rachel_abby_reads's review against another edition
4.0
It was well written, PG rated, and enjoyable. My only caveat is that the crime would not (and possibly could not) have been solved without supernatural intervention.
impalalove's review against another edition
4.0
Delia's Shadow had an interesting murder-mystery, enriched with the ghost of one of its victims, being one of the titular characters, Shadow. I did have impressions of who might have committed the crime, but I never had confirmation -- therefore the plot kept you guessing with its several plot twists. It's the characters that suffered a bit in here -- they're particularly intriguing, but I was more interested in the other characters than the main lead, Delia.
But then, she is only an instrument to the real character of the story -- Shadow herself.
But then, she is only an instrument to the real character of the story -- Shadow herself.
13books2go's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
colls's review against another edition
3.0
This was a light read about hauntings, ghosts and serial killers -- light in that it was an easy read, not that the subject matter was all rainbows and sunshine.
Delia and Gabe make a rather dull couple (they're so polite! blech.) and the romance side of things is almost non-existent. The book focuses more on tracking the killer and having dinner with family and friends.
It's engaging enough that I'll probably check out the next in the series, but the plot and characters don't have a lot of depth.
Delia and Gabe make a rather dull couple (they're so polite! blech.) and the romance side of things is almost non-existent. The book focuses more on tracking the killer and having dinner with family and friends.
It's engaging enough that I'll probably check out the next in the series, but the plot and characters don't have a lot of depth.
youaremerlin's review against another edition
1.0
I have so many complaints about this book I don't even know where to start. Instead of boring you and wasting my time with an endless list I'll cover its issues with one blanket description: badly written. I've read book twice as long in half the time. That's how difficult this book was to get through. I almost didn't finish it and I wish I hadn't started it. Please don't put yourself through the same pain I went through. I've read book I got from Kindle for free that were better written then this.
acrabtree's review against another edition
5.0
I read this all in one day. I'm usually into more 'fantasy' than 'paranormal,' but this was worth the excursion into a different genre.
resareads's review against another edition
3.0
“Ever since I was a small child I’d caught glimpses of people my parents couldn’t see, or faces peering at me from corners in an otherwise empty room.”
This is our first glimpse into the mind of our heroine, Delia, as the book begins. From the start when ghosts begin following the clairvoyant, but naïve girl Moyer does not slow down the rise of events that lead to the book’s ending. While the story’s end comes predictably to a close the journey Moyer takes the reader on to get there is paced near perfectly and the two narrators add depth to the plot without muddling the mystery. Through narrators Delia and Gabe Moyer has not only created a mystery that will keep you turning pages, but characters that feel real and emotional. Unfortunately, Moyer’s strong character development does not carry over to the villain which leaves this otherwise impeccably crafted mystery falling flat and feeling hollow.
Delia is traveling back to her home town of San Francisco after a childhood sense of seeing ghosts has come back to her, stronger than ever. She feels the time to return home and deal with her six sense is at hand and with the wedding of her best friend and death of her foster-mother on the horizon, the timing seems right. What Delia doesn’t know is that friend Sadie’s fiancé and his partner Gabe are in the middle of a murder investigation. And Delia’s ghost is a key witness. As the serial killer that’s been hunting for decades begins to escalate his threats Delia and Gabe join forces physical and paranormal to stop the killer before it’s too late.
The characters in this novel are all well rounded and that helps the plot to move along, I genuinely felt for Gabe and Delia as well as Sadie and her fiancé. They alone make this a charming mystery, and the inevitable love side-story that develops between Gabe and Delia doesn’t feel as forced as it might otherwise. Everything leading up to the mystery was done well and the plot arc left the author with plenty of rooms to throw a few curves and develop the killer. Unfortunately, Moyer doesn’t take advantage. More time is spent setting the scene of San Francisco than developing the motives of a murderer. Moyer set up plenty of possibilities from bringing in myths of Egyptian gods, to the mystery of what happened in the killer’s childhood, to the possibility of ghostly possession. But all these threads are left untied to the rest of the plot when the case finds its end. Making the solving of this mystery a disappointment.
It does feel like Moyer is setting this book up to be part of a series, and maybe a later installment when answer some of these questions. While this mystery ended on an empty note the writing and the characters would bring me back to Moyer should Gabe and Delia return. While not the best mystery out there, I was pleased with the19th century San Francisco setting and the story moves along quickly enough it doesn’t get boring. A good read for the fall, especially in the dark.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher.
