Review: Series that greatly grew on me
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 12, 2013
"The Shadow and the Rose" by Amanda DeWees is the first in her Ash Grove Chronicle series, a supernatural story for young adults and young at hearts. Teenager Joy comes to Ash Grove, a boarding school for the artistically talented. In one brief encounter with model Tristan/ Tanner she falls for the good looking young man and he seems to be taken with her too, but he is under the influence of succubus Melisande.The story of innocent first love against the evil forces of Melisande however has more dimensions than just a rivalry between two women about a man. The setting in a school for the gifted and the presence of supermodels with perfect bodies brings in the issues of self-worth and self-belief, self-defining and trust - all important themes and the delicate and sensitive handling of these issues make the book a worthwhile read."Casting Shadows": In Book 2 Pregnant Joy and her boyfriend Tanner, both still at school, have their hands full with fighting off interference to their life from parents, ex-boyfriends, problems in their circles of friends, school authorities and some mysterious supernatural being that one day shows up at their place as doppelganger of Tanner.In the previous book a succubus used her negative energy to corrupt Tanner and there is a fear that the unborn baby may also have been affected, especially when the baby seems much bigger than it should be.The storyline wavers occasionally between the supernatural and the romantic chick lit genre but nevertheless it always keeps the interest of the reader and is entertaining. The dialogue is very realistic and smooth and the setting at the backdrop of rock bands and young pop culture is also very convincing and colourful.This is an entertaining read."Among the Shadows" by Amanda DeWees is the third part in this series about Ash Grove, a school for models, musicians and other talented youth. The book excels through an intriguing change of direction with the ambitious and greatly executed introduction of the concept of an 'alternate reality' / change of the timeline.Tanner, a hunky and beautiful model, just became a father and was about to marry his young sweetheart Joy when suddenly neither she nor her family and friends even recognise him. Fighting to get the love of his life back he becomes seen as a stalker and ends up in prison. The following attempts to change the world back to how it was before the interference comes with high risks.There is some suspense in the book but it is more subtle and the author focuses much more on the characters and the impact of the changes that have occurred and their takes on it, particularly Joy's father StevenI love how the author blends young adult romance with this paranormal twist and how serious issues such as body image and real love are always at least somewhere in the background. Despite the supernatural aspect of the story the plot is slow and carefully developed and moved along in harmony with the personal developments rather than hastily pushing them forward; yet it never slumps. DeWees gives her characters depth and time to evolve.I found several great lines in the dialogue and well written conversations that I would like to quote in the future, one in particular about soul mates and real love. The characters have grown with the series and did not stagnate where they were in the first book. DeWees has matured in her writing and accomplished a well written, thoughtful and very entertaining book