Review: In the Shadows by Julieanne Lynch

In the Shadows
by Julieanne Lynch

Published July 20th 2011 
by Strict Publishing International 
Kindle Edition, 298 pages 

Goodreads blurb:

"In The Shadows", the first of The Shadows trilogy, is an urban fantasy of vampires and the supernatural, and much, much more. In the shadows you will find lust and passion, battles for power and for blood, and death and fear around every corner. In the shadows you are carried away to an unknown future. Your destiny awaits, and you are no longer who you thought you were. You have a thirst, for blood perhaps, but a thirst for very much more than that.

Giselle was a normal girl with an attitude common to most girls of her age. Her family might not have been perfect (whose is?) but she loved them, and her future looked bright. She had an awesome best friend and a steady boyfriend, but how could she possibly have been so wrong about someone she loved? And how could she have been prepared for the darkness and for what she was to become? 

I missed reading a new YA vampire series, so I was thrilled when I got the chance to read In the Shadows! It was a good book, with an interesting and refreshing take on the vampire lore. (Julieanne talked about it and explained all the details in our interview HERE). Her vamps are dark, creepy, unpredictable, yet intriguing and they have a fascinating history. For that reason alone, this is a book not to be missed!

So "In the Shadows" is about Giselle, a 18 years old girl and her journey into a supernatural world she didn't even know existed, a world full of scary, powerful, creatures who drag her into their dark world without giving her any choice or chance to escape. 

Giselle had a normal teenage life. She was a high school senior, had a loving boyfriend, caring friends and big plans for her future, away from her little town and her distant parents. And suddenly, in just one night, she loses everything. Her boyfriend cheats on her, her best friend proves to be someone - something else, and she gets thrust into a dark, terrifying world full of evil creatures. And that’s not even the worst part – the real problem is that she becomes one of them – well, more or less – and she gets torn  in different directions, because she is supposed to fulfill a prophecy and change destinies and not everyone is happy about that. But she wants none of that, anyway, but suddenly she becomes the main target of all the nightmarish creatures who have big, hidden expectations from her, or who just want to finish her off, this time for good.

Agh, there are so many things going on in this book, I don’t even know what to say about the plot, since I don’t want to give away anything major! Suffice it to say that Giselle goes through a lot of painful changes and unfortunately there are not many people on her side to help her. Every time she can finally begin to trust someone and hope they' ll help her get through all the madness, they show their other face and their hidden reasons. She can’t trust any one. She can’t go back home to her family. She can’t hide. All she can do is to try her best to stay alive and to move forward. If only she knew what that 'forward' meant!

I really liked the cast of characters. They’re all mysterious and intriguing. Some of them are likeable and even charming, but some of them are downright frightening and/or annoying. Either way, they are an important part of the story and their unpredictability kept me on the edge of the seat the whole time. However, I had a bit of a hard time connecting with the main character. I don’t blame her for being scared, hurt, confused, brokenhearted, especially after everything she's going through,  but being depressed and whiny doesn't seem to help her situation either. I don’t know, I just wanted her to stand up for herself a bit more. She had it in her to be strong and face the enemy and not let herself being played by all the mean people surrounding her, and maybe she tried to do that eventually, but she also cried and complained a lot. So even if somehow her behavior makes sense, that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Anyway, that’s just me, don’t let my personal perception of the main character hold you for picking up the book! ;)

All in all, this is rich, captivating story that I recommend to all YA Urban Fantasy fans, especially if you like vamps and want something totally new and intriguing in your story! There's also a lot of action, twist and turns to keep you invested throughout all the book. A lot of things happen very fast and you never know what to expect. Of course, the romance is not missing, and that's a part of the story I'm especially interested in, because things ended up pretty badly and shocking in this first installment of the trilogy and I kind of have a book crush on one of the characters who really surprised me there at the end!:)) I can't wait for the next book!

*Thank you Julieanne Lynch and Roxanne @ Bewitching Blog Tours for sending me a review copy of the book!

P.S. I really wish this book was available in hardback! I love the cover and it would have looked nice on my shelf! Speaking of which, you can still enter our giveaway for e-copies of the book and pretty, personalized prizes HERE!

P.P.S. Don't forget to enter my other 3 giveaways, they are ending soon! (See the right sidebar)

xoxo