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Shadows of the Past

3.0 of 5 stars 3.00 · rating details · 5 ratings · 6 reviews

Even in the shadow, her past haunts her. In a small town in northern New Jersey someone (or something) has murdered a twenty year old ware- tiger by injecting liquid silver into her heart. It is one of a string of ghastly murders that are occurring around Grabenberg, NJ. OPIA, the Occult and Paranormal Investigation Agency, decides it's time to call in their best agent. Th...more

Paperback, 460 pages

Published March 26th 2012 by Outskirts Press

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Aug 15, 2012 Sadie Forsythe rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was sent a copy of Shadows of the Past by author, E. A. Jenson and I almost wish I hadn't read it so that I didn't have to review it. Not because I didn't enjoy it in any fashion, but because I hate being the bearer of bad news. Honestly, the story is alright. It's a decent who-done-it that keeps you wondering if your guess is correct right up until the end. The world Jenson creates, where all the paranormal creatures live out in the open together with humans, is interesting and some of the ch...more I was sent a copy of Shadows of the Past by author, E. A. Jenson and I almost wish I hadn't read it so that I didn't have to review it. Not because I didn't enjoy it in any fashion, but because I hate being the bearer of bad news. Honestly, the story is alright. It's a decent who-done-it that keeps you wondering if your guess is correct right up until the end. The world Jenson creates, where all the paranormal creatures live out in the open together with humans, is interesting and some of the characters are truly likable.

But the book has a few characteristics of the paranormal genre that generally annoy me. The main character, Kirsa, seems like the center of the world, though there isn't really any apparent reason for it until the end. She is super smart, rich, loved by her family, the god-daughter of the local police chief, surrogate daughter of the head of the Vampire council, lover of the strongest Shadow, friend & employee of the head of the OPIA (think FBI for the paranormal) and even the President knows and worries for her. I got seriously sick of all these powerful men kissing her forehead. The problem is that until the end of the book she is just another citizen. She doesn't seem to have the social clout to explain her importance. Similarly, in order for her to survive and triumph as the main character usually does, other characters had to act in uncharacteristic ways. (view spoiler) Despite these complaints, which are fairly common to the genre and not really a deal breaker for me, I probably would have given the book a 3-3.5 stars if it wasn't an editorial train wreck.

There are numerous homophones and the like (threw vs through, pass instead of past, then and than are frequently confused,etc), there are far too few commas, words and letters get left out (father instead of farther), and there are a number of inconsistencies. The baddie, for example asks at one point "why weren't you surprised to see me out by the car?" The scene he refers to is only a dozen or so pages earlier, but it isn't by the car. It's in the root cellar. One character states that he is roughly 150 years old and then later says he is over 200. (They are vampires after all). At one point I even rechecked the cover to see if I was actually reading an ARC that might not have had a final edit.

A previous reviewer mentioned that the author was going to have it reedited. If this happens I would be happy to recommend the book, maybe even change my review accordingly. But the book I've just read needs some work I'm afraid. (less)

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Aug 14, 2012 Lainy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 2 days

Blurb From The Back Cover

Release date March 29, 2012

For five years, Kirsa Heinrich has tried to leave her past behind. Yet in a blink of an eye it all comes back to haunt her. A call from her old boss informs her that a series of heinous murders has occurred in her hometown. Each victim is protected under the Paranormal Laws, each one killed in a different manner. At each scene a cryptic message is left for Kirsa. Now Kirsa has to face her own past in order to solve th...more Time Taken To Read - 2 days

Blurb From The Back Cover

Release date March 29, 2012

For five years, Kirsa Heinrich has tried to leave her past behind. Yet in a blink of an eye it all comes back to haunt her. A call from her old boss informs her that a series of heinous murders has occurred in her hometown. Each victim is protected under the Paranormal Laws, each one killed in a different manner. At each scene a cryptic message is left for Kirsa. Now Kirsa has to face her own past in order to solve the crimes. Ayden O'Brian is a member of an elite group of Vampires that work for the Vampire Council. He has been handed a case that hints at a traitor in their midst, one who is giving secrets to their biggest enemy. When the information that is being leaked pertains to Kirsa and her family's connection to council, Ayden is sent to New Jersey to help Kirsa solve the case. Together they will unlock a long hidden secret about Kirsa's family and an old war between vampires. For within the past, they will discover the secret to the traitor and the person responsible for the killings.

My Review

Kirsa is not your normal human, she has always been surrounded by vampires and has a rare blood condition. She works as an international agent for the OPIA (Occult and Paranormal Investigating Agency) which means she can travel to help solve crimes. Bodies are building up and at each crime a note is left for Kirsa so she is drafted in to consultant on the case. Soon it becomes apparent that the case is more to do with Kirsa and her family than anyone could have guessed and secrets and betrayal and at the heart of it.

First I have to say this book would have rated higher but there are a lot of grammar and spelling issues (not so much that it detracted from the story for me but this has been the case for some people). My only other issues are that in one chapter you have several different scenes with different people yet all that separates it is a spaced line between the sentences. This is very confusing at times and you have to go back and re read the previous sentence and then realize it is a different scene. I think this could be easily rectified by the use of a symbol, something in line with the theme would be great or even as simple as the star about the number 8 on a keyboard.

