Customer Reviews

Token of Darkness (Den of Shadows)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ever since his car accident, Cooper has seen things he shouldn't see. Specifically, ghostly Samantha, a colorful, annoyingly spunky girl with amnesia, and creatures that randomly latch onto people in ways that look scary but don't actually seem to affect anything. The story follows Cooper as he tries to solve the mystery of who and what Samantha is and why Cooper can suddenly see her. Along for the ride are former couple, paranormally-endowed, and of questionable motives Brent and Delilah. Add in Cooper's post-accident anxiety uselessly peppered throughout and the story is complete.

Years ago Amelia Atwater-Rhodes was a decent author. She wasn't stellar, and no one would dream of calling her characters and storylines original, but she stuck to the basics and they worked. Now it seems she's constantly trying to expand her horizons, and it just doesn't work. Her book right before this one (Persistence of Memory) was a muddled mess of undergraduate psych major trying to add character depth by taking a cue from psychological case studies. The paranormal aspects were equally muddy and presented in a haphazard thrown together manner that just reeked of the author trying way too hard to write in a more complex and higher level than her previous books. She failed, badly. I was hoping she'd have learned her mistake, gotten the psych major newness out of her system and would return to what she does best with formulaic but solid paranormal fiction.

My hopes were not fulfilled. The much hyped Token of Darkness reads like an amateurish mash-up. Where the author was probably trying for character depth with damaged backgrounds (oh no, my mommy takes pills and that makes me sad!) and "quirky" traits (look, I'm spunky, I have multi-colored hair! Ooh, I'm bad, I do dangerous things for power!), she ended up with caricatures. Every single character is a wooden checklist of traits with no emotional depth, but what makes it even worse is that the book smacks of the author trying really hard to make deeper, fleshed out characters. There was also zero connection between the romantic pairs.

She also has a tendency to write about her characters as if they're fully developed people with long histories we the reader are just happening to see a glimpse of now. This style worked in her earlier books, particularly her earlier vampire books, but for some reason it really did not work in ToD. I think this may be because more people are involved in her creative process now and so she's used to discussing these characters with people who know them. By the time the book gets written and published, these beta readers are familiar with the characters "off screen," but regular readers are not and so their presence in the book seems less rooted. In the past I think she had less of a beta reader following and so this wasn't as much of a problem.

I wont even touch the plot, which is so convoluted and just plain stupid. Again, it would have been ok, nothing wonderful, but ok, if the author had recognized the limitation of the idea and went with it. Instead it seems like the big reveal was supposed to have been a BIG REVEAL that would make the reader gasp and think, "Oh my! How original!" But it wasn't. Big buildup, bigger let down.

In the future, I hope AAR realizes her place in the pecking order of authors and embraces it. She's a fine author when she plays to her abilities, but when she overreaches, she falls flat on her face.

When an author begins by using or quoting The Raven, (my favorite), then I automatically know I'm in for a wild ride.

Cooper Blake is a young man who is beginning his senior year of high school. He's had an absolutely horrible time trying to get back on his feet after a near-fatal car accident that almost left him dead and buried. When he wakes up in the hospital room, Coop not only has to struggle to try and heal his body and mind, he also has to deal with the very real fact that a ghost named Samantha has materialized by his side. In fact, Samantha is a big part of why Coop is still alive. She sat by his side in the hospital room every day, being his friend, and telling him that he could overcome any amount of pain no matter what. She did everything within her power to keep him alive and support him through the darkest time of his life. Not only is Coop grateful to Samantha for that, but having an invisible friend is also beneficial during, say...a quiz, where she can "pop" around the room and retrieve the correct answers for him.

Now that Coop has somewhat recovered, there's a part of him that wants to help Samantha. You see, Samantha is tired of being a spirit; she believes that there must be a way to "create" a body for her - perhaps, out of clay - so that she can be human again. Trouble is, Samantha has no idea who she was before she went to the "other side." She has no memory of what happened to cause her death, only the fact that she wants more than anything to be in a live body.

Going to the library, trying to investigate a way to help Samantha get her dream, Coop runs into a young man by the name of Brent in the paranormal section. Not only is Brent interested in the same strange subjects as Coop, but he also seems to be a little "odd" himself. As Cooper is introduced to Brent's world - the world of telepathy - Coop gets even more confused. Whatever happened to his nice, normal, boring life - playing football and prowling after cheerleaders?

Speaking of cheerleaders...Coop also discovers that the head of the cheerleading squad, Delilah, is also knee-deep in this mystical paranormal world, and she is on a path that no one could possibly comprehend. Bring into the mix a man named Ryan le Coire, who is a mentor for all these teenagers with "special gifts;" and demons that come in all different shapes and sizes searching for a way to "feed" on the innocent, and you end up with a fantastic story that not only deals with the trauma and challenges of teenage life, but also offers a spell-binding story in the process.

