Shadowlands (Shadowlands)

by Kate Brian

[kimbacaffeinate]

I am not going to lie; I was drawn to Shadowlands because of the beautiful cover. The synopsis led me to believe this would be a thriller, but Kate Brian blew my mind! From page one the author grabbed my attention and held me completely enthralled. My palms were sweating and I stopped frequently to share my thoughts with anyone who would listen. The tale was, dark, suspenseful, brilliantly done with an ending that left me speechless.

From the synopsis we know that Rory Miller, her father and sister Darcy all end up in witness protection because Steven Nell a serial killer who has killed fourteen girls wants to finish the job. He attempted to kill Rory with her golden hair but she escaped. From the moment they set out for Juniper Landing my palms began to sweat and the tale that unfolds was brilliant as a girl goes missing in this oasis by the sea and Rory begins to suspect that something is very wrong.

Rory is the youngest sibling, and from the onset we see some of the difficulty she has encountered in her young life. She is both sweet and caring. Since the attack she has been experiencing nightmares, feels like someone is watching her and doing her darndest to make the best of a bad situation. Darcy is a typical, selfish teenager concerned mostly with; “me, myself and I” however she does have her moments. Their Dad has been an absentee father since their mother’s death five years ago, but life at the beach has him acting like his old self. The local teens on the island are friendly despite their clicky-ways and their interest in Rory is odd. Steven Nell is obsessed with Rory and downright creepy!

What made Shadowlands an over the top five cups of Kopi Luwak coffee out of five for me was the unbelievable world building. Brian had me off kilter from the first pages, when I mistakenly thought Steven was waiting for his lover in the woods. You know that creepy music in a movie that lets you know something bad is going to happen? Well, it played none stop in my head. As Rory began to question things, I knew something was off, something was wrong but I could not quite place it and when I did: totally mind shattering moment! When the author confirmed it, I sat back and admired the sheer brilliance of it all. I loved the pacing, the author's ability to take you from a nightmare to tender moment with the stroke of her pen. This is a book you will want to talk about from fellow book lovers to complete strangers. My poor in-laws and hubby had to adore my outbursts as I rapidly tried to explain what the author was doing to me, to the characters..Eek gads! This is a must read peeps!
Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer