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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.
cupiscent's review against another edition
3.0
This was charming and cozy, a gentle and detailed historical ghost-story serial-killer mystery with some lovely characters, all of many facets. Perhaps, for me, a little too cozy and gentle; I found myself urging things a little faster and sharper, and I remain sad that . But charming nonetheless.
Spoiler
the major-arcana tarot posing of the discovered victims never seems to play a part in the storychelseaj91's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 Stars!Okay, this was an interesting introduction to Delia Martin and her world. I thought the aspect of the ghosts and the way they kind of clung to Delia was interesting. I did like that she started to try and learn how to keep them kind of at bay rather than just living with them was a good idea and liked that Dora was so willing to help.
I will admit that I can't quite determine what it was, but there was just something about this book. It was interesting and I thought the ghostly aspect was handled well and the mystery on who was behind it was done well, but there was just something. I liked the book but at the same time, it was quite easy for me to put it down and walk away. Like, I wanted to read and see what happened next, yet at the same time, I wasn't in a rush to get back to the story. I will admit that I want to at least check out the next one to see how things have changed for Delia and co.
The mystery behind this was actually a little surprising. I was glad that Gabe and Jack finished things off, although it was sad that it was a little too late for some people. I did feel that the reasoning was a little...unfinished? Like, the explanation for what the bad guy thought was given through the book that he left with Delia's stuff but there wasn't any reason for how he arrived at that madness. I guess I just wanted more about how he managed to get to the Egyptian angle. That part clearly seemed like it was supposed to be tied to the one summer but there wasn't anything other than a couple of mentions of "he was changed after he got back"
I did want a little more on the various ghosts though. It was nice that Shadow got her resolution although I did think it was strange that she only was able to really give Delia anything when she and Dora basically said "do it or else". Like, she'd been tugging Delia to San Francisco for how long with nothing more than nightmares? She was so determined to get her revenge, yet at the same time, it felt like she was kind of lackadaisical about it, until Dora pulled out the big guns, so to speak. I did want to know about Teddy and Bethyl; clearly there was more to their relationship with the house and Esther.
literaryfeline's review against another edition
4.0
Orginally published on my blog: http://www.literaryfeline.com/2016/03/bookish-thoughts-delias-shadow-by-jaime.html
Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer
Tor Books, 2013
Crime Fiction (Historical, Paranormal); 336 pgs
Source: From the Publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
The majority of you who voted in my TBR List poll chose Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer as my February read, and I cannot thank you enough.
Delia Martin left her comfortable life in San Francisco behind in an effort to avoid the dead who haunt her, taking a job as a teacher on the East Coast. She is drawn back, however, by a ghost who has traveled a long way to ask for her help. Only Delia isn't sure what help she is being asked to provide exactly. Things begin fall into place when she arrives back in San Francisco. Her best friend's fiancé and his partner are in the middle of a serial murder investigation that has them stumped and frightened. The murders are growing more grisly and personal. And they are eerily similar serial murders that took place thirty years before. Could they be connected? Is it the same killer?
The ghost haunting Delia is becoming more powerful, and Delia is intent on finding out what she can about the woman's death and in stopping a killer from claiming anymore victims. The police are desperate for answers and Lieutenant Gabe Ryan is willing to do anything, including using unusual methods to catch the killer--like using a psychic.
Delia's Shadow has a strong sense of place. I have long been enamored with the city of San Francisco and its history. The novel is set nine years after the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906, just in time for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. The author paints a realistic portrait of the city during that time period. It was hard not to feel a part of it. Delia and Gabe are no strangers to loss, both having lost loved ones in the earthquake and fires that followed. While Delia has come to terms with the past, Gabe is still struggling to do so, unable and unwilling to completely move on. There is something about Delia, however, that awakens something inside him, and those strings to the past begin to loosen.
I quite liked Delia and her friends (although I wasn't too fond of Isadora, who I just didn't connect with at all). She has been able to see ghosts since childhood, and it became unbearable right after the terrible earthquake and fire that took her parents. She could not go anywhere without seeing ghost upon ghost. Returning home brings much of that back for Delia, but she uses it to her advantage, trying to learn to control her gift, and find justice for the victims of a serial killer.
