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Walking in the Shadows

by Cassandra Giovanni (Goodreads Author)

3.89 of 5 stars 3.89 · rating details · 79 ratings · 60 reviews

Seconds seem like a lifetime when the life you lived is slowly drained out of you by those who care not what you felt, hoped, or dreamed. When the darkness comes it is all-consuming; there is no light and there is no pain. It is the never-ending loss of hope that now consumes me as I die in his arms.

This is Abigail Martin’s nightmare. After her parents become the first vic...more

Mass Market Paperback, 358 pages

Published October 31st 2012 by Cassandra Giovanni

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Dec 15, 2012 Sary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ok, I was a bit apprehensive on whether I was going to like this book or not. During the first pages, I thought it was going SO well. I enjoyed how Vera and Tad was presented to us. How it started with this problematic relationship between them and we had no idea of why. Then, the story was explained, in a very good way in my opinion. Tad is a British Lit Teacher at the school Vera goes to. We find out he did not know she went there and she was a bit scared of having to see him as a teacher.

The...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Cassandra Giovanni rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Shelves: i-wrote-this

I am currently editing this book for print. The release date is in October, specific date to be determined.

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Feb 21, 2013 Jessica Tornese rated it 4 of 5 stars

What I think I like best about Giovanni's books, is that she gets the reader right into the story. From page one, you are immersed into the problem and the character's emotions as if you had been along for the ride the entire time. The song "Don't Stand so Close to Me" echoed throughout my mind as I read this book; this forbidden but believable love story.
The plot moves the reader from feeling emotionally invloved in the book, to intense curiosity as to what exactly has happened between Vera, he...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Morgan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-newly-released, 4-month-countdown-till-2013

I was half way through with this book in the morning, then I ate lunch, finished the book, went shopping for some school supplies, and now I’m here writing this review. Honestly I was not expecting to like this book, but it was amazing, and the characters almost felt real at times.

Summary:

Vera- also known as Abigail Martin- parents have died, with evidence it may have been vampires. But vampires aren’t real, so this could be a cult..? She’s nervous that the killer is coming for her next, and she...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Aa'Ishah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, reviewed

Having read In Between Seasons by Cassandra Giovanni a while back, I was eager to see what more she had in store with Walking in the Shadows. Let me tell you, this was not as good as IBS. It was better. Giovanni has emerged again, this time with a (dare I say it) more compelling romance, an intriguing plotline, and a story that is overall much more well—rounded.

Abigail Martin is a girl who now spends her life as Vera MacIntyre under the witness protection programme. With her parents murdered by...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Lindsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was given this book in return for an honest review.

Giovanni's book spins a wonderful tale of romance that lasts throughout tragedy and hardships. Throughout the story you can really connect with Vera and Tad as their relationship goes through ups and downs. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would certainly read more from Giovanni in the future. The only comment I have is I wish the cover was more eye-catching. If I had been lookijg through a bunch of books, this cover wouldn't have caugh...more

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May 28, 2013 Alisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow! Talk about a crazy and amazing book. It definitely kept me guessing and the ending was truly not what I expected.
Abigail is only a senior in high school but has found herself running from a nightmare. Her parents were murdered by a serial killer that is obsessed with a series of vampire books called Crimson Reign. Her parents were murdered when the Crimson Reign movie was released and in order to protect herself she changes her name...more I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow! Talk about a crazy and amazing book. It definitely kept me guessing and the ending was truly not what I expected.
Abigail is only a senior in high school but has found herself running from a nightmare. Her parents were murdered by a serial killer that is obsessed with a series of vampire books called Crimson Reign. Her parents were murdered when the Crimson Reign movie was released and in order to protect herself she changes her name to Vera and moves to a new town. While she is there she meets a wonderful man named Tad Knightley, a student from the local college, and they fall in love. The only problem is that she doesn't tell him that she is still in high school. All is fine until he graduates and gets a job as a teacher at her school. As if that wasn't enough to deal with it is also time for a new Crimson Reign movie to be released and Vera fears the killer will strike again. Vera also feel that the killer may be getting closer to finding her.
This book is full of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat. I am not a huge fan of horror or thrillers that are too intense so it was great that this book had the romance between Vera and Tad as well as a lot of humorous parts to keep it from being too much.
I loved the romance between Vera and Tad. Vera is such a sweet girl and you can't help feel for her and her situation. Tad is exactly what she needs. While I in no way condone any personal relationship between a teacher and a student I was able to overlook their relationship because when they met he was not her teacher and she is already an adult and a senior in high school. I also loved that Tad's last name is Knightley so he is referred to as Mr. Knightley; as in the character from Pride and Prejudice. That made him all the more endearing to me.
I hate when I know who the 'bad guy' is from the beginning of the book! In this story the author did a great job of not letting too much slip as far as who the killer was. Because of this I was constantly waiting for the killer to jump from the shadows and shatter Vera's world again. I did not even begin to suspect who the killer might be until the end of the book and even then the motive was a complete surprise.
If you want to read a great suspenseful book that isn't too gory or intense this is definitely the book for you. It contains no gore or over the top violence but just enough intensity to get your heart pumping.(less)

