Bloodtide

was recommended by my wife and It was one of the best book I have read so far ^_^

This teen novel is set at some uncertain dystopian point of time in the city of London, England. Two young teens (14) Siggy and Signy are twin brother and sister, the youngest in the ruling family of Val Volson. King Val is marrying Signy off to Conor, the leader of another fiefdom, hoping the union will bring peace to the area and unite them against the halfmen.
Both of these fiefdoms are in the old city of London and surrounding them is a land inhabited by halfmen, creatures of mixed human/animal blood. The halfmen are men in varying degrees, some of them able to pass as men in most circumstances. The mixed blood creatures are men mixed with a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, and pigs. The ring of land around London that they inhabit serves as a buffer between the fiefdoms and the controlled city of Ragnor (which we don't learn much about here). The action is set in the two fiefdoms and shows the fight for control between the Volsons, Conor, and the halfmen. There is intrigue, betrayal, magic, and science here. The plot seems to be guided by the old gods: Odin and Loki among others.
The character I cared about most was not Siggy (who seemed weak and unfocused) nor Signy (who seemed self-centered and manipulative) but Cherry, the shapeshifter who played a pivotal role in the plot. This is the interesting beginning to a series of books that continues with Bloodsong.