Shadowed Ground (The Chronicles of Nowhere) [Kindle Edition]

Vicki Keire (Author)

Book Description

"The Chronicles of Nowhere is written in the style of a fan dance. Teasing, but never quite revealing everything, you're always left craving more. Like some kind of addict, I'm now awaiting the next instalment with baited breath. Ms. Vicki Keire is, quite simply, brilliant. The world that she has built, and the characters she has populated it with, are so rich." - Ginny Lurcock, Pure Textuality

"Shadowed Ground is the second book in the Chronicles of Nowhere series. Chloe Burke is desperately trying to come to grips with being burned and pursued by emotional vampire-like creatures called the Abandoned. Her guardian, Eliot Gray reveals details of their past that have been wiped from her memories. However, he does not want to say too much; so, he hands Chloe the diary left to her by her aunt. Only Chloe can open it. As she reads through the diary secrets that are sometimes better left unveiled are revealed and she is devastated. However, if she is to survive she cannot wallow in pity. She must be trained to protect herself as she and Eliot travel to the one place they will be safe, Gray's Landing." - Marsha Grigsby, Goodreads reviewer

Overview:

Shadowed Ground continues the Chronicles of Nowhere novella series, picking up from the cliff hanger ending of its predecessor, Worlds Burn Through. As she wakes from a poisoned sleep with silver scars across her neck and back, her aunt's diary may provide the only clues about the creatures of fire that hunt her. Through it, she learns of her own awakening powers, as well as more about Annwyn, the world of her childhood, now burned to ash. As the world around them becomes increasingly hostile, Chloe and Eliot turn more and more towards each other. As the bonds of trust grow, they must be careful not to tread upon time-honored boundaries: those forbidding Guardians to act on feelings for their Wards. To do so would break the bond, and would leave Chloe unprotected as the pair makes their way to Gray's Landing, and safety.

"The characters are fleshed out, real, the dialog spare but right on, the scene-setting effortless. The story telling is so good you forget there's an author. I've read Urban Fantasy by well-known writers who could take a lesson from Vicki Keire." - Julia Rachel, Goodreads Reviewer about Worlds Burn Through

Paranormal action and romance fans alike will love Shadowed Ground, and should also check out:

The first installment of The Chronicles of Nowhere, Worlds Burn Through.

For the first Vicki's bestselling Angel's Edge paranormal romance series, search for Gifts of the Blood

The Angel's Edge series continues with Darkness in the Blood

And for more excellent paranormal fiction from Curiosity Quills Press, this time with a Prattchet-esque twist of the gloriously absurd, search for Nina Post's Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse.

Product Details

• File Size: 1056 KB
• Print Length: 102 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press (March 6, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007I6K7DY
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,178 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Shadowed Ground Hits the Spot! March 12, 2012

By Lovey Dovey Books

Format:Kindle Edition

Vicki Keire has again created a story that'll knock your socks off! The next addition to The Chronicles of Nowhere is top notch.

Shadowed Ground focuses more on Chloe and Eliot as they begin their travel to Greys Landing. The action is just as packed as in Worlds Burn Through and Mrs. Keire manages to keep the story rolling as Ravenwood Manor becomes a hotspot for danger.
From Miranda Burke to Alexander Ravenwood, the characters seem to fall into place. Everyone's side of the story helps readers see the bigger picture, even though the story is nowhere near over. It's clever when different periods of the story show the characters facing the same dangers from the Abandoned. They all face the same threats, but at the same time they're on their own.

It seems that Mrs. Keire has ratcheted emotions in this volume. For example, in Worlds Burn Through I noticed how Alexander and Eliot had really strong emotions, particularly rage. In Shadowed Ground, I see that there's so much more depth to these hard characters. Alexander is motivated by his love for his sister, even though he loves to defy authority and play the bad boy role. He's an entirely different person than I thought he'd be. Eliot struggles with his role as Guardian; reading his thoughts and seeing him through Chloe's eyes shows how difficult his struggle is. Eliot keeps everything inside, but allows bits of anger, confusion, and sadness seep through, making his emotions much more potent. There's so much that he doesn't know and his challenge is dealing with the past and keeping himself and Chloe safe.

