Rating: 4 out of 5
Favorite Quote: “I know exactly who I am. It’s everyone else who seems to be having a problem.”
Summary: It’s almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn.
And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams—he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense. Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth—and that the truth is more likely to be found in the shadows of her nightmares.
Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly, who can she trust?
Fast-paced and gripping, Shadows, the first book in the Rephaim series.
Review: I started reading this series because I craved a book that involved angels/demons. I don't know what it is about these type of story-lines, but they always seem to pull me in. I was a little nervous because the cover seemed a bit off. (I know. I know. We aren't suppose to "judge a book by its cover", but we all do it anyway.) It wasn't that the cover was necessarily ugly or bad, it just didn't seem to fit with the summary.
Don't worry, I sucked it up, and after reading a few chapters, I was like "Okay. Yes. Yes. I'm getting into it." The author does a great job of setting up the main character and establishing the mundane world before introducing the angelic world. Most books have a few chapters or a chapter where the protagonist is living out their everyday, normal life, but unlike other novels, I didn't feel rushed. I got to know Gaby, understand how she sees the world, and create my own opinion about her.
I especially appreciated the way Gaby's special "amnesia" played into the plot. Although, Gaby was learning and exploring this new world with us, she had a history with many of the characters. This allowed for a greater build-up of suspense, and allowed for an overall more satisfying story.
Last. but not least, the characters. If you have read any of my past reviews, you have noticed the emphasis I put on the importance of solid literary personalities. Gaby was easily relateable without being too unrealistically good. As much as I liked her, Raffe was my favorite character in this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed his complexity. At first, he seemed to be nothing more than stereotypical bad guy turned good, or bad boy with a heart of gold, but after finishing the novel, I see that giving him such a vapid label would be a cruel injustice.
