Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Review: Secrets and Shadows by Shannon Delany

Title: Secrets and Shadows
Author: Shannon Delany
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Publish Date: February 15, 2011
Genre: YA, paranormal
Pages: 320
Series: 13 to Life
1. 13 to Life (review)
2. Secrets and Shadows
3. Bargains and Betrayals (August 16, 2011)
4. Destiny and Deception (January 31, 2012)

Synopsis:
Nothing’s simple when you run with werewolves. Jess Gillmansen thinks she’s seen it all but her eyes are about to be opened to even more danger and a reality far more paranormal than she’s suspected. With Jess’s realization that the Rusakovas’ mother is still alive and imprisoned, the group’s choices become harder and trust more important. Lines are drawn and relationships change as the broken Rusakova family struggles to reunite long enough to free their mother and people who Jess always just took to be normal people show themselves to be much, much more.

***Warning, SPOILERS if you haven't read 13 TO LIFE yet!***

In the time between reading 13 TO LIFE and this, I think I forgot how much I loved Shannon Delany’s werewolves and her writing. In this book, there is so much going on for poor Jessie. There’s the CIA, the Rusakova’s mother in captivity, the Russian Mafia, Derek’s sudden interest in Jess, and worst of all, Pietr’s silence. It’s an emotional book, especially through Jessie’s eyes. And it doesn’t help that things just keep getting weirder.

As soon as I started this book and realized what Jess was going through, my heart was hurting. And it hurt throughout much of the book, too. I was so frustrated with the way Pietr was treating Jess. He was practically shoving her into Derek’s waiting arms, and it made me so sad! I just wanted to see Pietr and Jess together. Derek is a whole other can of worms. I don’t want to tell you much about him, but weird things keep happening involving him, and he’s not just your average high school jock.

Then there’s Wanda, the CIA agent undercover as a librarian, who’s also preventing the Rusakova’s from seeing their mother, and who’s ALSO dating Jess’s dad. Yeah. She was an interesting character in this book because she’s kind of a messenger between the Rusakova’s and the CIA. She’s clearly on the side of the CIA, but also wants to protect Jessie the way she thinks she needs to be protected, which is of course very different from the was Jess feels. As much as I liked Wanda for the role she played at the end of 13 TO LIFE, I really didn’t like her in this book. I sympathized with her, but I really didn’t like her. Don’t worry, though, I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing.

This book packs in just as much mystery, action, and romance as the first. Along with that, the reader gets to enjoy Shannon’s wonderful writing as she throws you from one intense situation to the next. Based on the way this book ended, I can’t imagine what will come next for these characters! BARGAINS AND BETRAYALS drops onto shelves today, and I can't wait to get myself a copy.

buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery

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