This is our first glimpse into the mind of our heroine, Delia, as the book begins. From the start when ghosts begin following the clairvoyant, but naïve girl Moyer does not slow down the rise of events that lead to the book’s ending. While the story’s end comes predictably to a close the journey Moyer takes the reader on to get there is paced near perfectly and the two narrators add depth to the plot without muddling the mystery. Through narrators Delia and Gabe Moyer has not only created a mystery that will keep you turning pages, but characters that feel real and emotional. Unfortunately, Moyer’s strong character development does not carry over to the villain which leaves this otherwise impeccably crafted mystery falling flat and feeling hollow.
Delia is traveling back to her home town of San Francisco after a childhood sense of seeing ghosts has come back to her, stronger than ever. She feels the time to return home and deal with her six sense is at hand and with the wedding of her best friend and death of her foster-mother on the horizon, the timing seems right. What Delia doesn’t know is that friend Sadie’s fiancé and his partner Gabe are in the middle of a murder investigation. And Delia’s ghost is a key witness. As the serial killer that’s been hunting for decades begins to escalate his threats Delia and Gabe join forces physical and paranormal to stop the killer before it’s too late.
The characters in this novel are all well rounded and that helps the plot to move along, I genuinely felt for Gabe and Delia as well as Sadie and her fiancé. They alone make this a charming mystery, and the inevitable love side-story that develops between Gabe and Delia doesn’t feel as forced as it might otherwise. Everything leading up to the mystery was done well and the plot arc left the author with plenty of rooms to throw a few curves and develop the killer. Unfortunately, Moyer doesn’t take advantage. More time is spent setting the scene of San Francisco than developing the motives of a murderer. Moyer set up plenty of possibilities from bringing in myths of Egyptian gods, to the mystery of what happened in the killer’s childhood, to the possibility of ghostly possession. But all these threads are left untied to the rest of the plot when the case finds its end. Making the solving of this mystery a disappointment.
It does feel like Moyer is setting this book up to be part of a series, and maybe a later installment when answer some of these questions. While this mystery ended on an empty note the writing and the characters would bring me back to Moyer should Gabe and Delia return. While not the best mystery out there, I was pleased with the19th century San Francisco setting and the story moves along quickly enough it doesn’t get boring. A good read for the fall, especially in the dark.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher.
wordnerdy's review against another edition
3.0
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2013/08/2013-book-213.html
paperbackstash's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
Delia’s Shadow promises quite a bit: Victorian Society; Human-Ghost Interaction; Gothic ambience; Paranormal Mystery. While the book delivers all it promises, it holds back a bit at the same time.
Delia is returning home to be reunited with her childhood friend who is about to be married, and her surrogate mother who is on the eve of her deathbed. She’s not returning home alone, though – a ghost is trailing her, encouraging her to return home for reasons Delia can’t figure out. Meanwhile, Sadie’s fiancé Jack and friend Gabe are on the hunt for a serial killer who has been terrorizing the small town.
The story is a great concept. It has a lot going for it. The ambience is potent, and I could almost feel the fog on my face as I was reading the flashback scenes. I loved the psychic and she turned out to be my favorite. The gothic theme is used strongly and without shame. I do love how the plot is intertwined with so many secrets and how these connect to the characters in surprising ways.
Issues arise with the characterization. They didn’t seem convincingly, too good to be true, especially the police force. Delia and Gabe’s relationship also rang false since neither were convincing. As it typical with Gothic romances, the rushed love is usually unrealistic and without much buildup for that special connection. Also, for the house being full of ghosts, it was surprisingly non-eerie. I would forget about them being there unless the author mentioned it after a while. More could have been done with them.
While the mystery stayed a mystery, it was intriguing enough, but I feel the mystery was dropped too soon and fell off. The villain is a creative twist by identity, but I wish it could have been discovered a little later. It isn’t gory, although deaths are tragically felt.
I think one of the scenes that will stay with me the most is when the ghosts send Sadie on a vision, and Teddy looks at her once they arrive before evaporating into a cloud of dust. Beautiful stuff. You could certainly feel the haunting, paranormal elements swirling around.
There is one more thing to mention: weird POV struggles. It’s not unusual to have two points of view, one male and one female, but never when that’s done does it switch from first person point of view to third. Each section is labeled by the name Gabe or Delia, and when in Gabe’s head it was “He said…”, but when it’s Delia, it was “I thought…,etc.”
It’s the first of the series. I’m not sure where it will go from here, but I’m curious. And surely I’m not the only one who has massive cover love?
An enjoyable novel but ultimately parts of the ghost story are a little lifeless.