Token of Darkness (Den of Shadows, #6) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Aug 13, 2012 Duma Remiel rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm a bit surprised by some of the negative reviews, and I'm baffled by comparisons to her early work where the reviewer suggests novels like In the Forest of the Night and Demon in my View were better than Token of Darkness.

Very few YA Fantasy books are able to break the mold and become something more than just a YA Fantasy book. Token of Darkness is no exception. Generally, it is fairly conventional in terms of plot and pacing, but it did do several things I appreciated, things that Atwater-Rh

...more I'm a bit surprised by some of the negative reviews, and I'm baffled by comparisons to her early work where the reviewer suggests novels like In the Forest of the Night and Demon in my View were better than Token of Darkness.

Very few YA Fantasy books are able to break the mold and become something more than just a YA Fantasy book. Token of Darkness is no exception. Generally, it is fairly conventional in terms of plot and pacing, but it did do several things I appreciated, things that Atwater-Rhodes' early work did not do.

There are SPOILERS ahead....

Often YA Lit deals with stereotypes in much the same way actual teenagers do (a disservice to a reader of any age). Instead of a brooding, emo-type protagonist, the reader is introduced to a thoughtful former football player dealing with both supernatural visions of shadowy creatures and a "ghost" named Samantha. Yes, he does meet the quiet loner and becomes friends with him (Brent), but neither character is defined solely by those descriptions.

And honestly, one of the most refreshing characters for me was Delilah. Yes, she's a cheerleader, but she's also interested in art, and she helps create sets for school plays. Also, I may have failed to mention that she uses magic, wants to increase her power and is unscrupulous in her methods, and maintains a very self-reliant, bold philosophy (which would come off as "bitchy" to some - a term I hate since similar characteristics are appreciated in some of the most popular male villains in every fandom that exists).

Atwater-Rhodes deviates from the norm by giving these characters more depth and humanity.

The story is fast-paced, the ideas behind it engaging and interesting, and, thankfully, the author adds more to her overall world by adding psychics and less typical magic-users (I wasn't a huge fan of the Vida family, especially as described in Demon in My View; Shattered Mirror definitely was an improvement, but I much prefer Delilah to those types of witches).

Of course, I do agree that there are some things to criticize. For example, the book should have been longer. In fact, several of Atwater-Rhodes' books should be longer, particularly this novel and Persistence of Memory. At this stage in her career, she is doing herself and the reader a disservice by writing such short novels.

This novel could have used more resolution regarding Cooper's relationship with his parents (this was only barely touched on when he finally spoke to his mother before Delilah is taken to the hospital). The inclusion of Margaret was too jarring, and the ethics of all of this body switching really rubbed me the wrong way. Some may say the ending was too "neat," but I feel there wasn't enough follow-through. With both Margaret's memories and her knowledge of being an elemental, I'm uncertain how Samantha/Margaret can adapt to "normal" life, and to not address that certainly leaves the reader hanging. And, I'm not typically for the pairing off of several characters. The text's implication that Brent and Delilah might still have something, and the implication that Samantha and Cooper will go on to date made me cringe; it was a bit too much, too quickly. And honestly so many of these characters are in different places emotionally, it makes the romance seem tacked on and unbelievable.

However, I do think that this book hits more than it misses even if the author may have overreached. I think if she wrote more than 200 page novellas, she'd be able to more completely tell the tale.

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May 09, 2011 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Another bit of light reading from the author Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I got it with Persistence of Memory in a 'two books in one' deal.

Cooper Blake has everything going for him - until he wakes from a car accident with his football career in ruins and a mysterious, attractive girl by his side. Cooper doesn't know how Samantha got there or why he can see her; all he knows is that she's a ghost, and the shadows that surround her seem intent on destroying her.

No one from Cooper's old life would under...more

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Oct 28, 2010 Chibineko rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my first Atwater-Rhodes book in years, so I'm somewhat familiar with her writing style- or at least her older writing style. I'm happy to say that her writing has matured over the years as she's grown & this book was easily able to capture my interests.

Cooper used to be a star football player until the accident a few months ago. His body has started to heal but his spirit just seems to be in tatters. It doesn't help that ever since the accident he's not only seen strange black shado...more This was my first Atwater-Rhodes book in years, so I'm somewhat familiar with her writing style- or at least her older writing style. I'm happy to say that her writing has matured over the years as she's grown & this book was easily able to capture my interests.

