Shadow,
Shadow by V.B. Marlowe
(The
Shadow Pines Trilogy #1)
Publication
date: February 15th 2015
Genres:
Mystery, Paranormal, Young Adult
Shadow, Shadow by V. B. Marlowe is the first instalment in The Shadow Pines
trilogy and an amazing multi-faceted becoming-of-age novel about four school
students given four Shadow Boxes on their sixteenth birthday. They, Harley,
Teaghan, Gianna and Brock, are told that they have the power to remove one
person from their lives by giving them to the shadows, which need to feed. However,
they are later told that they must use the Shadow Boxes or someone close to
them will be killed/taken by the shadows.
The novel opens in the middle of an
action, giving immediate rise in tension from the first page and marking a
strong opening as we see Brock Ethan being arrested.
"Everyone was used to me being in trouble, but
Brock Ethan? He never did anything wrong."
Shortly after, Brock tells Harley to run
and she takes off. We are then transported back to events that happened nine months
earlier, when they first received the Shadow Boxes.
Narrated from the first person
perspectives of Harley and Teaghan, Marlowe contrasts the girls' lives and
choices. The author also sheds light on the Brock's and Gianna's choices and
struggles through these two characters.
Harley is a rebellious character, often
in trouble, grounded and into watching and writing horror movies. Her name
reminds me of a Harley Davidson bike, which I often feel she is like in terms
of making a statement. However, Harley has several problems and we see from the
first chapter that she lacks fatherly affection.
Her mother disappeared and her father
remarried Amy, a cruel and unfair stepmother, from Harley's perspective at
least. Harley also has a trouble-making boyfriend, Nash, whom the reader
immediately dislikes and deems the perfect candidate to be given to the shadows.
"I hadn't heard from Nash all week. That was
typical with him. He called when he felt like it, and most of the time when I called
him, he didn't answer his phone."
From the first chapters, we see how,
despite her misfortunes and familial problems, Harley has more heart than any
of the other characters. She has a hard time deciding who she should trade to
the shadows, even though several options arise. She even cares for those who
have hurt her and takes her time to think of the consequences of "trading
lives".
Meanwhile, Teaghan is a geeky, lonely
character. She is an introvert and would rather spend her life reading in her
room; however, she is often picked on in school. Teaghan is the first to use
her Shadow Box, and bit by bit her character changes.
"Happiness was a mythical creature that visited
other people. I'd never seen it. Sometimes, I felt as if I was the only one who
hadn't."
Marlowe does a stellar job in contrasting characters, especially Harley
and Teaghan and later Gianna. I think she's done a splendid job with the
"show don't tell" in her novel. I couldn't help but constantly
compare and contrast the characters.
Another character, a sort of background
character is Ava-kaya. She doesn't appear often but she has a
major role to play as she is the one who first gives the students the Shadow
Boxes. We also never learn how she got all four boxes at the same time. She is
also the one with all the info about the shadows and Shadow Boxes, which she reluctantly
gives out to Harley bit by bit.
“The four of
you have been blessed with a great gift. Well, it’s a gift for you, but a curse
for someone else.”
I liked how the Shadow Boxes show the true nature of the characters. Teaghan,
for example, begins to appear in a new light to herself and to others.
Connected by the boxes, each character
is tested differently throughout the novel and given different motives and
motivations to use their Shadow Boxes. Brock and Gianna's struggles appear
towards the end but also shed light on their different characters.
"The greatest gift in the world. Trading is what
keeps the shadows appeased. It keeps the shadows in their place."
My only problem with the novel is that
the prologue or first chapter does not connect with the last, where we see a
new character called Michael that we've never encountered before. I don't feel
a thirteen-year-old would feel the depth of the characters but that could just
be me. (Blurb says for Ages 13 and up).
Both the narration and language are easy
to navigate and light, helping the novel's quick pace, along with short
chapters. The imagery, mostly similes, is well placed throughout the novel. Harley
is a sarcastic character and her sarcasm adds to the occasional comic relief.
Overall: 4.75/5 stars – only because the first
and last chapters didn't meet for me, but overall, I loved the novel and
couldn't put it down. I look forward to the remaining instalments in the trilogy.
I also liked the cover, which was cute
but mysterious at the same time.
Note: I free copy via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange
for an honest review.
It was a long way for German author Nadja Losbohm to publish her first
English book The Huntress, a matter dear to her heart. But since 14 December,
2014, the author’s birthday, the ebook-only story is available worldwide for
readers to experience “the most unique vampire
novel, that is none”, like a review says. 
