Rina Nelle Mont has never been a part of the paranormal world. Until now.Well, maybe not. The Magical Creatures Academy only accepts supernaturals, and she’s been invited to the school, but she has none of the powers she’s supposed to. Blip. Nada. Not even a spark.The school hasn’t made a mistake in a century, but she might be the first one. That’s just the kind of thing that would happen to her. … of thing that would happen to her. Especially since no one has any idea what kind of creature she’ll be … assuming her powers ever decide to make an appearance.
The Academy is the leading institution for paranormal creatures in the world. Its students are the finest of shifters, vampires, and fae.
Speaking of fine fae … Leander Verion, prince of the elves, is off limits. Not only is he arrogant, stubborn, and totally not her style, he’s her brother’s best friend. She will not fall for him. No way. Besides, he’s not interested … is he?
When two men who head the Shifter Alliance, a rebel faction of shapeshifters who seek to escape the control of the Enforcers—the supernatural police force—find out about Rina and her potential for a different kind of magic, they hunt her. For them, the stakes are as personal as they get.
Whether she’s ready or not, Rina is about to find out what she’s made of…
Night Shifter is the start of an exciting new magic-filled urban fantasy, starring a girl with lots of moxie, fine brawny shifters, BFFs with questionable morals, and pygmy trolls in need of an attitude adjustment.more
‘Night Shifter’ is book one in Lucia Ashta’s Magical Creatures Academy.
Rina Nelle Mont has wanted nothing more than to attend the prestigious Magical Creatures Academy also known as Menagerie. When her birthday comes and she doesn’t shift like her brother Ky or have magic like her father, she gives up hope of attending it. But when a little fairy shows up with her invitation she thinks it’s a mistake, but the Menagerie never makes a mistake.
I unsure where to start with this review, I have mixed feeling about. I was mesmerised and enthralled in the world of all the magical beings and creatures.
The characters were a little odd and not entirely sure what I think of them. At the beginning Rina said her and her brother Ky didn’t have a relationship, but then all of a sudden they are close and Ky is overly protective. Jas and Wren are opposites and along with Rina they make a weird but wonderful trio of friends.
Now the storyline felt a little rushed and a bits of key parts missing.
But I’m still intrigued to see where things are going to go.
it was a fun story to start! I think it was interesting meeting all the characters and getting to know them and picking your favorites . I like the brother/sister relationship. There is no romance, yet anyways but definitely alot of flirting and side crushing! I think the next book might bring it
This us a great start for the series. I’m excited to see what Rina will be able to do once she gets everything figured out. Rage and his twin brother seem like fierce foe by themselves, but add in a dark mage and who knows what can happen. This started off slow, but it was long before it picked up in pace and became very interesting. There is a mixed group of paranormal beings that really star in this story. The most original shifter being, a tree shifter, love that. The characters are great. I’m excited to see what happens next to Ty and Rina!
This story was just OK. It seemed a bit choppy in places like things were happening too fast. without any lead-in I finished it but probably won’t move on. The book is well edited. There’s some swearing but it seemed OK for YA. The story was OK, characters OK . . I just didn’t get drawn into the story or the characters so I probably won’t finish the series.
The Details:
– Upper YA/NA
– Fantasy/Urban Fantasy
– Academy setting
– Ist in a series
Ok, I’ll admit it, in the beginning, it wasn’t the female main character (Rina) that kept me reading, it was the fantastic worldbuilding and setting.
The cast of characters within this book had me utterly captivated.
A little about the book:
Rina Nelle Mont has always known of the paranormal world but she’s never been a part of it before, then her invitation to attend the Magical Creatures Academy (otherwise known as the Menagerie) arrives.
There’s just one small problem. Rina has none of the magical powers that she’s supposed to have.
As someone who has always been a bit hesitant in life and always felt a little separate from others, the odd one out, if you will, I found it easy to connect with Rina’s character.
Her strength, her wit and loveable nature kept me enthralled and wanting to read more and more.
