Spirits That Walk in Shadow [Hardcover]

Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2006

Kim and Jaimie are freshman roommates, but their college experience is anything but typical. This is Jaimie’s first time in the "real world," away from her large, complicated family and their magics and traditions. It’s Kim’s chance to escape her high school reputation. But Jaimie quickly realizes what Kim can’t see—it’s more than just a "reputation." Kim is being pursued by something that feeds on her emotions. And, just like that, reality reshapes itself, as the two girls—along with Jaimie’s three cousins—try to capture and rout the viri, or soul demon, who is tracking Kim. This utterly original novel combines humor, darkness, and hope, and will spellbind readers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—College freshman Kim suffers from dark bouts of depression that are caused by a viri. Fortunately, her new roommate, Jaimie, belongs to a secret clan of magicians and is determined to help. Joined by a spirit guide in the shape of a lizard and Jaimie's three cousins, the young women set out to discover the identity of the elusive viri. Things get more interesting when another viri shows up claiming to want to rein in the rogue that is causing trouble for Kim. Close encounters with the culprit, the juggling of academic duties, and Kim's breakdowns keep the plot progressing at a well-measured pace. Unfortunately, the ending includes a bizarre twist that will turn readers off to the final pages of the book. Playful language and humor prevail throughout, with an appealing use of colors to describe Kim's moods. Background information about Kim's and Jaimie's lives before college is at times confusing, and the characters' strengths lie in their light, witty exchanges. With its quirky tone and colorful imagery, this novel has more spirit than shadow and is recommended for those interested in what Harry Potter's first year at a muggle college might be like.—Emily Rodriguez, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

When Jaimie, a magical teenager with a rebellious past, decides to experience the world outside her isolated community, she is dismayed that she must share a college dorm room with a normal human. When her roommate, Kim, is accepted by Rugee, a guardian-like Presence that alternates between invisibility and varying reptilian forms, Jaimie is compelled to soften her stance. After Kim succumbs to a series of brutal attacks of profound despair, Jaimie comes to believe Kim is being psychologically manipulated by malevolent unseen things, and she vows, along with Rugee and an assortment of additional and also magical family members, to rid Kim of her predator. Told in the alternating voices of the two roommates, this is an original story with many unique (occasionally confusing and sometimes superfluous) details. The book labors to convince readers that much is at stake, and it lacks intensity and literary polish of Hoffman's earlier works. Nevertheless, this is an intriguing and well-paced story that will appeal to those who enjoy both fantasy and mystery. Holly Koelling
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (October 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670060712
• ISBN-13: 978-0670060719
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,765,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jaime Goes To College, December 31, 2006

By 

Eleanor Skinner (Albany, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spirits That Walk in Shadow (Hardcover)

Jaime Locke was a minor character in The Thread That Binds The Bones, but Spirits is more like a direct sequel to the short story 'Exact Change,' which appeared in the 2 Hoffman anthologies Common Threads and Courting Disasters and also in Weird Tales #299. In that story Jaime starts to question the morality she's being taught by her magic teacher and starts to try to figure out her own destiny and how she wants to use her magical powers. In 'Exact Change,' Jaime is an elementary school kid; now she is an adult, shortly after The Thread That Binds The Bones, and decides to go to college in the Outside, away from her magical family, and see how she does.

Once in college, she meets her roommate Kim, who has a recent history of depression no meds will help. They find out Kim is a victim of a being called a viri, a sort of vampire that feeds on emotions instead of blood. The pair then encounter a viri who claims Kim's viri is a rogue viri, whom he is chasing, and two cousins of Jaime's who have had a very different magical education and have different attitudes about interacting with normals. These five people from different backgrounds interact, sometimes conflicting with each other, and search for Kim's viri to make it stop feeding on her. I love Nina Kiriki Hoffman's work and wonderful writing style, and found this book very satisfying. Hoffman writes about magic very well, sliding it between the threads of the fabric of everyday life, and often writing about the souls of everyday objects, like trees and (in Past the Size of Dreaming) garbage cans.

A few characters from Hoffman's other novel The Silent Strength of Stones also appear in this book, but it isn't necessary to read that, or The Thread That Binds The Bones, to enjoy Spirits.

It's also an interesting coincidence that both Nina Kiriki Hoffman and PC Hodgell released (very different) books about a character Jaime/Jame going to college in the same year.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best fantasy writers, yesterday or today, does it again., October 11, 2006

By 

Laer Carroll (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Spirits That Walk in Shadow (Hardcover)

Jaimie Locke is a character from The Spirit That Binds the Bones. Anyone who enjoyed that will definitely want this book. Hoffman at her best, and one of the best writers in the fantasy field, yesterday or today. The only way to make this book better would be to make it longer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Snake charming, January 15, 2007

By 

Arthur Underhill (Vancouver Island) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spirits That Walk in Shadow (Hardcover)

Nina Kiriki Hoffman is back to what she does best in 'spirits that walk in shadow".She beguiles us with her simplicity and enchantes us with her world that is only a step away from where we are now. The magic is the glue but the characters draw us in.Kim who starts out without the magical spark and Jaimie, whom we have met in a past Hoffman book ,who is trying to control the magic she has.Starting University and sharing a room together the girls havr to face lossing all magic and being helped by a family snake.Well presented and easy to read this book fits in well with Hofman's other work.