Shapechanger's Birth – Laer Carroll

Mary McCarthy died in mid-nineteenth-century Ireland … but she got better. Much better, in fact. It suffices to say that she rose from her grave with perfect health and a variety of super powers. (She also reverted to a physical age of about thirteen, so she has time to grow into her abilities.) By the end of “Shapechanger’s Birth” she is rich, influential, and behind-the-scenes powerful. (If you are a woman in nineteenth-century Ireland, and your name isn’t Victoria, any power you wield is going to be behind the scenes. Mary would like that to change.)

Despite a fair amount of combat, the book is cozy. There isn’t much that can stop Mary, so most of her progress is sedate. Though there is a subplot that starts with her helping an injured prostitute, which leads to her protecting a small group of prostitutes, which eventually leads to her controlling most of the prostitution in the city of Cork.

The book was enjoyable. Its main strength is also its main weakness: Mary has so many special abilities that nothing is much of a challenge. And if something is more of a challenge than she expects, one of her special abilities is that death is optional.