Cooper used to be a star football player until the accident a few months ago. His body has started to heal but his spirit just seems to be in tatters. It doesn't help that ever since the accident he's not only seen strange black shadows everywhere around him as well as seeing the ghost of a young teenage girl around his age. She calls herself Samantha & unfortunately she doesn't remember who she is or why she's there. Trying to help her discover who she is, Cooper discovers that not only does one of his classmates have the power to sense Samantha, but that that this classmate also wonders if Samantha is really all she's claiming to be.

Atwater-Rhodes has always been more for the shorter stories & her books all seem to run in series, so I wasn't surprised that there were mentions in the book that seemed to come from another book. There wasn't a huge amount of description about the characters of Brent, Ryan & Delilah, so I'm figuring that if I look I will be sure to find a story surrounding their characters. If there isn't then I'm going to be disappointed because otherwise these secondary characters are a little too thin to start off a book with.

I liked the characters for the most part & I'm intrigued by them, so the character development really wasn't anything I had a problem with. The gist of the plot was also nice & I did like the pacing for the majority of the book. It's just that towards the end the book seemed to try to cram way too much into too few pages & I really felt like the conclusion would have been helped by adding about 10-15 more pages or so to flesh it out more. It doesn't need much more than that, as the author's stories do work better when they are shorter, but it would have been improved by a little more detail. As it was, the conclusion just felt like it fell a little flat, which is a shame because up until that point I'd been greatly enjoying the story.

If you've been reading Atwater-Rhodes, you'll probably like this book. If you're like me & haven't read her stuff for a while, rest easy- this is a nice read that you'll probably knock out in an hour or two. If you haven't read her books before, I suggest tackling this book with a big grain of salt. This isn't as good as I remember some of her earlier books being, so it might be a disappointing read for som. (less)

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Oct 25, 2011 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars

High school football star Cooper is severely injured in a car accident over summer vacation. Returning for his senior year he is a changed person. He won't associate with his former friends anymore, he doesn't sleep because he is haunted by recurring nightmares, and he has an invisible friend. Actually, he thinks Samantha is a ghost. She has been by his side since the moment he awoke in the hospital. She is a troubled spirit with amnesia, yet Cooper would have given up on his recovery without he...more

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Apr 24, 2010 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, age-ya, paranormal

After Cooper was in a terrible car accident a few months ago, a ghost named Samantha has been following him around. She helped him through his physical therapy, and now he wants to help her - Samantha wants a body so she can feel human again. Cooper heads to the library, the paranormal section, to get more information.

There he meets Brent, a telepath who knows witches and sorcerers. He knows there's something weird about Cooper and offers to take him to Ryan, a sorcerer who helped him learn to c...more

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May 18, 2012 Cyna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Meh. This book leaves an overall impression of "meh" on me. It's actually kind of weird, because when I think of the specifics of the book itself, I can actually come up with more elements that I liked than ones that I didn't, but somehow, the overall response it evoked was one of bland indifference.

The concept here is something of a switch for Atwater-Rhodes' Den of Shadows books, in that it doesn't focus on that predator-prey dynamic between a human and a vampire, or the vampires and the witch...more Meh. This book leaves an overall impression of "meh" on me. It's actually kind of weird, because when I think of the specifics of the book itself, I can actually come up with more elements that I liked than ones that I didn't, but somehow, the overall response it evoked was one of bland indifference.

The concept here is something of a switch for Atwater-Rhodes' Den of Shadows books, in that it doesn't focus on that predator-prey dynamic between a human and a vampire, or the vampires and the witches. In fact, it doesn't have any vampires at all. Or witches. Or shifters. No, our cast here is almost exclusively human, the story is more mystery than action, and it's...well, kind of nice.

I'll be perfectly honest, I kind of expected to be bored by the lack of vampire/witch/shifter presence, but Atwater-Rhodes gets points for making her magically-inclined humans as much an interesting part of the world mythology as the supes. Nine books in, and we've really never gotten an idea of how humans factor in to the DoS world - aside from the ones who become snacks for, or are destined to be turned in to, vampires, of course. Turns out, there is actually quite a range of psychics and human "sorcerers" who exist outside the scope of the world that we've seen so far, and whose powers work completely differently than those of born-witch magic users like, say, the Vida family.

The primary focus of Token of Darkness is Cooper, an accidental psychic who woke up from a near-fatal accident with a "ghost" named Samantha at his side, presumably as a free gift with purchase. She has no idea who she is or how she died, but Cooper figures that if she followed him home, then in accordance with popular culture, he must be intended to help her move on or something. Unfortunately, weeks of research have turned up zilch, even on something as basic as her identity, so the quest to send Samantha in to the light has come to something of a dead end.

