Nobody can know your secret.
Nobody can know your power.
But if nobody knows who you are to begin with...what's stopping you?

I whisper, "What's so special about me all of a sudden?"

Nick says, "The Turning."

Mary feels different, but can't explain why. The fainting, the strange cravings...and worse, the things she's noticed about her body.

Mary doesn't know where to turn. If she tells her parents or her sister, she'll risk losing everything. She has no other family, no way of knowing if what she's going through is normal. Everyone she's ever known and loved could reject her...

Cover Thoughts       
I absolutely love the cover! It really sets the tone for the story, mysterious & compelling.  I love the dramatic effect of the model and how we see her physically turning, plus she’s very similar to the description of Mary. Love the spots of light and color tone.  When I first saw this cover I instantly wanted to read the story. Excellent job!

Review

Move aside vampires, werewolves, faeries, angels’ est., the cats have come out to play in Helen Ellis’s new novel The Turning.  Set in modern day Manhattan on the Upper East Side we follow Mary, our protagonist, on her journey to fit in with her peers at the private school she and her sister goes to.  During her struggles with the day to day life something incredible begins to happen to her, she starts to turn into a cat. I’m instantly taken on a wild ride as Mary tries to figure out what’s going on with her body while hiding her changes from her friends and family. Which proves to be harder than she expected, having an inquisitive sister Octavia, who had me laughing throughout the story. I enjoyed getting to know Mary and seeing her world through her eyes, discovering and experiencing everything in the same moment as she does. I really appreciated the diversity of the characters Ellis created. Mostly all of the characters came from different backgrounds and ethnicities, having their own unique personalities, adding to the story and furthering the plot. 

All of the character elements were there from the snobby popular girl who hated Mary and her sister and friends, to Mary’s romantic interest Nick who had interesting secrets that added to the story besides his popularity and good looks. Ellis’s new take on the mythology of cat shape shifters was very unique, making what I once thought of as cute and cuddly into edgy and dangerous. I won’t look at a cat the same again! The writing was very clear and easy to read, Ellis did well writing the mind of a teenage girl. Not once did Mary’s voice or any of the characters voices sounded off to me.  There’s humor, intrigue, romance and danger all rolled up in a clever package. I recommend everyone read this book, it’s the first of the series and I can’t wait for the continuation of Mary’s journey.