Customer Reviews

April Shadows (Shadows)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I used to be a VCA fan. I even stuck with the books after Neiderman started writing them, and helped run the biggest (at the time) internet fan club for her. I grew out of her books somewhere after the Melody series, and since then haven't read her books that often. However, this book caught my eye. "Dares to break all the rules"! That's what the cover said! So I picked it up, and hey- April is short, sensitive, and overweight. Well, that does indeed sound different, I think to myself. How nice it'll be to read a book with a chubby protagonist, I wondered how the issue of her size would be dealt with.

Well, let me say this: poorly. Very, very poorly. Throughout the entire book April does not once ever think anything nice about herself or her body. She's criticized constantly for her size, and she refuses to stand up for herself. It's not at all an exaggeration to say that at least once every five pages there is some mention of her being "overweight", "obese", "20 pounds too much" or some other phrase that points a negative view on herself. There's huge focus on her dieting and on her sister and father being angry with her for doing things like - oh my god - eating a meal! To say that I was disappointed in this book is an understatement. In a world where there are so many young girls with eating disorders and self esteem and self image issues, this book only goes to further perpetuate it all. It's funny, because I always laughed at the typical moaning of VCA's characters over their "bony collarbones", but at least those characters appreciated their bodies for what they were, in spite of their flaws.

There are other issues in this book - yes, there's a homosexual theme. Yes, it's predictable. There are so many stereotypes floating around in this book that it's ridiculous. Brenda, the jock lesbian. Peter, the Native American whose sole purpose in the story is to tell April about native lore and to "follow the wheel." Of course, there's the chubby April, who's fat because she's lazy and eats too much.

I would say that the one and ONLY positive part of this book is in the way that it deals with Brenda and Celia's relationship - very straightforward and without a lot of explaining. Their relationship just is what it is, and there's not a lot of controversy around it. (You may insert your own controversy if you wish..)

I stopped buying VCA books after Black Cat, and sold all of my VCA books that came after the Logan series. The only reason I read the April Shadows was because my roommate had both books, and since it was free... why not?

Even free, I still feel used and wasted. These two books are NOT VCA. Nowhere even close. April is not a good VCA name like Heaven, Dawn, or Ruby. The titles did not make sense. April wasn't a real heroine. There were no horrible, dark secrets (her father's secret was laughable) and no real family secrets at all. This book focused a lot her stumbling (and unrealistic) explorations of her own sexuality. And two books for this series? Come on...

I'm waiting for V.C. Andrews to climb out of her grave and rip Neiderman a new one.

I keep finding myself thinking "who cares?!" This book drags on and on and on. There's no suspense AT ALL. In the first few pages where we hear about Mr. Hyde, I pretty much deduced that Matt Taylor was in fact sick and that's why his behavior changed. No suspense. I knew the sister would end up gay--I don't agree with that lifestyle, but since I enjoy VC books (which occasionally had incest), I knew to expect one of the two. Figured out which it would be once they started pimping the fact that she never went on dates, boys liked her but she didn't give them the time of day, BLAH BLAH BLAH. It's all so very cliche. The story isn't interesting. April is a wimp, and halfway through the book, nothing about her has changed. It's making me feel as if it's not worth finishing. And that's disappointing b/c when I first started reading VCA books in school, I couldn't put them down....loved the Casteels, the Cutlers, the Adares, the Landrys, Logans, and to an extent, the Hudsons. I would search high and low in my county's libraries for an entire series just so I wouldn't have to wait to read the next one. Not soo anymore. I picked up the next in the Shadows series, but it looks like I'll be returning it along with this unfinished one.

I hope one day the ghostwriter wakes up and goes back to VC's glory days.

I felt as if this book was going in several directions and didn't know where to wind up. The tragedies were very forced and almost predictable. However the story plot for the next book Girl in the Shadows seems promising.

If you ignore the name on the cover and the fact that it's marketed as adult fiction instead of YA as it should be, this is a decent book. However, it does not have the darkness and disturbed nature that one expects from V.C. Andrews. April is a girl who finds herself in quite a few tragic and unpleasant situations, but not anything near the horror related in "Flowers in the Attic" or even more recent works like "Melody." Sadly, V.C. (or the ghost writer, rather) has completely lost her edge. It makes me sad.

I bought this book last month and sent it back because i found my missing book, but i still haven't gotten my refund back. They told me it would take up to 3 weeks, And still nothing. It got here on time, It was in great shape. But i wouldn't advise sending anything back, You may never see your money

For many moons readers have been complaining about how similar all The VCA books have become.

