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For more than a decade, Ivy Oliver has lived in a dark, crumbling orphanage where she was sent after her parents’ death. Her only hope for a life of simplicity and happiness is the trial, a test that frees her second form from where it’s been buried since her birth.

That hope is dashed, however, when she transforms into a creature that rips her away from the only friends she’s ever had and ensures that her enemies are numerous. She is dragged unwillingly to a school that will discipline her in the ways of survival and defense. There, she makes both friend and foe. She discovers things she never knew about her past and her future. This tiny, insignificant girl is faced with a crushing destiny that might be too staggering for her to bear. She will have to abandon her shy, quiet demeanor and take on a fearless spirit if she wants to survive.

402 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2014

78 people are currently reading
909 people want to read

About the author

J.B. North

4 books53 followers
J.B. North grew up in West Texas, where she spent much of her time scouring bookshelves in her aunt’s school library. Her first book, Spark (Legends of the Shifters, Book 1) hit digital shelves (and soon after, Amazon Bestseller lists) when she was 17 years old.

Today, North is braving city life in California's Bay Area with her husband, and is working on a number of upcoming fantasy novels.

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5 stars
218 (30%)
4 stars
221 (30%)
3 stars
165 (23%)
2 stars
82 (11%)
1 star
27 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for Coyora Dokusho.
1,432 reviews146 followers
September 21, 2014
This... was pretty bad. But one star is outright hatred so TWO STARS. No depth, illogical character building, PLOT HOLES THAT SPAN THE GALAXY, and writing like: This is an apple. Apples are delicious. The End.

Some cool ideas though.

Also, NO TYPOS, good job.
Profile Image for C. Leon.
Author 1 book7 followers
June 6, 2014
I want to start out by saying how disappointed I was when I realized there was no more pages left in this book, although when I first began reading I was interested but a little put off by the first two…three chapters. The story didn’t hold my attention and demand I read until the sun come up until Ivy went to the conservatory and began coming into her own while training with Roland.
And I understand Ivy’s naiveté, as she was an orphan and raised in an orphanage from a very young age, which she displays throughout the book and she’s young…but not so young that some of this should have worn off.
I did enjoy the book and I would like to read the next book in this series, this author was able to come up with an entirely fresh new world with a new concept and bring it to life.
I would have liked a little bit of a better ending, not that it was bad but I was sad…and not to give a way anything but I was hoping for a blossoming romance. Any way I look forward to reading (One Clicking) anything with her name on it in the future.

Profile Image for David Rose.
Author 7 books53 followers
September 6, 2016
Easy reading young adult fantasy

Vividly imagined shapeshifter fantasy written in an easy reading style, and with a story which after the first couple of chapters grows more intriguing with the turn of each new page. The story is left hanging and feels a little less rounded than I would expect from a complete book, even the first of a series. Ivy's character is very well drawn and the main actors generally as well, but a few of them seem stereotyped. Nevertheless, I found the story so engaging that the end came too soon and I was left like a baby bird, beak agape, "More, more!" I look forward to the next instalments.
Profile Image for Karen.
1 review2 followers
May 8, 2014
J.B. North's writing style effortlessly transports the reader into the story--one sees, feels, smells, tastes, hears, and experiences the story as if one were actually there! "Spark" pulled me in from the first few sentences, and within a few chapters became a true "page-turner" that I couldn't put down. As I realized the end of the book was coming, I was torn--part of me wanted to stay up all night to read it, and part of me wanted to savor it slowly, allowing myself to only read a little bit at a time to stretch out the experience! When the book came to a close, I actually groaned, knowing I now have to wait for the next in the series!
Profile Image for Kyliecallme.
83 reviews8 followers
December 3, 2014
Couldn't do it. Read to the 45% mark & had to stop. Began to guess, just by the grammar, that the author was... Young... And most likely not professionally edited. Unfortunately, I'm someone who gets extremely annoyed by grammatical errors & spelling mistakes. Too many & I stop enjoying the story. Even when it's as (semi) interesting as this one was. Ah, well....
Profile Image for Laura.
245 reviews5 followers
November 1, 2014
Quiero devolver un poco de lo que recibo, así que hace poco empecé a comprar libros en oferta para Kindle (y cuando digo oferta me refiero a US$0,99). Y es de esperar que lo que esté en oferta no sea la crème de la crème, sino aquellos libros no tan conocidos y muchos selfpublished. Spark fue la primera de estas adquisiciones que me compró principalmente por la tapa.
Creo que muchos puntos de la historia no están mal y con un poco más de trabajo podría haber resultado en una novela mucho más interesante. Me gustó la idea de un mundo donde todos tenemos una segunda forma que se manifiesta en la adolescencia y que marca de alguna forma lo que va a ser de nuestra vida. Pero entre la enorme cantidad de errores de tipeo (hay uno en la primera hoja u.u), las inconsistencias de la mayoría de los personajes adultos y muchos momentos ridículos la lectura va empeorando cada vez más y para el final ya quería que terminara para sacármelo de encima y empezar algo nuevo.
El intento de romance estuvo muy mal llevado y no me movió ni un pelo y el final me dejó sin palabras! No quiero spoilear pero la inclusión de la religión católica estuvo de más y no pegó con nada.
Después leí que la autora empezó este libro a los 15 años y ahí muchas cosas tuvieron sentido, y explica lo infantil de las actitudes de la mayoría de los personajes.
Profile Image for AnandaTashie.
272 reviews12 followers
October 22, 2014
Well, this is awkward. I started out enjoying this book well enough and simply ignored minor annoyances. Then at just past the half way point, I started getting bored. THEN, at page 334, 84%, I just... stopped. I mean, so close to the ending and I simply didn't feel / care enough to discover what happens. :( I like the possibilities of the world - individuals who shift into mythological forms, train, and get government positions - but, aside from language / editing issues, I didn't ever get to know the characters in a deep way, feel the relationships forming. Also, while I don't think main characters need to be role models in every way for all girls everywhere, this one seemed especially dedicated to toeing traditional roles.
Profile Image for Bekah.
28 reviews1 follower
May 26, 2014
Amazing