Though he's become somewhat resigned to Samantha's presence, Cooper hasn't quite recovered from any of the other effects of his crash. He's plagued by remnants of the trauma, both physical and psychological, and that's probably the best part of the book. That sounds awful, but let me explain.

Cooper's surviving the crash was miraculous, but he didn't escape unscathed. His body is healing, but there's massive scarring, and hip and knee issues keep him from being fully physically able. Psychologically, he's difficultly adjusting to the idea of his new limitations and connecting with any of his family or friends. To make matters worse, PTSD has left him struggling with nightmares, flashbacks, and anxiety attacks - especially in cars.

All of this is very well-realized throughout the book. You see it in every part of Cooper's life - in his decision to walk or utilize public transit whenever possible, in his nightmares and his inability to sleep, in his awkward exchanges with school mates. He's dealing with a lot in the wake of the crash, and I liked the acknowledgement of that. Trauma recovery as seen in urban fantasy (adult and YA) is typically either non-existent or, well, off-the-charts dramatic. Token of Darkness falls somewhere in the middle, and rings far truer than anything else I've read, dealing with similar issues.

That being said, I was a little uncomfortable with the idea that some of Cooper's lingering trauma could have just been the result of bad psychic juju...

Read complete review at You're Killing Me.(less)

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Dec 09, 2010 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Token of Darkness is a perfectly crafted paranormal story - you've got mystery, suspense, twists and more.

Like most of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' novels this one was a quick read, yet still wonderfully written. She manages to capture every moment flawlessly, so that you can picture every scene, every character in your head. That's one of my favorite things about her writing, the fact that she makes every moment and every character real. This book was no different, it had the same superb storytellin...more

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Jul 17, 2010 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Oct 18, 2010 Alisha added it

No one (who delights in this particular genre) will argue that Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is a master at what she does. Regardless of the 'convention' ways of writing at the time, she consistently creates works of fiction that challenge the accepted ways of doing things, both in the genre and in her books. Token of Darkness is no exception.
In one short book, Atwater-Rhodes managed to create an entire world of arcane fiction, and tackles the challenging concept of elemental spirits as well. While the...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Jaimie rated it 4 of 5 stars

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May 28, 2012 Rae rated it 1 of 5 stars

When I was younger I was a very big fan of the author, even had a fansite dedicated to her books. I loved her first novels but have not read anything by her in quite a while. When I stumbled over Token of Darkness I dind't think about it and just bought it. A big mistake on my part.

Honestly, I don't know if I just outgrew AAR or if this book is so much worse than her other books but it was a pain to finish. There is not one character in it that's actually likable or that you find any reason to...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Corina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Token of Darkness

I have been reading Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ books since I was thirteen and while I have loved pretty much all of them I’ve always been able to weed out my favorites. I’m just drawn some characters more than others and I’ve got to say Token of Darkness is one of those favorites. This book was different than any of the others I’ve read so far and what I really liked about it was that the main character was a guy.

Rhodes always has a very good array of characters, humans, nonhumans,...more Token of Darkness

I have been reading Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ books since I was thirteen and while I have loved pretty much all of them I’ve always been able to weed out my favorites. I’m just drawn some characters more than others and I’ve got to say Token of Darkness is one of those favorites. This book was different than any of the others I’ve read so far and what I really liked about it was that the main character was a guy.

Rhodes always has a very good array of characters, humans, nonhumans, men and women, but typically her stories are based around one characters perspective and that character is usually a woman. Don’t get me wrong, I think that’s awesome, it one of the reason’s I’ve always loved her books. She’s got all these strong heroines that kick ass on a daily basis and aren’t afraid of what goes bump in the night.

But it’s nice to see her as a writer stepping outside of that box and exploring how a guy sees things and what the inside of his head is like. Cooper Blake is a great character. I loved how we got to see inside his head and see the issues he was dealing with both physically and emotionally. I also think this book had the most perspectives that she’s ever written in one book and I really liked that.

I liked seeing how other people viewed Cooper and how each point of view brought new information into the equation that tied together with the end game of the story. Writing style aside the actual plot was great and I love that Rhodes stepped away from vampires in Token of Darkness and instead used this elemental as this humanized version of a misguided…villain. That’s the wrong word, but you’ll understand what I mean when you read the book.