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May 24, 2013 Bonny Bon Bon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-given-for-honest-review, good, romance, murder-mystery

Firstly I'd like to thank Cassandra Giovanni for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book however i would have like the epilogue to have shown a little more into the future and let me know a few unanswered questions (view spoiler) but this book is by far one of the better ones thatblet us know most of the end r...more

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May 23, 2013 Maki Kotone rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

I loved the premise of this book. The fact that there's a series of murders based on an incredibly popular series of vampire books was hilarious, and it definitely captured the over-the-top, insane fandom that has sprung up from recent vampire series. It did not escape me that the only characters who discussed and ranted about Crimson Reign were all women. I thought that was a very nice touch.

I also enjoyed the roma...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Marjorie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense, young-adult

Full review here at Once Upon a Story

First of all, I decided to read this book because it has a murder mystery angle, a forbidden love story, and a coming-of-age edge. These are complicated threads to weave and I was curious about how the author would go about it. Did she get an A on all three accounts on my book? No. I'd say she got around below average to average, hence the rating. One string was definitely more prominent at the expense of the others. So, the overall cloth wasn't as balanced a...more Full review here at Once Upon a Story

First of all, I decided to read this book because it has a murder mystery angle, a forbidden love story, and a coming-of-age edge. These are complicated threads to weave and I was curious about how the author would go about it. Did she get an A on all three accounts on my book? No. I'd say she got around below average to average, hence the rating. One string was definitely more prominent at the expense of the others. So, the overall cloth wasn't as balanced as I would've liked.

My reaction when I read the first part of the book was decidedly negative. I felt like I was catapulted into the story. I didn't know Abigail/Vera yet. I didn't know why she loved Tad or why Tad loved her. So, I couldn't sympathize with their devastation when they found out that he was her teacher in that first chapter. More than that, there were multiple times throughout the story that I felt like the writer was taking the easy route in explaining things. For example, Vera's godmother Kristen was used merely as a device to explain what had happened to Vera's parents, the first of many 2-dimensional minor characters. Then there was the random stranger who explained the plot of the Crimson Reign books which inspired the murders. That came out of nowhere! And, and, and, I was forever irritated with how the writer showed Vera's reaction and followed it up with Jaz (the best friend and another 2d-character) telling us what that description meant. As in, Vera's reaction was described smoothly and Jaz says shortly after "You look pale!" or "You look happy!". And I'm like, yeah, I got that the first time. There were also a few typos that I found. I'm totally persnickety about typos.

And then, somewhere around the middle, the story hit its stride. Tensions got higher and higher, what with both Tad and Vera deciding to continue their relationship, hiding in closets and bathrooms, getting tattoos (that was so sweet). And with the murders starting up again. And then the killer goes after her. Oh my god. The story grew on me despite my issues with it. I found myself reading on and on until the wee hours of the morning because I wanted to see Vera and Tad together. I wanted the killer to be found and brought to justice. I wanted to see how Vera's character arc goes, from being an timid, anti-social teenager to being a headstrong woman who isn't afraid of the shadows. So even though I hoped some things were done differently, it didn't turn out bad. Nope. Not bad at all.

My favorite character was Tad. He's described as sinfully handsome. He's a British Lit teacher. These qualities alone tells me he's a swoon-worthy love interest. I think he loves Vera very much; it really shows. He respects her and is unashamed of his feelings. He's the one who's really, really sure that he wants to be with her despite the teacher-student divide. But, I think the sexiest thing about him is his temper. When it comes to love-interests in YA fiction, so often do we find perfect guys. Perfect. Unflawed. Unrealistic. So it's nice to see one that's flawed, but his flaw is sexy. His temper is easily provoked and its kinda cute the way he loses control sometimes. I really like that.

