Enshadowed: A Nevermore Book [Hardcover]

Kelly Creagh (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 28, 2012 | Series: Nevermore

True love takes a twisted turn in the second book of this modern gothic romance trilogy channeling the dark brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe.

While Varen remains a prisoner in a perilous dream world where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life, Isobel travels to Baltimore to confront the dark figure known throughout the world as the Poe Toaster. This man, the same man who once appeared to Isobel in her dreams and abandoned her in Varen’s nightmare world, holds the key to saving Varen.

     But when Isobel discovers a way to return to this dream world, she finds herself swept up in a realm that not only holds remnants of Edgar Allan Poe’s presence, but has also now taken on the characteristics of Varen’s innermost self. It is a dark world of fear, terror, and anger.

     When Isobel once more encounters Varen, she finds him changed. And now Isobel must face a new adversary—one who also happens to be her greatest love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“For readers who can't get enough of Varen, Isobel and Poe.”

—Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2012

About the Author

Kelly Creagh is a 2008 graduate of Spalding University’s MFA in Creative Writing program. When not writing, haunting bookstore coffee shops, or obsessively studying Poe, Kelly’s passions include the ancient art of bellydance. She lives with her squirrely, attitude-infused terrier, Annabel, in the heart of Old Louisville, Kentucky’s largest and spookiest Victorian neighborhood. Kelly is the author of the Nevermore trilogy. Visit her at KellyCreagh.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (August 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442402040
• ISBN-13: 978-1442402041
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #247,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As a child, Kelly would hold elaborate one-kid plays for patient relatives, complete with song, dance, and over-the-top melodramatics. Then, whenever Mom or Grandma called for a break, she would venture outside to slay dragons, run from make-believe ghosts and create magical feasts for fairies out of mud and pinecones.

In the third grade, Kelly wrote her first book titled Pink Lettuce, a story about a young girl who comes to the aid of her mad scientist neighbor, helping him to return his potion-pink lettuce patch to its original green and leafy luster.

Kelly holds an undergraduate degree in Theatre Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Today, she finds true joy in transcribing her dramatic daydreams onto the stage of the blank page. When not writing or curled up with a good book, Kelly can be found teaching, learning and performing the ancient art of Bellydance.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely not a "sophomore slump" sequel... September 1, 2012

By B. Rodgers

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let me say that this book is not one that everyone will agree about. Just look at the reviews. That being said, let me dive into my own list of pros and cons.

Some SPOILERS ahead. You have been warned.

The good:

Enshadowed is just as well written as Nevermore. Descriptions are detailed, elegant and brief. Unlike most books I've read in the YA/Teen genre, word usage isn't dumbed down and it's written in third person while maintaining a clear narrative from Isobel's POV. One of the things I dislike most about this genre is the dominance of first person narrative, so I can't tell you how much I enjoy Creagh's style.

Moving on to plot - and yes, plot DOES happen in this book. Let's make one thing clear; this is in no way a book that can stand by itself. It's also not one that you should read if the first isn't pretty fresh in your mind, because chances are you will miss connections. And I feel this trilogy will dig deep throughout with branching hints and clues that will come together in the third book and may be easily missed by anyone who skims pages or lets their mind wander during the less exciting parts. We learn a lot about the dreamworld and various side characters in this one, particularly about Varen's past, though many holes remain to presumably be filled in the third book.

We get insight into character relationships with the now-missing Varen, and his absence in the book is a key to the overall feeling. While I wanted to see more of him (as everyone does with favored characters) the whole point of book two is that Varen is gone from the waking world, and that only glimpses maintain our connection with him. If she had more dream interactions with him, I think we would have seen Varen being caught in inner turmoil and unable to do anything. It wouldn't have furthered the story, since there seems to be nothing Varen can do. Better to leave his condition and feelings a mystery until the end of the book. As it is, you miss him just as Isobel does, and alongside her you begin putting together the bigger picture of his inner self.

BIGGER SPOILERS BELOW.

One thing I think some may miss is that Varen does have a very strong, very compelling presence in the book. It's just not as the goth we think we know and love. Pinfeathers, as I suspected and was thrilled to find, is not merely a creation of Varen's darker imagination, but a part of Varen himself. This Noc, unlike the others we saw in Nevermore, is made entirely of the dark inclinations Varen has kept locked inside himself. Pinfeathers truly hooked me as a character, and my most frustrated moments with Isobel were her not picking up on who/what he was sooner. The last few chapters broke my heart, because we find that Pinfeathers - as flawed as he seemed - was the part of Varen that refused to give up on Isobel, the part that saw through Lilith's lies and was torn between hoping Isobel would come and scaring her away. In spite of his own nature, he remained loyal to her, even knowing that he was not what she wanted.