I wasn’t crazy about Delilah at first, but she really came around in the end or at least it seemed like she did to me. I also really enjoyed Samantha’s character and her interactions with Cooper. Also oh my god I died laughing towards the end of the book with the scene where she, cooper and Brent are in the hospital, you’ll know which one I’m talking about when you read the book, but it’s the best.

I’m so enthralled by the Den of Shadows world and Rhodes seriously knows how to keep a reader on the edge of their seat. Token of Darkness was dark, thought provoking, and engaging. I really loved the humans with abilities angle and I encourage anyone who’s enjoyed Rhodes’ previous works to check this one out. You won’t be disappointed!(less)

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Apr 07, 2010 Camila rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall the book kept me entertained from start to finish .. It had sone really good sense of humor and i deeply enjoyed that. I was stuck between giving it a 3 and a 4.. I like that it wasnt the type of book that i could guess the plot line from the very beginning ... My problem with this book is that i wish the relationship between the characters would have been explained more throughly. Like i wish i knew more about cooper's background and his friendship with samantha. Also with delilah and b...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Savannah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: sff, ya-books

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Feb 22, 2012 Arthur Pengerbil rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reading Level: Grades 7 and up

Football star Cooper Blake's life changed the day he woke up in a hospital bed with a damaged body and a ghostly companion. The ghost, Samantha, can't remember much about her life or how she died. She just knows she needs Cooper's help. With dark shadows closing in on both of them, Cooper desperately seeks a way to save them both.

Other ghostly tales:
The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade,
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong and
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder...more

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May 31, 2010 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Short, simple, and left wanting more.

A good quick read, somewhat more mature than A-R's previous stuff, but still entertaining.

The characters don't really reel you in at first, but somehow grew on me in between chapters.
The alternating points of view may have helped with that. If anything, more of a backstory or description of specific characters and their past would have added to the story, such as Delilah's and Brent's, since it's hard to grasp their real lives and relationships without it....more

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Jun 29, 2012 Joanne♥~Bookworm Extraordinaire rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ghosts, amelia-at-water-rhodes, 2010-publication

I really liked this book. It was nice to see Atwater Rhode's take on witches, sorcers and other beings because she usually writes about vampires. I liked the characters of Cooper, Samantha and Brent. I thought that Cooper's struggle to deal with the accident was real and interesting to read. I myself had been in a fairly bad car accident but I did not experience anything like Cooper had after my accident. It was was also interesting to read about Cooper's new powers to switch people into differe...more I really liked this book. It was nice to see Atwater Rhode's take on witches, sorcers and other beings because she usually writes about vampires. I liked the characters of Cooper, Samantha and Brent. I thought that Cooper's struggle to deal with the accident was real and interesting to read. I myself had been in a fairly bad car accident but I did not experience anything like Cooper had after my accident. It was was also interesting to read about Cooper's new powers to switch people into different bodies.

I also liked the character of Samantha. Although some of the other characters thought she was evil, I agreed with Cooper and never thought she was. She was just too innocent for me to think she was evil. I thought she was genuine with her emotions and that she was just someone who couldn't remember anything about herself. Even when she recalled being an elemental, she was not evil and she tried to comfort Margaret when she was crying and she even tried to save her from the shadow things. I gave to say I was glad when everyone realized she was one of the good guys.

I also really liked the character of Brent. Of all the supernatural powers I have ever read about in books, I think telepathy is one of the worst ones. Its like people are in your head 24/7 unless you control it and it can drive you crazy. When I watch True Blood and hear what Sookie hears, it would drive me crazy. I like how Brent is not fully in control of his power because it shows that for some people control over powers takes time and not everyone becomes a master of it over night. Brent had to struggle to keep his shields up around other people and sometimes it just didn' t work. It made his character more real to me.

I did not like Ryan or Delilah. Ryan was all hyped up to be a great guy, who helped Brent with his telepathy but really he was an asshole and I wanted to punch him in the face a few times. I was glad when Samantha knocked him out. I also did not like Delilah; I thought she was a selfish bitch who wanted to get what she wants no matter who it hurt. To be honest I wouldn't have minded if she died at the end of the book- but alas the bitch is still alive. She just rubbed me the wrong way and I felt no sympathy for her when she almost bit the dust.

All in all a great book. (less)

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Nov 07, 2012 Cody Connolly rated it 3 of 5 stars

I bought this book at the last minute at one of my trips to my Borders sale. I thought the story seemed interesting, and I really liked the cover art. I don't read many books about ghosts, but the ones I have read were very intriguing and often had different story formats.