PS. I received a copy of this book from the author. Thank you, Ms. Giovanni! (less)

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Mar 06, 2013 Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-enough-to-reread, young-adult-romance

Wow, I have so many good things to say about this book!

READ THIS BOOK IF:
1. You like young adult romance
2. You aren't in high school anymore (continue reading for my explanation of this one)
3. You love a good mystery (honestly, it's more mystery than romance, but still a love story nonetheless)

This book starts out a little differently than most - rather than telling you how two people meet and fall in love (and having the story be about their new romance), this book throws you in. Literally dump...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

First and foremost, the summary for this story rocks. It completely captured me and lured me in, like a siren ensnaring her prey… Just listen:

Seconds seem like a lifetime when the life you lived is slowly drained out of you by those who care not what you felt, hoped, or dreamed. When the darkness comes it is all-consuming; there is no light and there is no pain. It is the never-ending loss of hope that now consumes me as I die in his arms.

This is Abigail Martin’s nightmare. After her parents bec...more First and foremost, the summary for this story rocks. It completely captured me and lured me in, like a siren ensnaring her prey… Just listen:

Seconds seem like a lifetime when the life you lived is slowly drained out of you by those who care not what you felt, hoped, or dreamed. When the darkness comes it is all-consuming; there is no light and there is no pain. It is the never-ending loss of hope that now consumes me as I die in his arms.

This is Abigail Martin’s nightmare. After her parents become the first victims of a serial killer obsessed with the vampire saga, "Crimson Reign," Abigail does the only thing that she thinks will save her from her parent’s fate–she becomes some one else. As Vera MacIntrye, she falls in love with the very handsome Tad Knightley, and then walks into her first day at her new school to see him standing at the front of the classroom. He’s every teenage girls fantasy, but as he writes “Mr. Knightley: AP British Literature” across the white board Vera realizes the one person who filled the gaping hole in her heart will soon rip it wide open again…

Yeah, sounds awesome… and it was, kind of. Let me put it this way, the elements for awesome were there… but it just didn’t come together quite right. I would give Walking in the Shadows a 3.5 out of 5 star rating. By far the strongest element of this story is the plot. The idea that a serial murderer is out there mimicking a popular vampire book series is creepy but really cool. And the author does a great job making this plot interesting for the reader. Now imagine being the first victim’s daughter, trying to stay safe and live a normal life, falling in love with a guy who later turns out to be your new Brit Lit teacher? Yeah, I agree, awesome-ness.

Only, not so much.

I think the thing that wounded the awesome for me is that fact that the writer is definitely a minimalist when it comes to words… and I like to gorge myself like a gluttonous word monster. Description, details, and some diving into the depths of character motivations and thoughts would have really helped this story out. Instead, as the reader you are often left completely baffled as to why some particular thing just happened… For me, I was always wondering why Vera was mad at Tad, yet again. (She gets mad at him a lot). Eventually, I had to chalk it up to being in a high stress situation and being 18 years old. But I didn’t want to give in like that… it felt like a cop out. So that was frustrating.

But once you get past the starved prose, you start to really get into the story. Which I believe is helped by not only the plot but also the characters. You want to like them. You want them to be happy together. You want to know why these murders seem to center around Vera. You want to know why some of the characters in the story are so strange, or completely insane, as the case may be. Only, this adds to the frustration factor because you are back to the missing triple D’s (detail, description, and depth!)

If you are like me, you finish the story anyway, and you should... because it is a good story… it just has the potential to be so much more with a little more fat to it.

So, in short, well done author! You have a good story that I enjoyed reading. But in the future, if you wouldn’t mind adding a second, and possibly third, helping of thoughts and descriptions, I would be a very satisfied customer.
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Dec 12, 2012 Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Mallory Anne-Marie by: Making Connections

Shelves: december-2012-reads

Review of Walking in the Shadows by Cassandra Giovanni
5 stars
Reviewed via Young Adult Reads Goodreads Group

I reviewed an e-book copy provided by the author, Cassandra Giovanni, via Goodreads Group Young Adult Reads.

