Customer Reviews

Rising Shadow

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Such a cool story of young love, camaraderie and trust in friendships, with superpowers to boot, all in the world of Soterians. Our hero Ashlyn takes us on an exciting joy ride. A good read for the mature young and older (I myself picked up my daughter's copy). - gloria

Rising Shadow mixes magic realism with a wonderful cast of action heroes. The pages fly by as you follow this contemporary Wonder Woman awaken to her magical powers as a Solterian and at the same time, to the power of the music of her of her soul mate, a handsome guitar player. Can she manage them both? A fun read!

Jacquelyn Wheeler has managed to write a unique and action filled story surrounding a group of people who come together to keep good and evil in balance. Rising Shadow was a nice break from all the vampire and werewolf stuff that's taking over young adult literature right now.

Ashlyn Woods is an average, like extremely average, girl, she could easily be anyone I know.Who moves away from home to start college in a new place to study and meet new friends. All is perfectly fine and normal, that is until she starts experiencing odd things one of which seem to be "dreams" of flying. She soon discovers that her new abilities are given to her along with a few others when the balance between good and evil starts to shift. Ashlyn along with the other Soterians must fight to prevent evil from taking over.

The characters of Ashlyn and Kai were really sweet. Their relationship was a bit cheesy at times and it moved really fast, but it made sense because of who they were. For once the female character really did mean it when she said, she can't live without the guy. Ashlyn was pretty self-aware of herself, she knew that she was being silly, and didn't want to be one of those girls who was obsessive and paranoid, but with her new powers it was understandable as to why she felt that way. I really liked Ashlyn, she had the same insecurities as many girls do, but she could totally kick ass and doesn't really need the boy to take care of her. The other Soterians were just as great and they all had their own unique personality and special abilities.

The evil was about corrupt politicians who the Soterians must put a stop to. I was definitely intrigued as to how they would manage to fight politicians. There were a few surprises I didn't see coming at all and the last couple hundred pages were really action packed and intense. I don't say this much, or ever, but Rising Shadow is one of those books that I would absolutely love to see made into a movie. Some of the scenes in the book would look so amazing on the big screen, if done right. The only negative I have to say about Rising Shadow is that a few things weren't fully brought up, but it is going to be a series of 5, so I'll be anticipating getting to the ultimate source of evil, Deimos.

My Book Review [From Paranormal Goddess Book Blog]:
Rising Shadow (The Soterians Series Book #1) by Jacquelyn Wheeler is a book you can not put down until you have finished the last page. It may start off a bit slow but after chapter one the story starts heating up as we follow the main character Ashlyn as she finds out she has supernatural abilities and starts to train with 4 other people that seem to have different supernatural abilities to Ashlyn. The story then follow Ashlyn and the others who are now called "soterians" to learn how to use and control their supernatural abilities while doing some detective work to save the world they know from being put into total chaos by a governor.

I found that Rising Shadow (The Soterians Series Book #1) by Jacquelyn Wheeler was very interesting and also a very enjoyable read. I suggest anyone that likes a book that keeps you guessing and on your toes throughout, needs to get there hands on a copy of Rising Shadow (The Soterians Series Book #1) by Jacquelyn Wheeler.

I happily give this book: A 5 Star Rating [CAUSE IT WAS AMAZING, I THINK YOU SHOULD READ IT AND I WANT TO GET MY HANDS ON THE NEXT BOOK ALREADY?]

I have had this book finished for a while now but I needed to take some time before I wrote the review on it. It is just so good, every single aspect of it, that I didn't even know where to start! The writing was great; action flowed with ease right into romance. Characters were written with strong personalities and lovable little quirks! Not to mention, the overall uniqueness of the story had me constantly guessing on what was coming next!

This book follows a young woman, Ashlyn, as she transfers to a new college. First off can I just say that I love her age? I love books about teens coming to age but every now and then it is refreshing to find a YA book dealing with characters a bit on the older side. Secondly, Ashlyn is a character anyone could easily fall in love with. She is a great person with a kind heart but she is also not afraid to let her flaws show. Ashlyn's plans are to start over and leave her rebellious past behind her. I love that she is well aware of the mistakes she made but is trying really hard to change the future. Ashlyn wants to lead a good life so she works extremely hard to try and achieve it. Her inner strength was strong to begin with but once she starts getting her powers, she really starts to blossom!

Speaking of powers, I suppose I should explain what I even mean by that! Ashlyn and her roommate, Rebecca, start experiencing really strange things. Rebecca seems to be in tune with everyone's feelings past the point of creepy. For Ashlyn it is more physical. Training for her triathlons has suddenly become extremely easy for her. Not to mention the little part about being able to fly! A series of events leads Ashlyn and Rebecca along with a group of fellow college students to realize that they are Soterians, people who gain special powers when the balance between good and evil shifts too far in evil's favor. This idea alone was what made me instantly love the book. Jacquelyn essentially came up with her own forms of superheroes in a totally non-dorky way! I enjoyed learning of everyone's powers so very much. All of the other "heroes" that were introduced to us were extremely well-developed for side characters. I felt like I could easily get along with all of them!

If battling evil wasn't hard enough for Ashlyn to cope with there is also a new, budding romance that she must learn to balance with school and her Soterian duties. I will be honest; my own personal love life is non-existent so when I get to read about other college students who can pull off relationships, I feel a little better, almost hopeful. The romance between Kai and Ashlyn is ahhh-mazing! You get to see the very start of their relationship. There is an instant chemistry between them but the "new Ashlyn" is trying very hard to make the right choice when it comes to boys so she keeps Kai in the friend zone for a while. The pace that their relationship progressed was perfect for this length of a book. Not only did we get to see all of the things that these two have in common but we get to see them go from understanding friends to stable partners in a relationship.

