Review/Giveaway - Shadow Eyes by Dusty Crabtree

Title: Shadow Eyes

Author: Dusty Crabtree

Series: Shadow Eyes #1

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Published: July 15^th 2012

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb

Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil. But she is the only one who can see them. She’s had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier.

Although she’s learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters. First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend.

As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be.

My Review

Shadow Eyes is a paranormal story with an emotional twist. We follow the life of Iris, who is doing her best to be a normal teenager. She goes to school, has friends and even flirts with boys. But there is one thing that she has that most teens don't have - the ability to see shadows. The way that the author describes it is similar to the movie “Ghost” (Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze) how the ghosts can attach to people and influence how they think. The dark shadows are evil, and those that have been touched by light are good.

On Iris's 14^th birthday, 3 years ago, a traumatic event changed her life forever. This secret is kept until the end of the book and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what happened. We are taken on an emotional journey into a normal life of a teenager, dealing with boys, friends and parties. Iris is one of the few that can see these shadows in her everyday life. They affect everyone around her, school friends, family and strangers in the streets. They affect the moods and actions of those people which in turn affect others. It is like the domino effect, it can pass into anyone.

Iris is a timid girl, she moved to Lafayette with her mum and sisters 3 years ago after the incident. She has only 2 friends at school, but is attracted to a guy in her science class. But the shadows influence everything and she double guesses herself constantly. She also has dreams that trouble her and she is finding it hard to understand.

There are new people who enrol at school that turn Iris’s life upside down. Kyra has a calming effect on Iris and always sees the good in people and leaves Iris with lots of questions. Iris is drawn to the new guy in her computer class Patrick, with his dirty blonde surfer hair, green eyes and perfect body... Just screams yum! They constantly flirt and try and fight the attraction.

I really connected with Iris, struggling through her own emotions and trying to deal not only with her life, but those close to her. Her mum and sisters have their own issues to deal with and she has no one to really turn to. Her new friend Kyra tries her best but Iris finds it hard to open up as she thinks people think that she is crazy.

I loved the depth of emotion Dusty put into Shadow Eyes. There are plenty of ups and downs not only for Iris but her family too, as everyone is affected by these shadows. It is a very intense plot as we deal with everything in a teenager’s life, and I couldn't put the book down as I wanted to know what was going to happen next! Shadow Eyes was left open for the next book..... So I have been left hanging!!!

About the Author

Dusty Crabtree has been a high school English teacher since 2006, a challenge she thoroughly enjoys. She is also a youth sponsor at Cherokee Hills Christian Church in Oklahoma City and feels very blessed with the amazing opportunities she has to develop meaningful relationships with teens on a daily basis. She resides with her husband, Clayton, in Yukon, Oklahoma, where they often serve their community as foster parents. Apart from the obvious reading and writing, she also enjoys serving on the praise team and drama team at church and watching movies. Shadow Eyes is Dusty’s first novel, but there will definitely be more to come!

Find Dusty online at:

Blog - http://dustycrabtree.wordpress.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dusty-Crabtree/266681443395939

Twitter - https://twitter.com/dustycrabtree

Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5625577.Dusty_Crabtree


Giveaway

Dusty has been kind enough to offer to giveaway a copy of Shadow Eyes for one lucky person!! Enter to win a copy for Christmas!!

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