Shadowlands series by Kate Brian

                                     

Shadowlands #1

First impression:  murder mystery/thriller

Second impression:  woah, paranormal stuff?

After finishing this book I am left with so much to think about.  I wasn’t expecting the switch, and I want to know why people keep disappearing.   I need the next one right now, to hopefully answer the many questions I have floating in my brain.  I won’t list them because they’ll cause spoilers.  I’m definitely buying this for the high school; I have students who’ll love the twist, and some who’ll come back in and yell at me after they are done.  Whatever—I love a reaction.  It moves the books! 

Hereafter #2

“Life” continues for Rory and her family at Juniper Landing, the limbo world where their souls are living while waiting for unfinished business to be finished. But someone is changing the way things work, and the balance is shifting--more souls are going to the Shadowlands than the Light. Juniper Landing is dying and some of the locals want to blame Rory.

I was excited about this second book in the series and was enjoying the build of the mystery only to be stopped at the cliff, literally and figuratively. While I enjoyed the ride, the ending colors everything gray, much like the soul sucking fog. This trend of the second book in a series just feeling like a place filler and teaser annoys me. In spite of all of that, it read fast; Hereafter did not feel like 320 pages on my Kindle. I’ll definitely buy it for the high school to add to the series. I hope the ending isn’t too far away--I’ll have cranky seniors if it is. :)

Click on the titles to link to the Goodreads summaries.