Book Review: Empty Cradle: Shiloh in the Circle
Empty Cradle: Shiloh in the Circle by Emmy Jackson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Most of the books I’ve read that deal with shapeshifters present their shifters as uniformly confident, enigmatic, powerful, near-perfect creatures. And of course they’re more at home in their animal form than as a human, right? If you’re about to read Shiloh in the Circle, do yourself a favor and toss those preconceived shifter-notions out the window.
Meet Shiloh, the star of Gallamore’s Traveling Extravaganza. She hasn’t shifted since she was a kitten. She never learned the Felid language. She prefers her food to be cooked, her bed to be soft and sheet-clad, and the men she frequently brings to that bed to be quite human.
Meet Kissel. Everything that Shiloh is? He’s the opposite. But for reasons that will become clear (I love saying that phrase), where ever Shiloh goes, Kissel follows.
Hopefully you’ve already read book one in the Empty Cradle series, The Untimely Death of Corey Sanderson. If you have, you’ll be in familiar territory, but with the new experience of joining up with the circus as it travels around the country.
I’m not going to attempt a simplistic summing up of the plot, since that’s impossible. Emmy Jackson’s stories take twisty turning paths that are as complex as his characters. Just come along for the ride and let it all unfold.
I have to point out that I love Emmy’s attention to details. This story is an escape from my daily life *because* of those details. I can see, hear, feel, and smell what’s happening. Confrontations are real, urgent, and with consequences. Each character is well-defined. You’ll hate some of them and adore others, but you won’t forget any of them.
Now climb into a rig, we’re hitting the road. Five Hoops Up for this one. I’ll soon be reading the third book in this series!