There is so much I love about Sharon Shinn's writing. Her prose is elegant and entrancing, and she lulls you into her world and her story with this remarkable ability to spin a literary web. I felt like a fly lured in, eager to see what would happen next. And therein lies the problem: because like that proverbial fly, once you're caught, nothing much happens. The plot moves at a glacier pace. This is mostly a character study of a woman desperately in love, a woman who still seems to be in the throes of new relationship energy (that maddening, desperate longing you feel when you first get a crush on someone) even though she's been with this man for fifteen years.

I had a hard time liking the characters, to be honest. The women were either doormats or shrill; victims or mere spectators in their own lives. And the men were ultra-aggressive and aloof, emotionally unavailable or physically abusive. For all of Shinn's skill, she managed to spin a story about utterly uninteresting people (some of which had some incredibly interesting abilities that were only explained at a very superficial level).

As far as paranormal romances go, this one had more potential than most. But it fell flat for me, and I was left wanting so much more. ( )

I open a Sharon Shinn book and just know that there will be rich storytelling and a feast for the imagination and maybe a lovely, furtive romance. And then there’s this book, which is, I guess, about obsessive love. And shapeshifters. And sadly, Twilight did a better job at a paranormal love story. Just skip this one – all of her other books are wonderful, so I’m sure the next one will be better. ( )

I think Sharon Shinn has spoiled me terribly with how fantastic (both meanings of the word apply!) her other works are, because I was a little disappointed with this book. Suffice it to say, though I found the concept of this book interesting, by the end I felt like I had been robbed of something. It took me a bit to figure out what was "stolen" from me, but I've finally figured it out: I couldn't connect to the main characters. The language of this book was still beautiful, as I've come to expect from Sharon Shinn, but unfortunately, I felt like this book was trying too hard to put a deeper level on paranormal romance, when I felt like it should have been focusing more on the fantasy aspects. Overall, a likeable read, but not one that I'll read over and over again. ( )

This had too much of a creepy femjep vibe for me. ( )

I'm a fan of Shinn's Samaria novels and her stand-alone "Summers at Castle Auburn" so I had high hopes for this new series.

Maria's boyfriend of fifteen years is a shape-shifter who spends multiple days each month in animal forms. Maria has spent most of her adult life balancing her normal everyday life, and the thrilling hours that she gets to spend with Dante each month. As the years have passed, Dante's time in human form becomes less and less frequent. And after a horrible incident in which the abusive husband of her coworker is killed by a wild animal, Maria starts to wonder -- what does Dante do when he is not human?

I felt really conflicted about the character of Maria. While I appreciate loyalty and devotion, I am very uncomfortable about her lying and covering up a relationship for the length of time that she does. Even though other relationships, including a physically abusive one, are presented in contrast to Maria and Dante's relationship, I still feel uneasy about it, and that greatly detracted from the story for me. ( )