Mistwood

by Leah Cypess

[ladygrey]

[b:Mistwood|6768411|Mistwood (Mistwood, #1)|Leah Cypess|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1334259048l/6768411._SY75_.jpg|6967609] is a stirring novel. The story is intriguing and continually surprising. Some of the characters are more developed than others but the way they intertwine is interesting.

The only problem is that some of the motivations are not as clear as I needed them to be. Specifically, the key moment in the end, when Isabel chooses between Rokan and Kaer. It's implied that she loves Rokan but that's never developed at all. When she thought she was the Shifter it's understandable that she would be limited to certain emotions so that wouldn't be a part of the story. But after she realizes who she is, I expected the realization of her feelings to come in on its heels. Or for it to become glaringly clear in the room that night. She has a great line that it never was about Kaer, but she never follows that with even a sentence telling us clearly what it was about. She even, in the aftermath, looks at what life would have been for her with each man in power and it can be inferred from that that she chose Rokan so that should wouldn't go back to being lonely - that she wouldn't become purposeless. But [a:Leah Cypress] never really explores that or tinges any of the remaining chapters with any guilt at having made a selfish choice. There's even a line in there about how Kaer has no loyalty to her, but she can't really know what he would have felt or thought if he'd known the truth. None of the implications that were offered seemed enough to explain her betrayal for me.
Also, Rokan says that Kaer would have destroyed the throne - but what is he basing that on? He doesn't know how Kaer is different from his father, how the way Kaer grew up changed him and changed how he would have been king. How does Rokan know Kaer wouldn't have been a great king?

I really like [a:Leah Cypress]'s writing style and her characters. I just also feel they're a bit shallow in their motivations. I want to know them a little bit more; I want greater depth of motivation; I wanted things explained outright just a little bit more instead of always implied so I can understand the characters and the story will be even richer.