Thursday, January 9, 2014

Book Review: Shadowlands by Kate Brian


Title: Shadowlands
Author: Kate Brian
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Pages: 328
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult, Thriller
Rating: 4/5

Rory Miller was never the type of girl you remembered. Sure, she was a genius, but compared to her popular, witty sister Darcy, Rory was insignificant. Everything changed, though, when she was attacked by a serial killer, the infamous Steven Nell. Rory survived and the serial killer escaped. Now there’s nothing Rory and her family can do but enter the witness protection program and move far, far away in hopes of evading Nell.

Starting in a new town isn’t easy, but eventually Rory and Darcy begin to like their new life at beautiful Juniper Landing. With a bunch of friends who have their back, the two girls are now used to their new life. But when one of their friends goes missing, is it just a coincidence or is Steven Nell back?

Rory was a great character to read about. She’s bookish, a bit nerdy and not the most famous girl around, which is refreshing because there are so many books where the hero/heroine is the most popular person around. She also isn’t too stuck up in her old ways of life; she’s ready to fit in and forget her past, which is an admirable quality.

I loved reading about Rory. Seeing how she was dealing with the incident with Steven Nell showed a side of this heroine that I immediately liked. But the best part about her, was that her emotions didn’t seem artificial. Having to read about emotions that don’t seem realistic makes the story seem boring, a problem I didn’t find in this book.

One thing that I honestly didn’t expect is how much I liked this book. And this isn’t because I had low expectations for it. It’s because this book had a great plot. Every single detail was placed specifically so that the suspense was drawn out. You could literally taste the mixture of emotions on the tip of your tongue as you read the problems Rory was facing.

I had only one problem with this book, and that would be the conclusion. The beginning and middle were perfect, and I was beginning to wonder how Kate Brian was going to close out the book. And then out of nowhere there’s this huge plot change. Now I’m fine with plot changes, but the reason that made this one different from the rest was that there was no explanation for what was occurring. Considering the fact that the plot change made the conclusion very confusing, it wasn’t a great way to end the book.

Overall though, this book easily became one of the better ones I’ve read recently. Filled with intricate plot twists, an intense mystery, and the looming horror of a serial killer approaching, Shadowlands is a great book to read.

Join Rory and her newfound friends on an adventure in the book Shadowlands by Kate Brian. If you aren’t a fan of blood and gore, this probably isn’t a book you want to read. I recommend this book to people ages 12+ and to lovers of mystery, thrillers. and young adult books. Don’t miss the second book of this series Hereafter. 

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