A story for young and old alike, Recovered: The Shapeshifters’ Library Book 3 takes place in a fantasy world full of dog-shifters, libraries, and books. The characters’ names—such as Sybilla Dinzelbacher Romano, Ms. Robin Quail-Bore, and Digby Manchester Dinzelbacher—are humorous as are the actions of the ones bearing those names.
Shipsfeather Public Library has a children’s librarian, Bliss, who is far from normal. During the day, she reads fairy tales to the children of Shipsfeather, but at night or anytime she isn’t around the children, she has the ability to transform into a beautiful white greyhound.
Starbarks is the favorite place for dog-shifters to hang out, but Bliss longs for more. She wants to dig into her heritage. She longs to find out who her true parents are. She is determined to find the LOA, the Library of the Ancients, the dog-shifters’ long lost library.
Politics play a part in this world where dogs talk. Librarians along with book lovers battle werewolves who want nothing more than to take the books and libraries. Senator Romano’s new bill is supposed to solve unemployment and canine overpopulation. But politics in the dogs’ world can get just as deceptive and nasty as politics in the human world.
Bliss’s best buddy and companion is Harry, part sheepdog and part werewolf, but he is a good werewolf. He is also the one that Bliss needs to help her successfully transform from a greyhound back to a human.
Harry and Bliss are caught by dogcatchers who soon send the dog and the wolf to separate places. Kidnapped dogs/wolves are bred and sold for many purposes, one of which is dog fighting. Will they manage to escape or will they be killed before they can get away? Will they be found by the devious Sybilla and her cohort?
This story, full of mystery, suspense, and quite a bit of action, kept me entertained from the first page until the last. There is a surprise at the end that I didn’t expect, and it gave the book a great conclusion.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to read this very entertaining book, I have provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Recovered: The Shapeshifters’ Library Book 3
Recommended Article: Amber Polo Interview – Shapeshifters, Libraries, and Fantastic Character Names
dog howling at the moon, pixabay
Favorite Sentences:
She told him she compared her change with the gentle crackle and the excitement of opening a book, while he always cursed his triformed body where human, wolf, and dog fought for control.
Four Dachshunds piled in a corner like a balloon man’s abandoned creation.
Dogs descended from the greatest dogs in history lay in the dirt like castoffs from some gambler’s dice game.
Growing up surrounded by werewolves, he knew the world was no bowl of liver.
haboob, flickr
New Words Learned:
buckram – a stiff cotton fabric for interlinings, book bindings, etc.
burble – a bubbling or gentle flow
cartouche – a carved or cast ornamental tablet or panel in the form of a scroll, sometimes having an inscription
docent – a person who is a knowledgeable guide
haboob – a thick dust storm or sandstorm that blows in the deserts of North Africa and Arabia or on the plains of India
kiva – a large chamber, often wholly or partly underground, in a Pueblo Indian village, used for religious ceremonies and other purposes
latilla – a peeled branch or piece of wood laid between beams of a ceiling or above the vigas for decoration.
pashmina, flickr
pashmina – a fabric or garment made from pashm, especially a shawl, wrap, or scarf
ramada – an open shelter, often having a dome-shaped thatched roof, and installed especially on beaches and picnic grounds.
ristra – a string of dried chilies, garlic, or other foodstuffs.
roached up – arched convexly, as the back of certain breeds of dog
semtex – a plastic explosive that is easily tractable and almost odorless, used especially by terrorists.
viga – a rough-hewn beam, usually of fir, used to support the roof in adobe construction
About the Author:
Amber Polo’s lifelong love of libraries and dogs led to a fascination with lost ancient libraries and curiosity about why werewolves outnumbered dog-shifters in literature and inspired her urban fantasy series The Shapeshifters’ Library.
The mystical side of Sedona became the comic paranormal setting for Hearts in the Vortex. One day a plane flew past her office window and she turned her pen to her own airpark backyard and Heads in the Clouds was the result.
Author of award-winning fantasy and Arizona romances, Amber relaxes stressed writers and readers. Relaxing the Writer offers a catalog of suggestions and simple exercises while calming CDs help almost anyone relax and find restful sleep.
After living in seven states, she’s settled in a small Arizona town.
Find out about her and her books at amberpolo.com.
I’m so glad you enjoyed ‘Recovered’!