In fact, the first thing I did after reading this book was buy the second book in the series and preorder the third book (out now!).
Lucia Ashta has quickly become one of my favourite authors and I can’t wait to read more of her work.
Highly Recommended.
This book is beyond anything that I could have imagined. The whole book I could not get enough of. I read this book in one day. This book is everything in Reading. The characters are great. The setting awesome. Storyline Beyond what I expected. I cannot wait for the next book to come out!
I’ve started reading Ashta’s books out of order based on the topics I found interesting, so it’s a little fuzzy on the timeline of how they all fit together, but that’s my own fault. I like how the world she’s created has spun off to many different stories including many characters. It’s easier to understand without having to explain the setting each time.
Ashta establishes mystery from the beginning and does a great job of building the story as more is revealed. Her main characters are very relatable and enjoyable. So far, the books are young adult with (in my opinion) mild violence and no sex. It seems to be geared more towards high school kids though, so it includes a fair amount of swearing. It does have a Harry Potter feel though with her own differences.
One critique I have is her timelines throughout the book. It just seemed a bit choppy. Maybe I’m used to reading seamless books with little time separation between scenes, but I felt like I was reading the daily lives of the students, then there’s adversity, then the headmaster mentions a break coming up. I thought it was more like a Spring Break but instead it was the end of the term. It doesn’t even mention test taking which would normally signify to the reader that the year is drawing to a close. It was just a bit of a shock since the ending crept up on me. The ending was abrupt which was off-putting, but not enough to deter me from the rest of the series.
In Magical Creatures Academy 1: Night Shifter, Lucia Ashta introduces us to newly-turned eighteen year old Rina. A girl who has been accepted into the prestigious Magical Creatures Academy, or Menagerie as it is called by the students, who still has no idea what her powers are. Rina, fearing that her acceptance has been one big mistake from a school that has never made a mistake, is determined to prove that she is supposed to be there. Luckily, she isn’t on her own. She has her new gal pals Wren and Jas along with her brother Ky and his entourage of Boone the werewolf and Leander the elfin prince.
Ashta provides the readers with superb world-building in this first installment, without being heavy handed and boring with it. This is something that readers should have come to expect from her writing. Her abilities make the impossibility of magic in the world a fact. She provides laugh out loud moments with her use of creatures that we are all familiar with along with delicious thrills of spine-tingling shivers when everyday creatures are made terrifying. (Come on, pygmy trolls! YES! I was laughing at that point.) The reader learns about the world right along with Rina as we see everything through her untrained, unsuspecting eyes providing lots of laugh out loud moments along the way for the reader and the people around Rina who are used to the shenanigans.
But not everything is as it seems at the Menagerie or in the supernatural world, as Rina finds out on her first day at the Academy. As is common, those who wish to rule the world fight against those who maintain order. The Voice, a group of shifters, vampires, and other supernatural creatures, seeks to rid themselves of the oversight of the Enforces and Rina and her brother are a prize that they want.
Book two, Lion Shifter, promises more action and entertainment as Rina and her group navigate the supernatural world and all of the dangers that it entails. I can’t wait to read it!
It’s like a fantastic cross between Harry Potter and X-Men… But with shifters! One of my all-time favorite books now.
I just binge read Night Shifter and Lion Shifter, the first two books of Lucia Ashta’s Magical Creatures Academy series. Not surprisingly (as this is one of my favorite authors), it was wonderfully superb. Rina Nelle Mont is a wonderful riot of a character, full of wild powers and totally fun to follow. Add in the perfect setting in the Academy with its shifters, vampires, and fae, and you’ve got the perfectly built playground for great story-making – which is more than delivered in these two books. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. These books definitely deserve it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that each book is most definitely “one to read”, and is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
A Fun, Cool New Academy Read!!
(Read using Kindle Unlimited)
A cool new book series.
Brother & sister, Ky & Rina, are now both going to attend the Magical Creatures Academy together. Ky is in his fourth year but this is Rina’s first! Her magic still hasn’t come in but the Academy’s magic wouldn’t have called her if she didn’t have any – would it??
