Shadowlands by Kate Brian

Series: Shadowlands (bk. 1)

Genera: Paranormal/Mystery

Subjects: Murder, thriller, supernatural, horror, serial killers, islands

Age/Grade Level:

Length: 328 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Hyperion

Summary/ product description: “Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.
Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?”

My Rating: êêêê

My Review: This book was crazy and awesome and confusing. It had a cliffhanger-ish ending that has me dying to find out what’s going to happen in the next book. I don’t know if I loved this book. There were times when I had no clue what was going on and how it was going to play out. Confession: after reading the reviews, I had to peak at the last page. I read the last line. It wasn’t the biggest spoiler ever. Reading that last line made me want to read this book more. At first the book summary makes it seem like a contemporary/realistic horror story. I prefer paranormal, but murder mysteries are intense too. I read Ten by Gretchen McNeil, and that was good, realistic horror, so either way, YA needs more horror stories and murder mysteries.

The book is narrated in 1^st person past tense from Rory’s point of view. Rory’s a science geek who want to be a doctor someday. Her older sister, Darcy, is much more sociable and popular. Rory is the target of a serial killer and escapes. The FBI shows up at her house and after a week of not finder Steven Nell, Rory and her family are put into the witness protection program. They end up on an island called Juniper Landing. Some bad things happen or don’t happen along the way. You’ll just have to guess what’s real. But in the end, so many pieces don’t seem to fit. You have to overlook them. Maybe they’ll be explained in book 2.

On the island they meet some teens. Tristan, Krista, Olive, Joaquin and a few more. They seem very secretive. They have a few parties. Tristan is a very complicated guy, and Joaquin is a bit of a bossy, charismatic, jerk, but Darcy seems to like it. Also, Rory seems to think that Steven Nell is on the island and she keeps hearing things and find clues. It seems like every other chapter something like that happens. That’s way too often, but her PTSD is making her paranoid. Of course, since we also get to see the killer perspective in 3^rd person, we know that he is there.

The island itself is an interesting setting. It’s described as beautiful, quaint and too perfect. There’s no cell service or internet or even contact with the outside world. And seclusion like that just screams creepy, or what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-this-place? There’s also some scary fog. Also, there are no islands off the coast of South Carolina that can’t be driven to by car over a bridge. No place to take a long ferry ride. I checked on Google Earth. This book is definitely not set in South Carolina, trust me. It felt more like that island I visited in Ohio called South Bass Island, in Lake Eerie (pretty much the only island I’ve been to by ferry, and I’ve never been to the ocean!). I recommend reading this in summertime, because of the setting. Can I just have book 2’s summary now? I really want to know more about this island.

Cover Art Review: Ever since I saw this cover, I’ve wanted to read this book. Now that I see the cover in real life, it’s better looking than on screen. The angel of the girl looking up is a very unique pose and perspective. She looks like how Darcy is described. Brunette. I like the birds. The title is metallic bronze. The cover is velvety texture. I love the color scheme. The mint green/blue color of the clouds. The back cover has another girl on it, one who looks like Rory. And trees. The inside cover is whitish with dark specks. The title is on the spine in bronze.

 

~Haley G