Secrets and Shadows Review

Hey Blogger Buds,
I just finished Secrets and Shadows, the sequel to 13 To Life, and it was absolutely fantastic. I wasn't so wowed by 13 To Life, but I really like S&S, so I decided to share the love. Remember, if you haven't  read 13TL yet, this review contains spoilers from it! (13 To Life: Goodreads Amazon)
So if you read 13 To Life and are having second thoughts about buying thee sequel, read on!
Other books/characters mentioned in review: Severus Snape, Mockingjay, Phantom Tollbooth
(Linkage below)


Blurby (not sure if this is the official one, but Goodreads had this one, and Goodreads knows All):
Nothing's simple when you run with werewolves. Jess Gillmansen thinks she's seen it all but her eyes are about to be opened to even more danger and a reality far more paranormal than she's suspected. With Jess' realization that the Rusakovas' mother is still alive and imprisoned, the group's choices become harder and trust more important. Lines are drawn and relationships change as the broken Rusakova family struggles to reunite to free their mother - and those who Jess thought to be normal people show themselves to be much, much more...

Review:
I read 13 To Life several months ago, so when I started S&S I was a bit disoriented, (Who's that character again?) but I got an idea pretty quickly, and the book proceeded to blow me away.
Character time...
~Jessica is so strong and intelligent. When Pietr starts to pull away, she does her best to get over him. Even in stressful situations, Jess keeps her head, and is absolutely devoted to her friends.
~Pietr and Max kinda switched places in my heart. Pietr was the sweet, devoted boyfriend in 13TL, but I just wanted to smack him, or shake him roughly by the shoulders throughout this book. Max I loved though. He used to be the obnoxious, dumb player, but Max did a complete turn-around. He's like a loyal dog (pun intended), always watching out for Jessie, even hopping in his car to pick her up wherever she is, no questions asked. Max is just sweet :) and Pietr is just a jerk until, of course, you find out why.
~Derek is the Snape of the book (before you find out where Snape's loyalties truly lie. I'm not spoiling anything about Derek!). Of course, as fantastic as this book was, it can't be equated to  Harry Potter (but what can be?). I think calling him the Snape pretty much sums it up, though.There was one scene with Derek that I did not like, as I was totally disoriented, but I think that's what Shannon Delaney was driving at...?
~Jess's Father bothered me.  He kept on jumping to conclusions, from right in the beginning all the way to the end. A couple of pages in, he sees a bruise on Jessie's face, and his reaction is to ground her and refuse her from seeing Pietr, because a bruise has to mean that she went to see him and he's abusing his girlfriend. I wanted to slap some sense into him. He was very bothersome (enough so that I actually said 'bothersome').
I love, Love, LOVE some of the issues addressed in this book. Namely, abusive relationships. I don't want to give anything away, but, ironically, I like to see taboo subjects un-tabooed. (Yes, I'm aware it's not a word.) There was also some great other topics.
It's funny. As a joke, Jessie, in several places, refers to Max as a loyal dog, or teasingly, just a dog. She even, in a mock-fight, says to Cat, "You're brother, Max, is such a cur." Jess has a great sense of humor in general, and Pietr has a tendency to state the obvious. ;)
The ending was awful. No. Wait. That came out wrong. It wasn't awful in a Mockingjay way, it was awful in a "Noooooo! This can't happen to Jess! No, Jessie! Nooooooo!" Shannon Delaney did nothing wrong. :) It was a bit weird, though. Again: Daddy's acting like Milo and Jumping to Conclusions. After I finished the book I took a nap, and my dreams were filled with saving Jessica. A warning to readers: In the back of the book, there's a page about Bargains and Betrayals, the third book. On that page, there's the hook, which spoils the last chapter. So don't read that big sentence.
Although very little bothered me about this book, unfortunately it was more than just Jessica's dad. I love the scientific explanation of the Rusakovas' shifting,  but once you start to introduce real paranormalcy into the world, it gets a bit too iffy for me, and it detracts from the book.
Overall, book love. I was very impressed, and I really liked it, even more than 13 To Life. This is a surprise, as sequels usually aren't so great.

Rating: 5 stars

Can't wait for the last book! Bargains and Betrayals available August 16!

Linkage: Goodreads Amazon BookDepo Author Site Book Site (I'm lessening the links. If anyone uses Borders or B&N, let me know, and I'll put the links back!)
Already read S&S? Add the third book, Bargains and Betrayals: Goodreads Amazon BookDepo

Peace and wolves,
Riv