Review: Shift by M.R. Merrick

Shift by M.R. Merrick

Series: The Protector #2

Published: February 1, 2012

Publisher: Self-Published

Pages: 530

Devastated by a terrible loss, Chase is trying to balance the life he’s been left with, a family he’s still getting to know, and power he never thought he’d have. He doesn’t understand why the Goddess has named him the Protector and granted him two gifts: the Mark, a tattoo that now covers his back, and the ring. But between getting interrogated by the Circle and psychic attacks from Riley, the Mark is the least of his concern. There’s a demon inside Rayna that’s fighting to be released, and it’s not her inner witch. It’s something else–a monster threatening to tear her apart.As Chase struggles to control his magic, his enemies are closing in. Everyone has staked a claim on his ring, and destroying it may be his only chance to stop Riley. But Chase must decide if stopping him is worth risking the lives of everyone he cares about, or if protecting the ring will be enough to save his world.

Warning: Contains spoilers for Exiled, book #1.

I enjoyed this book much more than the first. What was lacking with the first, I found answers to in the this book. Rayna and Chase's relationship was fantastically developed. Definitely no insta-love here.
Instead, I sat back and relaxed as I watched these two people come to know and respect one another. They developed a functional relationship first, before it developed into something with a little more chemistry. And that in and of itself was such a breath of fresh air in YA. It's not that every character falls for another instantly, but there's a lot of lusting away at first sight, and then BAM! something extraordinary occurs that makes them realize their love. This doesn't typify all YA books, but I do think the majority (maybe a 4:5 ratio) of books do. So, thank you, thank you, thank you Merrick, for the development.

Then I kind of actually enjoyed watching Marcus and Chase Alpha male it out. Mostly because it allowed me to see a side of Marcus that I really felt was lacking in the first book. He's so vulnerable from Chase's mother's death that he yields authority to a teenager. In my world, no adult does that. So it really say's something how this death turned everything on its head for Marcus. So in some twisted turn-about-view, I find his acceptance of Chase's "coming of age" realistic, in a case where it would normally not be realistic at all.

Again, though, there was a point in the plot where things didn't quite flow, and this was at the end. All of a sudden, I felt as if things were happening much to fast without any thought. There's a point when Chase discovers how to use his ring, and with out any second thought, jumps dimensions. Another time, the gang decides to go off on a mission to a hellic dimension, and I'm just sitting there like, "Wait, shouldn't you at least think about this for a moment?!"And we know something's wrong when I start acting like the adult in a situation. 

But honestly, that doesn't take away from my love of the story. Because it is such a beautifully crafted novel with amazing characters. I really do love them, and honestly can't wait for the next book.