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Shadowlands #1
Shadowlands
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 program. Entering the program alongside her, is her father and sister Darcy. The trio starts a new life and a new beginning leaving their friends and family behind without 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. 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?
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. 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?
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 8, 2013
About the author
Kate Brian
48 books2,293 followersKate Brian is the author of the SHADOWLANDS TRILOGY (SHADOWLANDS, HEREAFTER & ENDLESS), as well as the New York Times bestselling PRIVATE and PRIVILEGE series, and the wildly popular MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS. She also writes teen fiction under the name Kieran Scott.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 884 reviews
April 3, 2019
so. apparently, when you are being stalked by a relentless serial killer, and have to become part of the witness protection program, this is the procedure: first your house is surrounded by a million cop cars for a little over a week, just to call a whole lot of attention to you and your family, trapping you inside while detectives and fbi people mill all over the place waiting for the killer to strike again so they can hopefully stop him before your blood gets all over the carpet. and when somehow he manages to sneak in and leave a note on your pillow despite all the police presence, the best way to ensure your safety is to hand you a folder with your new identities, walk you out through all the flashing lights and send you off on your merry way in an suv with a gps telling you where you are going to be living now. no police escort, just a "buh-bye, target family!" wave while the millions of law enforcement peeps hang out at your old house and drink all your coffee and wonder if you are any good at following directions and if maybe a less COMPLETELY VULNERABLE exit would make more sense when, you know, there is a serial killer who has killed fourteen girls in ten states over the last decade, who is too clever to be caught, trying to make you lucky number fifteen.
oh, and these are wicked comforting parting words:
"He's never failed to finish a job before. Only one other victim escaped from him, and two weeks later he broke into her house and killed her entire family."
drive safely, now!
worst witness protection plan ever.
and that's basically this book. it is a fun read, but the minute you stop to think about it, you are going to run into problems. the characters do not behave the way people would logically behave in the aftermath of attempted murder. which is fine, it's a book; i don't require strict vérité from my YA fiction,and the last-page veil-lift could, if you are feeling generous, account for the disconnects in common sense.
so don't stop to think. do not, under any circumstances spend one moment thinking about how the serial killer's POV works when we are given what we are given. do not try to figure out the final scooby-doo layering of clues where a leads to b and adventure takes us to c where action will occur. convenience is as convenience does, and this is just the first part of something, although i am scratching my head with wondering why there needs to be more, when this seems pretty self-contained.
do not try to understand the motivation of a character who, within the span of a couple of pages, will have two conversations:
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes," I said, pitching my voice low like his. "I really want to know."
"No," he said with a frustrated shake of his head. "No. You need to think about it for a second, Rory. Look at me. Look at me and tell me. Do you really want to know?"
and then, two pages later, with an altogether different character,
"Rory, if you want to know anything...if you have any questions at all...you come see me, okay?" He leaned back to look me in the eye, and for the first time the superior glint was gone. He was all sincerity. My heart thumped in surprise. "Anything at all," he said. "Got it?"
and then... crickets. because although she has spent the past 265 pages trying to figure out what the deal is with her new home and why everyone seems so fascinated with her with the staring and the following her and all but ignoring her usually much more popular hottie older sister and where people keep disappearing to and what is going on with the fog and the half-heard conversations and the meaningful glances, suddenly, what, she decides she doesn't much care to know after all? whatever, just go with the flow. it's like how on the teevee dramas, there will be a dramatic scene between two characters that abruptly cuts to a different scene, and you are all, "but what happens next? how do these two characters walk away from each other after having said/done that?? shouldn't there be another scene here that shows that transition?" but no, because that is not dramatic. drama is the purposeless drawing out of a mystery that a couple hundred pages ago could have been solved with like two pointed questions.
but that wouldn't be any fun, would it?
my advice?
read this in one sitting.
enjoy it.
give your critical faculties a rest.
come to my blog!
oh, and these are wicked comforting parting words:
"He's never failed to finish a job before. Only one other victim escaped from him, and two weeks later he broke into her house and killed her entire family."
drive safely, now!
worst witness protection plan ever.
and that's basically this book. it is a fun read, but the minute you stop to think about it, you are going to run into problems. the characters do not behave the way people would logically behave in the aftermath of attempted murder. which is fine, it's a book; i don't require strict vérité from my YA fiction,and the last-page veil-lift could, if you are feeling generous, account for the disconnects in common sense.
so don't stop to think. do not, under any circumstances spend one moment thinking about how the serial killer's POV works when we are given what we are given. do not try to figure out the final scooby-doo layering of clues where a leads to b and adventure takes us to c where action will occur. convenience is as convenience does, and this is just the first part of something, although i am scratching my head with wondering why there needs to be more, when this seems pretty self-contained.
do not try to understand the motivation of a character who, within the span of a couple of pages, will have two conversations:
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes," I said, pitching my voice low like his. "I really want to know."
"No," he said with a frustrated shake of his head. "No. You need to think about it for a second, Rory. Look at me. Look at me and tell me. Do you really want to know?"
and then, two pages later, with an altogether different character,
"Rory, if you want to know anything...if you have any questions at all...you come see me, okay?" He leaned back to look me in the eye, and for the first time the superior glint was gone. He was all sincerity. My heart thumped in surprise. "Anything at all," he said. "Got it?"
and then... crickets. because although she has spent the past 265 pages trying to figure out what the deal is with her new home and why everyone seems so fascinated with her with the staring and the following her and all but ignoring her usually much more popular hottie older sister and where people keep disappearing to and what is going on with the fog and the half-heard conversations and the meaningful glances, suddenly, what, she decides she doesn't much care to know after all? whatever, just go with the flow. it's like how on the teevee dramas, there will be a dramatic scene between two characters that abruptly cuts to a different scene, and you are all, "but what happens next? how do these two characters walk away from each other after having said/done that?? shouldn't there be another scene here that shows that transition?" but no, because that is not dramatic. drama is the purposeless drawing out of a mystery that a couple hundred pages ago could have been solved with like two pointed questions.
but that wouldn't be any fun, would it?
my advice?
read this in one sitting.
enjoy it.
give your critical faculties a rest.
come to my blog!
September 9, 2014
2.5 stars Great opening chapter, but a plot that quickly devolves into a cable movie of the week thriller with flat characters and an uninspired storyline that primarily involves various uninteresting but "hot" boys. Most of the scenes that were well done felt as though they were lifted from action/suspense films, including two of the biggest twists--one that comes early in the story, and the other at the very end. You aren't given time to process/question that last one, either, since the book ends literally right after the reveal. (I realized after finishing that there is a #1 after the title--must everything be a series now, really?)
If you're paying attention, though, you probably guessed what the big secret was anyway. There are pretty obvious hints throughout, as well as a big spoiler . The same idea written with a bit more flair, finesse, and feeling would have been much more interesting.
Am guessing this may appeal to readers who liked Gretchen McNeil's Ten, or other YA thrillers that are more focused on action and thrills than pesky things like character/plot development.
If you're paying attention, though, you probably guessed what the big secret was anyway. There are pretty obvious hints throughout, as well as a big spoiler . The same idea written with a bit more flair, finesse, and feeling would have been much more interesting.
Am guessing this may appeal to readers who liked Gretchen McNeil's Ten, or other YA thrillers that are more focused on action and thrills than pesky things like character/plot development.
April 8, 2023
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SHADOWLANDS is one of those books that has me seriously questioning my taste in fiction, because even though everything about it was pretty poorly done, from the "paranormal" element to the characters to the way law enforcement handled criminal activities, I enjoyed every moment of it, terrible twist and all (seriously, Khanh puts it best in her review, when she says that the author M. Night Shyamalan'd the heck out of the story).
SHADOWLANDS is about two sisters, Rory and Darcy. Rory was almost the victim of one of her high school teachers, Mr. Nell, who turns out to be a wanted serial killer. Their lives are disrupted when the most incompetent task force of the FBI arrives on the scene, swarm outside their house, somehow manage to let the serial killer inside the house, and then pack off the family to a safe house in the middle of nowhere, leaving one of their squad cars unlocked for the serial killer to follow the family in pursuit.
Who does that? Who leaves an unlocked cop car out when a serial killer on the loose? Since he was able to just swipe it, I can only imagine that the keys were left in the ignition, too...
Why not just hand Mr. Serial Killer a map to their new house, while you're at it...
Anyway the family arrives at a place called Juniper Landing. There's several weird things about Juniper Landing: 1. everything has a swan logo on it, 2. the people who live there are super creepy and stare at Rory wherever she goes, and 3. all the kids have leather bracelets, like they're in some kind of super creepy, super secret club/cult. Also, they all want to be biffles with Rory.
*cut to a group of leather wristband-wearing kids holding a boombox playing "Why Can't We Be Friends?" outside Rory's window*
Rory suffers from PTSD/anxiety from her close call with the serial killer and bonding and making new biffles is the last thing on her mind, but Darcy resents Rory for dragging her away from her active social life and immediately sets about trying to hook up with the local hotties.
The weird thing (re: the cliche thing) is, the kids have zero interest in Darcy - they all seem to like Rory, instead. You can imagine how Darcy feels about that. Add that to the fact that Rory technically stole Darcy's last boyfriend out from under her, and yeah, there's a whole lot of tension.
SO. MUCH. TENS.
By the way, just in case you didn't understand that Darcy is supposed to be a b*tch, nearly all of her dialogue is followed by a "glare" or "she spoke through gritted teeth." That is, when she's not launching herself at boys, "standing on her toes" to see where the boys are at, or begging to go to parties to be with boys (because as we all know, parties are the spawn of Satan and only demon girls wish to attend them).
For a while, it feels like typical teen drama, but then Rory starts finding clues that suggest Mr. Nell might have followed them to the island, and some of the people on the island start disappearing. Pretty soon, Rory starts to think that Mr. Nell might actually be the least of her problems, because there might possibly be something wrong with the island - and its inhabitants - itself.
Like I said, this was a really weird and not very well done book. Incompetent law enforcement aside (seriously, why are the police and the FBI always so clueless in YA?), SHADOWLANDS tries to be a bit of everything - paranormal, teen drama, thriller, murder mystery - and falls short because it fails to cover all the bases. The author does drop a few clues, and I was able to more or less guess what the twist was about 100 pages before the big reveal, but it does feel a bit cheap. I can understand why some readers felt like their suspension of disbelief had been betrayed.
Also, I don't really feel like making this book into a trilogy was really necessary. With a little work, it could have been compressed into a single volume, and that might have worked better than what the author chose to do, which was build the plot up for 300 pages and then drop the twist bombshell on the last sentence of the last page and sequel baiting as brutally as those teenage fanfic writers.
I still liked it, though.
2.5 stars
December 29, 2012
I was already a fan of Kate Brian, but I never expected to love this book THIS much. Her Private series is a guilty pleasure of mine. It may not be the next great American novel, but it's a fun "mean-girls" type series with short installments that are filled with scandals, drama, and murder. When I went into Shadowlands, I expected something along the same lines but with a more thriller feel to it. What I got, was a complete mind-shattering plot that made me guess until the end (you have to understand how rare this is!), and left my adrenaline on high for hours afterwards. Seriously, what an intense ride!
“He’s never failed to finish a job before. Only one other victim escaped from him, and two weeks later he broke into her house and killed her entire family.”
We meet Rory in the most shocking of ways when she's struggling against a murderer in the middle of the woods. Escaping means being put under witness protection after learning his notorious ways of getting away--without fail--for over a decade. As far as YA thrillers go, this is definitely one of the most intense I have yet to read. We're taken on a tension-filled hide and seek game against a serial killer, one where not only do we fear every second knowing we haven't seen the last of him, but the regular glances at his perspective shows us exactly how close he is to getting what he wants. This makes things especially terrifying. Not that bizarre fog and unexplained happenings in a creepy little isolated town aren't enough.