“Walking in the Shadows” is a multilayered and intriguing YA-oriented novel which copes with some very serious issues. Death, love, social moral code, are just examples. Vera formerly was Abigail Martin, raised in a loving home—until her parents are simultaneously brutally murdered, i...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Francesca Dell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: r2r

Walking in the Shadows is a powerful book about a girl who has had her whole life turned upside down by the death or her parents. Unfortunately, her parents were murdered and now the murderer wants her.

Abigail Martin has to move across the country and change her name to Vera MacIntyre. She then meets Tad Knightley and they fall in love, unfortunately for them it is revealed that Tad is Vera's teacher at her new school.

This story opens in an interesting way showing Tad being very mad at Vera bu...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Stacey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Walking in Shadows:
I was given a free copy of this book in return for an honest review:

Walking in Shadows is the story of a high school senior, Vera Macintyre who is hiding from a killer that took both of her parents due to the vampire novels “Crimson Reign” two years ago. Hiding on the other side of the state living in fear her past will come and find her. Vera is not a typical teenager; she has responsibilities like paying rent since she decided to have herself emancipated and her name changed...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, review-on-blog

Walking in the Shadows is a powerful book. It is about many different things. At first you could think of it primarily as a type of forbidden love story. But on the other hand you can think of it primarily as an epic and unique murder mystery thriller. And finally you can think of it as a very moving and sad yet beautiful coming of age story. I enjoyed Walking in the Shadows a lot.

Vera is such a lovely girl. I felt such pain for what she had to go through. Because of events in her past, she has...more

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Nov 05, 2012 WovenMyst rated it 3 of 5 stars

Cassandra Giovanni’s Walking in the Shadows will draw readers in with the promise of forbidden romance and a very slight touch of paranormal mystery. Abigail Martin, forced into hiding as Vera McIntyre after the tragic death of her parents, faces more challenges than the fact that her life may be in danger. After reinventing herself into a new school, new attitude, and surroundings Vera takes one step towards normalcy. Even more so does normal appear to be a possibility when she meets Tad Knight...more

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May 21, 2013 Georgie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-to-review

Was quite excited to receive this book for review, the synopsis just jumped out to me. I liked the most about this book was that is was such an easy read and of course i'm a big sucker for forbidden love stories.

I am all for the concept of the cover art but i find it too distracting. There just seems too much going on. I didn't even see the girl behind the gate until I looked up close. The combination of the colour font against the picture doesn't work too well. Unfortunately I'm not a fan.

The s...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Mafalda rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars :)

I was given this book as a gift when I first purchased my kindle.

This story is sweet, very interesting, heartbreaking and mysterious! I really enjoyed reading it right from the beginning! I started reading it in the evening and just couldn't stop! I practically finished it the same day.

I really liked Vera. Despite her parents' death she is quite strong and very intelligent. Then we have Tad....and a forbidden relationship between a seventeen year old student and her high school teach...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Ana Cat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-challenge-2013, r2r

The story is simple, but very entertaining. Mostly because Vera and Tad's love story is not normal. Imagine falling for your professor?! Well, to be fair with Tad, the two fell inlove right before Tad realize that Vera can be his student. At first I don't get why Vera decided to lie to Tad about this when it's obvious it would surely blow up in her face sooner or later. She's aware Tad is a professor in her school. But as I get to know Vera better, I finally undertand. For someone who experience...more The story is simple, but very entertaining. Mostly because Vera and Tad's love story is not normal. Imagine falling for your professor?! Well, to be fair with Tad, the two fell inlove right before Tad realize that Vera can be his student. At first I don't get why Vera decided to lie to Tad about this when it's obvious it would surely blow up in her face sooner or later. She's aware Tad is a professor in her school. But as I get to know Vera better, I finally undertand. For someone who experienced what she experienced, it was really hard to open up to anyone. She thought Tad is just someone she could spend time with, but not permanently. But as they grew to know each other, Vera comes to realize her mistake. Too late already, it's the first day of school and Tad is her english professor! dang!

It's not just a love story, there's also the suspense and thrill of the murder suspects on the loose and Vera is most probably their next target. Sadly, I didn't felt much emotions with Vera's parents being murdered and her being the next target. I didn't felt the urgency of Vera's safety nor the sadness Vera felt. Maybe because, the story is written on Vera's POV and Vera's character is closed. She doesn't let her emotions show. Still, with everything that's happening, I was hoping for a roller coaster of a ride. Maybe it would be nicer if I have read Tad's POV as well. He's the emotion of the character, the person who vocally announce how much she loves Vera even if it costs his dream job.