The conflicts that these characters faced seemed a little far-fetched for me at first. I found myself thinking "this is really the problem they have to deal with? It is kind of lame." BUT as the story moved on and we were able to see exactly what the characters were up against, I was a lot more understanding. The "evil" that the Soterians must combat came as a total surprise for me! I loved how much unexpected action took place in the story especially during the ending. If the Soterians weren't practicing their combating skills, they were off fighting some evil source somewhere!

It is safe to say that this was an extremely pleasant surprise of a read! This action-packed, story will please fans of paranormal, sci-fi, and romance books! I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

Ashlyn Woods has just transferred to one of the 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 special 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 tipped upside by evil. But they quickly discover that they're up against a much more dangerous enemy than they could have imagined.

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


I loved this book and the whole idea of super powers and battling evil. This is an awesome fantasy novel and I would recommend it to teens!


I hope this review was helpful.

Kitty Kat

Before reading, I hadn't heard much about Rising Shadow. But what I had heard was extremely positive and I was so excited to read this book when I got it. I was so surprised by what I found and I am now completely smitten by this world.

Ashlyn was a very dimensional character, as were the rest in this book. I was so happy to see such a diverse cast of characters. Though they were all college students, they were never too adult for younger teens to read, but they were never dumbed down to make them more YA-friendly. I loved Kai and Ashlyn's relationship, but I was a little disappointed that they never fought or got angry at each other. It just didn't seem like a realistic relationship.

The writing was a lot better than I expected. I'm not sure why I thought I wasn't going to like the writing style, but I was definitely wrong. The story, as farfetched as it may seem was totally believable, mainly because of the writing.

The story itself was very interesting. It had that old school superhero feeling, but with a new twist that made it very enjoyable. For some strange reason, and I have no idea why I feel this way, it seemed like something that would come out of the 90's. Now I was only alive for 4 years of the 90's but I have seen enough old TV to know the 90's feeling. And this definitely felt that way. In no way did that take away from me completely enjoying this book.

I definitely recommend you get this book because of it's strong, believable characters, great romance, awesome writing, and a very interesting series reminiscent of old superhero stories. A great new voice in YA, Jacquelyn Wheeler knows how to create a great book. I can't wait to continue the story of the Soterians!

This is an exciting story with an easy to relate to heroine. Ashlyn has mistakes in her past with no so great boyfriends and moves to a new college, she finds a great guy and a best friend and realizes she has powers to help the balance of good and evil. She still struggles with self esteem a lot and they are doubts that I know I could relate to.


The story itself is well written and well paced. She builds up the supporting characters well, and they all serve a purpose.


I couldn't give full stars because it was a little too political for me-- not in the aspect that she tried to sell her views, but politics was a driving force in this novel.


I would recommend it, and I am anxious to read the next one

This was an extremely unique story, and I really enjoyed it. This isn't your normal paranormal tale. Our heroes are super heroes that only get their powers when the balance of good and evil tip in evils favor. Once the balance has been set back (because evil can never truly be defeated, only pushed back) the Soterians will once again lose their powers and be regular college students.

This book was filled with great characters, Ashlyn was a strong independent woman who is working hard at finding herself and becoming a better person. When she suddenly develops powers it's quite a shock, but she deals quickly and soon becomes quite a super hero. Our male lead has no powers of his own, but is truly a great guy and is the perfect counterpart to Ashlyn. There love happens quickly, but is built on trust and is beautiful and honest. The other Soterians are a great mix of personalities, I really enjoyed each and every one of them.

Full of action, this book had me turning the pages at lightning speed to find out just what will happen next. Another thing I really enjoyed about this book is that the author didn't feel the need to fill it with bad actions and decisions on the characters part. The martial arts teacher that leads the Soterians is always teaching them that self doubt will cripple you and to be better people all around.

I definitely recommend this book to adult and YA alike. I can't wait to start book 2 and see where the author takes these characters next

RISING SHADOW, by Jacquelyn Wheeler, was an action-packed story about a team of supernaturals and their quest of balancing good and evil. Wheeler will stretch your imagination as you take the journey in discovering hidden talents and powers within her characters.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the idea of the Soterians. I thought Wheeler's idea of balancing good and evil, and not destroying evil (because that is impossible) was a unique perspective on crime-fighting. I liked learning about the different jobs of each Soterian and the training that went with it. The relationship between Ashlyn and Kai was a bit cliche but really sweet. I liked getting to know the minor characters that were encountered and understanding their role in Ashlyn's life.

A couple things that I did not care for was the dialogue and forced views. I felt there was too much dialogue as a whole. There were a lot of conversations between characters that could have been skipped over. For instance, there were many moments of just having dialogue to fill a silence. This dialogue did not move the story forward and I found myself getting distracted by it. In terms of forced views, it is understandable that authors like to write what they are passionate about, but in this book I felt like I was being forced to think a certain way. I felt that Ashlyn was trying to force others to be a vegetarian and hate drinking. I understood that Ashlyn went through terrible things in her past with drinking, but the constant reminder was too much at times.

Overall, I really enjoyed the idea of this book, it was fresh and full of action. But personally, I did not like it as much as I hoped I would.