This town they are sent to is an island of sorts, a vacation town where everything seems perfect, at least at first. Rory soon notices things are amiss, however, when she keeps spying one of the local guys constantly lurking around her. Then, people start disappearing. It's a murder mystery inside a brilliantly befuddling mind game where I, personally, had NO idea what was happening. Some readers mentioned they had guessed the ending, but as someone who almost always predicts what's going to happen, I was excited to have been blissfully ignorant until about 5 pages from the end. The answer we got had not even crossed my mind. That alone made me love this book. The ending itself: Excellent! It may not be a plot that authors haven't attempted before, but none enraptured me as much as Brian did with Shadowlands.
Seeing as it's the beginning of the series leaves me wondering what Brian is planning for book 2. I imagine we'll go deeper into the revelation, and get answers to lingering questions; all I know is that this chick *points at self* will not miss it!
--
Note that quote in this review was quoted from an uncorrected proof.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
“He’s never failed to finish a job before. Only one other victim escaped from him, and two weeks later he broke into her house and killed her entire family.”
We meet Rory in the most shocking of ways when she's struggling against a murderer in the middle of the woods. Escaping means being put under witness protection after learning his notorious ways of getting away--without fail--for over a decade. As far as YA thrillers go, this is definitely one of the most intense I have yet to read. We're taken on a tension-filled hide and seek game against a serial killer, one where not only do we fear every second knowing we haven't seen the last of him, but the regular glances at his perspective shows us exactly how close he is to getting what he wants. This makes things especially terrifying. Not that bizarre fog and unexplained happenings in a creepy little isolated town aren't enough.
This town they are sent to is an island of sorts, a vacation town where everything seems perfect, at least at first. Rory soon notices things are amiss, however, when she keeps spying one of the local guys constantly lurking around her. Then, people start disappearing. It's a murder mystery inside a brilliantly befuddling mind game where I, personally, had NO idea what was happening. Some readers mentioned they had guessed the ending, but as someone who almost always predicts what's going to happen, I was excited to have been blissfully ignorant until about 5 pages from the end. The answer we got had not even crossed my mind. That alone made me love this book. The ending itself: Excellent! It may not be a plot that authors haven't attempted before, but none enraptured me as much as Brian did with Shadowlands.
Seeing as it's the beginning of the series leaves me wondering what Brian is planning for book 2. I imagine we'll go deeper into the revelation, and get answers to lingering questions; all I know is that this chick *points at self* will not miss it!
--
Note that quote in this review was quoted from an uncorrected proof.
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads
June 28, 2013
Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy Shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy Shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy Shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy Shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy Shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy Shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.
THAT ENDING! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?????????????
This felt like some good ol' 90s YA horror. It had the suspense, the mary-jane (which is like the mary-sue except mary-jane has balls and some brain.) and it had the same formula, girl gets attacked and has to move to a new town where the killer is lurking now. The only thing that made this different was this weird mystery going on in the town and the ending. I did not for one fucking second see that coming and it will blow your mind but at the same time make you wonder why there's a sequel coming out. I don't think a sequel is needed at all. This is a perfect standalone but I'll probably read Hereafter just to see what the hell is going on. Also this was pretty creepy and I haven't read something like that in a bit.
Would I recommend this? YES.
Is this the best book ever? NO. But it is worth the read. Plus it's pretty fast paced.
Just to give you an example of the feels that I was experiencing while reading this book, below are some gifs that will help portray it all. :)
Me during the first 100 pages:
Me during the 250 page mark:
Me during the 350 page mark:
Me during the last 2 pages:
Me after closing the book:
THAT ENDING! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?????????????
This felt like some good ol' 90s YA horror. It had the suspense, the mary-jane (which is like the mary-sue except mary-jane has balls and some brain.) and it had the same formula, girl gets attacked and has to move to a new town where the killer is lurking now. The only thing that made this different was this weird mystery going on in the town and the ending. I did not for one fucking second see that coming and it will blow your mind but at the same time make you wonder why there's a sequel coming out. I don't think a sequel is needed at all. This is a perfect standalone but I'll probably read Hereafter just to see what the hell is going on. Also this was pretty creepy and I haven't read something like that in a bit.
Would I recommend this? YES.
Is this the best book ever? NO. But it is worth the read. Plus it's pretty fast paced.
Just to give you an example of the feels that I was experiencing while reading this book, below are some gifs that will help portray it all. :)
Me during the first 100 pages:
Me during the 250 page mark:
Me during the 350 page mark:
Me during the last 2 pages:
Me after closing the book:
May 26, 2013
I don't recall being so pissed off at a book than I have after finishing this one. I apologize in advance for any profanity.
I don't mean the type of anger that comes with a character's actions or as a reaction to an author killing off a beloved character (Or in some cases, half the cast. Did you really have to kill so many? I'm looking at you, J.K. Rowling). I'm talking about a complete and absolute cop out. A plot with so many holes in it, filled with unexplained areas of suspense that kept me hanging on despite all the dislike of the characters, my skepticism for the mystery, all the little bits and pieces in the plot that just kept getting stranger and stranger...just so I can FINISH the damn book and get some answers.
And what did I get?
M. Night fucking Shyamalan is what I got. I am so pissed off at the conclusion that I'm barely coherent right now.
But let's get to the beginning. Yet again, I am suckered into this book with two magical words: Witness Protection. Once again, I am disappointed, but this is by far the worst portrayal of the Witness Protection program I've ever read. Whereas the other books were somewhat realistic with the secrecy and the identity changing, this feels like the author just threw the word around as an thinly veiled excuse to plop down the endangered family into a cool seaside town.
Younger daughter Rory is the potential target for a super-intelligent serial killer who wants to make her h is 15th target. Agent Messenger, the Worst FBI Agent Ever, decides to put them under Witness Protection.
Since they're in sooooooooooooo much danger, let's see, we'll have to make sure that they:
1. Keep their names. Just change the last names, yeah.
2. Get a flashy, cool black SUV that attracts attention from everyone they see.
3. Drive themselves to their new destination.
4. Hide out in an awesome seaside resort
The girls, Rory and Darcy, don't seem to be doing the best job at staying under the radar. Despite the super serial killer coming after them, they still manage to meet sooooooooo many hot guys and gals, go to beach and house parties every single damn night, go windbreaking by day, etc. Oh, yeah, and Rory randomly has flashes of the terrifying serial killer coming after them. Still, they party. Every. Night. There's more about relationships and partying and having fun then there is suspense.
Out of all the characters, I found Darcy, as annoying and grating and flighty as she is, to be the best character. Our main character, Rory, is just dull. Darcy, at least, has some backbone and an explanation as to why she is so prickly towards her sister. I ended up feeling considerably more sympathetic towards her than Rory, who is supposed to be the one in danger.
Further on in the book, people disappear, and her own family can't recall ever having met them or seen them. She makes a half-hearted attempt at getting answers, and then she goes out and parties some more. For someone who's supposedly so plain, bookish, and a absolutely doormat, (unlike her social butterfly of a sister) Rory sure is inexplicably popular in her new destination. There are so many strange things going on meanwhile, though, and we start to question Rory's voice as a narrator. I start to question her sanity and her reliability, so despite the faults of the plot, I just wanted to hang on til the bitter end so I could get an explanation.
I DIDN'T.
I'm still so very angry at this. The ending wasn't an ending. There was no tying together of plot lines, no covering of plot holes, no reasonable explanation of what was going on. And the very last page...my god. I said it once and I will say it again.
It was a cop out. I was fleeced. Cheated. M. Night Shyamalan-ed. Please, please, please do not waste your time with this train wreck of a mess.
I don't mean the type of anger that comes with a character's actions or as a reaction to an author killing off a beloved character (Or in some cases, half the cast. Did you really have to kill so many? I'm looking at you, J.K. Rowling). I'm talking about a complete and absolute cop out. A plot with so many holes in it, filled with unexplained areas of suspense that kept me hanging on despite all the dislike of the characters, my skepticism for the mystery, all the little bits and pieces in the plot that just kept getting stranger and stranger...just so I can FINISH the damn book and get some answers.
And what did I get?
M. Night fucking Shyamalan is what I got. I am so pissed off at the conclusion that I'm barely coherent right now.
But let's get to the beginning. Yet again, I am suckered into this book with two magical words: Witness Protection. Once again, I am disappointed, but this is by far the worst portrayal of the Witness Protection program I've ever read. Whereas the other books were somewhat realistic with the secrecy and the identity changing, this feels like the author just threw the word around as an thinly veiled excuse to plop down the endangered family into a cool seaside town.
Younger daughter Rory is the potential target for a super-intelligent serial killer who wants to make her h is 15th target. Agent Messenger, the Worst FBI Agent Ever, decides to put them under Witness Protection.
Since they're in sooooooooooooo much danger, let's see, we'll have to make sure that they:
1. Keep their names. Just change the last names, yeah.
2. Get a flashy, cool black SUV that attracts attention from everyone they see.
3. Drive themselves to their new destination.
4. Hide out in an awesome seaside resort
"We passed everything from a bakery to a bathing-suit shop to a corner stand selling sunglasses. It actually reminded me of Ocean City, where we rented a house for a week every August. Definitely a vacation destination..."...with a super cute house on the beach...
"a beautiful white house with blue shutters, a huge front porch, and a white picket fence. A weeping willow hung over the sidewalk, and the garden was bursting with orange daylilies and purple coneflowers. Behind the house, the ocean stretched out toward the distant horizon. The water was a brilliant aqua near the sandy shore and deepened to navy blue beyond the breakers."God, why can't a serial killer come after me, too, so I could get in on this whole Witness Protection shit. Why am I living in my crappy house when I could get nice digs like this?
The girls, Rory and Darcy, don't seem to be doing the best job at staying under the radar. Despite the super serial killer coming after them, they still manage to meet sooooooooo many hot guys and gals, go to beach and house parties every single damn night, go windbreaking by day, etc. Oh, yeah, and Rory randomly has flashes of the terrifying serial killer coming after them. Still, they party. Every. Night. There's more about relationships and partying and having fun then there is suspense.
Out of all the characters, I found Darcy, as annoying and grating and flighty as she is, to be the best character. Our main character, Rory, is just dull. Darcy, at least, has some backbone and an explanation as to why she is so prickly towards her sister. I ended up feeling considerably more sympathetic towards her than Rory, who is supposed to be the one in danger.
“Oh, yeah, I heard. And thanks so much for your pity,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks, cutting lines through her carefully applied makeup. “That’s just what every girl wants. To hear the love of her life begging her younger, dorkier sister to be with him and hear her say no to spare her feelings. Thanks so much, Rory. And I believe all this happened after you spent an entire afternoon making out with him? I definitely remember him saying something about that.”Ouch. Yes, that would definitely scar a girl. Despite all this, she is a good sister to Rory, shielding her from their father's anger, and encouraging Rory to be more social when all Rory wants to do is wallow in misery and guilt.
A huge, wet ball was choking off my air supply. “You guys were…you were already broken up.”
“Oh, we were already broken up!” She threw her hands up. “Wow! Thanks so much for giving our two-year relationship eight hours to grow cold.”
Further on in the book, people disappear, and her own family can't recall ever having met them or seen them. She makes a half-hearted attempt at getting answers, and then she goes out and parties some more. For someone who's supposedly so plain, bookish, and a absolutely doormat, (unlike her social butterfly of a sister) Rory sure is inexplicably popular in her new destination. There are so many strange things going on meanwhile, though, and we start to question Rory's voice as a narrator. I start to question her sanity and her reliability, so despite the faults of the plot, I just wanted to hang on til the bitter end so I could get an explanation.
I DIDN'T.