This author published her very first work at the age of thirteen; I must say she's truly a one-of-a-kind writer. This story is powerful, fun, frightening, and intriguing all at the same time, and I can't wait to read her next one.

Until Next Time,
Amy Lignor, Bookpleasures.com Reviewer

There's quite a bit to like about this book. The author does a great job of creating a haunting atmosphere that really lends itself to the telling of a ghost story. I think that the problem here was in the plot structure. I had the feeling that I was starting this story somewhat in the middle. There's very little character development, and we get the information of what happened "before" through our main characters nightmares and other dribs and drabs when characters look up news stories on the computer. It all felt very contrived and like the author had decided to trot out every cliched plot device available to her.

The characters were likeable even if I did feel that we were plopped down in the middle of things. I wish the author would have taken more time with this one. She is obviously very talented, however I don't think she developed this story fully, and ended up short-changing what could have been a really good book. The story was interesting, with lots of magic and talk of sorcerers and such that will appeal to teens. There's not much action, and I feel some teens will end up feeling frustrated with what was ultimately an unsatisfying read. Not a recommend.

This eerie paranormal fantasy from Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is about the strange and startling experiences of Cooper Blake. Cooper is a high school athlete who has just awakened from a near-fatal injury, only to discover that he's being haunted by a female ghost. He had been in a coma after a car accident that resulted in the death of two people, and by all rights, he should have died with them. Miraculously, he managed to cling to life (or was he saved by someone?). It's a mystery that he survived at all. Cooper remembers little about it and awakens to his broken body.

Cooper's life has since become a kind of hazy dream. His doctors have warned that he won't return to football again and that some of his injuries will be permanent. But Cooper is now seeing things that sane people just don't see, leading to the question of whether or not he has totally lost his grip on reality. He awakens to a caring, pretty girl by his side, someone who has never left him since he woke up in the hospital. Samantha seems about his own age and he doesn't know her, yet for some odd reason, she has chosen to stay while he recuperates.

Cooper's multiple injuries require intense physical therapy as well as prolonged bed rest. Through crippling pain and frustration, Samantha is there every day to support him. She's his guide, his source of encouragement, an inspiration. But Cooper knows immediately that something is wrong with this picture: Samantha is no ordinary girl. In fact, she's not even living; she's an apparition whose colors change with her moods.

After Cooper's discharge, Samantha follows him home. Strangely, he is the only one who has been able to see her thus far, and this is the main reason why she has stayed. But she soon begins to feel stir crazy, wanting to live as a real person and experience what others do. It's with this motivation that Samantha pressures Cooper to find a body she can possess. Cooper is ambiguous in his answer to this but begins researching paranormal theory. It's a mystery to both that he alone is able to see ghosts while others can't and where he never could before.

The city library is where Cooper's research starts, and he runs into a student from a nearby school there. Brent recognizes Cooper, though Cooper seems not to remember him. After being questioned thoroughly, Cooper finds himself revealing important information about Samantha. Though the two are somewhat wary of each other, meeting brings the discovery of a whole world of others with similar special abilities. After Cooper unintentionally harms Brent in the library, Brent offers his help, intending to introduce him to others he knows.

Delilah is one witch who Cooper already knows from school as she's the head of the cheerleading squad but has managed to keep her powers hidden. The revelation that Cooper has similar gifts to her own brings on new attention from her, though Brent is more interested in introducing him to Ryan. Ryan, a friend of Brent's in his early 20s, doesn't trust Samantha at all. After sensing Cooper's abilities, Ryan expresses a willingness to train him, and though he seems stoic and cold upon first impression, Ryan is persuasive and clearly very powerful. Though Cooper finally decides to accept his help, there's still the question of what to do about Samantha. Ryan doesn't believe for an instant that she's truly a ghost; in fact, his doubts about her intentions toward Cooper are strong enough to cast suspicion on her for others.

TOKEN OF DARKNESS is an unusual story written by a talented author. The ideas are original, and the focus is truly paranormal (though there is some hint of future romance, it doesn't play a huge part yet). The characters are appealing and will leave readers both curious and with a sense of foreboding. My only criticism is that the book is quite short (less than 200 pages), making it hard to wait for answers after your interest has already been piqued. But reading it is an interesting and absorbing experience that I think most teens will enjoy.

This was my first Atwater-Rhodes book in years, so I'm somewhat familiar with her writing style- or at least her older writing style. I'm happy to say that her writing has matured over the years as she's grown & this book was easily able to capture my interests.

