One of the things I want to do on this blog is recommend some amazing books to fantasy/SF aficionados like myself--books that maybe flew under the radar--in the hopes of getting more people to discover these wonderful novels, and maybe generate some discussion about them. :) First up: Sharon Shinn. 

Even among fantasy readers, Sharon Shinn is sort of an obscure writer; people who have read her usually remember her Archangel science-fantasy series. I love most of her books, but my favorite by far is her first novel, The Shape-changer's Wife. Here's the summary from her website:

"Aubrey is a young magician who wants to learn the dangerous skills of transmogrification, so he comes to study with the renowned wizard Glyrenden. But the mysterious Glyrenden runs a household that is even stranger than he is, filled with mute and misshapen servants. One member of the household fascinates Aubrey more than all the others: the wizard’s wife, who might not be what she seems."

Neither as dark nor as kinky as it first appears, and more than a little predictable, it is nevertheless the eeriest of Sharon Shinn's works and the most lyrical. It gives me a haunted, Last Unicorn sort of feeling. I highly urge any fan of romantic fantasy to read this one.

I mean, look at that gorgeous cover:

You can find more detailed reviews of this book here on Amazon:

And here is Sharon Shinn's website. Like I said, any of her books are a good place to start, but start reading her you must.