Other than the murder, I find Vera's life in this part fo the story so easy. She has her godparents to take care of her, enough inheritance to buy a very good car, a professor who's in love with her and ready to pursue her no matter what she do, a friend and everything. It's not that I'm against it, it's just I haven't seen much of the bad side of Vera's life to even it out.

And the murder? From the book/movie series about vampires? At first, I was doubting what is the relation of vampires in the story, and starting to doubt that this isjust a normal story and not paranormal.Good thing, bit by bit everything was explained clearly. Otherwise, I would be expecting Edward Cullen to jump in the next page. haha!

All in all, the story is good. 3.5 stars for this. The story has potential but I want more on the details and emotions. I didn't feel that much attached to the story or the characters, but the story is interesting to keep me going. (less)

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Mar 16, 2013 Kathleen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received a free copy of the Kindle ebook in exchange for an honest review from the author — which is a good and a bad thing all wrapped into one. It's a good thing because if I had actually paid for this book, I would have felt the need to demand my money back. The book is littered with typos and basic grammatical and sentence formatting errors, all of which a proofreader with a solid high school English education could have easily fixed on a good read-through. It's a bad thing because I actua...more I received a free copy of the Kindle ebook in exchange for an honest review from the author — which is a good and a bad thing all wrapped into one. It's a good thing because if I had actually paid for this book, I would have felt the need to demand my money back. The book is littered with typos and basic grammatical and sentence formatting errors, all of which a proofreader with a solid high school English education could have easily fixed on a good read-through. It's a bad thing because I actually feel horrible that I have to rate and review this and I can't, in good conscience, give it above 1 star. I know how hard it is to write a novel, so this is not in any way meant to be a vicious attack, just a truthful, hopefully constructive, reaction to what I read.

The novel could have been so much more than it was. Giovanni had interesting ideas which never quite realized their full potential. With the (literal) cult following of its undoubtedly Twilight-inspired Crimson Reign series, Walking in the Shadows could have been a timely examination of the power of popular literature. What if a bunch of crazed Twihards actually wanted to be vampires so badly that they began to believe it and started draining victims? It's a creepy thought. At one point, I was convinced that so many people around her were so obsessed with the book series that the "vampire" killer, "the monster that the obsession of fiction had created," might target the main character, Abigail (alias Vera), simply because she refused to read it.

Unfortunately, the story focuses more on the limp romance than the murder mystery, which rung entirely false for me. I mean, people around you are being murdered in the same fashion your parents were, in a town where your identity is supposed to be hidden, and you're still mostly focused on the fact that you can't hold hands with your boyfriend in public because he's your teacher? C'mon. I think the book would have benefited a lot from having the romance as the support system for the murder mystery and not the other way around. There was so much more to explore there given Abbi's past, her secrets, her loss. It was the area where she had the most room to grow, change, lift herself up, and, thus, it should have been the main arc for her.

On the subject of the romance, jumping right into the middle of the relationship simply did not work for me. If I was supposed to care about this couple and feel the pain of their situation, there was nothing provided to create that connection. If an author wants to begin a story with an established relationship that will become the backbone of the novel, there needs to be moments — past or present — that really allow us to feel that emotion between the two of them. Reading them saying trite things back and forth to one another and agonizing over how much they want to be together doesn't cut it for me, and neither did the one brief glimpse into their initial meeting, which was little more than flirting over Chaucer and brought nothing new to the table.

To be fair, even if there had been more background for the romance, I'm still not sure I would have cared. I always begin a book wanting to like the characters, but all of the characters — yes, even Abbi and Tad, most unfortunately of all — were like painted cardboard for me. Abbi is stereotypically clumsy (ugh) and Tad is stereotypically hunky and protective and has "aquamarine" eyes (ugh) and we're constantly reminded of his hunkiness. Neither character jumped off the page and I could barely follow their inexplicable mood swings sometimes. Their drama actually became completely tedious to read, especially when that was all there was to read for over half the book until anything actually started happening, plot-wise. The action was over way too fast and the threat was eliminated with nearly 20% of the book to go. From there, I was just slogging on to get to the end.

