Simon Thorn #2: Simon Thorn and the Viper's Pit by Aimee Carter

My name is Simon, and no one, not even my twin brother Nolan, the King Beast heir, knows that I'm able to transform into any animal. Other Animalgams believe my brother is the only person to have that ability, so he has great power over the different animal kingdoms. Which is why they'll have no problem killing him, and it's a reason why I keep my abilities secret. My mother is being held captive by Orion, the bird king, in Arizona, and I will not stop until I've rescued her. My uncle, Alpha of the mammals, is trying to bring me back to the L.A.I.R., and Orion is determined to have the birds capture me too. And my friends have reminded me that Orion is trying to assemble the five parts of the Predator, which he will use to kill my brother and take his powers. My friends have agreed to help me, but the chances for my stupid plan to be successful are slim. 

I didn't read the first book, and it probably would have helped to understand relationships and motivations. I wish I knew more about how Simon became an Animalgam and why he wasn't raised with his mom and twin brother. Simon's partners had different talents: Winter became a poisonous snake, Ariana a Black-widow spider, and Jam could change into a dolphin. It would seem that Jam's talents might be useless on land, but it turned out that a dolphin's keen sense of direction is handy when traveling cross country. The plot contained ample adventure, but I wish there had been more action. There were animal fights, but they felt more like skirmishes until the story's climax. I forgot to mention that Orion also happens to be Simon's grandfather, so it's unusual that he wants to capture and kill his grandsons. Overall, the book was entertaining, and I expect I'll probably go on and read Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den, the first book in the series.