Customer Reviews

Shadows

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Joan De La Haye's "Shadows" is the stuff that nightmares are made of. This novella is filled with evil, terror, and torment, and I found it overall to be a mesmerizing read. This is the story of one woman's struggle with madness, another woman's retribution, and a whole lot of dysfunctional family dynamics.

I've found that covers don't always accurately reflect the contents of the book. Not so in this case; this one is spot on. Meet Jack, Sarah's tormenter. Not very pretty, is he? He is the kind of villain that horror movies are written about, and he is especially frightening the first couple of times he appears in this story. The second time he comes to call on Sarah, he appears in a manner that made my stomach lurch and my heart stutter. He is Freddy Kreuger meets The Grudge and proof that things do indeed go bump in the night.

Yet for all Jack's delight in pain and anguish and his truly ill intentions, I found myself warming up to him as the story progressed. As the truth about Jack is revealed, I began to wonder if perhaps he is not the real villain here. There is no doubt that he is responsible for the death of Sarah's father, but perhaps the true evil in this story comes from more human sources. In fact, once we learn Jack's true nature, he becomes much less threatening. Whether or not this was Ms. De La Haye's intention, I found myself liking the horrible fellow somewhat at the end.

While this is a wonderfully creepy story, it took me a little longer to settle into it than I expected. I was slightly distracted in the beginning by way the narrative jumps from character to character, but it didn't take long until I was so involved in the story that it would have taken a crowbar to pry me away from it.

The fact that the characters live in gated communities in Shadows made me curious about Johannesburg, South Africa. A brief tour of the internet suggests that this is one of the more dangerous cities in the world, and the story seems to back this up when it says "Nobody took a dark alley in Jo'burg. It would be suicide." This slightly sinister air felt very appropriate to the story, and it assists in keeping the tension very high.

If you are prone to nightmares or worry about what might be lurking beneath your bed, you may not want to read "Shadows" just before bedtime. It can be disturbing and downright gruesome at times, so don't be surprised if you need to leave the nightlight on for a couple of nights after you finish. However, if you are a fan of horror, enjoy the thrill of a shock, and never met a demon you didn't like, then I suggest you dive right on in. This one's for you!

As I read the first chapters I felt this was more of a book for young adults but when I got about halfway into the book the writing changed like the author had maybe set this aside and came back to it later on and the writing felt more adult like, more along the lines of say Stephen King's horror. Because of that I was unable to put it down once I got that far into it. Suicide and/or rape and the mess it leaves behind with the survivors/victims...or the horror and insanity of it all? You be the judge and read this and maybe you decide who's next! Can YOU survive the insanity of it?

Joan De La Haye's 'Shadows' is a well-crafted exploration of a group of damaged characters in South Africa who are involved in a very complicated web of sex, love and murder. The intertwining stories of the characters, as well as the lurking demon's place in the devolution of the main character's psyche, made Shadows a fine page-turner.

On the other hand, the prominent inclusion of an incestual storyline was a bit much for me to stomach. While it did help to make the ending be a bit more strong, I feel some of those elements could have been left out. Then again, for a book about 'Shadows' this inclusion did do a fairly good job of having the shadows be reliant on personal, as well as external, demons.

If so, Shadows by Joan De La Haye is for you. This is a twisted tale that will have you sitting, knees up, in a corner of a room with all the lights on, listening for that proverbial 'bump in the night' we all hope we'll never hear. I can't wait until her next book, Requiem in E Sharp, comes out.

This story, right out the gate grabs your attention and doesn't let you go. Sarah's descent into madness because of her fathers suicide, hand delivers her to a sadistic demon named Jack.

While trying to make sense of what is slowly consuming her, we find she is mixed up with the self-absorbed, emotionally unavailable Kevin. Never able to decide what will make him happy, he strings Sarah along while dabbling in other unholy pursuits. What becomes an almost dual storyline between the two characters, will leave you chasing theories of how it all comes together.

The sexy, evil and twisted demon Jack, cripples Sarah mind and body through a series of violent hallucinations. Eventually hospitalized you're sure Sarah is lost, but through sheer determination and a "deal with the devil" she fights her way back. Never fear, Kevin and company don't go unpunished for their bad behavior - Jacks yellow eyes are burning brighter than ever... I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! More please!

There is something very direct and a little stark about Shadows, the reader bears witness to a series of inevitable events as they unfold. The story is no less compelling for the reader being slightly distanced from events and things move swiftly forward drawing you in rapidly.

There are two main threads to the story that weave together at the beginning, part ways and then bind again later, both are creepy and disturbing in different ways. None of the characters, even the heroine are especially sympathetic, some are vile and all of them are effective. It's difficult to talk about this book without giving away significant plot points, but Joan has created a tale where both human and supernatural elements display an unnerving darkness.

The there is Jack, what to say about Jack. Sarah is tough and stubborn and Jack is her nemesis but the real struggles in her life come from people. Jack is particularly interesting because his development was so unexpected. I can't say more than that.

I found myself fixated, needing to know how the multiple schemes would finally play out and what would become of the largely unpleasant cast, who would get what they deserved. A quick and satisfying read.