I'm still so very angry at this. The ending wasn't an ending. There was no tying together of plot lines, no covering of plot holes, no reasonable explanation of what was going on. And the very last page...my god. I said it once and I will say it again.
It was a cop out. I was fleeced. Cheated. M. Night Shyamalan-ed. Please, please, please do not waste your time with this train wreck of a mess.
May 1, 2020
"But I knew in my heart he was wrong. Nothing was ever going to be okay again".
Shadowlands (Shadowlands, #1)
by Kate Brian
This is YA and it is written by an author I love. The book however was a let down.
I like the premise. It involves a young girl who narrowly escapes a serial killer. Should be happy about this right?
Well..there is a problem. Se, she is the ONLY one who has lived to tell the tale of this deranged killer. And the police cannot find him.
Which means she..along with her family..will have to go into witness protection.
So. I liked the premise. But not so much the book. I also figured out the twist early.
What I really did not like..and is my biggest quibble.. were the way the police and FBI were portrayed. So this family go into witness protection and just amble on down the highway? Seriously. The cops and all just bid goodbye and they leave. Of coarse the killer is following them.
Umm..excuse me but...did not buy it. I would like to think they would have received..well..a bit more protection then that? I mean this a prolific serial killer that they are hunting and a family at their most vulnerable fleeing from said serial killer. Wouldn't the Police help them into their new world? Unless of coarse, these are the most incompetent group of FBI agents in the world , which very well maybe.
The book was scary creepy. And I did not expect that. I have read many books by this author and she is quite a writer. I love most of her books. I did not love this. I would not say I disliked it either. That is to strong a word.. It held my interest but I was sort of uncomfortable reading this. I also read book two which I did not like at all.
If you want do want creepy though..you got it here, no question.
Shadowlands (Shadowlands, #1)
by Kate Brian
This is YA and it is written by an author I love. The book however was a let down.
I like the premise. It involves a young girl who narrowly escapes a serial killer. Should be happy about this right?
Well..there is a problem. Se, she is the ONLY one who has lived to tell the tale of this deranged killer. And the police cannot find him.
Which means she..along with her family..will have to go into witness protection.
So. I liked the premise. But not so much the book. I also figured out the twist early.
What I really did not like..and is my biggest quibble.. were the way the police and FBI were portrayed. So this family go into witness protection and just amble on down the highway? Seriously. The cops and all just bid goodbye and they leave. Of coarse the killer is following them.
Umm..excuse me but...did not buy it. I would like to think they would have received..well..a bit more protection then that? I mean this a prolific serial killer that they are hunting and a family at their most vulnerable fleeing from said serial killer. Wouldn't the Police help them into their new world? Unless of coarse, these are the most incompetent group of FBI agents in the world , which very well maybe.
The book was scary creepy. And I did not expect that. I have read many books by this author and she is quite a writer. I love most of her books. I did not love this. I would not say I disliked it either. That is to strong a word.. It held my interest but I was sort of uncomfortable reading this. I also read book two which I did not like at all.
If you want do want creepy though..you got it here, no question.
December 30, 2019
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Genre:
Mystery + Fantasy + Young Adult
Don't look at the last page or you will be spoiled!
Although I did not take a peek I was expecting this cliffhanger and this is due to reading about a big twist coming! So my mind could not settle until it made up the twist and it happened.
To be honest this book and both the books after it was a cover buy. The cover is gorgeous and has this mysterious feel to it. I had no idea what the story will be. But after buying it and then checking it on Goodreads I thought that I might not end up liking it due to the many genres this is categorized as. Usually, books that tend to do or be everything end up being underwhelming. Fortunately, Shadowlands was not the case even though it has some of the many used tropes of young adult stories.
The story starts as a thriller with Rory being chased by a serial killer, then turns to a mysterious one with Rory and her family moving to Juniper Landing under the witness protection program. Things start to get confusing with more mysterious things happening and characters disappearing. By the end of the book, we get to see the fantasy side of the story.
I did not connect properly with the characters so I can't say which one was a favorite & which was not. But what I really loved was the mysterious atmosphere of the town. It has that surreal feeling to it. At least that is how I pictured it (Thanks to the cover!). Now that I know what is going on I am very eager to get into the second book to know how the story will move from here.
This was entertaining so I am giving it 4.0 out of 5.0 stars.
January 9, 2013
This book had a lot of potential to be brilliant, but 1) there was a lot that didn't make sense and 2) it was just too frustrating to read. I had a lot of "WTF" moments - some good, some bad.
I wasn't crazy about how the book started because I felt it was a little over the top. And Rory was just a little too much for me. I understand she's scared and freaked out, but I wanted to shake her and yell at her to get a freakin' grip.
About a third of the way through, I had my first "WTF" moment. I actually had to stop and go back and read the summary. Um, yeah, mixed feelings about that too.
And then there were just some things that didn't make sense.
I'm sorry but if the authorities assign to protective services, they will get someone to accompany you to an unknown location and have you all set up. They won't just say, "Here's the hideout, now go," and then send them on their way on their own. What if something happened to them on the way there? What if they never make it? And then once that happens, they're supposed to keep tabs on them. Not leave them there to flounder on their own. So the last part of my questions on that was answered at the end, but it still doesn't explain the start to make enough sense.
I also understand Brian was trying to set up the scene and depict the tension between the sisters with Christopher but you're left wondering, "What's the point?" for a good part of the book. And with making Rory the nerdy science geek, I get Brian made it a reason for jealousy, but she doesn't follow up with much. Why wear an "E=MC2" shirt if you can just make Darcy jealous of a normal girl who's not as pretty and popular as she is. Shrugs.
And then the overall story? Well the whole time I was reading it, I was frustrated because a lot didn't make sense, and I just knew Brian was going to jump out anytime with the shocking surprise that will tie it all together. It didn't make it any less frustrating to read. Well, at the end of it, I have even more questions. Yes, I understood what they were saying, and it was quite brilliant on Brian's part, but a lot of it still did not make sense. I have to leave this vague so I can't go into details.
So in short, I think this book is going to draw mixed feelings from most readers. I just hope that the sequel does a lot of explaining, because as it stands, I'm not satisfied with what she gave us.
I wasn't crazy about how the book started because I felt it was a little over the top. And Rory was just a little too much for me. I understand she's scared and freaked out, but I wanted to shake her and yell at her to get a freakin' grip.
About a third of the way through, I had my first "WTF" moment. I actually had to stop and go back and read the summary. Um, yeah, mixed feelings about that too.
And then there were just some things that didn't make sense.
I'm sorry but if the authorities assign to protective services, they will get someone to accompany you to an unknown location and have you all set up. They won't just say, "Here's the hideout, now go," and then send them on their way on their own. What if something happened to them on the way there? What if they never make it? And then once that happens, they're supposed to keep tabs on them. Not leave them there to flounder on their own. So the last part of my questions on that was answered at the end, but it still doesn't explain the start to make enough sense.
I also understand Brian was trying to set up the scene and depict the tension between the sisters with Christopher but you're left wondering, "What's the point?" for a good part of the book. And with making Rory the nerdy science geek, I get Brian made it a reason for jealousy, but she doesn't follow up with much. Why wear an "E=MC2" shirt if you can just make Darcy jealous of a normal girl who's not as pretty and popular as she is. Shrugs.
And then the overall story? Well the whole time I was reading it, I was frustrated because a lot didn't make sense, and I just knew Brian was going to jump out anytime with the shocking surprise that will tie it all together. It didn't make it any less frustrating to read. Well, at the end of it, I have even more questions. Yes, I understood what they were saying, and it was quite brilliant on Brian's part, but a lot of it still did not make sense. I have to leave this vague so I can't go into details.
So in short, I think this book is going to draw mixed feelings from most readers. I just hope that the sequel does a lot of explaining, because as it stands, I'm not satisfied with what she gave us.
January 10, 2013
I think Shadowlands is one of the most difficult books I've ever reviewed because it's not nearly what I thought it'd be from reading the summary. I went into this book with expectations of a standard serial killer thriller plot, and came out with, actually, I don't know how to describe what Shadowlands is without spoiling the ending - a bizarre twisty mindbender? I like it, but in order to fully explain my rating the rest of my review is going to be spoiler heavy, so just know this is *not* a thriller in the classic cops and serial killer sense and be warned if you do decide to click on the spoilers.
January 21, 2013
Spoilers
Where to start with this? Okay, well the first chapter was pretty thrilling — the heroine (Rory) is attacked by her teacher on her way home from school and she just about manages to escapes with her life. It got even better when the FBI informed Rory that her teacher was in fact a serial killer that they've been hunting for years and that he wouldn't stop until he killed her. It was exciting and gripping and then things got dumb… Really, really dumb.
Rory, her dad and her older sister are told they can't leave their house because the serial killer will find them and kill them. The FBI and police surround Rory's house to protect her and her family. That was fine but then Darcy (Rory's sister) started to complain that she was missing her friends party, also Rory's dad started to moan about not being able to go to work. So, Rory nearly dies at the hands of a serial killer that's murdered no less than 14 girls, they've been told that the serial killer is relentless, and that he never fails to kill someone he's targeted… and all they cared out was work and partying?! They weren't even bothered about Rory's ordeal or the threat of death should they leave police protection. It was ridiculous.
It gets even worse. When the serial killer manages to break into Rory's house (that btw is guarded by numerous police/FBI) to leave her a threatening note, the FBI tell Rory and co that they need to go into witness protection. That was fine, it made sense for Rory and family to be relocated somewhere safe… But the way it was all handled was so fucking dumb. How do the FBI go about putting them in witness protection? They take them outside their house in front of the entire neighbourhood, give them a folder with instructions and the keys to a car that's parked in their driveway and tell them to drive direct from their house to the safe house… IN FULL VIEW OF THE ENIRE NEIGHBOURHOOD. Anyone could have followed them!! Anyone could have taken note of the car they were driving! Anyone could have tracked them through their car! The FBI know that the serial killer is clever, that he's tricked and evaded them for years, that he's already managed to sneak into Rory's room without alerting them, yet it doesn't cross their minds that the serial killer could be watching Rory and her family whilst they drive straight to their safe house. What utter bullshit.
There's more, the genius FBI send Rory and family on their merry way without a police escort and without a phone, even though they know a madman's after them. It doesn't cross their mind that the serial killer is waiting for the opportunity to pounce on them. It doesn't cross their mind to at least give them a phone in case they need to call for help. I just couldn't believe how stupid and contrived the whole thing was.
I was willing to overlook all that stupidity and just go along for the ride… But there's only so much bullshit I can take, and when Rory's dad started to act like even more of a plank than what he already was, I gave up any hope of for a decent, well thought out plot. On their way to the safe house, someone tries to make them crash, and instead of thinking they've been followed by the notorious serial killer, Rory's dad thinks its just plain old coincidence and gets out of his car in the middle of the night to investigate the deserted road. Really?! I can only handle so much ridiculousness.
Sometimes, a silly stupid book can be saved by a likeable and engaging protagonist. Sadly, Rory was neither likeable or engaging. I was sympathetic towards her after she was nearly killed, but that changed when instead of contemplating her near death and worrying about her future, all she could think about was some guy. It was pathetic. Rory was boring and annoying. She was a dull Mary Sue, there was nothing to her — she was a loner, she'd never had a boyfriend, she was whiny and she thought she was so deep even though her thoughts mostly revolved around the guys in her life. The love interests were rubbish. I don't even remember their names — all they did was act mysterious and say mysterious things. I was frustrated with their cryptic bullshit. The only character that I really liked was Darcy (Rory's sister). Sure she was the cliched popular, beautiful, mean, shallow and attention seeking girl… but at least she had a personality unlike rubbish blah Rory. Most of the other female characters were barely in it and when they did make an appearance they just acted weird and dull.