This one is different. And that is a plus.

The story (by A.N.) offers a change-up to the franchise and is welcomed.

For once we do not have to put up with a raging beauty, but a regular girl who is trying her best to cope. The lesbian theme is different from previous novels.

The characters are written with feeling and depth. Brenda, Celia and April are easy to understand. I've yet to read the sequel, but have found this book to be a breath of fresh air compared to the last few (A.N.) novels.

Note to (A.N.) author: Please feel free to change the formula; it's gotten old and needs to be refreshed. We will still follow you.

Longtime fans of V.C.Andrews' books will be shocked to find that the adolescent narrator of this story is NOT a stunningly gorgeous young woman whose amazing beauty and budding sexuality make her prey to the pruient interest of men far older than she. They will also be surprised that the focus of the story isn't going to be this fair maiden's first physical relationship with a member of the male gender. Also, the heroine is not a graceful dancer, talented singer, gifted artist or promising pianist. She is not in any way connected with a fabulously wealthy family in possession of an enormous estate with a goofy name, and she is also sure who her parents are and not attracted to anyone in her family. Truly, this book strikes new V.C. Andrews ground!

Instead, April, heroine of the book, is overweight, short, not particularly talented at anything, and confused about her sexuality. I liked this book and thought it was original and refreshing. It confronted the reality of being a teenager: that many adolescents go through awkward phases where they are confused about their identity and who they really are.

Although the book treds familiar V.C. Andrews' ground by having April be beset by successive family tragedies, the story does break with the familiar V.C. formula by introducing themes such as lesbianism, cocaine use and...um, ventriloquism. Ok, it was a little weird at parts, but it somehow dealt with things like homosexuality in a mature way while trying to introduce some of the gothic "horror" elements we expect from these books.

It treats its heroine in a surprisingly sensitive way. April is a lovable character who is more recognizable than many other girls who have been in V.C. Andrews books. She isn't accepted by her peers but we root for her to find her way in the world because she is a kind and caring person. I think the book took a realistic look at issues such as weight-loss and teenage sexuality. April doesn't magically take off her excess weight at any point in the book; she struggles with eating as a coping mechanism and relapses, gaining back more than she had lost originally.

When she is worried that she might be gay, a common worry that most straight adolescents have at some point or another (after all, their closest relationships are often with members of the same gender), the book does not insinuate that the worry alone means anything about her future.

Her sister, who actually is gay, is one of the strongest V.C. Andrews characters in a long time. Brenda is a survivor and her character was well-developed and believable. She loves her sister but tries to suppress her own needs by putting on a tough front when confronted with a crisis.

Overall I really liked the book and thought it was brave. It did deal with issues I've never imagined Andrews would. Although the book was bizarre, it was a page turner and kept me interested. And despite the lurid and ridiculous nature of some of the plot twists, the major themes were dealt with in a mature and responsible way. I think this book would be comforting to adolescents. I think gay teens or teens who struggle with weight would particularly appreciate this new plotline. And although I didn't have April's particular set of problems, I think every teenager can identify with feelings of isolation/ being different/wondering if you're normal/attractive enough. So that would appeal to anyone.

However, I kind of miss the formula, too. Part of why we like these books is the fantasy aspect-I think we all like to imagine that we will find out that we're actually a lost part of some aristocratic American dynastic family and will soon be dressing up for the society balls, that as young teenagers we might be having an affair with a sophisticated older man, etc. Of course in retrospect I'm glad I wasn't 16 and dating someone more than twice my age, but the fantasy was fun. So bring back the fantasy after this series. In the meantime, I look forward to finding out what happens to April...

... this book is another winner.
It's filled with dramatic events that cause more dramatic events just like V.C. Andrews previous books. Expect nothing more than the great writing that always comes out of every V.C. Andrews book.
I'm not going to go into detail about the events that happen because the boko description says enough :P .

What I like best about VC Andrews books is that I know they will just keep coming. There are so many lonely people types in the world to base books on. In APRIL SHADOWS, Andrews does it again, taking a person who is not picture perfect in her own mind and suffers many losses to deal with. Voila! Another dysfunctional situation as well as a character many can relate to, to get to know.
Glad to see gay issues out of the closet and onto the page. The Uncle and his big doll make for a wonderful twist(ed) addition, too.
Now, on to book two of the series. Good!