Back to the story, I really enjoyed it. The story starts with a cat and mouse scene that draws you in and the action starts from there. The chapters are short in length which is great because there are so many characters, types of creatures (ware-cats, witches, vampires to mention a few) that you need time to digest what you have read. I love the character of Kirsa, there are so many levels to her and you get to follow her journey as she develops. She has been through a lot (which you find out as you read) yet she is still a fighter, it is refreshing to read a strong female character. Ayden is another great character, apart from being a vampire (who doesn't love them, right?), he is very loyal, fierce and protective but also has a sensitive side.

The author has created a whole new kind of vampire tale (mixed with other creatures) and a law and council dedicated to them. The Vampires have different traits (and some of the same) as ones we have read about before but this is the first book I have read with vampires of different kinds. I could go on and on about this book but for me I think this is my longest review so will stop here. If your looking for something new and love vampires you should try this book although it isn't exclusive to just vampires. I gave it a 3/5 and would read this author again, thanks so much for introducing me to your work and giving me the opportunity to review it. This book is available in ebook edition and print.(less)

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Sep 12, 2012 Redheaded Bookworm rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was a little confusing at first. There are so many characters thrown at you in a short period of time, I had a hard time keeping them straight. Also, the editing was a little lack luster. But, it wasn't so bad that you couldn't figure out what was meant. With that said, I really enjoyed the book. The story was intriguing and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. There is also a romance involved. Ayden is just swoon worthy! Lots of paranormal creatures. I had heard that the b...more

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Sep 29, 2012 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

UPDATE!! Book was edited and re-reviewed...

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Dawn

After this book went through being edited I re-read it for review. I did not notice any editing mistakes (and I did look for them). The story flows more smoothly. Without the editing distractions I was able to jump into the story with both feet.

I was able to enjoy the character development and I felt less confused than on the first read. I found myself caring deeply for Kirsa’s family. I also liked Louis much more. He...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Tammy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I hate giving bad reviews, and I try my best to only read things that I know have a chance of getting four- or five-star reviews. But once in a while it’s inevitable that I come across a book that isn’t quite there. Shadows of the Past suffers from the same malady that many indie-published books have in common: terrible editing and proofreading and weak writing skills. (Not all indies have this problem, of course. I’ve read many books by talented writers that are perfectly edited and proofed.) F...more I hate giving bad reviews, and I try my best to only read things that I know have a chance of getting four- or five-star reviews. But once in a while it’s inevitable that I come across a book that isn’t quite there. Shadows of the Past suffers from the same malady that many indie-published books have in common: terrible editing and proofreading and weak writing skills. (Not all indies have this problem, of course. I’ve read many books by talented writers that are perfectly edited and proofed.) For those readers who can look past the mistakes and see only the story, I admire you for being able to turn off that part of your brain. Unfortunately, I’m not like that. I take everything into consideration when writing a review, and if my reading experience is hindered by bad writing and editing, then my review will reflect that. Shadows of the Past has multiple writing and editing mistakes on every page, and this was so distracting that it took me several weeks to read this book. But despite these issues, there were many things I did enjoy about this book, and I’d like to talk about those next.

The story of Kirsa and her vampire and were-animal friends is unique in that the vampires are not the bad guys. When the story begins, Kirsa has left her job as an OPIA (Occult and Paranormal Investigation Agency) operative and is enjoying a break from police work. But a series of murders in her hometown of Grabenberg, New Jersey compels her to return to the painful scene of the destruction of her ancestral home. Someone is targeting paranormal creatures that are protected under the Paranormal Laws and killing them in violent and horrific ways. With her vamp boyfriend Ayden by her side, Kirsa must face the horrors in her past and solve the murders before other paranormals are killed. Cryptic messages are found at each crime scene that seem to be written just for Kirsa, and Kirsa and Ayden begin to suspect that someone in their midst is handing over secret information to the enemy, a group known as the Church of Light who believe vampires and other paranormal creatures should be destroyed. During the investigation, Kirsa will discover secrets about herself that could change her life forever.

I found the characters to be refreshingly original and likeable. I loved the idea that the vampires were the good guys and were only trying to co-exist peacefully with humans. Most of the violence and bloodshed is caused by the humans associated with the Church of Light, and I was surprised how civilized and non-violent the vampires were in this story. Kirsa herself is interesting in that she has a “condition” that forces her to drink blood, although she isn’t exactly a vampire. The world-building in Shadows of the Past was intricate and at times confusing, but I can appreciate the hard work that went into creating these nuances. The book was well-grounded with police procedural elements that made it feel like I wasn’t in a fantasy world, but rather a real world that just happened to have fantasy aspects to it.

Jensen also gives us a twist on the vampire character by creating different types of vampires. In her world, some vamps can go out in the sunlight with no adverse effects, while others have skin that melts the moment the sun touches it. These details really added to the strong story-telling aspects of the book. But strong story-telling and pacing aside, Jensen needs to work on the mechanics of writing and creating sentences that flow better, in order to do her story justice.

I know the author is going to have this book re-edited soon, which I was very happy to hear. With the mistakes corrected, I can recommend Shadows of the Past, but until then I’ll have to say “reader beware.”

Thanks to the author for supplying a review copy.

This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.(less)

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Jul 22, 2012 Melissa Mason added it

Shelves: 2012, dnf

DNF

The plot/story line of this book is really interesting. But I could not get past the typos, grammar mistakes and other issues. I will try to read this book on another day.

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Apr 28, 2013 Emily (Falling for YA) marked it as to-read

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Aug 31, 2012 Stephanie Ward marked it as to-read

Shelves: for-review, owned, will-trade, finished-copy

Jun 11, 2012 Jaime (Twisting the Lens) marked it as to-read

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