Other characters really grew on me as well, and I'm looking forward to the third book.

That said, it's time for the not so good:

The length. I have to say, when I read a series I like for all the books to be a similar length. Enshadowed is much shorter than Nevermore, and while I understand how this could come to be from a writer and publisher's perspective, it was one of my disappointments. I would have liked to see more of the dreamworld and perhaps a stronger vision of Varen's direct influence over it (rather than the implication that it kind of just revolved around him) explored in a few more pages. Once Isobel entered the dreamworld, things kind of flew by.

Another thing I didn't care for was Isobel's inability to pick up on certain clues, even those glaring at her. Granted, she wasn't in a good frame of mind, but some of these clues might have sped up the pace a little. I do worry over what state of mind she may be in by the third book, but that is part of the cliffhanger.

Lastly, there were moments when it's clear that Isobel is losing herself, and while that's clearly part of her development, it can get tiresome to the point where you really want Gwen to hit her. It's likely to get much worse before it gets better in the next book, but I do look forward to that with ideas and thoughts on how things might possibly resolve from such a heart-wrenching climax.

Isobel seemingly did not make a lot of progress in this book - but that kind of futility may be the entire point. With so much hopelessness going into the final installment, we're likely in for one hell of a pay-off, for good or ill. Definitely read this book (don't skim!) and try to do it while the first is fresh. But, if you're like me and hate waiting after a cliffhanger, you may want to wait until we are close to the release of the final book so you can see what happens without such a wait.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A Story Which Is Enshadowed With Some Disappointments August 29, 2012

By Leah

Format:Hardcover

Isobel Lanley is trying to recover from losing the boy she loves, Varen Nethers, to a ghostly woman who inhabits a dangerous dream world. Things in her life begin to unravel. Her family is on edge and her relationships with friends are shaky. But Isobel is determined to find Varen at all costs, even if it means going back to the dream world and facing the mysterious woman head on.

First off, I loved the first book in this series, Nevermore, which was the right amount of love story between polar opposites and horror story. Isobel was the perfect protagonist and Varen was compelling. I anxiously awaited two years for the next installment, planning to forsake eating and sleeping to read ENSHADOWED.

ENSHADOWED has author Kelly Creagh's trademark writing style: creative descriptions of places, actions, and three dimensional characters who walk off the pages. Her fantasy world is creepy yet beautiful and the creatures who inhabit it more so. However, there was something off about this book. Maybe the dreaded sophomore slump? After I was a quarter of the way in, I realized that I missed Varen. He pops in, but that's all it really is: popping in. I missed his interactions with Isobel. And poor Isobel, she is hurting, which is understandable, and she is a strong enough character to carry the story, but she also has moments of selfishness and becomes blindsided in her quest to find Varen that everyone and everything in her life is brushed off.

There were passages which just felt irrelevant to the book. Long passages. A lot of speaking in code and whispered things. I was still determined to read it, yet the passages kept coming up like road blocks. It stretched the story out and we never learned anything new. As another review said, this could have been the perfect wrap up to Nevermore on its own.

I was let down with ENSHADOWED and ended up not forsaking food and sleep for this one, but I will read the next book because I still care about Isobel and Varen's story and want to see it through to the end. This may be a letdown to some Nevermore fans, but there are people who will enjoy it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it all the way!!! August 29, 2012

By R.D.

Format:Hardcover

I adore everything about this book except for the ending. Why, must you ask? Because when I turned the last page, the story is, for now, over. We have to wait to see what happens next and that is driving me crazy because the story got so much better in this sequel to Nevermore. I closed the book and I said out loud, "No, no way, it can't end like that! I need to know now!"

I think it's pretty obvious that I love this book. After finishing Nevermore, I was so psyched for Enshadowed. It has everything I love about Kelly Creagh's writing: pulsing action, realistic emotion, and amazing imagination. In several ways, this book was a little more darker than the previous one. I think I feel this way because there is so much at stake in this installment.

There is so much that is reveled in this novel. Like a complex puzzle, a lot of the pieces start forming together to paint a clearer picture of what might be going on. What is real and what is mere fabrication, though, is often blurred by the dreamworld. I felt as confused as Isobel as she struggled to work through the hints and facts to get Varen out of the dreamworld.

Of course, it's always awesome to read about one of my favorite writers, Mr. Poe himself. I learned a lot about his burial site, the Poe Toaster, and the festivities that surround his birthday. Now I definitely want to go to Maryland and visit Edgar Allan Poe.

Even though the ending is driving me crazy, I still enjoyed the novel thoroughly and I am so happy I went out to buy it on release day. I usually borrow books from the library or buy them at thrift shops, but I just had to get this one the day it came out. Now I will patiently wait for its sequel. Or at least I will try to wait patiently.

5 stars all the way.