I hope Ms. Giovanni will study her craft some more before she makes another attempt at writing a novel she intends to sell. Her work would definitely benefit from learning more about plot structure and character development, as well as a proofreader (because I cannot believe this was proofread by anyone who understands how to write at a most basic level) who can add the commas that are glaringly missing on almost every page, fix the structure of the dialogue (sometimes it's right, sometimes it's not — what's up with that?), the spelling errors (it really pains me that even the title of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar is misspelled), and get rid of all of those unnecessary question marks at the end of sentences that aren't even questions and wouldn't even be spoken that way by normal human beings. If you're asking someone to give you money for your work, it shouldn't read like unedited fanfiction. I'm sorry. Best of luck to her.(less)

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Jan 12, 2013 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-reviewed-2013, romance-based, thriller

This book played with my mind and gave me new meaning to the word 'vampire'.

Vera is a girl with a past. A haunting past that she thought she had left behind her. She's an independent girl who falls in love with a boy, well, man really, only to discover later that he is her English Teacher. Unable to resist, even knowing that they could be caught, they continue to date. You'd think that would be the worst. But, no. Vera's past comes back to haunt her in a way she can't imagine when a girl from he...more This book played with my mind and gave me new meaning to the word 'vampire'.

Vera is a girl with a past. A haunting past that she thought she had left behind her. She's an independent girl who falls in love with a boy, well, man really, only to discover later that he is her English Teacher. Unable to resist, even knowing that they could be caught, they continue to date. You'd think that would be the worst. But, no. Vera's past comes back to haunt her in a way she can't imagine when a girl from her school is killed in a 'vampire' style killing.

There was something about this book that I really enjoyed - well, several things actually. I'm a sucker for a good romance and one that seemed star-crossed is my favorite. Add a psychological thriller type plot to the book and you have me hooked. Walking in the Shadows had both.

Even though I usually prefer characters to have a loving family, Walking in the Shadows had me appreciating that a character was strong on their own and that the bonds of a family can be developed in different ways. Vera is close to her boss, who also happens to be her Godmother. Vera goes to school, has a job (even though I don't think she has to work) and has an apartment of her own. You'd think that would be unrealistic, but when you read about the reasons why its that way, you'll understand.

I really liked the relationship between Vera and Tad. They were so perfect for each other. Haha, but I would say that being the hopeless romantic I am. Tad was someone who wouldn't give up on the girl he had fallen in love with, even if it meant his career. That's what was so cute about it, while he was not caring, she was.

But the thing that interested me most about Walking in the Shadows was the mysterious, psychological thriller side of it. It reminded me of a CSI episode. Who killed the Vera's parents? Who killed the girl at school and later her boyfriend? And would Tad arrive to save the day when the killer had Vera in their sights? The fact that Cassandra had chosen to use a vampire-type killing style in her book was quite inspired. And the way she tied it in with a vampire movie series know as Crimson Tide even better. It showed the dark side of fanaticism.

Now, I must admit that I felt that the writing itself wasn't up to the same standard as some of my favorite authors, but I still enjoyed it and judged Walking in the Shadows on its other merits.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a cute romance with the cutting edge of a thriller.

Now for my rating:-

Four out of five stars

This review can be found here
http://magicalmanuscriptsandwritingth...(less)

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Dec 06, 2012 Stevie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a great book!

This was a book about a girl living in fear and trying to overcome the murder of her parents. She meets a guy and falls in love, but the relationship gets a little doomed when she finds out he is her new teacher. Nothing can stop the feelings they have for one another so while they are struggling to hide their relationship, the killer is right under their noses causing all sorts of ruckous again.

This story had a little of every type of emotion in it. You could feel everyt...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Selina Liaw rated it 5 of 5 stars

Its another great book from Cassandra.
Definitely a page turner.
The fictional Crimson Reign in Cassandra's world is like the Twilight Series in out world.
Its funny to see the majority of the female species in "Walking In The Shadows" are crazy for Crimson Reign, just like our crazy die-hard Twilight fans!
The way she describes Tad Knightley makes me soft, as in *long sigh*
I admire the way Vera/ Abigail carry on with her life even though it sucks like hell cause her parents were murdered by sick ps...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Helena Ferrell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 05-r2r, suspense

Note: I received this book directly from the author for an honest review.

I found this book amazing. I started it fairly late at night just to get a feel for, planning to finish it the following day. I ended up staying up until two am. I only went to bed because I happened to have a final the next day.

