Shadow Bloodlines by Andrea R. Cooper Pages: 263
Published by Createspace Independent Pub on April 30, 2016
Series: Shadow Bloodlines #1
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy & Magic, Paranormal
Source: ecopy from Author
I didn’t know I was a shifter until the hunters found me…
When eighteen-year-old Beth receives a mysterious text from her deadbeat father not to go to school, why should she listen to him now? But when strangers show up in one of her classes hunting her and wanting her dead, she must uncover the truth about why and what exactly she is.
Amar has been entombed in stone for centuries. He longs for freedom and only the blood of a shifter will set him free. After centuries frozen as a gargoyle, he doubts there are many of his kind left. Yet, Beth rescues him and more than his responsibility to protect her fills him. He must choose between duty and love.
Before the race of hunters capture her, Beth and Amar must find her shifter dad in order to save all their lives.
Shadow Bloodlines is the first book in the young adult series by the same name by author Andrea R. Cooper. This is my first book by Andrea and I have to say, I am impressed with her ability to create an engaging world that felt fresh to me, even though I have read the concept dozens of times in young adult novels. I liked her take on shifters, and I loved that this book features a gargoyle. (I am not going to lie- that was at least 70% of the reason that I picked this book up. It is a creature that fascinates me and I don’t get to read a lot about.) Shadow Bloodlines is a series that I want to continue.
The set up for Shadow Bloodlines in one that I am sure we have all read about before- teenage girl has a secret about her past and her families past concealed from her from birth, and once she finds out about it, she is set off on a whirlwind adventure. But don’t let that deter you, if done right, this is a trope that I really enjoy. And Shadow Bloodlines is done right. I was immediately sucked into Beth and Amar’s story. Beth comes from a shifter family, but unlike other books I have read- her shifter father is no where in the picture. Normally when the parents are hiding a secret from their kid, they go out of their way to be overly protective all the time- not completely absent from their lives. It was an interesting twist on the story. The biggest twist of all comes from the way the shifters are depicted. In the Shadow Bloodlines universe, present day shifters can no longer actually shift into their chosen animal. That power has eroded over time, but instead they are left with abilities, traits and powers unique to their shifter animal. That was a very cool take on the shifter idea for me.
As for the other aspects of Shadow Bloodlines, like the characters, pacing, and plot development, I was equally impressed. There are no over the top perfect characters- both Beth and Amar felt like real people- flaws and all. The plot held my attention all the way through and I am very excited to see what is going to come next. Amar was exactly the way I like my gargoyles too- stoic and protective. I do want some more romance in the second book though. (I don’t see that as being a problem though! 😉 )
Bottom line: If you like paranormal books that have all the elements of a classic paranormal that you love, with new and interesting twists thrown in, the Shadow Bloodlines series is a great one for you. It has romance, adventure, mystery, and some seriously awesome bad guys. (I didn’t even talk about the bad guys because I think they are only going to get cooler in the second book, and I figured I talk about them in my next review.) I need book 2 in my life right now.
@BookBriefs reviews Shadow Bloodlines by @AndreaRCooper & recs it to people looking for a new twist on shifter YA Click To Tweet
About Andrea R. Cooper
What happened that ignited the writing flame in her fingers? Divorced, and disillusioned by love songs and stories. They exaggerate. She thought. Love and Romance are not like that in the real world. Then she met her husband and realized, yes love and romance are exactly like the songs and stories say. She is now a happy wife, and a mom to three kids (two boys and a girl).
Once she heard about a writer who never let her characters deviate from the script. If they did, she just killed them. How sad, she thought. For her one of the best parts of being a writer is letting the characters have a mind of their own and seeing where the story takes them.
Andrea writes fantasy, paranormal, and historical romance. When not writing or reading, one may find Andrea dancing in Zumba.
Sara Stevens
Thank you for this review. It sounds like a book I would like. It is a different take on shifters how they don’t shift but have the attributes. I like that. Adding this toy TBR. Thanks for reviewing and sharing this book!!