Day 388 - Rising Shadow

Rising Shadow

Jacquelyn Wheeler

Series or Stand Alone: Book one in the Soterian series

Release Date: September 2009

Publisher: Jacquelyn Wheeler

Pages: 378

Author Site: http://www.soterians.com/Home.html

My Rating: 3.25/5

Source: Copy provided by author

Synopsis [from createspace.com]:

Ashlyn Woods just transferred to one of the most beautiful campuses on the west coast, where she can't wait to start her life over as a normal college student. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she discovers that she is a Soterian: a person who develops amazing powers when the balance of good and evil shifts too far in evil's favor.

Soon she and the other Soterians are studying martial arts and learning to use their powers to prevent California from being plunged into chaos. But they quickly discover that they're up against a much more dangerous enemy than they anticipated.

And when Ashlyn meets Kai, a devastatingly gorgeous guitar player, she realizes she must sacrifice more than she ever imagined.

Review:

RISING SHADOW incorporates a fun and unique twist to its paranormal theme. Ashlyn and the characters she meet are all college-aged and have much more in common then just attended the same school or living in the same area. They are all part of a team called the Soterians. Ashlyn must find a way to make friends, pass all her classes, not be homesick, and save the world with newly discovered powers before the balance between good and evil tips too much in evil's favor.

I like the fact that in Ashlyn's world no one can ever truly defeat evil...however the balance can be returned to it's rightful place. The Soterians must discover who is behind the source and an interesting fact is that the villians are not paranormal "bad-guys" that need an obscene amount of magic skill or what-not to overcome.While the villians in this story are absolutely tough to beat they are surprisingly realisitc - i.e. politicians and terrorists. It was a nice and refreshing change to evil vampires or rogue hunters, etc.

I was also quite fascinated with the Soterian powers that Jacquelyn came up with. How the Soterian team works and what powers belong to which character. I freely admit it was one of the best and most fun parts about the book. One thing I wasn't quite feeling in the book was Ashlyn and Kai's relationship and how fast it seemed to develop. I'm all for falling in love quickly, I mean I of all people understand that you can't control your feelings or how fast they can develop. However, I would have liked to see their relationship actually develop and blossom. I think I would have appreciated their feelings a little bit more.

Overall I had a lot of fun reading RISING SHADOW, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the next installment into the Soterian world.