The mystery is quite dark. The killer has the upper hand for much of the novel and even I was beginning to wonder if the good guys would ever find the murderer. The ghosts added to the atmosphere of the novel, making it all the more creepy and raising the stakes higher. I enjoyed every minute of it! Even so, I would not have minded more insight into the murderer, even beyond what was offered. While the romance plays a part in the novel, it isn't its strongest asset, I didn't think. I really liked both characters involved and hoped they would come together, but it took me awhile to buy into the romantic thread of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed Delia's Shadow quite a bit. I was happy to discover there are two more books to look forward to, featuring the same characters.
Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer
Tor Books, 2013
Crime Fiction (Historical, Paranormal); 336 pgs
Source: From the Publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
The majority of you who voted in my TBR List poll chose Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer as my February read, and I cannot thank you enough.
Delia Martin left her comfortable life in San Francisco behind in an effort to avoid the dead who haunt her, taking a job as a teacher on the East Coast. She is drawn back, however, by a ghost who has traveled a long way to ask for her help. Only Delia isn't sure what help she is being asked to provide exactly. Things begin fall into place when she arrives back in San Francisco. Her best friend's fiancé and his partner are in the middle of a serial murder investigation that has them stumped and frightened. The murders are growing more grisly and personal. And they are eerily similar serial murders that took place thirty years before. Could they be connected? Is it the same killer?
The ghost haunting Delia is becoming more powerful, and Delia is intent on finding out what she can about the woman's death and in stopping a killer from claiming anymore victims. The police are desperate for answers and Lieutenant Gabe Ryan is willing to do anything, including using unusual methods to catch the killer--like using a psychic.
Delia's Shadow has a strong sense of place. I have long been enamored with the city of San Francisco and its history. The novel is set nine years after the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906, just in time for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. The author paints a realistic portrait of the city during that time period. It was hard not to feel a part of it. Delia and Gabe are no strangers to loss, both having lost loved ones in the earthquake and fires that followed. While Delia has come to terms with the past, Gabe is still struggling to do so, unable and unwilling to completely move on. There is something about Delia, however, that awakens something inside him, and those strings to the past begin to loosen.
I quite liked Delia and her friends (although I wasn't too fond of Isadora, who I just didn't connect with at all). She has been able to see ghosts since childhood, and it became unbearable right after the terrible earthquake and fire that took her parents. She could not go anywhere without seeing ghost upon ghost. Returning home brings much of that back for Delia, but she uses it to her advantage, trying to learn to control her gift, and find justice for the victims of a serial killer.
The mystery is quite dark. The killer has the upper hand for much of the novel and even I was beginning to wonder if the good guys would ever find the murderer. The ghosts added to the atmosphere of the novel, making it all the more creepy and raising the stakes higher. I enjoyed every minute of it! Even so, I would not have minded more insight into the murderer, even beyond what was offered. While the romance plays a part in the novel, it isn't its strongest asset, I didn't think. I really liked both characters involved and hoped they would come together, but it took me awhile to buy into the romantic thread of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed Delia's Shadow quite a bit. I was happy to discover there are two more books to look forward to, featuring the same characters.
jessreadthis's review against another edition
3.0
I love a good ghost story, especially one set in a historical setting with a good mystery to solve! I powered through all three books in this series this weekend. I stumbled across book 3 in my library's New Mystery section by sheer chance of admiring the cover. The synopsis hooked me and the book gods smiled at me as the its predecessors were checked in on the Mystery shelf! Honestly, I liked the first one all right. But book 2 and 3 had the series getting better and better! So my tip on this series is, read book 1. Like it for what it is. And plan on getting really into the series with book 2 and ultimately book 3.
