Rising Shadow (The Soterians) [Kindle Edition]

Jacquelyn Wheeler (Author)

Book Description

Ashlyn Woods just transferred to one of the most beautiful 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 amazing 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 being plunged into chaos. But they quickly discover that they're up against a much more dangerous enemy than they anticipated.

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

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jacquelyn has worked as a professional writer since 1991. She has received numerous awards for her technical writing, but creative writing has always been her passion. After writing poetry, children's stories, and screenplays, Jacquelyn embarked on The Soterians series of five fantasy novels for young adults. You can read the first novel, Rising Shadow, for free on her web site (www.soterians.com), or purchase the paperback. As an advocate for volunteerism and service, Jacquelyn donates 20% of her royalties to the charities listed on her site. In her spare time, Jacquelyn enjoys martial arts, triathlons, skiing, playing music, and volunteering. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their daughter.

Product Details

• File Size: 521 KB
• Print Length: 334 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0982516061
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0045Y1O66
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #882,188 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Rising Shadow November 20, 2009

By J. Wheeler

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Action heroes strike again!. September 27, 2009

By Elizabeth Appell

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

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!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rising Shadow is a book you can not put down until you have finished the last page November 29, 2011

By Natasha Parker

Format:Paperback

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?]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Superheroes Who Can Kick Butt! September 19, 2011

By Katelyn Torrey

Format:Paperback

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! Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Rising Shadow October 14, 2010

By Electrifying Reviews

Format:Paperback

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!

More About the Author

Jacquelyn has worked as a professional writer since 1991. She has received numerous awards for her technical writing, but creative writing has always been her passion. After writing poetry, children's stories, and screenplays, Jacquelyn embarked on The Soterians series of fantasy novels for young adults. You can read the first novel in the series, Rising Shadow, for free on her web site (www.soterians.com), or purchase the paperback. As an advocate for volunteerism and service, Jacquelyn donates 20% of her royalties to the charities listed on her site.

In her spare time, Jacquelyn enjoys martial arts, triathlons, skiing, playing music, and volunteering. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and their daughter.