Review : Shadows by Paula Weston

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Shadows (The Rephaim #1)
Author : Paula Weston
Publisher : Text Publishing
Publication Date : July 2nd 2012
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It’s almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn.

And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams—he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense. Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth—and that the truth is more likely to be found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly, who can she trust?

Fast-paced and gripping, Shadows, the first book in the Rephaim series, is a standout paranormal romance for fans of Richelle Mead and Cassandra Clare.
Personal Thoughts

For months now I've been hearing about what a great book Shadows by Paula Weston is from close blogger friends of mine. I kept putting off because I haven't had much luck with angel books with the exception of Angelfall by Susan Ee. I finally decided to give in to all those positive reviews one weekend and I was blown away by how much I ended up loving Shadows.

Shadows presents us to a cast of characters that are extremely well-developed. Gaby, the protagonist, lost her twin brother Jude in a brutal accident. When Rafa, a boy who appeared in her nightmares comes to town, her life is thrown upside down. She is propelled into a world of angels. I loved Gaby as a main character. She started off as a naive character, but by the end of the book, she had overcome her fears and had become one of the most kick-ass characters I've ever come across. At the start of the story, Gaby was battling with the intense grief that came with the loss of her twin. This grief soon turned into confusion as Rafa came into her life telling her that her memories have been wiped away. Her emotions felt genuine and almost tangible. I loved having this book written in her POV because she was such a great main character. Gaby was also the sort of girl who didn't mince her words and I loved her brutal honesty. Gaby's growth into this level-headed, strong character was one of the highlights of Shadows for me. What I liked about the author's portrayal of this main character was that she wasn't flawless. She made mistakes along the way, but she was the kind of young woman who knew how to learn from her mistakes.

Rafa, the love interest, was another favorite character of mine in this book. He was one cocky, arrogant boy,  but not to the point of rude. From time to time, he allowed his sweet and caring side to appear and it was a treat for me as a reader. Rafa was such an intriguing character and I just wanted to peel off the layers of mystery that surrounded him and to get to know him better. Slowly, over the course of the book, the author did help the readers unravel his character and it was an absolute delight. Rafa also had this charm to his character that made me want to constantly swoon over him. There is still a lot more to learn about his personality and I can't wait for more of him in the next installments of the series. Shadows also had a fantastic set of secondary characters who immediately grappled at my heart, especially Gaby's best friend, Maggie and Jason. The author made sure that the main character and the love interest weren't the only ones who were well fleshed-out. She didn't leave the secondary characters to the side and I could tell from their distinct personalities.

The world building in Shadows was also strong and well-developed. As the story progressed, the reader slowly got to know more about the Rephaim and how they came to be. I liked that there wasn't any info dump, which is always a risk when it comes to world-building in YA paranormal books. Paula Weston's world building was also quite creative and I loved getting to know everything about the angels and the half-angels. There were definitely some unanswered questions in this book, but because this is the first book in the series, I'm convinced that they will be slowly answered as the series progresses. The plot too was very entertaining. It revolved around Gaby having to save her kidnapped best friend, Maggie. Although that might seem like a typical story line used in YA paranormal books, Paula Weston added her own twist by having unpredictable revelations sprout out during Gaby's quest. I loved how there were twists and turns that I couldn't foresee, which made reading Shadows all the more exciting for me.

The romance was the slow-burn kind that developed slowly from an intense attraction between Rafa and Gaby. It was hinted that they had some kind of history, not romantic though, but we didn't get to see much of that. I wanted to know a bit more of their history, but the priority of this book was the plot line and the world-building. I am, however, hoping that we get too see what Rafa and Gaby were like together before the whole incident that wiped Gaby's memories. The writing though was the best part of Shadows. I've heard so much about the beauty of Australian authors' writing. This is only the second book by an Australian author that I'm reading and I'm convinced that they are from a completely different planet! Paula Weston's writing was gorgeous. The depiction of Gaby's grief and the description of the setting in the beginning was mind-blowing and was what made me continue this book impatiently. I can't wait to read more from her.

A YA paranormal book that stands out in the genre because of the gorgeous writing, fabulous characters and unexpected plot twists, Shadows is one of my favorite books that I've read this year. I need the next book and possibly the whole series right away!

Rating

Cover : 3/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5

**Overall Rating : 4.5/5**