Things became even more uninteresting when Rory, her dad and sister arrived at their safe house in Juniper Landing. Nothing much happened apart from 1. Rory thinking about boys and being scared of fog and noises 2. All the teenagers in Juniper Landing acting weird around Rory and 3. Rory being weak and useless.
The Cliffhanger/twist at the very end pissed me off. The whole point of the book was to root for Rory and for her to survive against a sadistic serial killer… and then to find out she was dead all along made the whole bloody book feel pointless and depressing. I can't say I won't read the next book because I'm hoping that Rory's in a coma or something and that's why she's different from everyone else… I'll probably end up flicking through it in that library to see what goes down.
Where to start with this? Okay, well the first chapter was pretty thrilling — the heroine (Rory) is attacked by her teacher on her way home from school and she just about manages to escapes with her life. It got even better when the FBI informed Rory that her teacher was in fact a serial killer that they've been hunting for years and that he wouldn't stop until he killed her. It was exciting and gripping and then things got dumb… Really, really dumb.
Rory, her dad and her older sister are told they can't leave their house because the serial killer will find them and kill them. The FBI and police surround Rory's house to protect her and her family. That was fine but then Darcy (Rory's sister) started to complain that she was missing her friends party, also Rory's dad started to moan about not being able to go to work. So, Rory nearly dies at the hands of a serial killer that's murdered no less than 14 girls, they've been told that the serial killer is relentless, and that he never fails to kill someone he's targeted… and all they cared out was work and partying?! They weren't even bothered about Rory's ordeal or the threat of death should they leave police protection. It was ridiculous.
It gets even worse. When the serial killer manages to break into Rory's house (that btw is guarded by numerous police/FBI) to leave her a threatening note, the FBI tell Rory and co that they need to go into witness protection. That was fine, it made sense for Rory and family to be relocated somewhere safe… But the way it was all handled was so fucking dumb. How do the FBI go about putting them in witness protection? They take them outside their house in front of the entire neighbourhood, give them a folder with instructions and the keys to a car that's parked in their driveway and tell them to drive direct from their house to the safe house… IN FULL VIEW OF THE ENIRE NEIGHBOURHOOD. Anyone could have followed them!! Anyone could have taken note of the car they were driving! Anyone could have tracked them through their car! The FBI know that the serial killer is clever, that he's tricked and evaded them for years, that he's already managed to sneak into Rory's room without alerting them, yet it doesn't cross their minds that the serial killer could be watching Rory and her family whilst they drive straight to their safe house. What utter bullshit.
There's more, the genius FBI send Rory and family on their merry way without a police escort and without a phone, even though they know a madman's after them. It doesn't cross their mind that the serial killer is waiting for the opportunity to pounce on them. It doesn't cross their mind to at least give them a phone in case they need to call for help. I just couldn't believe how stupid and contrived the whole thing was.
I was willing to overlook all that stupidity and just go along for the ride… But there's only so much bullshit I can take, and when Rory's dad started to act like even more of a plank than what he already was, I gave up any hope of for a decent, well thought out plot. On their way to the safe house, someone tries to make them crash, and instead of thinking they've been followed by the notorious serial killer, Rory's dad thinks its just plain old coincidence and gets out of his car in the middle of the night to investigate the deserted road. Really?! I can only handle so much ridiculousness.
Sometimes, a silly stupid book can be saved by a likeable and engaging protagonist. Sadly, Rory was neither likeable or engaging. I was sympathetic towards her after she was nearly killed, but that changed when instead of contemplating her near death and worrying about her future, all she could think about was some guy. It was pathetic. Rory was boring and annoying. She was a dull Mary Sue, there was nothing to her — she was a loner, she'd never had a boyfriend, she was whiny and she thought she was so deep even though her thoughts mostly revolved around the guys in her life. The love interests were rubbish. I don't even remember their names — all they did was act mysterious and say mysterious things. I was frustrated with their cryptic bullshit. The only character that I really liked was Darcy (Rory's sister). Sure she was the cliched popular, beautiful, mean, shallow and attention seeking girl… but at least she had a personality unlike rubbish blah Rory. Most of the other female characters were barely in it and when they did make an appearance they just acted weird and dull.
Things became even more uninteresting when Rory, her dad and sister arrived at their safe house in Juniper Landing. Nothing much happened apart from 1. Rory thinking about boys and being scared of fog and noises 2. All the teenagers in Juniper Landing acting weird around Rory and 3. Rory being weak and useless.
The Cliffhanger/twist at the very end pissed me off. The whole point of the book was to root for Rory and for her to survive against a sadistic serial killer… and then to find out she was dead all along made the whole bloody book feel pointless and depressing. I can't say I won't read the next book because I'm hoping that Rory's in a coma or something and that's why she's different from everyone else… I'll probably end up flicking through it in that library to see what goes down.
February 4, 2013
2.5ish territory, but this one has a pretty fluid rating, I think - apt to change depending on my mood.
Okay, Shadowlands...I feel like I would write a different review of this every day of the week. Frankly, I'm really torn, and have even held off giving it a rating on Goodreads. Here's the thing:
There are going to be people that are so shocked and amazed by the way this ends that they'll love it.
There are going to be people that are so shocked and dismayed by the way this ends that they'll hate it.
There are going to be people that find this gimmicky and disjointed, something that relies too heavily on a twist (and today, at least, that's where my opinion is hovering.)
This is a difficult book to talk about without spoiling something, but essentially, Shadowlands is a contemporary thriller that reads like a movie trying to be a book. And that doesn't really work. Things that work in movies often don't work so well when they're written out because your brain processes them differently. Fog, for instance; fog rolling up right at the opportune (or inopportune) moment, there at the height of tension and then gone - seeing that on a screen works, even if later you think it's cheesy; we sort of process it in the background. But when in writing, it ceases to work because it's being pointed out; you are forced to focus on it, which gives you the time to reflect on it, realize how cheesy it is immediately, roll your eyes, and then begin to question everything. It jars you out of the flow a little, and each time this happens, you get further and further away from connecting with or believing in the story. Things like this, and the unrealistic way characters react and/or interact with each other, kept eating at me. But this is where it becomes tricky, because those same things can actually be kind of interesting by the end.
I spent the first half of this book being really frustrated with damn near everything, laughing and rolling my eyes when I should have been, I don't know, shivering in sympathetic terror, I guess. And then there came a point right about the middle when I thought, you know what would be kind of neat? If this had a twist ending where [big fat spoiler]. And then I started to think that the only thing that could redeem the book and make me look at all of my little annoyances in a different light would be that [big fat spoiler]. But the book kept going on and on, and though things got a little weirder, and then occasionally less-weird, I started to doubt the book would be redeemed. But wouldn't you know it? [Big Fat Spoiler] right there at the very last second. Well, I'll be. And so there is was, the BFS, and I'm sitting there thinking 2 things:
1. This gives the book interesting reread potential, which is funny because I didn't think I'd want to finish it, let alone reread it; and
2. This is going to piss people off. Or maybe amaze them. Or mostly piss them off, but amazingly so.
So it happened, the one thing I thought could maybe save this and make me like it, and for that, I have to kind of smile at Kate Brian and admit that there's a part of me that likes this. But I have to wag my finger at her, too, because she really drew it out to the very last minute, and is it too little, too late? Well...sorta, yeah; there needs to be a balance. In the end, the things I didn't like about it made sense and even seem almost necessary, but to get to a place where it works, readers have to make it all the way to the end. In an often-frustrating book, that may not always happen. If this weren't fairly engaging and quick, I probably would have given up on it, and I never would have known that things worked for the world. You have to give the reader a reason to go with it, and if you don't, it doesn't matter how snazzy or perfectly-suited your twist ending is. If you give me piece of pie and the first few bites taste like crap (or even just bland and pedestrian), you can't be surprised when I don't want to finish it, even if you insist that the last few bites will totally change my mind. I want the whole slice to be good, dammit. There are a lot of calories in pie. Each bite should be worth it.
I've gotten offtrack.*
What I'm trying to say is, I'm TORN. A twist ending is 10% of a book, tops. I need to care about the other 90%, too. So, yes, part of me likes this in hindsight, and even thinks it will make for an interesting reread; but part of me thinks it's just silly and slapdash, and full of really unlikable characters and unlikely events, that is hastily (but interestingly) pulled together in the end. Personally, I could have done with a lot fewer cliches and a lot more slow-burning thriller. There could still have been unlikable or questionable bits that click into place in the end, but with something more worthy to pull me along. But this would make a good movie, I think, and I have to wonder if perhaps it was written to be? A lot of authors seem to be writing things with the goal of having it optioned and potentially making bank on a franchise, and though that's another pet peevish trend I do want to discuss someday, I'm not going to use Shadowlands as a platform to do so. In the end, this book is truly going to come down to each individual reader, and I find it nearly impossible to predict which side of the fence any one person will fall on. Maybe it comes down to whether you figure out twists waaaay too f*cking far in advance (like me =/) or whether they sneak up on you. I dunno. I will go so far as to say that I'm curious enough about the setup for the rest of the series - and more specifically, the main character's reaction to it - that I may even read book 2.
So there's that.
But there are a lot of pages in a book. Every page should be worth it.
See, it all comes back around...
OH! OH! OH! AND: This cover? Pretty much nothing to do with the book.
*Have you guys ever noticed how many food metaphors I use? Lest you think I'm some binge-eating, calorie-counting, obsessive foodie**: 1. for a long time I thought I was going to be a chef; 2. everyone eats. Food is something we can all relate to, so it's a good go to.
At least, that's what I'm going to tell myself the next time I compare a book to food.
**Okay, I sort of am an obsessive foodie. But not of the binge-eating type, and certainly not of the calorie-counting type. shudder.
Okay, Shadowlands...I feel like I would write a different review of this every day of the week. Frankly, I'm really torn, and have even held off giving it a rating on Goodreads. Here's the thing:
There are going to be people that are so shocked and amazed by the way this ends that they'll love it.
There are going to be people that are so shocked and dismayed by the way this ends that they'll hate it.
There are going to be people that find this gimmicky and disjointed, something that relies too heavily on a twist (and today, at least, that's where my opinion is hovering.)
This is a difficult book to talk about without spoiling something, but essentially, Shadowlands is a contemporary thriller that reads like a movie trying to be a book. And that doesn't really work. Things that work in movies often don't work so well when they're written out because your brain processes them differently. Fog, for instance; fog rolling up right at the opportune (or inopportune) moment, there at the height of tension and then gone - seeing that on a screen works, even if later you think it's cheesy; we sort of process it in the background. But when in writing, it ceases to work because it's being pointed out; you are forced to focus on it, which gives you the time to reflect on it, realize how cheesy it is immediately, roll your eyes, and then begin to question everything. It jars you out of the flow a little, and each time this happens, you get further and further away from connecting with or believing in the story. Things like this, and the unrealistic way characters react and/or interact with each other, kept eating at me. But this is where it becomes tricky, because those same things can actually be kind of interesting by the end.
