Still Life with Shape-shifter

Starred review from August 6, 2012
Shinn returns to the alternate present-day setting of The Shape of Desire with a triumphant tale of love and loss. Melanie Landon has been protecting her half-sister, Ann, since they were children. When reporter Brody Westerbrook shows up at Melanie’s door asking whether Ann is a shape-shifter, Melanie is terrified of what might happen if Ann’s secret comes out. Carefree Ann can’t be bothered to worry about either the reporter or her deteriorating health, leaving Melanie with enough concerns for both of them. The everyday relationships—the love shared by siblings, friends, and romantic partners—shine with even more wonder than the magic. While Melanie and Brody’s romance is a touch unconvincing, Melanie’s relationship with Ann is utterly compelling, and the secondary story of a lonely young woman who pursues a cure for shape-shifting to save the man she loves becomes a delightful counterpoint to the primary story. This series is not to be missed. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.

September 15, 2012

Shinn's second entry in her "Shifting Circle" series (after The Shape of Desire) explores the strong bond between sisters. Melanie is fiercely protective of her much younger half sister Ann, who regularly turns into a white husky. All seems to be going well in their lives until investigative journalist Brody Westerbrook asks to interview Melanie for a book he is writing about shape-shifters. Melanie is driven to protect Ann and her secret at all costs, but Brody seems to know everything about them already. Soon, however, a more pressing concern becomes Ann's poor health, and what it will take to heal her. Shinn takes her subject matter seriously as she delves into universal issues of love, trust, and family. A couple of characters from The Shape of Desire play a small role in the story, but this series entry stands on its own. VERDICT A sure bet for most fantasy readers, but this novel should also appeal to those who prefer only a touch of the supernatural in their fiction.--Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2012
This gentle drama about two loving sisters, one of whom is a shape-shifter, is less about the extraordinary and more about the everyday. Melanie has always protected her younger half-sister, Ann, who can turn into a white husky, so when investigative reporter Brody Westerbrook comes calling with questions about shape-shifters for his new book, she ignores her attraction to him and sends him away. Keeping Ann's secret is too important to risk growing close to someone new. But Melanie can only put her life on hold for Ann for so long, and Brody proves too charming and tenacious to resist, especially when Ann, also newly in love, approves of the match. Always worried about her passionate, rambling sister, Melanie is troubled when Ann's health starts to decline rapidly, signaling an unforeseen problem with the natural lifespan of shape-shifters. Melanie and Ann's sisterly bond is the heart of this graceful story about love and loss, in which true magic lies in the sacrifices and compromises people make for love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)