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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Hauntingly Beautiful Story, November 15, 2002
The two things I love best about Sharon Shinn's books are her character development and her unique plots. And this book is no exception. A young magician-in-training, Aubrey, journeys to a remote manor to apprentice himself to the greatest shape changer ever, on the recommendation of his last teacher. Aubrey finds his new home strange and things about the other inhabitants downright alarming. His new teacher seems to taunt him with knowledge instead of imparting it and is often gone on mysterious missions that he refuses to speak of. The servants seem to hate their master, but refuse to leave him. Those who live in the nearby village are terrified of, not only the shape changer, but his entire household as well. And as for Lilith, the shape changers wife, she seems to feel nothing at all. Aubrey finds himself strangely bound to each one, but especially Lilith. As Aubrey begins to learn more than his teacher ever meant for him to, he also begins unraveling a startling mystery that will change the destinies of himself and all that surround him. The plot was intriguing, romantic, and often surprising. Fantasy fans won't want to miss it.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful, magic filled page-turner, December 19, 2002
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful Tale, June 16, 2005
The young magician Aubrey has learned almost all he can from his mentor Cyril, so he is sent to apprentice with the powerful shape-changer Glynrenden. He is warned to be wary of the wizard, and soon notices that the situation is far from normal at Glynrenden's home in the woods. Most strange of all is the mage's disturbing and bewitching wife, Lilith, who watches everything impassively with her luminous green eyes. Aubrey learns lessons of love and hate, right and wrong, on top of the art of shape-changing during his time as Glynrenden's apprentice. A deftly woven tale, reminiscent of the fairy tales I loved as a child, full of nature and morals. Of course, the reader figures out the truth about Lilith long before Aubrey, but this did nothing to detract from my enjoyment of the story. I am in love with Sharon Shinn's writing, but this book is not for you if you like a story with more action and whiz-bang.
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