Cooper used to be a star football player until the accident a few months ago. His body has started to heal but his spirit just seems to be in tatters. It doesn't help that ever since the accident he's not only seen strange black shadows everywhere around him as well as seeing the ghost of a young teenage girl around his age. She calls herself Samantha & unfortunately she doesn't remember who she is or why she's there. Trying to help her discover who she is, Cooper discovers that not only does one of his classmates have the power to sense Samantha, but that that this classmate also wonders if Samantha is really all she's claiming to be.

Atwater-Rhodes has always been more for the shorter stories & her books all seem to run in series, so I wasn't surprised that there were mentions in the book that seemed to come from another book. There wasn't a huge amount of description about the characters of Brent, Ryan & Delilah, so I'm figuring that if I look I will be sure to find a story surrounding their characters. If there isn't then I'm going to be disappointed because otherwise these secondary characters are a little too thin to start off a book with.

I liked the characters for the most part & I'm intrigued by them, so the character development really wasn't anything I had a problem with. The gist of the plot was also nice & I did like the pacing for the majority of the book. It's just that towards the end the book seemed to try to cram way too much into too few pages & I really felt like the conclusion would have been helped by adding about 10-15 more pages or so to flesh it out more. It doesn't need much more than that, as the author's stories do work better when they are shorter, but it would have been improved by a little more detail. As it was, the conclusion just felt like it fell a little flat, which is a shame because up until that point I'd been greatly enjoying the story.

If you've been reading Atwater-Rhodes, you'll probably like this book. If you're like me & haven't read her stuff for a while, rest easy- this is a nice read that you'll probably knock out in an hour or two. If you haven't read her books before, I suggest tackling this book with a big grain of salt. This isn't as good as I remember some of her earlier books being, so it might be a disappointing read for som.

Amelia has done it again! I was expecting a good fantasy story and I certainly wasn't let down. I've always liked that her writing style is simple yet flows well. The reader is captivated in the first paragraph of each chapter and I've noticed I will often read several chapters before I realize that I am totally immersed in the story and can't wait to finish it. And that's the great part - her stories are short enough to be read in one day, often just an evening sitting. Well done! I've been buying the books as they come out since I was a teenager and I'll be first in line to buy the next one this author writes.

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' TOKEN OF DARKNESS tells of Cooper, who wakes from a car accident with his football career in ruins and a mysterious girl by his side - a girl who's a ghost. Nobody understands his dilemma - and the secrets that are being kept. A chilling mystery evolves.

I'm always interested in ghost stories, and I thought this one had a great premise. But, in the end I wasn't too thrilled with the execution.

I never felt like the reader really got to know Cooper, the main character---which is a shame because he seemed like a very likeable fellow. But the main problem came with the introduction, very near the beginning of the tale, of the character of Brent. There were a couple of pages of hurried exposition telling all about Brent's background, his connection with Delilah, why he feels compelled to help Cooper, etc. Basically, all this crammed-in material felt like a summary of a completely different tale that should have been given room to expand in its own book. In fact, after reading this background material I felt absolutely certain that "Token of Darkness" was a sequel to an earlier novel. But when I looked up the author's other works I couldn't find anything of the sort; apparently this book is a stand-alone. Still, the entire time I was reading (right to the end of the story) I continued to have the feeling that this was a sequel, and that the characters and setting were more thoroughly explored in greater depth in another novel.

The plot is a bit of a mess, with too many elements thrown together (the ghost, the shadow creatures, elemental magic, a cranky young sorcerer, a sympathetic telepath, an amoral witch) without sufficient background given for any of it.

So, in the end, not really a recommendation from me. Still, I didn't absolutely hate it and I'm not sorry I read it. If you're interested in ghost stories and the summary sounds interesting, you may want to check this one out as an interesting diversion that falls short.

As for the dust jacket... hmmm, I have a mixed reaction to this one. I think the graphic itself is fine; it appears to be several photographic images photoshopped into an appropriately spooky tableau. But the lettering seems off to me; something just doesn't feel right. I think I would have put the title at the top, and the author's name in the lower right corner (and used complimentary fonts for both; I don't think the fonts on this cover work well together).

This is one of several books that I have read by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, and she never fails to produce very interesting stories. I really enjoy an author that is capable of leading the reader through a story, and still surprise them with an unexpected ending. Token of Darkness includes four key characters that were all equally likeable. This book was 197 pages of non stop action; that will surprise you when you find yourself at the last page.

The only downfall I find to this author is her books are very quick reads without anything exceptional. I find myself finishing the story, and while I have enjoyed I have nothing that jumps out at me and holds in interest past the ending. This is your perfect book if you enjoy simple and quick reading.

Yet another enrapturing book by Amelia Atwater Rhodes. It was sensational as always. And many thanks to Amazon, I didnt know she had 3 more books untill I started ordering from here.