Saturday, August 27, 2011

Secrets and Shadows

Review time! Secrets and Shadows is the sequel to 13 to Life by Shannon Delany which was one of my favourite 2010 YA debuts! It's a werewolf tale and one of the best ones ( in my opinion!) I'm totally excited to read and review the sequel, thanks to Pan Macmillan for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Nothing’s simple when you run with werewolves. Jess Gillmansen thinks she’s seen it all but her eyes are about to be opened to even more danger and a reality far more paranormal than she’s suspected. With Jess’s realization that the Rusakovas’ mother is still alive and imprisoned, the group’s choices become harder and trust more important. Lines are drawn and relationships change as the broken Rusakova family struggles to reunite long enough to free their mother and people who Jess always just took to be normal people show themselves to be much, much more.


The Short Story? - What a killer ending! I can't wait to read the next book! Secrets revealed, new threats and dangers and another chapter of an epic romance! Great tension, lots of drama and a fantastic plot! Plenty of character development and well written! I loved Secrets and Shadows! This is a sequel you must read!

The Long Story? - Secrets and Shadows was great but I still think that 13 to Life was better, it just seemed that after all the hype of waiting for the sequel it somewhat fell short. Don't get me wrong, it was a total page-turner and I loved it, great detail and fantastic romance BUT it was more or less the same stuff.

The plot was interesting and while there was many developments, the storyline is going around in circles, CIA, mafia, curse, CIA, mafia, curse I was hoping to see some new context, another twist to the story perhaps. I liked the drama though, Delany bought in the Romeo and Juliet affect, Pietr wanted to keep Jessie safe but staying away from her, Jessie was heart broken and turned to Darren for comfort so two people in love but can't be together, lot's of romantic tension and sizzling moments! Nevertheless lots of development among the same old things, we're getting a whole lot closer to what I think is "the end" :)

Lots of character development in this installment! The characters have definitely matured even if they do make some stupid mistakes like keeping away from each other when they're clearly in love. I always thought that I was more of a Team Pietr but I think I'm switching teams to Team Max, I just can't get enough of this cool kid! He's such a player but he's got this contagious personality that you just can't resist, I've fallen prey to this big bad wolf :P ( pun intended). Jessie is growing a little wiser with every chapter and I like her persistent nature, the fact that she's hurt but she hasn't given up all together on Pietr. Catherine is as cute as ever, I wish she was my BFFL ;P Pietr...what can I say, he's a sweetie and I can't wait to see what happens between him and Jessie in Bargains and Betrayals!

Lastly Delany writes beautifully, I would think this is one of the reasons I love her novels. She's got a great "teen" voice and reading her novels are an adventure in itself! I was hanging onto each word, captivated by the strong narrative voice and the fantastic flow of her words! Delany is definitely one of the few others who really get right "into" her characters. Jessie is clearly portrayed and that's what makes this a great series, the writing really brings out the best of the novel!

Well, famous last words? You won't be disappointed! 13 to Life was great, Secrets and Shadows was great and I'm sure Bargains and Betrayals will be great ( see a trend)! Fantastic tension, lots of drama for the drama junkies. An epic romance that's filled with passionate kisses and sizzling chemistry and a cliff-hanger ending that's completely captivated me! Love the paranormal? You won't regret this series!

Rating - 4/5

Badass Bookie xx

1 comment:

  1. I totally love this series! It was one of my faves of 2010 as well! From cover to finish I loved it all! Great review!

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