She realises quickly she’s wholeheartedly unprepared for it. She’s hoped her entire life to attend, but for some reason hasn’t done a single bit of research of magic or its creatures to prepare herself!! She spends most of the time out of her mind in a freaked out mess of ‘what the heck have I gotten myself into?’ She becomes friends with Wren a tree shifter, Jas a full of attitude skunk shifter then Adalie a fairy & Dave a struggling bobcat shifter. Rina still hasn’t shown any sign of magic though. Her brother Ky, one of the last & most powerful mountain lion shifters in existence, has two bestfriends, Boone is a wolf shifter & is set to become the next Alpha of the North Western Pack, he’s a powerhouse. The second is Prince Leo of the Fae – He’s stunning & full of power that is unfathomable to Rina. There seems to be an attraction between them that she can’t understand!!
The supernatural world receives a threat from a group called the Voice. They don’t want to be policed anymore & are out to cause chaos for everyone, including humans!! Then there’s an attack ….
Although I enjoyed this read I found the lead up to the action really slow & then it was the end of the book I hope that changes as the series continues!! I’m hopeful the romance actually starts too. This was a bit too plodding on pace for me but there’s definitely hope!
Debbie, 1970, UK
I enjoyed reading Rina’s story. Rina doesn’t know what she is, mage, shifter or what but she does get to go to the magical academy and learns so much about the world she has been living in!
A great first book in a series of what’s to come! I feel like this was just the tip of the iceberg and that there is a much bigger story to tell about the characters and their pasts!
Night Shifter is Book 1 in the Magical Creatures Academy series. It is a companion to Magical Arts Academy. I love that Lancelot (from Magical Arts Academy) has been chosen to be dean of the Magical Creatures Academy. He is such a fantastic character and an owl. Lucia has again applied her rare ability with words to create an action filled storyline with characters that are gifted with wonderful attributes and keeps you reading wanting to know what comes next. It will be a pleasure to experience this series as so far we have some unusual creatures, a skunk and a tree shifter. I am excitedly looking forward to Book 2. Imagine what action and adventures are awaiting us. Received an ARC and this is my voluntary and honest review.
This was a really fun and amazing story from Lucia, I cannot wait to see what happens next.. looking forward to the next book. Lucía Ashta
What a great start to this series! A fast paced, magical urban fantasy read about the magical creatures academy which include all kinds of shifters including a skunk shifter!! Hooked from the start I found myself lost in this incredible world and cannot wait to read more!
ONE FABULOUS FIRST!!!
Oh man! Talk about starting out with a bang. All the angst, treachery and speculation along with all that drama, tension and intrigue go hand-in-hand. Twixt and twined and put through the wringer brings this piece of perfection bursting to life delightfully. Lucia really nailed this bad boy and kept me on a razors edge from start to finish. Twists and turns abound along with a few bumps and bruises make for one exceptional experience. One fantastic, smooth flowing, heart pounding, pulse racing wonder that brings this little gem together splendidly. The characters are so realistic with such depth and individualism you get drawn in so deep until everything else fades. You can picture each scenario as they play out with such colorful descriptions it really catapults this impressive storyline and turbulent plot to a whole new level. Outstanding job Lucia, thanks for sharing this amazing little jewel with us.
Amazing start of a new series!!!… Totally in love with this new series already!!! … Rina is a wonderful MC, love her sassy attitude and her desire to help anybody in need… And what about the hot trio her brother Ty, the wolf shifter Boone and the fae Prince Leo make?… Great world building and stroy line… This series promises a lot, can’t wait to know what will happen between Rina and Leo
Lucía’s world is so imaginative, and full of life and color.
You follow the main character, Rina, and learn about her. Or learn what you can in the course of the first school term. She’s fun =D And turns out to be a little feisty. I am thoroughly anticipating the next book! I NEED to see what happens! The story is that captivating.