When I first started reading the book, I soon realized that this book is labeled as YA, but fits much easier in the Middle Grade section. This disappointed me. The book was then super easy to read, and it became a bit of a plac...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Laura Martinelli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, young-adult, nanowrimo

If I have to give Amelia Atwater-Rhodes credit for anything, it’s that her writing’s really improved since In the Forests of the Night. She could always plot fairly well (although she rushes her conclusions with too little build-up; more on that later), but in the Den of Shadows books, the prose really bordered on the purplish side. In both this book and Persistence of Memory, her prose style feels a lot more natural and flows a lot better.

The main thing that drew me to this book is the charact...more If I have to give Amelia Atwater-Rhodes credit for anything, it’s that her writing’s really improved since In the Forests of the Night. She could always plot fairly well (although she rushes her conclusions with too little build-up; more on that later), but in the Den of Shadows books, the prose really bordered on the purplish side. In both this book and Persistence of Memory, her prose style feels a lot more natural and flows a lot better.

The main thing that drew me to this book is the characters. First of all, I liked that they’re different from her normal “human” main characters; while Cooper and Brent definitely have some darkness in their past and push people away, they don’t really fall into the trap of “I HATE ALL OF YOU NORMAL PEOPLE” that her earlier books tended to have. This is especially present with Cooper. You can really tell how much he just wants to be physically fine and normal again, but he also doesn’t want to abandon Samantha to reach that goal. His interactions and occurrences in his day-to-day life really underscored this—the scene in the library, he basically blue-screens at the thought of having to take the stairs, and knowing that he just can’t do it, despite that he looks well enough to climb a staircase. Loved that moment.

Brent gets a little closer to the typical human protagonist of her earlier books, but he’s still a very different character then what’d you expect. As I said above, he’s someone with a lot of darkness and hasn’t had an easy life like Cooper and Delilah have. But there’s still that striving for normalcy and wanting to be a part of a group (and not just “Why can’t I be one of the popular people woe is I”, Brent just wants friends who like him for him).

There’s really not much to Samantha or Delilah, unfortunately. I like Samantha a bit better, but that’s only because we see more of her throughout the book. Her frustration over not knowing her past and wanting to be alive again runs a little on the cliché side, but I liked her early relationship with Cooper and their genuine friendship. Delilah, on the other hand, comes off as a one-note character with a slightly more intriguing backstory, but she’s really only to serve the purpose of figuring out what Samantha is, and doesn’t do much else.

My one problem with the book as whole is my same problem with a lot of Atwater-Rhodes’s books that I’ve read: she throws in a resolution and explanation for everything that happens way too quickly, and the conclusion feels jarring. I liked the revelation of what Samantha really is, but how she came to be and how it ties back into Cooper’s accident comes out of left-field with no prior set-up. There’s several places where the revelation could have been worked in earlier, but it never comes and the pay-off doesn’t work for me. I liked this book a lot, but the if she had expanded the ending a little further and put in a explanation earlier, so that it would make more sense, I would have liked it a lot more.
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Nov 18, 2010 Aik Chien 인첸 rated it 2 of 5 stars

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Jun 11, 2010 Bookworm1858 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2010, ya-read, sffp

Summary: Cooper can see ghosts. Actually he can see one, Samantha, ever since his car accident which has left him feeling depressed and isolated. When he meets Brent and Delilah, they notice the paranormal around him and work to free him from their influence.

Why I Read: I enjoyed other books by this author and saw it recommended on another blog.

My Thoughts: This story was a very fast read (less than 200 pages). I was interested that the main character was male, I mostly read books with female ma...more

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Aug 13, 2010 Nancy O'Toole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, young-adult

Cooper's life is shattered after being involved in a violent car accident. When he wakes up in the hospital, he finds himself disabled, permanently ending his time on the football field. He also discovers a girl with blonde hair named Samantha that apparently only he can see. Samanatha believes herself to be a ghost, but has no memories of what her life was like, or why she's bound to Cooper. All she knows is that she desires to to have a human form again. Cooper begins to research ways to help...more Cooper's life is shattered after being involved in a violent car accident. When he wakes up in the hospital, he finds himself disabled, permanently ending his time on the football field. He also discovers a girl with blonde hair named Samantha that apparently only he can see. Samanatha believes herself to be a ghost, but has no memories of what her life was like, or why she's bound to Cooper. All she knows is that she desires to to have a human form again. Cooper begins to research ways to help Samantha, but as he gets involved with the local supernatural community he discovers that his relationship with Samantha is more than a simple haunting.