I spent the first half of this book being really frustrated with damn near everything, laughing and rolling my eyes when I should have been, I don't know, shivering in sympathetic terror, I guess. And then there came a point right about the middle when I thought, you know what would be kind of neat? If this had a twist ending where [big fat spoiler]. And then I started to think that the only thing that could redeem the book and make me look at all of my little annoyances in a different light would be that [big fat spoiler]. But the book kept going on and on, and though things got a little weirder, and then occasionally less-weird, I started to doubt the book would be redeemed. But wouldn't you know it? [Big Fat Spoiler] right there at the very last second. Well, I'll be. And so there is was, the BFS, and I'm sitting there thinking 2 things:
1. This gives the book interesting reread potential, which is funny because I didn't think I'd want to finish it, let alone reread it; and
2. This is going to piss people off. Or maybe amaze them. Or mostly piss them off, but amazingly so.
So it happened, the one thing I thought could maybe save this and make me like it, and for that, I have to kind of smile at Kate Brian and admit that there's a part of me that likes this. But I have to wag my finger at her, too, because she really drew it out to the very last minute, and is it too little, too late? Well...sorta, yeah; there needs to be a balance. In the end, the things I didn't like about it made sense and even seem almost necessary, but to get to a place where it works, readers have to make it all the way to the end. In an often-frustrating book, that may not always happen. If this weren't fairly engaging and quick, I probably would have given up on it, and I never would have known that things worked for the world. You have to give the reader a reason to go with it, and if you don't, it doesn't matter how snazzy or perfectly-suited your twist ending is. If you give me piece of pie and the first few bites taste like crap (or even just bland and pedestrian), you can't be surprised when I don't want to finish it, even if you insist that the last few bites will totally change my mind. I want the whole slice to be good, dammit. There are a lot of calories in pie. Each bite should be worth it.
I've gotten offtrack.*
What I'm trying to say is, I'm TORN. A twist ending is 10% of a book, tops. I need to care about the other 90%, too. So, yes, part of me likes this in hindsight, and even thinks it will make for an interesting reread; but part of me thinks it's just silly and slapdash, and full of really unlikable characters and unlikely events, that is hastily (but interestingly) pulled together in the end. Personally, I could have done with a lot fewer cliches and a lot more slow-burning thriller. There could still have been unlikable or questionable bits that click into place in the end, but with something more worthy to pull me along. But this would make a good movie, I think, and I have to wonder if perhaps it was written to be? A lot of authors seem to be writing things with the goal of having it optioned and potentially making bank on a franchise, and though that's another pet peevish trend I do want to discuss someday, I'm not going to use Shadowlands as a platform to do so. In the end, this book is truly going to come down to each individual reader, and I find it nearly impossible to predict which side of the fence any one person will fall on. Maybe it comes down to whether you figure out twists waaaay too f*cking far in advance (like me =/) or whether they sneak up on you. I dunno. I will go so far as to say that I'm curious enough about the setup for the rest of the series - and more specifically, the main character's reaction to it - that I may even read book 2.
So there's that.
But there are a lot of pages in a book. Every page should be worth it.
See, it all comes back around...
OH! OH! OH! AND: This cover? Pretty much nothing to do with the book.
*Have you guys ever noticed how many food metaphors I use? Lest you think I'm some binge-eating, calorie-counting, obsessive foodie**: 1. for a long time I thought I was going to be a chef; 2. everyone eats. Food is something we can all relate to, so it's a good go to.
At least, that's what I'm going to tell myself the next time I compare a book to food.
**Okay, I sort of am an obsessive foodie. But not of the binge-eating type, and certainly not of the calorie-counting type. shudder.
December 4, 2012
I had no idea that when I started this book that it would capture me so tightly, that I stayed up close to one in the morning to finish it. I literally could not put the book down and instead, found myself immersed in a world where death lurks around the corner.
Let me be the first to say," BRAVO! Ms. Brian." The plot is what every reader wants. Exciting and thrilling, lots of mystery and psycho killer on the loose. Once I started this book, there was no going back for me. I was hooked and would not put the book down. Every chapter, the reader is lead deeper into the mind of the killer as well as the victim. Things don't seem to add up and you just KNOW that something is missing...
The ending. O.M.G. The. Ending. It totally sealed the deal for me, leaving me jaw-dropped. I DID NOT expect that! I really didn't! The author had me so tied up amongst other things, that I failed to miss the clues. Well played Ms. Brian, well played.
Shadowlands is an awesome, amazing book that you want to read. It's one of those stories that will stick in your mind, days after reading it. You'll keep going back to parts, searching for the where you got lost. Clearly, it wasn't that the reader is lost, it's just that Kate Brian is one helluva of writer!
Let me be the first to say," BRAVO! Ms. Brian." The plot is what every reader wants. Exciting and thrilling, lots of mystery and psycho killer on the loose. Once I started this book, there was no going back for me. I was hooked and would not put the book down. Every chapter, the reader is lead deeper into the mind of the killer as well as the victim. Things don't seem to add up and you just KNOW that something is missing...
The ending. O.M.G. The. Ending. It totally sealed the deal for me, leaving me jaw-dropped. I DID NOT expect that! I really didn't! The author had me so tied up amongst other things, that I failed to miss the clues. Well played Ms. Brian, well played.
Shadowlands is an awesome, amazing book that you want to read. It's one of those stories that will stick in your mind, days after reading it. You'll keep going back to parts, searching for the where you got lost. Clearly, it wasn't that the reader is lost, it's just that Kate Brian is one helluva of writer!
September 24, 2014
I want to thank Disney Hyperion for providing me an ARC of this book to read and review. Receiving this book for free in no way has influenced my opinion or review.
Blurb from Goodreads:
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?
It's going to be hard for me to talk about this book without revealing it's "secret" but I'm going to try my hardest to keep this review spoiler free.
I have to say that I wasn't at all sure what this book was about. As a matter of fact, I requested it upon the advice of a friend who had read it and liked it. I didn't read the blurb or any reviews before diving in. I figured I usually love the books Disney puts out, so why would this be any different. And it did not disappoint, that is for sure. Did it leave me wondering every time I put it down, yes it did. Did it leave me wanting to keep reading so that I could finally figure out the mystery, absolutely. I just couldn't figure out why everything was so bizarre, why things were happening that totally perplexed me. And then I reached the second to last chapter, and "bing" a light bulb went off inside my head and I totally got where the book was taking me. I thought I would be creeped out by this book, that scary things would happen and I would have nightmares, but I was dead wrong.
I need to mention my love of this cover. At first, I wasn't so sure of it. It seemed so bizarre with the girl on the front and birds flying around. I'm not sure why I didn't think about the meaning behind those birds, but now it totally makes sense. And, since finishing the book and getting a real understanding of why things were presented the way they were, I completely understand the idea behind the cover! My only complaint about the cover is that if it's supposed to be the main character, it is completely off as she is described in the book with blond hair. But maybe it is not supposed to be her, though if it's not I cannot understand why.
I must say that I really liked the character of Rory. She was sharp and caustic at times.She was also strong and didn't worry about questioning others when it came to her safety. But she had this subtle emotional side to her that she kept bottled inside and I knew eventually it would need to be set free. Her relationship with her sister and father are totally strained, but she sweeps it under the rug because she doesn't think anything will get fixed. However, after her attack, things start to slowly change and she begins to realize that her family is pulling back together after the tragedy that struck them 5 years earlier. I loved watching Rory battle with herself, trying to find peace. And she was very relatable and easy to connect with. I could feel her anger, her fear, her happiness and her confusion. It flew right off the page at me.
Her sister Darcy was annoying at first. Stuck up and pretentious, demanding and gave off an air of superiority. Precocious and blaming. I wanted to pull her hair at times. But she was a good balance for Rory's character. And watching both girls relationship slowly heel with their dad was nice. What was once broken starts to become whole. And you feel the cohesiveness and bonds start to reform and take root. Tristan and Joaquim are totally mysterious. This adds to the thrill of the ride through the book. I never knew where they were going, what they were up to, where they would show up next. They seemed to appear suddenly out of nowhere and disappear just as fast. The other secondary characters did much of the same. And as people started to disappear, I wondered if this "team" of beautiful teens had anything to do with it.
I loved Brian's writing in this story. There was nothing choppy or predictable about it. She understands how to create a story that will leave you wanting to turn the pages and have you sitting on the edge of your seat. There is nothing predictable about the story, making it hard to put down. I commend her for a job well done with the storytelling. I have to say that I was not expecting the ending, but once it happened, I realized the clues were all there throughout the entire book. The story had me on an adrenaline high the entire time. I rarely wanted to put it down and did so only to sleep and do some work, oh and take care of my children. The plot was really mind blowing. And to boot, this is set to be a series, so my mind is wondering what direction Brian is going to take us as she unfolds more of this storyline. And Brian took an interesting stance with alternating the POV from the main female character to the thoughts of the serial killer bent on taking her life.
I truly enjoyed this book. If you are into mystery and a thrilling adventure that will leave you pacing and wanting to keep coming back to the story, this is the book for me. And if you want a story that will stay with you, haunt you and keep you returning to things and pondering why you didn't see them before, well, then you need to go out and pick this one up!
4 out of 5 stars from me.
Blurb from Goodreads:
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?
It's going to be hard for me to talk about this book without revealing it's "secret" but I'm going to try my hardest to keep this review spoiler free.
I have to say that I wasn't at all sure what this book was about. As a matter of fact, I requested it upon the advice of a friend who had read it and liked it. I didn't read the blurb or any reviews before diving in. I figured I usually love the books Disney puts out, so why would this be any different. And it did not disappoint, that is for sure. Did it leave me wondering every time I put it down, yes it did. Did it leave me wanting to keep reading so that I could finally figure out the mystery, absolutely. I just couldn't figure out why everything was so bizarre, why things were happening that totally perplexed me. And then I reached the second to last chapter, and "bing" a light bulb went off inside my head and I totally got where the book was taking me. I thought I would be creeped out by this book, that scary things would happen and I would have nightmares, but I was dead wrong.
I need to mention my love of this cover. At first, I wasn't so sure of it. It seemed so bizarre with the girl on the front and birds flying around. I'm not sure why I didn't think about the meaning behind those birds, but now it totally makes sense. And, since finishing the book and getting a real understanding of why things were presented the way they were, I completely understand the idea behind the cover! My only complaint about the cover is that if it's supposed to be the main character, it is completely off as she is described in the book with blond hair. But maybe it is not supposed to be her, though if it's not I cannot understand why.
I must say that I really liked the character of Rory. She was sharp and caustic at times.She was also strong and didn't worry about questioning others when it came to her safety. But she had this subtle emotional side to her that she kept bottled inside and I knew eventually it would need to be set free. Her relationship with her sister and father are totally strained, but she sweeps it under the rug because she doesn't think anything will get fixed. However, after her attack, things start to slowly change and she begins to realize that her family is pulling back together after the tragedy that struck them 5 years earlier. I loved watching Rory battle with herself, trying to find peace. And she was very relatable and easy to connect with. I could feel her anger, her fear, her happiness and her confusion. It flew right off the page at me.
Her sister Darcy was annoying at first. Stuck up and pretentious, demanding and gave off an air of superiority. Precocious and blaming. I wanted to pull her hair at times. But she was a good balance for Rory's character. And watching both girls relationship slowly heel with their dad was nice. What was once broken starts to become whole. And you feel the cohesiveness and bonds start to reform and take root. Tristan and Joaquim are totally mysterious. This adds to the thrill of the ride through the book. I never knew where they were going, what they were up to, where they would show up next. They seemed to appear suddenly out of nowhere and disappear just as fast. The other secondary characters did much of the same. And as people started to disappear, I wondered if this "team" of beautiful teens had anything to do with it.
I loved Brian's writing in this story. There was nothing choppy or predictable about it. She understands how to create a story that will leave you wanting to turn the pages and have you sitting on the edge of your seat. There is nothing predictable about the story, making it hard to put down. I commend her for a job well done with the storytelling. I have to say that I was not expecting the ending, but once it happened, I realized the clues were all there throughout the entire book. The story had me on an adrenaline high the entire time. I rarely wanted to put it down and did so only to sleep and do some work, oh and take care of my children. The plot was really mind blowing. And to boot, this is set to be a series, so my mind is wondering what direction Brian is going to take us as she unfolds more of this storyline. And Brian took an interesting stance with alternating the POV from the main female character to the thoughts of the serial killer bent on taking her life.
I truly enjoyed this book. If you are into mystery and a thrilling adventure that will leave you pacing and wanting to keep coming back to the story, this is the book for me. And if you want a story that will stay with you, haunt you and keep you returning to things and pondering why you didn't see them before, well, then you need to go out and pick this one up!