the character growth from the beginning of the book to the end was amazing. there was a lot of stuff in the book that wasn't really explained so whenever something kind of just popped up, it just had to be taken in stride. the story was really interesting, and the book great.
Profile Image for Ana.
93 reviews
Want to read
June 16, 2014
J.B. North appears to have stuck gold here.
Spark sounds like a brilliant story with a main character to inspire me!
I love that the author is a teen like me, and only a year older to!
I want to support her as an upincoming author. From now on i'll try to read all her books!
Profile Image for Cassandra Boyson.
Author 8 books114 followers
January 20, 2015
I really loved this book not only because of its unique and interesting plot line, but because it was clean and had purpose. It was also a little impossible to put down! I most definitely recommend this and am looking forward to the next one!
Profile Image for Robin.
64 reviews3 followers
July 30, 2014
Would like book 2 now ;} !
Profile Image for Eccentric.
127 reviews2 followers
November 20, 2016
Liked the idea behind it but the writing wasn't exactly good. The book needs a decent editor.
Profile Image for Rachel Noel.
201 reviews12 followers
July 29, 2017
I was kinda worried this book would be another Red Queen and I'd end up not finishing it. I was so happy to be proven wrong! This book genuinely surprised me in good ways. The world was rather easy to get into and, while there is exposition, it's told from Ivy's perspective so we only know what she knows. This really helps the world building feel better paced. A lot of times a single line of dialogue would help explain a lot.

Ivy was easy to root for and not just because she's the main character. Going into the test she has no aspirations of greatness. She's not completely happy with the system, but she's smart enough to know when to keep her mouth shut.
"The poor can't help but hate the system, and if we tried anything, the noblemen would have us arrested and probably flogged within an inch of our lives."
She is strong and determined, if a bit naive at times. She is easily manipulated by others, but in her defense, she hasn't had a lot of experience with the world outside of her orphanage. She makes up for it by learning fast. Really fast.

This is a very interesting world with interesting characters. There is a lot of political drama brewing, but I'll have to read more about that in the second book of the series. If you enjoy fantasy YA with smart characters and plenty of action sequences, I do recommend this book. There is a lot of fighting but, thankfully, no love triangle, no single teenager leading a rebellion to take down the government, or anything like that. It's simply a story of a young, smart, strong girl being put into extraordinary circumstances, and trying to survive. Just with a lot of magic and fighting.
Profile Image for Tonileg.
2,243 reviews25 followers
April 16, 2018
Fantasy YA story about an orphan coming of age in a world where everyone is a shape shifter when they turn 17 years old and then is categorized in a caste system of jobs by your animal, but there are always exceptions and rare fantasy creatures like sea creatures, dragons, griffins and the rarest of the rare, the phoenix.
Ivy Oliver has a tough life living in the poor orphanage far away from the capital island, when she becomes the first phoenix in hundreds of years that changes her adult life into one of battle preparation, quests and uncovering the destiny of the rarest of creatures that she has become.
CLIFF hanger!! I had no idea that this would end with nothing remotely like a HEA. Everything is in the air and we still don't know anything about the prophecy or if Ivy's brother Kurt is going to survive. At the end of the next book, we still don't know it Kurt is alive although he goes some magic cameos.
Fun wild ride of a story in a neatly created shifter world. BUT this is cliffhanger heavy and I know lots of readers hate that sort of thing, so be forewarned!
400 pages and kindle freebie
3 stars
3 reviews
July 22, 2017
Vague descriptions and plot issues.

