Skulk by Rosie Best - Ashley's Pre-Reading

*I received this book as an ARC from Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Skulk
Author: Rosie Best
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: To some, Meg Banks’ life might look perfect – she lives in a huge house in West London, goes to a prestigious school, and has famous parents. Only Meg knows the truth: her tyrannical mother rules the house and her shallow friends can talk about nothing but boys and drinking. Meg’s only escape is her secret life as a graffiti artist.

While out tagging one night, Meg witnesses the dying moments of a fox… a fox that shapeshifts into a man. As he dies, he gives Meg a beautiful and mysterious gemstone. It isn't long before Meg realizes that she’s also inherited his power to shift and finds an incredible new freedom in fox form.

She is plunged into the shadowy underworld of London, the territory of the five warring groups of shapeshifters – the Skulk, the Rabble, the Conspiracy, the Horde, and the Cluster. Someone is after her gemstone, however, someone who can twist nature to his will. Meg must discover the secret of the stone and unite the shapeshifters before her dream of freedom turns into a nightmare.

Why?: I'm not a huge fan of the whole werewolf craze because I think it's way overdone, but seeing shapeshifters who turn into different animals feels like something completely different, creative, and awesome. I want to know what each of the five groups transform into (other than foxes), and I want to know about this gemstone that apparently has the power to destroy the world. I have so many questions and I can't wait to find the answers to them! Oh, and Meg is clearly an artist, so I can't wait to read about what she paints! 

Expectations: I've got pretty high expectations for this one. Shapeshifting has been done before, but I really hope that this book takes a new and exciting turn. Obviously I expect a lot of mystery and adventure, and I'm pretty sure there will be quite a bit of magic involved. Strange Chemistry has yet to disappoint me, so I'm really excited for this book.

Judging a book by its cover: I really like this cover. It reminds me more of a movie poster than a book cover, and it really catches my attention. The colors are very dark, but it works. If I saw this one laying around somewhere, I would totally pick it up. 


--Ashley