Saturday, October 28, 2017

Shadow Stalker by Renee Scattergood


Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Brief Synopsis:
A young shadow stalker is destined to enslave the people of the Serpent Isles, and the Galvadi Empire want this child of prophecy dead. Auren Trasks perfectly normal life is disrupted when the Galvadi invade, and she learns a startling secret about her past. A secret that will change her life forever.

Auren has literally lived a fairly protected life. She has lived with her step-father Kato whose job was to protect her. Protect her from what?  Ahhh… there are so many secrets that slowly unfold.  Auren like a lot of teens rebels against her step-father. When their land is invaded Kato whisks her away where she learns who and what she truly is. He trains her harder. This of course makes the tension greater.  The author leaves you asking so many questions as she complicates Auren’s life.  The world building the author has done is extraordinary.  For me I loved the fact that this is written as a series.  I loved how real Auren’s character felt.  Her teen behavior is spot on.  This book grabs you from the very beginning. I am always telling my students that when they write, their hook must grab the reader or else they have lost them from the very beginning. Scattergood’s story hooks you so well you can’t help but go along for the ride. The pacing is nice. We watch Auren change and grow in so many ways. She had created characters that you both love and hate. Kato was one of those characters.  I loved how protective he was of her, but really hated the way he demonstrated his protection at times.  If describing this book to my students, which I will, I would tell them that the scenes are electrifying.  I could picture this book as a movie in my head. The tension is tight enough you want to hold your breath to see what will happen next.  Although I received a copy of this first book to review, I have purchased #2 and #3.  I can’t wait to read them.  Well done Renee Scattergood.

You can visit her author website here.

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