Bloodwitch by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

The book is a 2014 release and the first episode in a new trilogy. Vance lives in a greenhouse amid among a bunch of vampires. He is a shapeshifter and has the ability to change into a quetzal, a type of bird. He does different chores for the vampires, and he's told many times that he's not a slave and is free to leave. So why does he feel like a slave? Vance is told that he's a bloodwitch and possesses great power that the vampires want to control. He's always felt comfortable living with the vampires, but another shapeshifter makes him start to question things. He sees a friend commit suicide, he's punished by the vampire ruler for making a mistake, and he sees more dying from an illness. Vance doesn't truly understand his own power, and he's not sure if he should trust the vampire empire or the shapeshifters who hate him for being a traitor.

The plot took a little while to develop. I kept trying to figure out the main conflict in the story and where the events were leading. Vance had conflicts with the vampires and shapeshifters, but he was free to leave at any time. I couldn't see where the plot was headed. The idea of Vance's importance to the vampires was creative. My experience has been that vampire characters care more about themselves and don't need others. Vance has a great internal conflict as he tries to understand his place in the world.