Shadows by Paula Weston (Review)

Genre:	Paranormal, Angels,YA
Publication Date:	September 10, 2013
Pages:	400
Published By:	Tundra Books
Website	Shadows on Goodreads
	Paula Weston
My review copy:	From Random House Canada for honest review

Where to get:

It's almost a year since Gaby Winters watched her twin brother die. In the sunshine of a new town her body has healed, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn't help that every night in her dreams she fights and kills hell-beasts. And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who's been appearing in Gaby's dreams, he tells her things about her brother and her life that cannot be true, things that are dangerous. Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And who is Gaby? The truth lies in the shadows of her nightmares.
(Goodreads)

  Somebody shoot me, please.  I haven't given anyone a second glance since well before the accident.  And here I am blushing because this guys happens to resemble someone I see in my increasingly violent dreams.

  He kisses me back, but he's not really committed.   It's like he's waiting for something,  I run my fingers over his arms, pull him to me.  His grip tightens on my hair and his arm comes around my waist.  He's not waiting anymore.

'All right,  Let's pretend I have this whole other life I know nothing about.  And that Angels really were kicked out of heaven because they couldn't keep it in their pants.  Why would I be looking for their leader if he and the rest of them are in hell?'

The thought comes again.  I can't die.  This isn't about killing me   this is about hurting me.  And by thrashing I'm making Malachi's job easier. 

   Angel books used to be one of my favourites, and the overpopulation started... Then love triangles started to become a pillar in them, and really it went downhill from there. However, after reading a sparkling review from Joy from Joyous reads (who is harder on the Angel genre than I), I knew that I had to give this book a go. Turns out the book is spectacular and I wish I had picked it up a long time ago. There is some sort of magic worked throughout the pages and Weston completely captivated me from start to finish. Her writing went above anything I had expected and created a hit, in an often miss genre.

   What I believe makes this book is the unique take without a triangle, that didn't hesitate to take its own path. Certainly Weston knew that we were all beyond the triangle, and were looking for something of substance in this genre. I don't even know how to describe the plot without killing it for you. It was to say the least wonderfully paced and had exceptional world building. Those things alone give the book a great edge, but the story behind it all topped it off for me. Everything just flowed in together and was easy to fall into and power through without stopping.

   I am not hesitant to say that I loved Gaby. She is strong, independent and has a brain. I am not saying that there aren't characters out there with them, but when it comes to angels it seems that females brains simply fly away. Not in stupidity I supposed, but more that they forget to question things and form their own opinion. Heck, Gaby has proof of many things and she still finds ways to question it. Some may find this annoying but there was a lot for this girl to try and figure out, and honestly without the questions she would have been like many others that have come before her. There aren't really any moments I can recall rolling my eyes at her, or any moments that I thought she was a complete idiot. She was not a perfect character but she was well rounded.

   There is a hesitancy in saying Rafa wasn't a typical love interest. There are moments where he could have been but at the same time I often found him predictable. He hid things but of course he hid things because if he didn't it would have made for one quick and boring read. He wanted to protect Gaby, but in doing so he did what all guys hiding things do... He drove her to do the things that he didn't want her to. You can't expect the girl to do anything else. There was no way he was going to get away with these things, guy in her dreams or not. I would however like these two as a couple, and some of the scenes made me wish that the book would make the cross over from young adult to new adult.

   Shadows is not your typical Angel read by any means. Paula Weston did a phenomenal job creating this spectacular read. It's a shining star in a genre that has sadly gotten too cliché and stuffed with triangles. There is much to love as you can see from above, but also the unmentioned witty and highly amusing banter. If you have mostly given up on angels give this baby a try and surely your mind will be changed. If you are already a fan you are going to LOVE this! I look forward to the next book in the series and am glad the wait is not too long.