Book Review: Shadowlands by Kate Brian

Shadowlands (Shadowlands#1)
by Kate Brian
Release Date: January 8th, 2013
Publisher: Hyperion
ARC Paperback, 326 pages
Content: PG-13/YA 
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Goodreads Summary: 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?

Cindy's Review: 
At A Glance/The Cover:
I got this book as from the library for this Teen Summer Reading Program prize thing. Some of the books doesn't look that interesting there so I wasn't expecting too much for this book. The teaser in the back didn't sound that amusing and interesting, so I put off this book for awhile. It wasn't as bad as I thought though. There's actually romance and everything.

The book mentioned that Rory had blond hair, but in the cover the girl has brown hair. Well. That always happen. 

And truly, the cover portrayed the title pretty well. Shadowlands. Crows often means bad luck and the clouds or mists in the background does create a dark, shadowy environment. 

The Characters/My Opinion:
Rory Miller - So the main character was victim to a serial killer, who was pretending to be her math teacher. I was kind of scary. And really gothic. Considering I just finished writing an on-prompt essay for my English final about the gothic elements of "Frankenstein", I was really surprised when the first 10 pages was running away from a serial killer. Right there, you have the elements of Pursued Protagonist, Entrapment, Suspense, Pursuit of the Heroin, and Revenge.  

So yes, the beginning was very action-packed. 

Steven Nell - He is the serial killer. I'm not sure if he's human though, because apparently, he can smell fear. I thought he was a demon or something but there was never proof about it throughout the whole book. Steven did have some POV in the book. Only about two pages long and once in a while, so he gave us insight on where he actually is and what he is doing. So we get dramatic irony from him. 

The action kind of starting slowing down in towards the middle. Rory; Darcy, her sister; and her Dad had to enter a witness program to Juniper Landing where it's totally a rich place and safe. It kind of gets confusing when you get to the end. Like I was surprised at the ending that I was kind of suspecting, but if you think back at it, how did Steven even get to Juniper Landing?

It's more of a theory how everything happened and why it happened. The title definitely gives a clue. So the reader can kind of imagine what happened on their own. 

Final Thoughts:
The conclusion was well thought out. I truly like that tiny twist there. And no cliffhangers. That's great! I kind of wish this was a stand-alone because ending the book like that would be great. I don't like how the second book creates a whole new problem and then they have make the third book solve it. Why not just make this a stand-alone?


The Rating: (1-10): 8

Happy Reading~