Book Review: Shadows, by Ilsa J. Bick @ilsajbick

Shadows kept my adrenaline pumping, just as Ashes did, but the gruesome descriptions also left me a bit queasy! This review may contain some spoilers from Ashes... so you have been warned.

It hasn't been that long since I read Ashes, but I still had some difficulty remembering all the characters that came back in Shadows. I made a list of character names, the old and the new, which helped. After the first couple chapters, this wasn't a problem any more.

The story is told from several different perspectives, but I don't want any spoilers, so I'm going to be vague about just whose perspectives we are given.

Alex has to go through much in her quest to find Tom. Chris finds out a lot about the Rule compound and the way it is being run, and let's just say it is rather shocking. I didn't expect it, but after finding out, it makes sense -- dreadful as it is. We get to learn more about some of the people outside of Rule, and what they are doing to survive and possibly solve the mystery of The Changed. It is also extremely shocking.

People get killed. A lot. Every death is gruesome and precisely described, so much so, that at times I dreaded picking the book up again because I knew I was going to lose my appetite. There were very few breaks from these grisly descriptions, and I found myself very anxious to get finished with Shadows. This was NOT a pleasant read.

But, I was compelled to finish. I needed to know what happens. The end is spectacular, and of course, leaves questions about who has survived.

If you like to munch while reading, this book probably won't work for that. If you are trying to cut down on how much you are eating, Shadows would be great! Seriously, I've never been so grossed out by an entire book. Usually there are gross parts in a book. But this book is entirely macabre.

I would recommend Shadows. It's compelling, and sucks you into this horrible world. The characters are well described, although there aren't many that I really "liked." I will definitely need to read the conclusion. I'm hooked, no matter what my stomach has to go through.

I already have one student waiting for Shadows -- she's just finishing Ashes. I know there will be more.

Published by Egmont, September 25, 2012
ARC won from Bewitched Bookworms!
528 pages

Rating: 4/5

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