4 out of 5 stars from me.
October 26, 2017
If you like women overcoming obstacles, you should read this book. I enjoyed this book, I give it 5 stars because the novel included twists to the plot, and the characters seemed realistic. Plot had events that were unpredictable. Most readers would think Roger and Rory with her family would still be alive, but nobody would have guessed Roger would try to murder her in an island for the dead. Rory seemed like a nerdy teenager by doing lots of math and being organized. Darcy was a party teen by hanging out with friends all the time and drinking. When you see this book, ask it if it’s from Tennessee because it’s the only “ten-I-see." (;
February 10, 2013
Seen at Scott Reads It
I have avoided writing this review for a couple of days and I am finally going to review it. For me the most difficult reviews to write are for 5 Star books. I tremendously enjoyed Shadowlands and I doubt any review could do this book justice. There are no spoilers for Shadowlands.
From the first chapter of Shadowlands I was immediately hooked into this intriguing mystery. Kate Brian starts off Shadowlands with a bang. Our protagonist Rory is being attacked by serial killer Steven Nell but she manages to escape his clutches. Rory's family moves to a vacation town called Juniper Landing. Juniper Landing seems like such a wonderful and relaxing place until one of Rory's new friends goes missing. Could Steve Nell be the cause of this disappearance?
This is my first time reading a book by Kate Brian and this definitely won't be the last time I read a book of hers. Shadowlands was extremely addicting to read and I couldn't bear to stop reading even for short periods of time. One of my favorite components of Shadowlands are the short chapters from Nell's point of view. It was seriously chilling to read about an attempted murder from a serial killer's point view. Juniper Landing was a terrific setting and Brian did a wonderful job with making a vacation town seem so strange and dark. Who ever thought a vacation place could be so grim and ghastly?
So many reviewers have stated that they found Shadowlands very predictable but I completely disagree. From the start of Shadowlands I had a bunch of predictions but they all turned out to be wrong. Just when I thought the book was going in a certain direction, Kate Brian threw in a gut wrenching plot twist. The ending of Shadowlands was just mindblowing and I honestly never saw it coming.
Once or twice I felt like some of the characters lacked a bit of common sense. It's kind of common sense to me that if a serial killer is looking for you, you shouldn't walk around alone. I understand that Darcy doesn't want Steven Nell to ruin her social life but what's more important your social life or avoiding a serial killer?I am not sure if the characters were acting a bit ridiculous or if I was just over thinking everything like I always do.
Shadowlands is more than just your average thriller. Kate Brian daftly created a mind blowing tale that exceeded all of my expectations. Shadowlands ended on such an interesting note and I'm really curious to see how Brian follows up with the sequel.
I have avoided writing this review for a couple of days and I am finally going to review it. For me the most difficult reviews to write are for 5 Star books. I tremendously enjoyed Shadowlands and I doubt any review could do this book justice. There are no spoilers for Shadowlands.
From the first chapter of Shadowlands I was immediately hooked into this intriguing mystery. Kate Brian starts off Shadowlands with a bang. Our protagonist Rory is being attacked by serial killer Steven Nell but she manages to escape his clutches. Rory's family moves to a vacation town called Juniper Landing. Juniper Landing seems like such a wonderful and relaxing place until one of Rory's new friends goes missing. Could Steve Nell be the cause of this disappearance?
This is my first time reading a book by Kate Brian and this definitely won't be the last time I read a book of hers. Shadowlands was extremely addicting to read and I couldn't bear to stop reading even for short periods of time. One of my favorite components of Shadowlands are the short chapters from Nell's point of view. It was seriously chilling to read about an attempted murder from a serial killer's point view. Juniper Landing was a terrific setting and Brian did a wonderful job with making a vacation town seem so strange and dark. Who ever thought a vacation place could be so grim and ghastly?
So many reviewers have stated that they found Shadowlands very predictable but I completely disagree. From the start of Shadowlands I had a bunch of predictions but they all turned out to be wrong. Just when I thought the book was going in a certain direction, Kate Brian threw in a gut wrenching plot twist. The ending of Shadowlands was just mindblowing and I honestly never saw it coming.
Once or twice I felt like some of the characters lacked a bit of common sense. It's kind of common sense to me that if a serial killer is looking for you, you shouldn't walk around alone. I understand that Darcy doesn't want Steven Nell to ruin her social life but what's more important your social life or avoiding a serial killer?I am not sure if the characters were acting a bit ridiculous or if I was just over thinking everything like I always do.
Shadowlands is more than just your average thriller. Kate Brian daftly created a mind blowing tale that exceeded all of my expectations. Shadowlands ended on such an interesting note and I'm really curious to see how Brian follows up with the sequel.
July 28, 2016
Okuduğum en anlamsız, en kötü kitaplardan birisiydi. Ve ben daha ne kadar anlamsız olabilir diye kitaba devam ettikçe şaşırdım.
Kitap gayet düzgün bir şekilde bir polisiye olarak başladı.
Rory bir gün eve kestirmeden gitmeye karara verince okuldaki öğretmeni tarafından ormanda saldırıya uğrar. Ve elinden kaçmayı başarır. Ana yola çıkmayı başarıp bir arabaya atladığında ( ki burada komik tesadüfler başlar ) polise haber verirler. Fakat işin içine FBI girer çünkü Rory'nin öğretmeni aslında bir seri katildir.
Tamam. Buraya kadar her şey normal gidiyordu. Ama sonra..
FBI tanık koruma programı ile bu aileyi başka bir ülkeye gönderir. Fakat o da ne. Gittikleri yerde ne internet bağlantısı var, ne telefonlar çekiyor, ne gazete var. Bu insanlar bir seri katilden kaçıyor ve hiç bir bağlantı yok.
Hmm. Okey ona da okey..
Sonra işler yine tuhaflaşıyor. Ada'da yaşayan herkes buraya gelen aileye ilgi gösteriyor. Bir grup çocuk ise devamlı onları izliyor. Yani bir şeyler dönüyor ama ne dönüyor anlamıyor Rory. Akıllı ama saf kızımız.
İşte burdan sonra bende ipler kopuyor. Polisiye bir kitabın içine fantastik şeyler girmeye başlıyor çünkü. Ne alaka ? Yazar resmen nasıl saçmalarım diye -pardon ama- ıkınmış.
Tamam hadi fantastik ögelerde girsin. Ona da laf etmeyeyim. Ama bu kadar da saçma şeyler olur mu diye sorguluyor insan. Bir ton açıklanamayan şey kaldı zaten. Hele o son sayfa. O son cümle. Allahım çıldırıyorum. Resmen dün gece boş yere uykusuz kalmışım.
Kısaca okumayın. Hiç bulaşmayın.
Kitap gayet düzgün bir şekilde bir polisiye olarak başladı.
Rory bir gün eve kestirmeden gitmeye karara verince okuldaki öğretmeni tarafından ormanda saldırıya uğrar. Ve elinden kaçmayı başarır. Ana yola çıkmayı başarıp bir arabaya atladığında ( ki burada komik tesadüfler başlar ) polise haber verirler. Fakat işin içine FBI girer çünkü Rory'nin öğretmeni aslında bir seri katildir.
Tamam. Buraya kadar her şey normal gidiyordu. Ama sonra..
FBI tanık koruma programı ile bu aileyi başka bir ülkeye gönderir. Fakat o da ne. Gittikleri yerde ne internet bağlantısı var, ne telefonlar çekiyor, ne gazete var. Bu insanlar bir seri katilden kaçıyor ve hiç bir bağlantı yok.
Hmm. Okey ona da okey..
Sonra işler yine tuhaflaşıyor. Ada'da yaşayan herkes buraya gelen aileye ilgi gösteriyor. Bir grup çocuk ise devamlı onları izliyor. Yani bir şeyler dönüyor ama ne dönüyor anlamıyor Rory. Akıllı ama saf kızımız.
İşte burdan sonra bende ipler kopuyor. Polisiye bir kitabın içine fantastik şeyler girmeye başlıyor çünkü. Ne alaka ? Yazar resmen nasıl saçmalarım diye -pardon ama- ıkınmış.
Tamam hadi fantastik ögelerde girsin. Ona da laf etmeyeyim. Ama bu kadar da saçma şeyler olur mu diye sorguluyor insan. Bir ton açıklanamayan şey kaldı zaten. Hele o son sayfa. O son cümle. Allahım çıldırıyorum. Resmen dün gece boş yere uykusuz kalmışım.
Kısaca okumayın. Hiç bulaşmayın.
June 1, 2013
Well...I wasn't expecting that!
Kate Brian manages to piece together an intricate tale of obsession, fear and psychosis that straddles the line between reality and the supernatural in a way no other book has done before.
You never know what will happen next.
Kate Brian manages to piece together an intricate tale of obsession, fear and psychosis that straddles the line between reality and the supernatural in a way no other book has done before.
You never know what will happen next.
June 21, 2018
5/5 Stars
Shadowlands by Kate Brian is a young adult thriller about Rory Miller a strong-willed girl who fought off a serial killer. Steven Nell has been stalking Rory for a long time and finally found his night to strike not thinking that she would fight back. Even though Rory was able to fend him off she never thought that the police wouldn’t be able to catch him. Now, after fighting off a serial killer, Rory and her family put in Witness Protection and are moved to another town. Along with Rory, Darcy and their father are all moved to a small town on an island known as Juniper Landing. This is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and there is always something to do. As girls Rory and Darcy were inseparable but once they got older that changed drastically since they are very different people now. Since the island doesn’t have a lot of kids they end up in the same friends group and everything seems to be going just fine. That changes when Rory starts to notice some strange things happening and she always feels like someone is watching her. Things get even worse when people start disappearing and this makes Rory think that Nell might still be following her.
This novel was recommended to me because of my fascination with true crime and this novel seemed like it would be perfect for me. The cover seems almost too pretty to be about true crime or a mystery; it feels more like a romance cover than a mystery one. When I saw that the back cover said serial killer I was hooked and knew it need to be one of the next books I read. True crime and mystery have been in my life for a very long time, this started when all of the crime shows came on TV. Crime shows is what got me into reading more mystery books and this is a perfect balance between the two. I was also interested in learning about the dynamic between the sisters, because both need to uproot their lives since the serial killer. I have an older brother who up until recently we haven’t had the best friendship. I always like reading stories of siblings similar to how I grew up and see how their stories turn out.
Rory and Darcy have an interesting adventure in this novel. The readers learn very early on that they have different interests from each other, and that’s why they haven’t been getting along. Since the two don’t understand the types of things the other likes they don’t have much to talk about. The strain gets even bigger when Darcy learns that they have to go into Witness Protection because of Rory’s serial killer. Darcy wants to be able to finish her last high school year with her friends and now that is being taken away from her. They being to get closer though when they get to the island because they really only have each other and their dad. Darcy is far more outgoing than Rory so she beings to make friends and start to bring Rory around. This ends up making them closer and when strange things start happening they learn that protecting each other is far more important than anything else.
Steven Nell is a serial killer that will stop at nothing to get his hands on Rory and her family. It becomes a fun game for Nell as the family starts to move around because now he can get more than one person. Serial killers are normally more calculated than Nell has been but when your target is on the move, he can’t just wait around to see what happens. I was very surprised by how well Brain was able to make Nell’s character so terrifying and ominous through the entire book. The reader always feels like the characters are being watched and they just have to keep reading to see if they are right. My love for true crime made me think that I knew exactly where this story was going but I always felt like I was missing something. The characters in the story being to make the reader believe that nothing is wrong and nothing can go wrong on this small island. The reader beings to forget that sometimes really bad things can happen in small towns as well especially when a serial killer is on the loose.
