I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Secrets and Shadows
by
Shannon Delany
paranormal fantasy in a paperback edition that was published by St. Martin's Griffin on February 15, 2011 and has 320 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include 13 to Life
Second in the 13 to Life Young Adult series.
My Take
Not as good as the first book, 13 to Life. Jessica is getting all this negative information about Derek and she continues to “trust” him? Especially after that conversation between Derek and Counselor Harnek?? And why does Pietr have to be so mysterious and negative towards Jessica? It’s just irritating.
Although, I did enjoy Macie and Jenny begging Jessica for her help in putting Sarah down…now that Sarah seems to be recovering her memories and her inner b*tch.
The big issue I don’t understand is why it’s okay that the CIA has imprisoned the Rusakovas’ mother.
The Story
After all the trauma in 13 to Life, Jessica is seeing a psychologist who believes nothing of what she says. But, hey, Jessie tried. Everything’s cool.
Pietr is going to break it off slowly with Sarah. Wanda has agreed to let Max, Cat, and Pietr Rusakova see their mother although they insist on Jessica being the mediator between them and the CIA.
But then things start going wrong. Pietr is drawing away from her and getting gooey with Sarah nor will he talk to her even Cat has no idea why Pietr is behaving this way. Dexter is cozying up to Jessica and, if this had been last year, would have made her decade but Dexter is not the one that Jessica loves. Even Max is getting up close and personal with Jess.
In all this emotional confusion, Jessica decides to concentrate on her show jumping with Rio and Wanda talks her into competition shooting. Jess also intends to help the Rusakovas find their mother and free her before she dies. Pietr may not love her anymore, but she still considers all of them her friends.
Then we learn that we only thought things were going wrong. Now, it gets serious. The missing book is found and reveals just how Jessica is important to the Rusakovas. Derek is something much more than he seems and dangerous with it. Wanda is threatening to cage the Rusakovas, someone tries to assassinate Jessica, and the CIA decides to get dirty . . . with Jessica’s dad’s help.
The Characters
Jessica is the editor of the school paper, a genius, in love with Pietr but encouraging him to go with Sarah and slowly break it off with her (Sarah has issues . . . and no one, I mean NO ONE wants to trigger Sarah’s issues). And for some reason, Jessie is an important part of the local wolf pack.
Annabelle Lee is Jessie’s very precocious baby sister. Amy is Jessica’s best friend and hooked up with a abusive boyfriend.
Wanda is a CIA agent undercover as a librarian dating Jessie’s dad. She’s also sneaking Jessie out from under her dad’s nose to work as a mediator between the CIA and the wolf pack.
Pietr, Ekaterina/Catherine, and Max were engineered as werewolves by the Russians. They and their parents managed to escape but their father was killed and their mother, Tatiana, was captured over a year ago. Their adopted brother, Alexi, moved them to to this town where they attend high school.
Derek is on the football team and the hot guy at school. Jessie has been passionately in love with him . . . until Pietr showed up. But now, Derek is spending a lot of time trying to get up close and personal with Jessie. A closeness that Jessie is starting to consider now that Pietr seems to be giving her the cold shoulder.
The Cover and Title
In spite of its initial appearance of simplicity, the cover is quite complex. The wolf’s head gives color and texture to the sky while his eye represents the moon. The young couple on the railroad tracks represents the teen suicides Junction is experiencing while I’m guessing that the trees represent the park in which the Rusakovas and Jessie spend time. I’m not sure what the scrolly bits are about.
The title, Secrets and Shadows, refers, I think, to all the secrets that Pietr and the Rusakovas are keeping from Jessica while the shadows may well refer to the CIA, Wanda, and Derek.