The characters were great. I was easily able to relate to Vera/Abbi. I found the teacher/student relationship kinda "Pretty Little Liars," but Giovannni did better with that scenario than Shephard--...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Tracey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Vera, previously known as Abbi leaves her home after her parents are murdered by a serial killer obsessed with a vampire saga. During the summer before her senior year of High school, Abbi meets Tad. Mr. Perfect for her ,and they fall in love. Tad is a college student who assumes she is also in college. Something she never clarifies. Since their relationship is rated pg, things seems acceptable until Abbies first day of school, at her new school under witness protection. English class becomes so...more Vera, previously known as Abbi leaves her home after her parents are murdered by a serial killer obsessed with a vampire saga. During the summer before her senior year of High school, Abbi meets Tad. Mr. Perfect for her ,and they fall in love. Tad is a college student who assumes she is also in college. Something she never clarifies. Since their relationship is rated pg, things seems acceptable until Abbies first day of school, at her new school under witness protection. English class becomes so very interesting when she finds out Tad is her teacher. Hello awkward.so there she is in love with her teacher and having to explain to him that she is a Hs student about to turn 18' Abbie and Tad are in a bad situation where they have to hide their feelings till the end of the year to keep him from loosing his job. Add to that the fact that a serial killer seems to have followed her to her to her new home, and seems to want her to be the new victim. There was a lot of things I liked about this story, The relationship between abbie and Tad was interesting. The teacher, student dynamic would have verged on strange, but the fact that they were together before he became her teacher, along with the genuine feelings they have for each other made for a great story. I know of a couple who are married who were student and teacher years before they married, after she graduated of course. Hey there are only four years of separation there. I love how the author made them intimate to a point but, but not enough to make it sleezy. Well written, and the relationship was believable. I just had one complaint, I was wanting more detailed interactions between Abbie and Tad. It was a cute story. But Damn, can you imagine their situation, seeing the one you love in a setting every day where you can't show your feelings.? The suspense of the story with the serial killer coming after Abbie was good too. I really enjoyed this story. I found myself thinking where were the hot teachers when I was in High school? This was a good read.(less)

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Mar 14, 2013 Gwendolyn Hendrickson rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was a cute and quick read. My favorite part was the chemistry between the two main characters, Vera and Tad. There was some back and forth/ on again off again stuff going on between them, which I'm not a fan of, but under the circumstances it was understandable. But, when they were on they were so very cute together. I would've like to have seen more of that, and really more of everything in general. The dialogue between Vera and Tad was great and I really felt their connection but whe...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Nagwa Kureshi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

First of all I'd like to commend the author on such a fresh take on the whole Vampire YA genre! I received the book from the author for an honest review. Here goes!

Very very unique writing style. It's almost as if I was witnessing the conversations and understanding all that was going on!! This is only the second book where I found myself anticipating the conversations with the curiosity of a two year old. :)
As the story unfolds at its constant, comfortable pace (Read: What's-gonna-happen-next?!...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Hannah Green rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads, arc, ebook, twentyfirst-century

'"The only imperfection is time."'

Abigail has been living a nightmare since her parents died. She isolates herself and moves away from her hometown in an effort to protect herself from the same fate and falling into the hands of the insane serial killer, obsessed with a series of vampire books, that brutally murdered the only two people who she had had in her life.

However, there is also Tad. Someone who had managed to draw her out of her depression, but someone she soon realises is beyond her re...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Melissa (MGbookcovers) rated it 5 of 5 stars

given this book for honest review

review to come....

OK, I was a little iffy on reading this one, but Cassandra really suprised me. This was my first Cassandra Giovanni Book and wow she did an amazing job with this one. The chemistry between Tad and Vera was amazing. What they went through to get were they wanted to be with eachother was heartbreaking. I loved that Tad was willing to risk his teaching career to be with her and she was willing to wait for him so he wouldnt have to risk anything. Th...more

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About Cassandra Giovanni

Cassandra doesn't remember a time when she wasn't writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character's stories through their...more

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Quotes from Walking in the Shadows

“I am threatened by the resolve that you are my soul. You are my being, you are every breath I take, you are my home, you are my sweet sin.” — 6 people liked it

“Seconds seem like a life time when the life you lived is slowly drained out of you by those who care not what you felt, hoped, or dreamed. When the darkness comes it is all consuming, there is no light and there is no pain. It is the never ending loss of hope that now consumes me as I die in his arms.” — 5 people liked it

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