Brian has the ability to make very invested in a story very quickly. The reader is basically thrown right into the action on the very first page of this novel. I think that’s a very bold move because the reader isn’t sure who anyone is but knows that there is a girl running from a serial killer. That’s a bold move in my opinion because you aren’t as invested as you could be in the character but it was a great introduction for me. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery or a good true crime book. This novel has the reader thinking till the very end and has some very good twists that I didn’t even see coming. It is very rare that I don’t see things coming after all the mysteries I’ve read, but this one is a true mystery until the very end.
Shadowlands by Kate Brian is a young adult thriller about Rory Miller a strong-willed girl who fought off a serial killer. Steven Nell has been stalking Rory for a long time and finally found his night to strike not thinking that she would fight back. Even though Rory was able to fend him off she never thought that the police wouldn’t be able to catch him. Now, after fighting off a serial killer, Rory and her family put in Witness Protection and are moved to another town. Along with Rory, Darcy and their father are all moved to a small town on an island known as Juniper Landing. This is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and there is always something to do. As girls Rory and Darcy were inseparable but once they got older that changed drastically since they are very different people now. Since the island doesn’t have a lot of kids they end up in the same friends group and everything seems to be going just fine. That changes when Rory starts to notice some strange things happening and she always feels like someone is watching her. Things get even worse when people start disappearing and this makes Rory think that Nell might still be following her.
This novel was recommended to me because of my fascination with true crime and this novel seemed like it would be perfect for me. The cover seems almost too pretty to be about true crime or a mystery; it feels more like a romance cover than a mystery one. When I saw that the back cover said serial killer I was hooked and knew it need to be one of the next books I read. True crime and mystery have been in my life for a very long time, this started when all of the crime shows came on TV. Crime shows is what got me into reading more mystery books and this is a perfect balance between the two. I was also interested in learning about the dynamic between the sisters, because both need to uproot their lives since the serial killer. I have an older brother who up until recently we haven’t had the best friendship. I always like reading stories of siblings similar to how I grew up and see how their stories turn out.
Rory and Darcy have an interesting adventure in this novel. The readers learn very early on that they have different interests from each other, and that’s why they haven’t been getting along. Since the two don’t understand the types of things the other likes they don’t have much to talk about. The strain gets even bigger when Darcy learns that they have to go into Witness Protection because of Rory’s serial killer. Darcy wants to be able to finish her last high school year with her friends and now that is being taken away from her. They being to get closer though when they get to the island because they really only have each other and their dad. Darcy is far more outgoing than Rory so she beings to make friends and start to bring Rory around. This ends up making them closer and when strange things start happening they learn that protecting each other is far more important than anything else.
Steven Nell is a serial killer that will stop at nothing to get his hands on Rory and her family. It becomes a fun game for Nell as the family starts to move around because now he can get more than one person. Serial killers are normally more calculated than Nell has been but when your target is on the move, he can’t just wait around to see what happens. I was very surprised by how well Brain was able to make Nell’s character so terrifying and ominous through the entire book. The reader always feels like the characters are being watched and they just have to keep reading to see if they are right. My love for true crime made me think that I knew exactly where this story was going but I always felt like I was missing something. The characters in the story being to make the reader believe that nothing is wrong and nothing can go wrong on this small island. The reader beings to forget that sometimes really bad things can happen in small towns as well especially when a serial killer is on the loose.
Brian has the ability to make very invested in a story very quickly. The reader is basically thrown right into the action on the very first page of this novel. I think that’s a very bold move because the reader isn’t sure who anyone is but knows that there is a girl running from a serial killer. That’s a bold move in my opinion because you aren’t as invested as you could be in the character but it was a great introduction for me. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery or a good true crime book. This novel has the reader thinking till the very end and has some very good twists that I didn’t even see coming. It is very rare that I don’t see things coming after all the mysteries I’ve read, but this one is a true mystery until the very end.
January 2, 2013
Oh man. I am so conflicted with this one. I don't know whether I loved it or hated it. So, this review will be a bit different.
First off, why I did not like the book: the ending. Normally, I am a huge fan of plot twists and surprise endings, but this time it did not work for me. I was infuriated when I read the last sentence. Majorly pissed off. Seriously. I felt like I read this whole thing for nothing because the ending did not make sense. I was left with a looooong list of questions. I don't even think I could re-read this and find answers to those questions. It was just too much.
Now, that being said, let's talk about why I might actually love this book. I heard a rumor that it was the beginning of a series. IF that is true, then we are in for some kind of awesome. IF this is book one of a new series, then I am certain the next book would answer those lingering questions in my mind. (At least I hope.) Not to mention how awesome this series might end up being.
I went into Shadowlands thinking it would be a murder mystery. What I ended up with was something completely different! I can't even tell you without ruining the entire storyline. Let's just say there is a lot of suspense that will having you turning the pages until the bitter end.
First off, why I did not like the book: the ending. Normally, I am a huge fan of plot twists and surprise endings, but this time it did not work for me. I was infuriated when I read the last sentence. Majorly pissed off. Seriously. I felt like I read this whole thing for nothing because the ending did not make sense. I was left with a looooong list of questions. I don't even think I could re-read this and find answers to those questions. It was just too much.
Now, that being said, let's talk about why I might actually love this book. I heard a rumor that it was the beginning of a series. IF that is true, then we are in for some kind of awesome. IF this is book one of a new series, then I am certain the next book would answer those lingering questions in my mind. (At least I hope.) Not to mention how awesome this series might end up being.
I went into Shadowlands thinking it would be a murder mystery. What I ended up with was something completely different! I can't even tell you without ruining the entire storyline. Let's just say there is a lot of suspense that will having you turning the pages until the bitter end.
January 26, 2013
WHAT THE FUDGE???????
Oh my god, of all my whacky guesses, this ending was NOT on my list. Holy shishcabobs. Crapola. Fudgecakes. This book was so damn brilliant that I think it will be super hard to write a review for it, but when one blows my mind like this did, I kind of have to.
Review pending. But in the meantime...
You should buy this.
Oh my god, of all my whacky guesses, this ending was NOT on my list. Holy shishcabobs. Crapola. Fudgecakes. This book was so damn brilliant that I think it will be super hard to write a review for it, but when one blows my mind like this did, I kind of have to.
Review pending. But in the meantime...
You should buy this.
April 2, 2016
I'm so disappointed this was not as good as I initially thought it'd be :( it started off great and then it just collapsed like a flan in a cupboard. I didn't even really care about the "shocking" ending. Shame.
February 15, 2013
Mind-fuckery at its best! Creepy, captivating, bone-chilling, and unpredictable, this book is just absolutely phenomenal! Full review soon!
January 11, 2013
I am not going to lie; I was drawn to Shadowlands because of the beautiful cover. The synopsis led me to believe this would be a thriller, but Kate Brian blew my mind! From page one the author grabbed my attention and held me completely enthralled. My palms were sweating and I stopped frequently to share my thoughts with anyone who would listen. The tale was, dark, suspenseful, brilliantly done with an ending that left me speechless.
From the synopsis we know that Rory Miller, her father and sister Darcy all end up in witness protection because Steven Nell a serial killer who has killed fourteen girls wants to finish the job. He attempted to kill Rory with her golden hair but she escaped. From the moment they set out for Juniper Landing my palms began to sweat and the tale that unfolds was brilliant as a girl goes missing in this oasis by the sea and Rory begins to suspect that something is very wrong.
Rory is the youngest sibling, and from the onset we see some of the difficulty she has encountered in her young life. She is both sweet and caring. Since the attack she has been experiencing nightmares, feels like someone is watching her and doing her darndest to make the best of a bad situation. Darcy is a typical, selfish teenager concerned mostly with; “me, myself and I” however she does have her moments. Their Dad has been an absentee father since their mother’s death five years ago, but life at the beach has him acting like his old self. The local teens on the island are friendly despite their clicky-ways and their interest in Rory is odd. Steven Nell is obsessed with Rory and downright creepy!
What made Shadowlands an over the top five cups of Kopi Luwak coffee out of five for me was the unbelievable world building. Brian had me off kilter from the first pages, when I mistakenly thought Steven was waiting for his lover in the woods. You know that creepy music in a movie that lets you know something bad is going to happen? Well, it played none stop in my head. As Rory began to question things, I knew something was off, something was wrong but I could not quite place it and when I did: totally mind shattering moment! When the author confirmed it, I sat back and admired the sheer brilliance of it all. I loved the pacing, the author's ability to take you from a nightmare to tender moment with the stroke of her pen. This is a book you will want to talk about from fellow book lovers to complete strangers. My poor in-laws and hubby had to adore my outbursts as I rapidly tried to explain what the author was doing to me, to the characters..Eek gads! This is a must read peeps!
Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
From the synopsis we know that Rory Miller, her father and sister Darcy all end up in witness protection because Steven Nell a serial killer who has killed fourteen girls wants to finish the job. He attempted to kill Rory with her golden hair but she escaped. From the moment they set out for Juniper Landing my palms began to sweat and the tale that unfolds was brilliant as a girl goes missing in this oasis by the sea and Rory begins to suspect that something is very wrong.
Rory is the youngest sibling, and from the onset we see some of the difficulty she has encountered in her young life. She is both sweet and caring. Since the attack she has been experiencing nightmares, feels like someone is watching her and doing her darndest to make the best of a bad situation. Darcy is a typical, selfish teenager concerned mostly with; “me, myself and I” however she does have her moments. Their Dad has been an absentee father since their mother’s death five years ago, but life at the beach has him acting like his old self. The local teens on the island are friendly despite their clicky-ways and their interest in Rory is odd. Steven Nell is obsessed with Rory and downright creepy!
What made Shadowlands an over the top five cups of Kopi Luwak coffee out of five for me was the unbelievable world building. Brian had me off kilter from the first pages, when I mistakenly thought Steven was waiting for his lover in the woods. You know that creepy music in a movie that lets you know something bad is going to happen? Well, it played none stop in my head. As Rory began to question things, I knew something was off, something was wrong but I could not quite place it and when I did: totally mind shattering moment! When the author confirmed it, I sat back and admired the sheer brilliance of it all. I loved the pacing, the author's ability to take you from a nightmare to tender moment with the stroke of her pen. This is a book you will want to talk about from fellow book lovers to complete strangers. My poor in-laws and hubby had to adore my outbursts as I rapidly tried to explain what the author was doing to me, to the characters..Eek gads! This is a must read peeps!
Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
January 3, 2013
You can read all of my reviews at Alluring Reads.
I didn't really know what to expect going into Shadowlands; I had never read any of Kate Brian's work and I'm not exactly one for reading blurbs. I was sufficiently blown away as a I dove in and got a much more intense read than I could have ever expected. Rory is shocked and scared when, on her way home from school through the forest, she is attacked by one of the most beloved teachers from her school. Thankfully she escapes and finds her way home but upon reporting the incident she finds out that it wasn't just her math teacher who attacked her, it was a calculated serial killer who has managed to evade the police for years. Before she knows it, she is packing her bags and being sent to a remote island as part of the FBI's witness protection program.
Shadowlands has a bit of everything going for it, there is some great characters, a whole lot of mystery and just a touch of romance sprinkled in for good measure. I read this one in a single day because i just couldn't put it down. Once Rory, her sister and their father get to the island, Juniper Landing, there is so much weirdness surrounding the locals that I had to keep going to find out exactly what was going on. And what a pleasant surprise that when all was revealed I was completely thrown for a loop as it was a twist I had never even considered in all of my sleuthing with this one.
Rory was a great character; she was so strong and smart that I came to admire her throughout the novel. Not only did she show her strength and determination when she escaped and evaded Steven Nell, but she also showed her smarts in how she was constantly questioning life on Juniper Landing. I wasn't a big fan of her sister, but I think that was how it was supposed to be. Rory and Darcy were polar opposites, while Rory was book smart and pretty reclusive, Darcy was the centre of every party and a social butterfly. I appreciated how each of their voices felt unique and completely authentic.
