Review: Interesting premise with some great twists, but drags in the middle and has a bit too much lecturing on right and wrong
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 31, 2012
I was asked by the author to read this book in exchange for an honest review.Shadow Eyes by Dusty Crabtree introduces an interesting premise: Iris Kohl, a teenager, has a creepy secret-- she can see shadows around people, particularly when they are tempted to do something evil. She has not told anyone this secret because people would think she was crazy, right? The rest of the book is about figuring out what all of this means.What I liked: the premise is good and the protagonist is overall engaging. The prose is pretty straightforward and easy to read, and the twists at the end are fun.That said, I had some issues with this book. First, this interesting premise was introduced on the first few pages and then we muddle around for about 200 pages before we get to figure out the mystery. All of the secrets are revealed at the end and not paced throughout the text, which makes it hard to keep interest throughout. Second, I felt that I was getting lectured to in church about what was bad (stealing, doing drugs, having premarital sex, etc) and what was good (someone who doesn't do any of that and has a light shining around them). My sister just did a rant on my blog about authors who have a particular agenda and message that overwhelms the book, and I think this happened in this one. Lastly, I had some trouble with the descriptions in the book-- many times, I thought her phrasing was pretty cliched.Overall, I think that this book started with promise and ended with promise, but the middle dragged with some intense lecturing about right and wrong.