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Monday, July 29, 2013

Shadows (The Rephaim # 1) by Paula Weston *some spoilers*

Format: eARC, 400 pages.
Publisher: Tundra Books (Paula's U.S. Publisher)
Publication Date: September 10, 2013
It's almost a year since Gaby Winters watched her twin brother die. In the sunshine of a new town her body has healed, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn't help that every night in her dreams she fights and kills hell-beasts. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who's been appearing in Gaby's dreams, he tells her things about her brother and her life that cannot be true, things that are dangerous. Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And who is Gaby? The truth lies in the shadows of her nightmares.




Thank you Tundra books for my electronic version of Shadows via NetGalley


Shadows is a swift, sexy, and exciting novel. At first I was a bit wary because the book started with our protagonist Gabby having horrible nightmares, and cases of paranoia and after reading Deceived by Julie Anne Lindsey, I was afraid I was walking into the same thing. Boy, was I wrong. I couldn't put the book down, and by the end of it I was dying for more. 

My only word of caution is that this is not a children's book. I say this because there is a lot of profanity and sexual situations. 



1) The dialogue in this novel really stood out for me. It was witty, funny, sexy, and sounded very natural. Honestly, it was difficult not to highlight all of the dialogue in this book because it was just so great. The only thing that could have made it better is if the characters were real and I could physically watch and listen to them interact. *crosses fingers for movie deal*

2) The plot: It was really fast-paced, never allowing a dull moment. The scenes without any action sequences didn't feel bland or boring. I never wanted to rush ahead or skip anything. I thrived off all the details of the plot. 

Secondly, there is a lot of detail in this novel but not enough that it was overwhelming because it was well spread out through it's 384 pages (at least in the version I had). The detail accommodated all of the many characters, plot twists, and events of the book. If you've read my other reviews, you know that I hate it when an author incorporates too many characters that I don't feel add anything to the plot. You won't find that in this book. 

3) This novel is sexy, and not in the romance novel/porn way, but there was real chemistry and sensuality between the characters in this book. Even before the main couple emerges. 

4) I'm not big on vulgarity but in the case of this novel, I feel like it really works. It's not overkill where it feels like the author is trying to hard, but it's not underdone to the point where you think the author is intentionally avoiding any kind of curse or profanity. But on a side-note, it's not for the kiddies or anyone who has a problem with blasphemy. 


1)  In comparison to how face-paced and intense the whole book was, I felt that the ending was unfulfilling. It just ended. Maybe I'm asking too much but after going through the roller coaster of this book, I wanted more satisfaction at the end.  

"How do you know this stuff?"

"I studied religion for a year."

"You did not."

He flicks through the pages, head down. "I got mixed messages about religion when I was younger. I wanted to find out a few things for myself. A year was enough. It's not like I went into the seminary." He gives Maggie a quick smile. "It was just a couple of subjects at uni."

Maggie is sitting on the tables, seining her legs. "I think it's sexy."

"Wow," I say. "Religion as foreplay."
"Gabe," Rafa says, and I bite my lip. "I know. I'll take care of it." He leans closer. His T-shirt is twisted between my fingers. "It's been a long time since you asked me for anything. I'm not going to fuck it up."

"Any chance you could ease up on being an arsehole for a while as well?"

"That I can't promise."
I like the way he says "we." Like there's no option except the two of us doing this together.
"So why wouldn't Gabe forgive you?" I hate talking about myself in the third person, but I have to: she's not me.

His fingers lightly brush my skin. "I told you," he says, "you and me, we haven't been on good terms for a long time. So if I took advantage of the fact you don't remember why, and then you got your memory back…" He gives me a grim smile. "You'd probably make a coin purse out of my balls.

"Nah," I say lightly, like his rejection doesn't sting. "I'd want something big enough to carry more than five-cent pieces."

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