Review: Secrets and Shadows

Secrets and Shadows

Shannon Delany

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Release Date: February 15, 2011

Pages: 320

Source: Author

Ratings: 5 Stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

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' 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 to free their mother - and those who Jess thought to be normal people show themselves to be much, much more...

I didn’t think it was possible for me to love this book series anymore than I already did, and then came along Secrets and Shadows. I loved 13 to Life so much, but Secrets and Shadows blew my mind. Shannon Delany has written an amazing sequel that will leaving you wanting more!

There is so much I want to say about this book but just do not know how to put into words. Shannon Delany literally takes you on such a ride on this book. The story picks you up and does not let go until literally the last page. And boy, does she know how to play with your emotions, especially when it comes to Pietr and Jess’s relationship. I literally loved every minute of reading this book. I could not put it down until I got to the end.

So much happened in this book that I felt was extremely important to the series as a whole. I do not want to spoil anything that happens but a lot of big stuff goes down. Like A LOT! Even though a lot happened in this book, it did not feel like so much happened that it was impossible to comprehend everything going. Every thing flowed so well that when things were revealed they just clicked into place. The story flowed so well, it felt like I was reading for such a short amount of time when I got to the end but really hours had passed I was so engrossed in the story.

I have to say, I loved the character progression in this book. All the characters from the first book all grew and more of the secondary characters in the first book became major players in this book. I really liked learning more about each of the Rusakovas, especially Max. I became a huge fan of Max after this book. In the first book, I loved Pietr, I still love him to death, but Max really grew on me in this book and I love him for other reason than I love Pietr. I really loved what Shannon did with Derek, he became a very important person in this book, and not just because Jess liked him. And Sarah. Ugh. I never really liked her in 13 to Life, but in this book, she is just horrible. I do not want to talk to much about Jess and Pietr because I feel I will let something spoilery slip and I don’t want to do that. But I love their relationship, I was really glad Jess finally admits that she does not like Pietr being with Sarah. There are some really great scenes between Pietr and Jess, even if they are not what I wanted to occur.

There were so many great scenes in Secrets and Shadows, but my favorite has got to be the Halloween/Birthday party at the Rusakovas’ house. This scene was just perfect. A lot of great things happened, their was tension, and Max being, well, Max. Definitely my favorite scene in the entire book.

AND THE ENDING! Boy. Does Shannon Delany know how to write an ending that leaves you wanting more. I’m not always a fan of cliff hanger endings, but this one got it completely right. I was literally in shocked speechless by the end of the book.

This book was awesome. I was so involved and so engrossed in reading it. I wanted to laugh, scream, cry, and hug parts of this book. This book far surpassed anything I was expecting. I am completely in love with it, even more so then the first book. Even though I have a signed ARC of this book, I’m still going to be picking up a finished copy of Secrets and Shadows when it is released. In fact, I have it pre-ordered.  Now if only it were August so I could read Bargains and Betrayals.