Destiny calls. One shifter answers… Seventeen-year-old Lluava is a shapeshifter who struggles to control the powerful beast lurking beneath her skin. She longs for more than life on a farm and believes she is meant for something bigger, but as a woman, she will never have that opportunity. Her life suddenly changes as invaders approach the shores of her home. An army must be raised. Is this her chance? Will she prove to be the warrior she knows she is in her heart? Before Lluava can fight the enemy, she must confront the ruling humans who despise her people and treat them as inferiors. Even worse, she is forced to train with the human heir to the throne. To prove herself battle-ready, she must learn to work with the young prince. It is the only chance—for her and for both their races. Issaura's Claws Book Awards: 2018 New Apple Book Awards Solo Medalist Winner for E-Book Children's/Young Adult 2018 Fantasy/Paranormal Fiction by Epic eBook Awards 2018 Global eBook Awards for Young Adult Fiction 2018 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2nd place winner for Young Adult Fiction eBook Reviewed by Lilly's Book World ​ A great book, that opens up a story about gods and two populations: Humans and Theriomorphs, a book that builds up characters. And this is the strongest point that I can identify. ​ Lluava has the ability to shape shift into a white tigress. She is proud of her origins, in a world where being different means not being accepted. A war is about to start and she volunteers as a representative of her family. From here on, we get to experience what means becoming a soldier and taking part in a war. This is a strong story, which shows the glory, but also the horrible side of war - except the gods-related aspects, which I am not planning on touching. ​ The book is divided in two parts, first one being focused in Lluava's developments, second one following the war and how the team manages to work together. From writing perspective, the author has done a great job in pointing out all emotions for all characters. Most of all, depicting the war scenes. Even though I felt the action as being dragged as some point, later on I understood why I had this feeling. ​ I loved how the main character was presented - from start to end. She started apparently as a lonely person, constantly living with the idea of being different, all the while trying to fit in. She does however show us, even from the first pages, a strong character with a good sense of justice. But what actually impressed me was how the reader gets to experience her development: from a girl to a soldier, a leader. She will push herself far beyond her limits, only relying on her own strength. Lluava can become a model heroine. ​ Without any unnecessary comments, for me this was a lovely read, with a main character that is now among my favorites. It is a series that I will for sure follow. ★★★★★ Reviewed By Ankita Shukla for Readers' Favorite Issaura's Claws by Katharine E Wibell is an impressive fiction work that focuses on breaking the stereotype of women as a weak gender. Lluava is a headstrong seventeen-year-old girl. She is not a human, though. She is a theriomorph -- a special race that looked like a human but could convert into an animal form. Although the law of Elysia does not divide the humans and theriomorphs, the animosity between these two races is evident on a daily basis. In order to avoid any mistreatment and to fit in with the humans, many theriomorphs -- including Lluava's mother -- have adopted the humans' lifestyle. Lluava, however, does not succumb to these changes. Unfair or not, the lives of Lluava and others were moving at a steady pace before an order from the king turned their worlds upside down. In order to combat an army of raiders and to defend their land, each family of the kingdom -- theriomorph or human -- is required to send one member to the army. These people would be trained to stop the invasion of the raiders. Lluava's family consists of her mother, younger brother, younger sister, and a grandfather -- leaving only Lluava as a suitable choice to be sent to the army. Lluava, whose animal form is a fearsome tigress, hasn't even learned to properly change into her animal form, but now she must train to save the lives in her village. Issaura's Claws is a story of friendship, courage, loyalty, and gender neutrality. Lluava's struggle, at the time of her training, to accept the pre-decided fate of the girls to be in the healers' category is relatable. Instead of identifying individuals based on their strengths and weaknesses, a general rule was passed to put all girls in the position of healers. Our headstrong protagonist, however, stood her ground and claimed her place among the warriors. Her training days were filled with challenges, more than the others, because she stood her ground and proved her worth to her mentors. Needless to say, she is my favorite character. The characters of Issaura's Claws are dynamic an