dreams are seemingly shattered. As the plot progresses, and Borgne throws us obstacle after obstacle, death being the largest one; it seems these two are not going to be together.

Packed with interesting alternatives that lead to a twisted ending for them both, this story will keep you guessing right up until the last page. Despite continuous spell-binding plot, the pacing of this book moved like a roller coaster of small hills and a big climatic mountain at the end. The pacing would slow in the places it needed, allowing the reader to absorb the disappointments in the same way Leotie would respond to them.

You felt her sadness in a grand way and you experienced her strength with the difficult choices she had to make. She ended up being a warrior, not just because she could fight the battles outside of herself, but because she could also fight the ones inside of herself. Her inner conflicts and wins over them made her a stronger person in the end. I read Native Shifter in four days, and cannot wait to read the next book to see where Leotie’s journey will take her. Cindy Borgne’s book Native Shifter is a must read for those of us who like great characters, and a plot that keeps you guessing.