What is it about: Delia Martin is a wealthy young orphan who was dealt a cruel hand by Fate in the great earthquake that rocked San Francisco in 1906. It took her parents and it also took the way she views the world. After the earthquake, Delia could see ghosts and peer across the other side. She flees San Francisco for a safer place and lack of ghosts ironically. However, a specter of a woman finds her in New York and bears silent witness to some event that occurred in San Francisco. Delia realizes that this ghost is not going away and her kind heart realizes it is time to return home. On her return she finds her beloved city has been rebuilding, the determined ghost is getting more persistent, and a serial killer has begun killing after a thirty year reprieve. Delia's specter has a connection to the killer and Delia becomes involved in the race to stop this madman.
Absolutely loved the descriptions of life in this time period, the dresses, courtship, police protocol, and the lay out of San Francisco. It is very apparent a lot of research was done by the author prior to writing this book. Highly recommend!
What is it about: Delia Martin is a wealthy young orphan who was dealt a cruel hand by Fate in the great earthquake that rocked San Francisco in 1906. It took her parents and it also took the way she views the world. After the earthquake, Delia could see ghosts and peer across the other side. She flees San Francisco for a safer place and lack of ghosts ironically. However, a specter of a woman finds her in New York and bears silent witness to some event that occurred in San Francisco. Delia realizes that this ghost is not going away and her kind heart realizes it is time to return home. On her return she finds her beloved city has been rebuilding, the determined ghost is getting more persistent, and a serial killer has begun killing after a thirty year reprieve. Delia's specter has a connection to the killer and Delia becomes involved in the race to stop this madman.
Absolutely loved the descriptions of life in this time period, the dresses, courtship, police protocol, and the lay out of San Francisco. It is very apparent a lot of research was done by the author prior to writing this book. Highly recommend!
greenbeem's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this one! It's a light historical mystery - full of ghosts, good friends and likeable characters, plus a sweet friendship-style romance. I'll be checking out Delia's further adventures for sure.
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
DNF as it was wildly overdue at the library. Liked the premise and the setting, but just didn't quite get sucked it -- hence the four plus weeks it took me to get halfway through.
seeingnight's review against another edition
4.0
GENRE: Paranormal
THEME: Historical, Ghost, Mystery
RECEIVED: Publisher
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
Delia’s Shadow was a surprise find; it’s a haunting story that connects each character to a mystery that has been going on for a long time. I loved how the plot unfolded secrets, brought about growth in each character, and connected ghosts to help unsolved murders.
Delia’s Shadow follows a young woman named Delia who would seem normal to those that pass her, but she is someone who is gifted with seeing spirits. After a terrible earthquake and fire that happened when she was a child, the dead always come seeking help to move on. But after years of peace from them, a woman who is more haunting that any of the other ghost, seems to need her help. Delia is brought back on to San Francisco only to have the ghost connect her to a long line of murders. The murderer has been in hiding for 30 years, but why has he now retuned and why is one of victims seeking Delia?
Deila is a smart and unique woman who has a lot to learn about her gift. She has been teaching ever since she left San Francisco and has tried to leave the ghosts behind. After the loss of her parents in the great quake she was raised by a family friend Esther and gained a sister Sadie. Esther’s illness has caused her to return and be with her sister Sadie during Esthers final days. As well as the haunting of a female ghost who seems to be stronger than anything she’s ever encountered. Delia’s family knows about her seeing ghost and Sadie is the one person who is supportive. But when Delia’s ghost whom she names “Shadow” connects to a case that Sadie’s fiancé and partner Jack are working on, Delia discovers the importance of her gift and that she could help stop a very dangers person.
I loved the mystery in how Delia’s ghost brought her back home, how it connects to this murder case, as well as the people who are now apart of her life. Moyer created twists that I didn’t see coming, along with some chilling writing during the eerie murders scenes that only added to how creepy the villain is. Delia’s character is extremely fascinating and the only piece that I couldn’t grasp is how easily everyone accepted her seeing ghost. Nonetheless I really enjoyed how all the dots connected and that each person introduced in the story was apart of the whole picture.
Detective Gabriel Ryan is the hero and victim of this long murder mystery that he has been connected to since he was a child. His father worked the case years ago, making this a very personal one. Delia is a mystery to him and the one woman whom he feels nervous around, the other was his late wife whom died in the great quake. Together they make a great pair, trying to put the pieces of her dreams together; which are sent from her ghost “Shadow. They discover her dreams and ghost are connected to the case. He’s a good man with a sad past but I loved how he was such a good detective, he is passionate about his job and keeping people safe.
