Shadowlands by Kate Brian
Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye.
Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?
As part of my new decision to review everything I read, I’m going to be letting my geek flag fly. I love YA. I really, really do. Kate Brian’s Private series is one of my favorites. Over the years I’ve read a few of her stand-alone novels as well as her Privileged series. Shadowlands is the start of yet another series.
I didn’t know all that much about this book before I got into it. I figured it’d be similar to Private and Privileged. I was not expecting things to take a … supernatural twist. Well, I guess the title is Shadowlands after all.
I really enjoy Kate Brian’s writing and Shadowland was no different. Her characters feel very life-like and altogether normal. She’s a fan (in most cases) of using the rather average, slightly self-deprecating protagonist. Because doesn’t every girl kind of feel like that inside?
That aside, this book was creepppyyyy. It’s about a girl named Rory who finds herself targeted by a serial killer. When she manages to escape, she and her family enter the witness protection program.
Unlike Brian’s other works, this is told in alternating viewpoints: Rory and the serial killer, Steven Nell. And Nell is creepy as anything. He reminds me of Hannibal Lecter. That level of creepy.
Also, I’d love to go to Juniper Landing and stay in the house her family goes to. The island sounds amazing and the house adorable. Even with the weird fog stuff.
It’s hard to talk about this book without giving away the twist. Because once you know the twist, it completely flips your perspective on everything.
Have you read Shadowlands? Or any of Kate Brian’s other books?