There were too many things and people who were described in broad strokes such as, she was an average girl. At one point a girl said to the main character that she was the only girl at the school. This was odd as 90% of the people introduced in the school was female.
Profile Image for Abigail Ford.
Author 6 books48 followers
June 17, 2018
Excellent, exciting, and interesting

Spark was a wonderful departure from your usual fantasy novel. Exciting, with interesting concepts and characters. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the other books in this series. There were some sentences that were repetitive, but it didn't bother me much and honestly it didn't happen that often. I recommend this book.
Profile Image for Rebekah Edwards.
37 reviews
November 26, 2017
This book is a little rough but I definitely feels like an adventure as you read it. This is the first book in a trilogy and the first book flows really well into the 2nd book. Your also never really sure where the story is going.
Profile Image for Natalie.
40 reviews10 followers
December 21, 2018
OMG! AMAZING BOOK!

This was a GREAT book and the rest are just as good. I recommend this book to anyone daring enough to read it.
620 reviews18 followers
January 18, 2020
Awesome

Awesome read with the coming of age, identifying one's other self as treachery abounds with deception as twists and turns are throughout.
Profile Image for Karla.
486 reviews5 followers
Read
February 28, 2017
Story kept me intrigued and I kept reading because I was interested to know what was going to happen to Ivy especially considering that she was someone from a prophecy. I was indifferent towards the whole story but I did like Kurt/Kuris although I couldn't see the connection between Ivy and Roland.
Profile Image for Kelesea.
954 reviews16 followers
September 21, 2014
Title: Spark

Author: J.B. North

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Legends of the Shifters, book one

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The bottom line: A magical adventure highly recommended to those who love strong heroines, I really enjoyed Spark, despite the vague world-building.

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Ivy Oliver has spent more than a decade in the orphanage after her parents perished. Her only hope is for a trial, where her second birth has will be revealed, awakened for the first time since her birth. She transforms into a rate, beautiful creature that rips her away from the only home and friends she has ever known. Moving on to a school full of both friends and foes, she discovers the key to her past and her future, if she can only free her spirit..

What I enjoyed:

-I loved the high fantasy theme that permeated this novel--it really hit the spot

-The pacing of this novel was breakneck--I couldn't put it down

-I really liked reading about the world that Ivy and the other characters inhabit, but it was a bit vague--I would've enjoyed more explanation into the whole world's past

-Ivy, the timid, quiet young woman who is forced to undergo a quest and accept her destiny, who changes into a true hero--I look forward to the next book in the series, I really liked her character development

-The twists and turns throughout the novel, especially concerning Ivy

-Roland, whose sunny disposition seems to be hiding something dark

-Kurt, the young scarred man forced to work at the school

-Natalia

-Roselle

-Sophia

-Burton

-Matilda

-The mysterious headmaster of the school Ivy goes to, who is clearly hiding something

-Niko

-I liked the ending as well--I can't wait for the sequel!


What could've been better:

-The world-building was vague--I could detect a fantasy vibe, but there was no explanation for how the world formed, or the government of any kind in the book

-Roland's constant antics kind of gave me whiplash

-At times it felt very Harry Potter-esque in flavor sometimes, but very vaguely

Overall, Spark was an enjoyable read--it was a good start to a great series! Next on deck: Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch!
62 reviews
November 21, 2014
SO many questions went unanswered in this book. I am assuming this was to keep our interest. It only served to irritate. Yes, there has to be questions for the readers in the book to drive the plot, along with keeping the reader's interest alive; but that was not done here. That drove me crazy. I'll just say that I was disappointed in this book. It had SUCH potential! However, instead of coming across shy and quiet, Ivy came across as stuck in one rut that no matter what was thrown at her, nothing could get her out of it.
Profile Image for Mati.
Author 1 book28 followers
August 26, 2014
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Magic, shape-shifting, a little romance and adventure: Spark had all of these elements and then-some, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. While I was a little bummed by the ending (in a good way. You know where you want to take away one of the author's stars because they're a jerk, but you liked it enough you let them keep it?) this book had a great pace and like-able characters.

