About the Book-The Shadow
Even time cannot stop the Shadow.
Only two people know Lamont Cranston’s secret identity as the Shadow, a vigilante of justice: his greatest love, Margo Lane — and his fiercest enemy, Shiwan Khan. Then Khan ambushes the couple, who have the slimmest chance of survival … in the uncertain future.
A century and a half later, Lamont awakens in a world both unknown and disturbingly familiar. The first person he meets is Maddy Gomes, a teenager with her own mysterious secrets, including a more than passing familiarity with the legend of the Shadow.
Most disturbing, Khan’s power continues to be felt over the city and its people. No one in this new world understands the dangers of stopping him better than Lamont Cranston. He also knows he’s the only one who stands a chance. The Shadow must prove that he’s not only a super crime-fighter, but an icon.
It bothered me having to take up the role of a detective hunting for clues in the book to what is exactly happening in the book and who all these people are.
Read on for our review of the book
Our Review of The Shadow
The book was a weird experience for me. I don’t know how to explain the book. Technically the book had everything that I love in a book. Mystery, supernatural, twists and turns, Layers of secrets but somehow nothing clicked to its perfection with this book. I have no idea about the background of the book or the character. I just picked up the book as a potential good thriller read. Although while reading the book, I kept feeling that I am missing something. Like I don’t know the context of the book. Maybe it was some kind of popular series in an alternative universe that I didn’t know and the book was just a follow up to the fanfare…is that what happened in here?
As I said, on paper, the book had every element that could have made it amazing but perhaps the execution missed something because nothing comes together. The book is set up in a dystopian world (fair enough) and has a character appearing from the past ( like way past..think 1950s) So that Little juxtaposition should have been the perfect golden card for the book. Except it didn’t work. It couldn’t hold.
In bits and parts, it’s amazing but when put together it’s missing key ingredients that could have connected these bits and parts. You can make the basic play of the plot but with something off-key, it isn’t as exciting as it could have been. Let’s just say in the book, Things that needed to have taken slowly, sprints like a racehorse. Things that could have been used with a bit of speed drags like a tortoise in a race. For example, Major revelations, things that link to the past and origin of the characters are done in just mere lines and is done, leaving you to make the head and tails of it. On the other hand, pages are filled with emotions and what one is feeling, the internal struggles just occupying areas that could have been used with a bit more insight into the events or basic facts about the character.
One of the things that struck me most awkward was the way everything ended in the book. It felt too movie-shh. Too quick. Too fast and furious 😛 A bit dramatic.
Even if this is like a book form of some epic character, it would not have hurt with a bit of hint towards the origin and background, even if it was in mere para or through a conversation. Something that could help both new readers and people aware of the characters equally to get into the setting of the book. It bothered me having to take up the role of a detective hunting for clues in the book to what is exactly happening in the book and who all these people are.
Conclusion
So in conclusion, I would say that the book faltered at its execution stage because they had all these amazing pieces but didn’t know where or how to fit these pieces. As a result, certain places shine while others parts are equally dim. Some sections of the book feel exciting but then that gets over too quickly for you to enjoy. So I could only say that the book works in bits and parts but not as a whole and that is not a good thing for a book.
Squirrel Rating
Book Recommendation: You could also try Scarelett Undercover
