The Wanderers

(Hardback)

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Description

Age range 12 to 17

A Unique Twist on Shape-Shifters with Fast-Paced Action, Thrilling Adventure, Mystery, and a Bit of Romance
Flo lives an eccentric lifeshe travels with a popular circus in which the main acts star orphaned children with secret shape-shifting abilities. Once Flo turns sixteen, she must perform, but she's not ready. While practicing jumping a flaming hurdle in a clearing beside the circus, she spots a dark figure in the trees and fears he saw her shift. The news sends the circus into a panic.
In Flo's world, shifters are unknown to humans with the exception of a secret organizationthe EOS, referred to as "hunters." Hunters capture and kill. They send some shifters to labs for observation and testingtesting they don't often surviveand deem others useless, a danger to society, and eliminate them. To avoid discovery, shifters travel in packs, constantly moving and keeping themselves hidden. Up until now, the circus was the perfect disguise.
Believing she has brought attention to the group, Flo feels dread and anxiety, causing her to make a mistake during her performance in front of the audiencea mistake that triggers a violent attack from the hunters.
Flo manages to flee the torched circus grounds with Jett, the bear shifter who loves her; the annoying elephant triplets; and a bratty tiger named Pru. Together they begin a new journey, alone in a world they don't understand and don't know how to navigate. On the run, they unravel secrets and lies that surround the circus and their livessecrets and lies that all point to the unthinkable: Have they been betrayed by the people they trusted most

Reviews

"Flo and her friends are but poor, lost circus performerswho shape-shift into animals and try to evade governmental capture. Newly turned 16, orphaned shifter Flo is dreading her first circus performance. Alas for her, it's not optional; all of the shifter children who live with the circus must perform regularly as soon as they reach that age. Flo must take a turn like all the others, so after a false start, she takes the stagenot as a girl but as a magnificent mare. Like her boyfriend, Jett the bear, or her nemesis, Pru the tiger, Flo becomes an animal at will. In a modern world of cars and DVD players, the circus shifters live almost medievally, bound under the unkind leadership of the elders, three middle-aged lion shifters. Flo knows that if she leaves, she'll be vulnerable to hunters, government-funded paramilitary forces that are the modern legacy of sworn enemies who have been murdering shifters since time immemorial. So she tolerates the cruelty of her peers, learns to jump through a flaming hoop, and almost has hope for the future when disaster strikes. In a spare first-person, present-tense narration, Flo takes readers through a swoony romance with a massive body count. Despite the potential whimsy of a circus adventure narrated by a shape-shifting mare, this more closely resembles a brutal, angst-drenched dystopia la Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011) than anything else. (Fantasy. 13-15)" Kirkus Reviews

The preternatural circus of shifters, budding young romance, and action-packed struggle against evil will appeal to readers of paranormal fiction. School Library Journal

The world of shape-shifting characters has just gotten wider with the addition of this novel . . . Fans of supernatural series like Shiver will enjoy this book, with its similar themes and strong love story. VOYA Magazine

"Filled with excitement and whimsy, The Wanderers is an adventure story about shape-shifters, first love, and the endless search for a true home." Suzanne Young, New York Timesbestselling author of The Program

"The Wanderers is a dark, rich, and original story. I love the concept of humans with inherent shape-shifting abilities, and the circus setting is incredibly vividI could smell the musty, musky ring, feel the bright lights burning my skin. Kate has created an intricate and danger filled world that's both cruel and beautiful." Melinda Salisbury, author of The Sin Eaters Daughter

"An utterly captivating big-top world filled with shape-shifters and dark secrets. I devoured this book! It was unlike anything Ive ever read." Amy Christine Parker, author of Gated and Astray

"A fresh tale about shape-shifters that is sure to delight and astound." Danielle L. Jensen, author of Stolen Songbird
"Flo and her friends are but poor, lost circus performerswho shape-shift into animals and try to evade governmental capture. Newly turned 16, orphaned shifter Flo is dreading her first circus performance. Alas for her, it's not optional; all of the shifter children who live with the circus must perform regularly as soon as they reach that age. Flo must take a turn like all the others, so after a false start, she takes the stagenot as a girl but as a magnificent mare. Like her boyfriend, Jett the bear, or her nemesis, Pru the tiger, Flo becomes an animal at will. In a modern world of cars and DVD players, the circus shifters live almost medievally, bound under the unkind leadership of the elders, three middle-aged lion shifters. Flo knows that if she leaves, she'll be vulnerable to hunters, government-funded paramilitary forces that are the modern legacy of sworn enemies who have been murdering shifters since time immemorial. So she tolerates the cruelty of her peers, learns to jump through a flaming hoop, and almost has hope for the future when disaster strikes. In a spare first-person, present-tense narration, Flo takes readers through a swoony romance with a massive body count. Despite the potential whimsy of a circus adventure narrated by a shape-shifting mare, this more closely resembles a brutal, angst-drenched dystopia la Veronica Roth's Divergent (2011) than anything else. (Fantasy. 13-15)" Kirkus Reviews

The preternatural circus of shifters, budding young romance, and action-packed struggle against evil will appeal to readers of paranormal fiction. School Library Journal

The world of shape-shifting characters has just gotten wider with the addition of this novel . . . Fans of supernatural series like Shiver will enjoy this book, with its similar themes and strong love story. VOYA Magazine

"Filled with excitement and whimsy, The Wanderers is an adventure story about shape-shifters, first love, and the endless search for a true home." Suzanne Young, New York Timesbestselling author of The Program

"The Wanderers is a dark, rich, and original story. I love the concept of humans with inherent shape-shifting abilities, and the circus setting is incredibly vividI could smell the musty, musky ring, feel the bright lights burning my skin. Kate has created an intricate and danger filled world that's both cruel and beautiful." Melinda Salisbury, author of The Sin Eaters Daughter

"An utterly captivating big-top world filled with shape-shifters and dark secrets. I devoured this book! It was unlike anything Ive ever read." Amy Christine Parker, author of Gated and Astray

"A fresh tale about shape-shifters that is sure to delight and astound." Danielle L. Jensen, author of Stolen Songbird

Author Bio

Kate Ormand is the author of Dark Days. She graduated from university with a degree in fine art painting. There, she discovered her love of reading YA books, prompting her to try a new creative angle and experiment with writing. Kate also writes childrens picture books under the name Kate Louise. She lives in Cheshire, England, with her family, her partner, and a cocker spaniel named Freddie.