One of the things I most liked about this book was the relationships weren't all romantic. I like seeing family love, and friendship, rather than just full on romance. I enjoyed seeing Ivy grow as a character, and while she was pegged as having a powerful second form, it didn't feel too overdone. It wasn't like all of a sudden she was unbeatable and untouchable; she developed as time went on and worked her way into that position.

There wasn't a huge cliffhanger at the end of this book, but there was enough plot left to keep me wanting more. Most of the characters were dynamic and likable, although maybe Roland could have been fleshed out a bit more. When I got to the last page, I was disappointed it was over, which is always a mark of a good book to me. And what can I say? I'm a sucker for stories with shape-shifters. Especially when we get to have some magic involved.

The ending still sucked. I'm still debating keeping that last star out of spite. Maybe I will forgive the author whenever I read book 2.
Profile Image for Taylor.
91 reviews
April 16, 2015
*No Spoilers* I think the cover is beautiful. I love the storyline of this book. The idea of having a 2nd form is original for this genre and watching Ivy train was fun and exciting.
The reason why I gave this book only 3 Stars is because a little after halfway through the book the story and characters seemed redundant. The love interest is so slight it's nonexistent. Ivy never admits that she is in love or describes her feelings. I am also not a fan of the guy. He is described as handsome and seems to care yet there are a couple instances where he is also described as unobservant, and is cocky or forceful.

I read to 63% then skimmed through until 88% when I told myself I need to just let the book die and find a more captivating book to read.

Long story short- there is a ton of potential for this book. If the grammatical mistakes were fixed and some rewriting done I would thoroughly enjoy it.
Profile Image for em_panada.
76 reviews2 followers
April 27, 2015
GAAAHHHH!!!! SO MANY FEELINGS!!!!!

(*composes self*)

Okay, so I liked the Spark. Okay, okay, really liked the Spark. It's not my absolute all-time favorite, but it still was a really good book. Needless to say I have a few problems:

1.) I felt like sometimes the book was lacking, sort of like there was a chunk that was supposed to be there, but wasn't...

2.) The improper use of irony.... twice. I swear it's my new pet peeve now because any time someone uses it improperly I want to pull out my hair.

3.) One word. ROLAND.
Profile Image for Barb McKinley.
268 reviews8 followers
September 29, 2015
GREAT YOUNG ADULT NOVEL!

Since so many Authors have started adding a lot of erotica to their books, it is sometimes a great thing to look for a young adult book to get away from poor plots consisting of nothing more than sexual encounters leaving nothing for the reader to imagine.

This book has it all. Mystery, adventure, magic, romance, suspense all in a good versus evil basic plot. I am definitely going on to book 2. The characters are well developed and easy to love or hate. There are plot twists that keep you guessing.

There are quests that young people like and they work for us (ahem) older folks too. This keeps me guessing! I thought I had figured something out but now am not so sure.....what? Guess you will have to read "Spark" to see if you figure it out before the answers show up in book 2. Bye for now.
Profile Image for Fire.
433 reviews2 followers
May 4, 2015
Spark is the beginning of an epic adventure. As the first book of the Legends of the Shifters you get to see the training of the young men and women with with special gifts, the ability to change their form into various creatures, each with their own special talents. Upon nearing the end of their training, two are selected by one of their teachers to go on a special quest. Exciting things happen along the journey and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

North is a promising young author and I am looking forward to what she offers in the future.
Profile Image for Second Chance Inc.®.
2 reviews
August 12, 2014
Very Very good book...First thoughts were YES!!!!!!!! THIS IS HOW YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO WRITE
Over all its a very wonderfully told tale by a great Writer..
J.B. North did a great job of not only developing the character but bringing to life a visualization of the story...

And Lastly but mostly importantly...This is a great read for Christians who just want to read a Great but clean fun and inspiring novel..

Great Job J.B., this is a new kind of Shapeshifters and I'm loving it..
Profile Image for Justine.
61 reviews4 followers
August 15, 2014
When I got to chapter 5, I started to think that if the main character committed suicide, I would totally understand. There is nothing good in her life. She doesn't even get to eat. At all. She is freezing all the time. She lives in poverty in a shitty country. Huge cliche: having the main character attend some sort of "magic" school or training and having to deal with other students and teachers that are bullies. (Harry Potter, the Valdemar series, and so many more.)
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