When her grandmother dies, it is a shock for Miri to find herself dumped into a boarding school. Bullied and alone, she accidentally discovers that she can shapeshift into a black cat with the aid of the magical pendant she was given by her grandmother shortly before her death. While coming to terms with it she is found by P.A.W.S., a group who help those who have a magical talent. Running away with them to train with them instead of staying behind, she finds others with the same abilities. But hot on her heels is her mother who abandoned her and a powerful werewolf who seeks to own Miri’s amulet for his own plans.

P.A.W.S. is a fairly standard paranormal teen story. The plot is straightforward, and doesn’t throw up too many surprises, although the main antagonist is devious and nasty, which helps to drive the a fair part of the story through his actions. The characters are an interesting mix of magical beasts which helps to give a feeling of a much larger world, although it does leave the slight problem of trying to work out what all the different types are. However, they come across consistently in their actions and the main characters are well explored, although the lack of adults around should not be that surprising.

There are not many issues with the story but they do not help. The very late introduction of one important character who should probably have been introduced much earlier. The fact that everyone seems to have a connection to each other and most annoyingly that the ending was fairly abrupt in its conclusion and not as satisfying as it could have been. I can only hope that the follow up books make it worth the while.

This one will certainly satisfy fans of the genre but may not have enough for everyone else.