There's more to be discovered, about the characters and their individual missions as the journey continues. Shadowed Ground is proof that The Chronicles of Nowhere will only get better.

*eGalley for review provided by Netgalley on behalf of Curiosity Quills Press.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Too short to have so little happen April 16, 2012

By Gretchen @ My Life is a Notebook

Format:Kindle Edition

There is one important thing everyone needs to know about The Chronicles of Nowhere. If you read the first book, you already know this, but for anyone elses knowledge: The Chronicles of Nowhere are NOT novels. They are serialized stories. This just means that every installment (so far) is only 100 pages or so.

But here's the thing. I am legitimately confused by this installment. For me, the logical train of thought is: If this book is going to be so short, let's pack it with action-or, at least, things that move the plot along. Shadowed Ground ... didn't. Perhaps this isn't the right mind frame for serialized stories, but that was the mentality I went into it with. It was, I guess, the wrong one.

This book is entirely Chloe and Eliot centric. It almost feels as if Alexander and Chloe's mom are no longer important. However, it got worse when it seemed that Alexander's and Chloe's mom's storylines had the most juice in them, but we never got to see them. Out of 15 chapters, 2 were Alexander and 1 was Chloe's mom from the viewpoint of a drunk, recently dumped and fired lawyer, if memory serves. These not only had the potential for the most plot juice, but also the most action as well but they were mostly forgotten.

Chloe and Eliot's story had no real plot juice. First they're talking. Then he's trying to teach her how to fight. Then they're talking. Then they're driving. Then they're talking. There's finally a sword fight over halfway into the book, but by then I'd lost my steam. I understand that Chloe is trying to deal with a lot, but the writing didn't deal with it well. She spends so much time whining and freaking out that she becomes unlikable. Eliot is a cool character, but I don't follow his schizo personality switches. They came without warning and seemed really out of place.

I really didn't want to give this two stars, but I honestly couldn't justify giving it three. So, it's two and a half stars is my compromise. This book WAS better than a two star rating, whenever things were really going down or no one was talking (and Chloe wasn't whining). Honestly, I just became far too frustrated with the lack of movement within the very short story. Keire clearly has the potential to write a really fast paced ride, but this just wasn't it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't wait for the next book! March 16, 2012

By Angelina M. Krell

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really cant wait for the next book. I read both yesterday and was kicking myself by bedtime that I couldn't read more.

More About the Author

Official Website: http://vickikeire.com/
The Ides of March (Blog:) http://vickikeire.blogspot.com/

Vicki Keire grew up in a 19th Century haunted house in the Deep South full of books, secret rooms, abandoned coal chutes, and plenty of places to get into trouble with her siblings. She holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in English Literature, and is A.B.D. with specializations in Eighteenth Century British Literature, Romanticism, and Postcolonial Theory. She spent the last decade teaching writing and literature at the university level while slipping paranormal fiction in between the pages of her textbooks.

When not reading and writing about all things paranormal, she indulges in her eclectic musical tastes, enjoys other people's cooking, keeps vampire hours, and adds to her massive stockpile of quirky t-shirts and designer notebooks. She'd rather burn the laundry than fold it. She believes that when an author wins the Newberry, he or she gets a secret lifetime pass to Neverland. She is fond of odd jewelry, bottle trees, and lost causes. She still lives in the Deep South with her husband, two children, and pets, but is pretty sure her house isn't haunted. A person can't be so lucky twice.

Gifts of the Blood and Darkness in the Blood are both set in the mythical town of Whitfield, where she has several other paranormal series planned. Whitfield is a compilation of all she loves about her upbringing with a sprinkling of the things she doesn't. Even though she created it and the people who live there, it still has the power to surprise her. She hopes you enjoy it as much as she does. Please drop by her website, www.vickikeire.com or connect with her online. She loves hearing from readers.