Rating: Summary: Delightful, magic filled page-turner Review: Aubrey, a young magician, has learned just about all he can from his current mentor and decides to become the apprentice of Glyrendon a feared but extremely talented shape changer. Little does he realize he is about to enter into a very strange world. Upon arriving at Glyrenden's home he is puzzled when he discovers the wizard is out of town for an unspecified amount of time and is further surprised when he encounters the weird, unpersonable inhabitants of the home. Aubrey, a good natured fellow, decides to make the best of his situation and spends his time getting to know Glyrenden's odd wife Lilith. Lilith becomes a mystery, almost an obsession to Aubrey. Determined to break through to her and find the cause of her sorrow he uses his shape changing knowledge and risks everything he is to help her. Although I figured out Lilith's secret long before Aubrey did this did not lesson my enjoyment of the tale. The Shapechanger's Wife is a delightful, fairytale-like, page turner filled with magic and the wonders of nature. It also has an enchanting ending open to the readers own interpretation.
Rating: Summary: It's not high-fantasy and I like it! Review: Although I love good fantasy, I personally am very tired of the genre. It's fixated on long stories and complicated worlds that typically span trilogies or more. The enemy is always evil and extremely powerful.
Sharon Shinn has restored my faith that fantasy can do more than regurgitate the same old story over and over.
"The Shape-Changer's Wife" is simple, personal and to the point. The protagonist, Aubrey is really struggling with himself, not the antagonist. Aubrey's real victory and true character is revealed after the antagonist is gone.
Sharon Shinn's prose at times is wonderful and seductive.
There are times when Aubrey is a little on the slow side, but it's not too anoying. And there were times when he seemed to forget thahe was in a world where magic existed and he himself could do miraculous things. But these things are easy to over look in a story as great as this one.
Rating: Summary: Really more like 4 1/2 stars.... Review: Fans of the pure, simple magic of the fairy tale will be delighted by Shinn's novel. The story is well-paced, lyrically told, and beautiful. From the first chapter, I was spiritually taken back to the first time I read Robin McKinley's "Beauty" as a freshman in high-school. The book truly swept me away, as a book has not in quite some time--not simply by interesting characters and a good story, but by the sheer magic of Shinn's words. Not to be missed...
Rating: Summary: A good recommendation for young adults, too Review: I agree with most of the other reviews. It's a good story, and it's different, and it stays with you. It reminded me a little bit of two young adult titles: "Silver Kiss" and "Howl's Moving Castle." Not in style, but in feel. I know that's not terribly precise, but there it is. Some romance, some magic, some mystery, and a just ending.
Rating: Summary: A good recommendation for young adults, too Review: I agree with most of the other reviews. It's a good story, and it's different, and it stays with you. It reminded me a little bit of two young adult titles: "Silver Kiss" and "Howl's Moving Castle." Not in style, but in feel. I know that's not terribly precise, but there it is. Some romance, some magic, some mystery, and a just ending.
Rating: Summary: This book is why I didn't like "Harry Potter" Review: I didn't know it, but this is the kind of book that spoiled "Harry Potter" for me. (Which I recognize to many will sound like damning with faint praise and to others like blasphemy.) I read the first "Harry Potter" book this time last year and didn't like it much. It didn't seem to me to be about magic, but about a school and its students. It seemed rather pedestrian to me. I already love fantasy and science fiction, so "Harry Potter" hardly seemed like a revelation. This is book by Shinn about a magician's training and coming of age and how that tranforms him is so much better, more mature and yet simpler than "Harry Potter." I don't recommend this book to the fourth-grade lovers of HP, but the adults and 15 year olds will love it. Yes, *this* is what good fantasy can be.
Rating: Summary: too predictable Review: I found The Shape-Changer's Wife very predictable. The only thing I liked was Aubrey's growth as a person.
Rating: Summary: Amazing book Review: I have read many fantasy books in my time and this is a very well done book. The transformation of characters in this book is wonderful. This short story has stuck with me for a long time, and I often remeber parts of this book (and I find that I do not do so with others). The ending, however, as realistic as it is, and true to the story is it should be is not how I would have wanted it. The ending does not have the romantic twist that I would have wanted, but is very appropiate to the book. This is the first book I have read by Sharron Shinn, is wish to read more by her in the future.
Rating: Summary: Sharon Shinn remains overshadowed. Review: I was really disappointed by this book. I thought the main character had little more moral value than the antagonist -- lusting. I found it very predictable. However, I do like the cover art
Rating: Summary: Great Book - It Grows On You! Review: I've almost always enjoyed Ms. Shinns books. The reason that I ordered this book is because I have the same name as the "wizard-in-training" who is the main character of the book. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't impressed with the book the first time that I read it. However, when I read it again at a later time (which I often do with my books) I dicovered the story was much better than what I originally thought - I actually liked the book. Later, after reading it a third time - I became kinda captivated with Ms. Shinn's story (go figure!) So, ultimately - I do recommend this book. However, if you don't get into the story during the first reading - give it another read at a later time - I feel you'll like this story better each time that you read it.
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