Young Adult Paranormal
Date Published: 9/23/2013
Sixteen year old Jenna Barton isn’t a happy camper. She’s had to move to a new town in the middle
of her junior year. It doesn’t help that
her new neighbor, Chase Williams, is particularly unwelcoming. Unfortunately, for Jenna these are the least
of her problems. She’s become the
obsession of a murderous ghost. Sarah
Jones was just four years old when she disappeared and Chase was the only
witness. No one believed the ramblings
of a scared little boy — especially when he said a shadow took
Sarah. Now, all he wants is for Jenna to
move. He knows what resides in her
backyard —
but how can he tell her? She wouldn’t
believe him anyway. When Silas (the
shadow) decides that Jenna will be his next victim, Sarah (don’t call her a
ghost!) realizes she has to stop him.
It will take their combined efforts to save Jenna.
My Rating: 4
My Review:
Wow. What an
incredible beginning to a series. Of Dreams and Shadows is sort of like
the Costco of Young Adult fiction - it's everything that you're looking
for in one place. Paranormal? Check. Historical? Check. Romance? Check.
Realistic? Check. Completely awesome? Check, check, check.
Of Dreams and Shadows is beautiful, suspenseful and a wild ride for a readers. At the beginning, it seems like the average YA novel, although still highly addicting. However, soon enough, it jumps to extraordinary levels.
It's nice to read a novel that uses the third person point of view so incredibly well. Sometimes, in third person, I worry that a bit of the reader's connection to the character will be lost. The exact opposite of that happened in this case. I connected with even more of the characters. I absolutely loved the jumps in history to more clearly explain the back story. The change in tone and character for small segments added to the plot, instead of taking away from it. And those parts were written gorgeously, so I'd hard,y complain even if they did.
A+ for characters. Jenna doesn't always do the perfect thing, but she is easy to relate to and root for. Chase is just beautiful. All-around, he's great. I even found myself loving Silas toward the end. Yeah, okay, maybe he's a complete nut - but the guy definitely had layers. Oh, don't give me that look. Who can resist feeling empathy for the bad guy - especially a beautiful one?
I highly recommend Of Dreams and Shadows. It is a really great story that readers will devour faster than an evil spirit. (Just saying.) The ending blew me away, and I cannot wait to read more.
Of Dreams and Shadows is beautiful, suspenseful and a wild ride for a readers. At the beginning, it seems like the average YA novel, although still highly addicting. However, soon enough, it jumps to extraordinary levels.
It's nice to read a novel that uses the third person point of view so incredibly well. Sometimes, in third person, I worry that a bit of the reader's connection to the character will be lost. The exact opposite of that happened in this case. I connected with even more of the characters. I absolutely loved the jumps in history to more clearly explain the back story. The change in tone and character for small segments added to the plot, instead of taking away from it. And those parts were written gorgeously, so I'd hard,y complain even if they did.
A+ for characters. Jenna doesn't always do the perfect thing, but she is easy to relate to and root for. Chase is just beautiful. All-around, he's great. I even found myself loving Silas toward the end. Yeah, okay, maybe he's a complete nut - but the guy definitely had layers. Oh, don't give me that look. Who can resist feeling empathy for the bad guy - especially a beautiful one?
I highly recommend Of Dreams and Shadows. It is a really great story that readers will devour faster than an evil spirit. (Just saying.) The ending blew me away, and I cannot wait to read more.
You have made my morning! I am thrilled that you enjoyed Of Dreams and Shadow. (A+ for characters - my heart is singing!) Silas was one of my favorite characters. It was just fun, in a weird sort of way, to write about such a broken individual. With him, I could do anything! Nothing was off limits! And Chase - I just loved that guy. I have to get back to work but thank you for participating in the tour! (DS McKnight)
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