Not only do we get the story from Rory's point of view but we are also treated to short chapters here and there that are from Nell's perspective and are they ever haunting! This lends to an uneasy feeling as it's always in the back of the readers head that he is never far away from Rory. The suspense was maintained so strongly though out the novel and felt like it never really let up, which was great. I loved Brian's storytelling and her cryptic chapters from the mind of a serial killer. The twist at the end has definitely left me pining for more and I can't wait to see where this series goes.
I didn't really know what to expect going into Shadowlands; I had never read any of Kate Brian's work and I'm not exactly one for reading blurbs. I was sufficiently blown away as a I dove in and got a much more intense read than I could have ever expected. Rory is shocked and scared when, on her way home from school through the forest, she is attacked by one of the most beloved teachers from her school. Thankfully she escapes and finds her way home but upon reporting the incident she finds out that it wasn't just her math teacher who attacked her, it was a calculated serial killer who has managed to evade the police for years. Before she knows it, she is packing her bags and being sent to a remote island as part of the FBI's witness protection program.
Shadowlands has a bit of everything going for it, there is some great characters, a whole lot of mystery and just a touch of romance sprinkled in for good measure. I read this one in a single day because i just couldn't put it down. Once Rory, her sister and their father get to the island, Juniper Landing, there is so much weirdness surrounding the locals that I had to keep going to find out exactly what was going on. And what a pleasant surprise that when all was revealed I was completely thrown for a loop as it was a twist I had never even considered in all of my sleuthing with this one.
Rory was a great character; she was so strong and smart that I came to admire her throughout the novel. Not only did she show her strength and determination when she escaped and evaded Steven Nell, but she also showed her smarts in how she was constantly questioning life on Juniper Landing. I wasn't a big fan of her sister, but I think that was how it was supposed to be. Rory and Darcy were polar opposites, while Rory was book smart and pretty reclusive, Darcy was the centre of every party and a social butterfly. I appreciated how each of their voices felt unique and completely authentic.
Not only do we get the story from Rory's point of view but we are also treated to short chapters here and there that are from Nell's perspective and are they ever haunting! This lends to an uneasy feeling as it's always in the back of the readers head that he is never far away from Rory. The suspense was maintained so strongly though out the novel and felt like it never really let up, which was great. I loved Brian's storytelling and her cryptic chapters from the mind of a serial killer. The twist at the end has definitely left me pining for more and I can't wait to see where this series goes.
November 16, 2015
Sometimes you read a book and it instantly grabs you. You can't put it down, you're carrying it around with you where ever you are going, and even if you can just get the chance to read s sentence you're excited. For me, this happened with Shadowlands by Kate Brian. Last summer, I heard about this book and recommended it to my sister to read. She loved it, kept going on about how I needed to pick it up and I kept telling her I would. I'm so glad that I finally did.
Shadowlands is about a girl named Rory. After being attacked by someone she's on the run. Her, her sister Darcy, and her father move to the town of Juniper Lane to be protected from her attacker. Little do they know, he's still after Rory and will stop at nothing to get what he wants... her.
Throughout the town of Juniper Lane there are many interesting characters, including a very cute boy named Tristan! However, like most great thriller novels... things are not always what they appear to be and when suspicious things start happening Rory tries to figure out what exactly is going on.
What I loved about this book were many things but one specific thing stood out to me. While this is a Young Adult book, it didn't feel like one. There were moments where I was so engrossed in the novel that I actually jumped because what I read freaked me out a bit. I loved the characters and thought Rory was someone real, someone that I could relate to on some levels, and someone I was rooting for. Even when I got to the end, not only did I want more but the plot twist was probably the best and most exciting plot twist I have read in a book in any genre in a long time!
Rory's story continues in the sequel, Here After and for once, not only did I jump into the sequel right away but I wasn't worried that the author was going to ruin anything. Kate Brian has a wonderful gift for story telling that not only leaves you on the edge of your seat wanting more, but let's you escape into the world she's creating for hours on end. I loved Shadowlands and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good thriller with an exciting twist!
Shadowlands is about a girl named Rory. After being attacked by someone she's on the run. Her, her sister Darcy, and her father move to the town of Juniper Lane to be protected from her attacker. Little do they know, he's still after Rory and will stop at nothing to get what he wants... her.
Throughout the town of Juniper Lane there are many interesting characters, including a very cute boy named Tristan! However, like most great thriller novels... things are not always what they appear to be and when suspicious things start happening Rory tries to figure out what exactly is going on.
What I loved about this book were many things but one specific thing stood out to me. While this is a Young Adult book, it didn't feel like one. There were moments where I was so engrossed in the novel that I actually jumped because what I read freaked me out a bit. I loved the characters and thought Rory was someone real, someone that I could relate to on some levels, and someone I was rooting for. Even when I got to the end, not only did I want more but the plot twist was probably the best and most exciting plot twist I have read in a book in any genre in a long time!
Rory's story continues in the sequel, Here After and for once, not only did I jump into the sequel right away but I wasn't worried that the author was going to ruin anything. Kate Brian has a wonderful gift for story telling that not only leaves you on the edge of your seat wanting more, but let's you escape into the world she's creating for hours on end. I loved Shadowlands and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good thriller with an exciting twist!
December 7, 2012
Wow! Wow! Wow! What an ending!
First word that I can describe ShadowLands is WOW. This book starts off immediately with action. It consumed me or rather I devoured it. But from the very beginning, I was lost in it. But I noticed something wrong right away. And it's not a big deal but in the first few pages, the serial killer described Rory as a beautiful girl with blonde hair. Now, unless the cover isn't Rory, they made a huge booboo there. The girl on the cover has brown hair. I don't know why that bothers me but it does. But aside from that whole mix-up, this story was awesome. Once I got past the whole cover issue, and I was able to sit down and read, I finished this book in almost one sitting.
From the beginning of the story when Rory was attacked, I was on the edge. Then, when they relocated her family, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. At this new location Ms. Brian introduces you a bunch of new characters that had me questioning if they were hiding something themselves. I was suspicious of everyone. I was even suspicious Rory's sister, Darcy. But I guess the reason behind that is the she was such a selfish brat. She wasn't concerned at all for anyone's safety. Their relationship was based on bickering and fighting, so they didn't get along much. That brought a lot to the story.
So much goes on in this story that it left me thinking too much. All these new characters seem to bother me. I felt they were all up to something and I didn't trust not one of them. Then things started happening quickly and left me a bit more convinced that I shouldn't trust them. I wanted to go in the book and back Rory up when events started unfolding. I got your back girl! LOL. Ms. Brian threw a twist in there, that I feel some readers may not like very much but I enjoyed a whole lot. That's what made the book for me. I absolutely LOVED this book. It's one of those books that stay with you for days. ShadowLands is a definite must buy and a definite Good Choice for Reading.
First word that I can describe ShadowLands is WOW. This book starts off immediately with action. It consumed me or rather I devoured it. But from the very beginning, I was lost in it. But I noticed something wrong right away. And it's not a big deal but in the first few pages, the serial killer described Rory as a beautiful girl with blonde hair. Now, unless the cover isn't Rory, they made a huge booboo there. The girl on the cover has brown hair. I don't know why that bothers me but it does. But aside from that whole mix-up, this story was awesome. Once I got past the whole cover issue, and I was able to sit down and read, I finished this book in almost one sitting.
From the beginning of the story when Rory was attacked, I was on the edge. Then, when they relocated her family, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. At this new location Ms. Brian introduces you a bunch of new characters that had me questioning if they were hiding something themselves. I was suspicious of everyone. I was even suspicious Rory's sister, Darcy. But I guess the reason behind that is the she was such a selfish brat. She wasn't concerned at all for anyone's safety. Their relationship was based on bickering and fighting, so they didn't get along much. That brought a lot to the story.
So much goes on in this story that it left me thinking too much. All these new characters seem to bother me. I felt they were all up to something and I didn't trust not one of them. Then things started happening quickly and left me a bit more convinced that I shouldn't trust them. I wanted to go in the book and back Rory up when events started unfolding. I got your back girl! LOL. Ms. Brian threw a twist in there, that I feel some readers may not like very much but I enjoyed a whole lot. That's what made the book for me. I absolutely LOVED this book. It's one of those books that stay with you for days. ShadowLands is a definite must buy and a definite Good Choice for Reading.
December 4, 2012
This novel has a lot going for it in terms of atmosphere and creepiness. There are plenty of spooky touches and well-done scenes. I appreciate that it's more of a true horror book than a lot of the paranormal romances that have been coming out in the past few years.
The character building, though, isn't great. I swear that the sisters were built from the two daughters in Modern Family: nerdy, slightly awkward sister and beautiful, social sister who deep down want to be good friends. The romance (I guess?) subplot seemed like a straight up Twilight mimic
Additionally, the incredibly obvious sequel-priming led to shoddy world building. I get it that first books need to create suspense for the rest of the series, but I feel like there were so many unanswered questions in this book that it felt unfinished.
Definitely recommended for ardent fans of paranormal and spooky. Overall, it's a solid, but not outstanding read.
The character building, though, isn't great. I swear that the sisters were built from the two daughters in Modern Family: nerdy, slightly awkward sister and beautiful, social sister who deep down want to be good friends. The romance (I guess?) subplot seemed like a straight up Twilight mimic
Additionally, the incredibly obvious sequel-priming led to shoddy world building. I get it that first books need to create suspense for the rest of the series, but I feel like there were so many unanswered questions in this book that it felt unfinished.
Definitely recommended for ardent fans of paranormal and spooky. Overall, it's a solid, but not outstanding read.
December 31, 2014
Title: Shadowlands
Series: Shadowlands #1
Author: Kate Brian
Rating: 4 stars
My Review: I was very surprised to find this series at my library, my small little town doesn't have much of anything that isn't popular so i was very giddy when i found all three sitting on the shelf! :]
First, i of freaking course love the cover! So pretty!
Second, 2 POVs? Yes please :]
Third, that ending?!
This book was so good. It's well written, and the plot was something i haven't read before. For some reason i'm on a kinda mystery kick right know so i was happy to try to figure out what was so off about this little island they were living on!!
The ending really threw me, i really didn't see it coming at all, i thought something else completely different for sures!
There was some romance thrown in and the way some people acted rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall, a great book!
Series: Shadowlands #1
Author: Kate Brian
Rating: 4 stars
My Review: I was very surprised to find this series at my library, my small little town doesn't have much of anything that isn't popular so i was very giddy when i found all three sitting on the shelf! :]
First, i of freaking course love the cover! So pretty!
Second, 2 POVs? Yes please :]
Third, that ending?!
This book was so good. It's well written, and the plot was something i haven't read before. For some reason i'm on a kinda mystery kick right know so i was happy to try to figure out what was so off about this little island they were living on!!
The ending really threw me, i really didn't see it coming at all, i thought something else completely different for sures!
There was some romance thrown in and the way some people acted rubbed me the wrong way.
Overall, a great book!
January 13, 2013
I didn’t see that coming…
I swear, I thought in everything… every possibility: conspiracy, monsters, shadow masters… Every. Effing. Thing… But I really didn’t expect that end!
I discover the end of all the books in a ninety nine percent of times… I failed in this one!!!!
Right now, I have a lot of questions and I really really NEED to know what the hell is happen!!!!!!!
Good played, Brian!
I swear, I thought in everything… every possibility: conspiracy, monsters, shadow masters… Every. Effing. Thing… But I really didn’t expect that end!
I discover the end of all the books in a ninety nine percent of times… I failed in this one!!!!
Right now, I have a lot of questions and I really really NEED to know what the hell is happen!!!!!!!
Good played, Brian!
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