Scared Shiftless

   

Scared Shiftless
By  Theophilus Monroe

ISBN : 9798749348521
363 Pages
Available in Paperback, on Audible, and on Kindle

Synopsis:

A stiletto heel through a vampire’s heart…

Who ever said you had to sacrifice fabulous for functional?

Eventually I’d find her, the one who stole my abilities.

Now I was stuck like this…

As a water elemental, everything about me before was fluid…

My shape, my gender…

Hell, I didn’t even have a gender before…

Whatever form was most appealing to my human prey… that’s the shape I’d take.

Luring my prey to my watery lair through sex appeal and alluring song…

I didn’t even know that vampires were real…

How was I supposed to know that I’d chosen a vampire as an entree?

When I was bit that damned bloodsucker stole my shape-shifting ability…

I was scared shiftless.

I'm out for more than vengeance. I want my life back. But even if I catch her, even if I kill the vampire who ruined my life… can I even take my abilities back? Or, am I destined to stay like this…forever.

My Thoughts:

Scared Shiftless is the tale of Nyx, aka Nicky, I was surprised to see it spelled that way in the publisher's literature - in my head she was a fabulous Nikki <3 a vampire hunter with a unique background - she is a water elemental. Nicky was bitten by a vampire who stole her ability to shapeshift, an elemental necessity, which has kept her from being able to return to her watery home and has trapped her into a seemingly human existence - in a seemingly human male body.  

A pivotal element of Nicky's character is that she identifies as a trans woman. In reality, previous to her humanlike existence, Nicky did not have a concept of gender at all. However, after being trapped in a gendered human body, she had to start living like a human - eating human food and wearing clothing - and discovered that the clothing that spoke to her heart was that which was traditionally designated for human females. This causes difficulties and judgements against her that she does not understand until she is befriended by Donnie, a trans woman who at first assumes that Nicky is like her. She explains to Nicky what it is to be trans and the two become roommates and look out for one another.

The writer appears to have a good grasp of the struggles and realities that occur within the trans community and this book goes a long way in explaining those struggles to outsiders. If I had one complaint about this book, it is that occasionally these explanations become like lectures, going off on wild tangents and diverting too far from the core story for too long. The most notable case of this is in chapter two. But eventually the story gets reigned back in and on its path, and the reader has a better understanding of the character for it. 

The world presented in Scared Shiftless is a recognizable one, the American Midwest, but is also presented to the reader as a new place, full of magic and creatures of the night. There are very real locations, that most everybody has heard of, as well as whimsical imaginary ones. This pseudo-real world is wonderfully developed and the history of the vampires and other mystical beings is explored in length, leaving the reader with a solid grasp of who everyone is and what they can do. 

The story has plenty of familiar vampire concepts, with some new ones thrown in for good measure. A lot of the "vampire rules" reminded me of the world from the shows The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. It you like those, you will definitely enjoy this book. Best of all, the book was not predictable. I mean sure, there may have been a thing or two along the way, and I kinda guessed the endgame outcome with Wolfgang, and even had an inkling as to the outcome with Alice. But that surprise twist at the end where  Devin turned out to be a warlock and had been working for Alice all along really caught me off guard.

The audiobook is narrated by Kasey Logan. The narrator has an emotive, lively voice, and is capable of keeping the listener interested. Her character voices are top notch and she has energy to give both Donnie and Nicky just the right amount of fabulous sass.

Scared Shiftless is the first audiobook in a while that I can truly say I thoroughly enjoyed listening to from beginning to end. I was engaged throughout the whole thing and did not have to rewind and replay bits because I got bored and tuned out. Rather, I was eager to hear more, and I cannot wait for the following volumes.

I received a complimentary audiobook copy of Scared Shiftless from StoryOrigin,  in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions stated are mine. The book is currently available available on Amazon at the links I have shared above.

Parent's Guide:

Scared Shiftless is your standard sci-fi fantasy fare - a bit of violence and a minor touch of swearing. It also touches quite a bit on personal development and discovering one's true self. and  For younger readers, it may be a bit heavy. But for the older teens, this is an excellent fantasy read, especially if they like vampires.