Book Review: Changing Nature by April White

Changing Nature

The Immortal Descendants #3

April White

Publication Date: January 22, 2015

Genre: YA Paranormal

Immortal Descendants are disappearing and seventeen-year-old Clocker Saira Elian is next on the list…

Saira and Archer’s romantic London summer is shattered by the bold kidnappings of Immortal Descendants. It’s clear Mongers want control of the Descendant Families, and when they target a powerful Shifter, there’s no doubt they will eliminate anyone who stands in their way.

A split in time could be the cause of this new Monger aggression, and Saira, Archer and Ringo suspect their time-traveling nemesis Bishop Wilder. One dangerous world is exchanged for another when Saira and her friends track Wilder to the gloomy streets of Paris in 1429. They find the city besieged by marauding wolves led by a fanatical peasant girl who will be known to history as Joan of Arc.

Crossing the time stream to repair it has dropped them into the heart of the Hundred Years’ War on the eve of an epic battle, where the line between friends and enemies will be drawn in blood. To finally end the deadly game of cat and mouse with Wilder, Saira must confront her greatest challenge yet: the truth about her changing Nature.

Confusion. That’s what I felt when I read the first paragraphs of the third book of the Immortal Descendants series. Huh, where’s the running? I thought. Oh, maybe Saira is getting some down time for a change. But, no. There’s the running a few paragraphs later. *huge grin*
Oh, Saira. We’ve got to stop meeting like this.
While the bits and pieces woven of history woven into the story and the action and lots of blood of gore titillated the adrenaline rush, it was the characters who were the beating heart of this story. Here, in the third book, was where it was hammered into me the intricately sewn traits, thoughts, words, emotions, and actions that made me love the series in the first place.
Saira Elian, whom I’m going to name my daughter after, has grown and changed since the first book. Where she was still a badass Clocker, she's... maybe tamed may not be the right word... she's learned to be calm and think about the welfare of others before herself. She pauses and consider every option and involves everyone's opinions in a decision. She's more sure of herself. But she's still learning.
And Archer… Can you hear the sigh as I said his name? Changing Nature has probably the most page markers I had to put in a book.
But the biggest surprise to me was Ringo. If I wasn’t in love with Archer, Ringo would probably be it. He was perhaps the wisest character I’ve ever encountered in a YA book.
What could I possibly say that wasn’t uttered in my previous benedictions about this series? My complete love for it – the wonderful writing, fascinating use of history, development of characters and the number of quotable quotes I’ve marked. All I could wish is that I could read the next book soon.