The Turning Season

June 29, 2015
Shinn's realistic third Shifting Circle romantic fantasy (after Still Life with Shapeshifter) is set in the present day but takes place far from the gritty urban settings familiar to paranormal fans. Young Karadel Baylor, a shapeshifter who lives on a small farm and sometimes takes the form of a marmalade cat or a powerful wolf, provides amateur veterinary care to needy or injured animals as well as an invaluable haven for fellow shapeshifters. She also experiments with drugs that she hopes will help shifters control their shifts into animal form. Karadel wants more than anything to remain human, especially after she meets compassionate trucker Joe McGinty, who makes her feel safe and comes to accept her unusual predicament. When Karadel's former lover Ryan commits a vicious murder, Karadel must confront a serious ethical dilemma. Her reflections as various animals generally appear convincing, but her conversations with those she trusts most are couched in crude language and often sound simplistic. The components of Shinn's fundamental message nevertheless emerge clearly: loyalty to friends, healing human-animal relationships, and simple kindness have the power to move mountains.

Starred review from November 15, 2014

The life that Karadel has built for herself is carefully constructed around her being a shifter. She lives in a rural area, running a veterinary practice that also caters to the small and secretive shifter community, and relies on her friends when her shifts come upon her unexpectedly. Karadel is content, if not happy, but two things shake her quiet routine: her best friend and fellow shifter Celeste has attracted the attention of a stalker, and Karadel has met a human man with whom she would like to share her life. VERDICT Shinn's latest is part of a loose series about shapeshifters and their loved ones (The Shape of Desire; Still Life with Shape Shifter) and focuses on the human side of the problem: making connections, dealing with loss, fear of change. However, the author's shifters and the many variations of cycles and creatures are fascinating and add dimension to these always exciting urban fantasies that are calmer than typical titles in this genre.

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