Review: Shadows by Paula Weston

Shadows is the kind of thing that’s just up my alley.  A kick ass protagonist, nephilim, enough sexual tension to cut the cheese.  Wait, I think I’m getting my sayings mixed up…

At one point I shook my iPad and was all, “Do you or do you not have memory issues?!”  then I yelled, “You’re not my supervisor!” over and over again because it just felt right.

I know amnesia is complicated and how much memory is lost works on a case by case basis and all that jazz, but Rafa was dropping tantalizing hints and making vague statements all over the place.  Yet Gaby is so frustratingly incurious. I mean, his hints were pretty obvious, but most of the time she brushed them off as if every guy tries to pick up girls by implying things about the girl’s life and personality that clearly aren’t remembered.  Last guy trying to pick me up was totally like, “Hey, when are you going to do that thing you do with the tiger and the mayonnaise?” and I was all like, “I have no idea what this means, but he’s hot so… splooge.”

Here is one of many examples I could have picked from:

“You’re really going to keep this up?” he asks when I sit back down.

I have no idea what he’s getting at, and when I don’t answer, he leans in closer.

“What about if I do this?” He runs his fingers thought my hair, not quite far enough to discover the scar at the nape of my neck.  It feels good.  So good, I sigh.

Look, if a stranger is making vague insinuations that he knows something about you that you don’t know, due to the amnesia you are suffering from, then don’t get distracted by your goddamn flaming ugly bumpers!  Who does that?!

This is one of my only gripes about the novel.  If this frustrating exposition had been shorter and less annoying, then this novel would have gotten more stars for sure.  I’d probably be running around giving all the stars!  Especially since there’s all that intense sexual tension.  Everyone, you all know how much I love good sexual tension, right?  Of course you do.

In addition, this book had lots of violence and monsters.  Y’all also know how much I love violence and monsters, right?  Of course you do.  Well, this book is basically one big barrage of violence, monsters and sexual tension.  Giving it out like satanic commune.  Actually, they’ll give regular communion out to just anyone too.  I checked once.  It burned as it went down.  Add in the mystery and the world building, and you have a novel worth at least checking out.

It’s not the best Young Adult PNR I’ve ever read, but it’s still pretty good. So there you have it, three begrudgingly given stars.  What more could you ask for?