Overall this was an excellent murder mystery with paranormal elements that add that special spark to the plot line. The characters are easy to connect too; I was fascinated with how Delia’s gift would bring everything together. There is slight romance that is developed and grown throughout the plot. As well as splashes of humor from her sister Sadie and friend Dora to add some much needed light tones. I also loved the change of point of view from Gabe to Delia getting both of the paranormal slide and the police side, this made me feel like I was solving the case with both of them. Overall this was a great debut novel from Moyer and I look forward to her upcoming books.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult novel with an eerie storyline that will have you solving the case along with the characters. Fans of A.A. Aguirre’s Apparatus Infernum series and Susan Dennard’s Something Strange and Deadly series will enjoy Delia’s Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer.
THEME: Historical, Ghost, Mystery
RECEIVED: Publisher
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/
REVIEW:
Delia’s Shadow was a surprise find; it’s a haunting story that connects each character to a mystery that has been going on for a long time. I loved how the plot unfolded secrets, brought about growth in each character, and connected ghosts to help unsolved murders.
Delia’s Shadow follows a young woman named Delia who would seem normal to those that pass her, but she is someone who is gifted with seeing spirits. After a terrible earthquake and fire that happened when she was a child, the dead always come seeking help to move on. But after years of peace from them, a woman who is more haunting that any of the other ghost, seems to need her help. Delia is brought back on to San Francisco only to have the ghost connect her to a long line of murders. The murderer has been in hiding for 30 years, but why has he now retuned and why is one of victims seeking Delia?
Deila is a smart and unique woman who has a lot to learn about her gift. She has been teaching ever since she left San Francisco and has tried to leave the ghosts behind. After the loss of her parents in the great quake she was raised by a family friend Esther and gained a sister Sadie. Esther’s illness has caused her to return and be with her sister Sadie during Esthers final days. As well as the haunting of a female ghost who seems to be stronger than anything she’s ever encountered. Delia’s family knows about her seeing ghost and Sadie is the one person who is supportive. But when Delia’s ghost whom she names “Shadow” connects to a case that Sadie’s fiancé and partner Jack are working on, Delia discovers the importance of her gift and that she could help stop a very dangers person.
I loved the mystery in how Delia’s ghost brought her back home, how it connects to this murder case, as well as the people who are now apart of her life. Moyer created twists that I didn’t see coming, along with some chilling writing during the eerie murders scenes that only added to how creepy the villain is. Delia’s character is extremely fascinating and the only piece that I couldn’t grasp is how easily everyone accepted her seeing ghost. Nonetheless I really enjoyed how all the dots connected and that each person introduced in the story was apart of the whole picture.
Detective Gabriel Ryan is the hero and victim of this long murder mystery that he has been connected to since he was a child. His father worked the case years ago, making this a very personal one. Delia is a mystery to him and the one woman whom he feels nervous around, the other was his late wife whom died in the great quake. Together they make a great pair, trying to put the pieces of her dreams together; which are sent from her ghost “Shadow. They discover her dreams and ghost are connected to the case. He’s a good man with a sad past but I loved how he was such a good detective, he is passionate about his job and keeping people safe.
Overall this was an excellent murder mystery with paranormal elements that add that special spark to the plot line. The characters are easy to connect too; I was fascinated with how Delia’s gift would bring everything together. There is slight romance that is developed and grown throughout the plot. As well as splashes of humor from her sister Sadie and friend Dora to add some much needed light tones. I also loved the change of point of view from Gabe to Delia getting both of the paranormal slide and the police side, this made me feel like I was solving the case with both of them. Overall this was a great debut novel from Moyer and I look forward to her upcoming books.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult novel with an eerie storyline that will have you solving the case along with the characters. Fans of A.A. Aguirre’s Apparatus Infernum series and Susan Dennard’s Something Strange and Deadly series will enjoy Delia’s Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer.
chally's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0