Review: Shadows / Author: Paula Weston / Publisher: Indigo / Release Date: Out Now
There are plenty of urban fantasy novels pitched at young adults out there, and it is perhaps a predictable consequence of a market stuffed full of vampires and werewolves that the next big thing would be the antithesis of those trusty standbys. Or put it another way, these days the shelves are stuffed full of books about angels.
Shadows concerns a young girl called Gaby who is plagued by nightmares about slaying demons. As the story progresses, Gaby discovers a world of shadows, in which the battle for good and evil is waged. At its heart, this is a romance novel with spunky female heroine who knows how to take down a monster or three. It has a decent supporting cast who actually behave like normal people rather than your typical stilted YA heroes. It’s a nice story, packed with weirdness and some interesting ideas, and though there isn’t anything particularly mind-blowing here, it does come together very well.
Weston writes in an easygoing, straightforward style, and, bar the occasional unwieldy info-dump, the book is a page turner – bubblegum for the brain, but bubblegum with plenty of tang. If you want an exciting story about a world in which angels are real and how that changes everything, check out Lou Morgan’s Blood and Feathers. If you’re happy to settle for an undemanding read which you can finish on a long journey, or you like your angels with a touch of romance, then try this.