I have a unique relationship with Amelia Atwater-Rhodes's fiction. Although I enjoy most of her books on one level or another, every now and then she comes up with one that really rubs me the wrong way. An example of such of a book was Persistence of Memory, the last book she published. I found myself so disappointed in uneven writing, and poor characterization that I was quite nervous about picking up Token of Darkness. Fortunately, upon reading it, I found myself pleasantly surprised. Although not a perfect book, Token of Darkness shows us Amy is back on her game. The characters here do a much better job of grabbing your attention, and all feel like they have an important part to play in the story. I thought it was interesting she chose to pick iconic figures like the ex-captain of the football team, and head cheerleader. Under most other authors, I would have found this cliché, but as Amy has always focused on outsiders before, it's actually quite a game changer for her. I enjoyed the fact that she pushes beyond the “dumb jock” and “ditzy cheerleader” stereotypes to create characters with purpose and personality. I also liked the fact that she chose to distance herself from the world of vampire romance that is permeating young adult literature now. Token of Darkness is also a very atypical haunting story, and the twist she brings to the end is fresh and original.

At the same time, this book is not quite perfect. Some of the flaws that has haunted Amy throughout her career are still present. In the end, it all boils down the length. Token of Darkness, although a good story, could have benefited from another fifty pages. I liked the characters that we get to meet but I wanted to see more about them, especially with cheerleader turned sorcerer Delilah, and the haughty Ryan. The ending is also quite rushed. You get a lot of information thrown at you in last several chapters, and I kind of wished that the book could have explained things more effectively. Also, the twist at the end probably could have been set up a little better.

Despite it's flaws, Token of Darkness is a good recovery from the misstep that was Persistence of Memory. I hear that her next book, All Just Glass, is a sequel to Shattered Mirror, one of her earlier books. Although Shattered Mirror is not my favorite book of hers, I still plan on picking it up once it hits the shelves.(less)

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Feb 07, 2011 Mishel Zabala rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: won

My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I remember first coming across Amelia’s books in my high school library. I wasn’t as big a reader back then as I am now, but I remember reading every one of her books I could find. I really enjoyed her Den of Shadows series and I even think I read a few of the books from the Kiesha’ra series as well. I don’t recall much from the books but Amelia’s name stayed with me as I started to become a more avid reader. So I was pretty confident I would enjoy Token of Darkness despite...more My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I remember first coming across Amelia’s books in my high school library. I wasn’t as big a reader back then as I am now, but I remember reading every one of her books I could find. I really enjoyed her Den of Shadows series and I even think I read a few of the books from the Kiesha’ra series as well. I don’t recall much from the books but Amelia’s name stayed with me as I started to become a more avid reader. So I was pretty confident I would enjoy Token of Darkness despite its so-so reviews.

It’s been several months since Cooper has woken up from a horrible car accident. His life has never been the same since that fateful summer night. Cooper has drifted far from his old football life, his old friends, and even his family. The only constant thing in his life at the moment is Samantha who happens to be a ghost. As soon as he woke up from the accident, Samantha was by his side. Neither of them knows why she’s there or where she came from. But she’s been a constant companion to Cooper as he recuperated from the accident and tried to put his life back together.

Cooper has isolated himself from everyone in his life. He basically gets up, works at his father’s coffee shop, goes to school, and then returns home. His family and friends try to give him as much time and room as possible but no one knows when Cooper will be okay again. Cooper is still struggling with nightmares of the accident and the injuries he sustained. Samantha and the mystery of her being tend to keep his mind off things. The two have been searching for a reason for her existence but have come up with nothing.

But everything changes when the head cheerleader and a loner from a nearby school take an interest in Cooper. Delilah and Brent have secret secrets of their own and share a complicated past. Each has different agendas as they set out to help Cooper figure out who Samantha is and where she came from. But none of them know how much danger lays ahead of them in their quest for answers.
The novel flowed very nicely and moved at a reasonable pace. But I found myself a little confused at times, whether that had to do with the plot or the writing style I’m not too sure. I liked the characters just fine but didn’t really feel any of them had a significant personality that stood out. I also had a tough time getting through the part about Samantha and who she really was. I felt more details were needed in the paranormal aspect of the story.

I think my favorite and least favorite part was the ending. I liked the things that happened and how everything tied together, but I felt everything was rushed and sort of thrown together. I wish the ending was given a little bit more focus and finesse. I definitely wouldn’t have minded a few extra chapters if the ending was fleshed out a little bit more.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read. I liked the premise of the story even though I was somewhat confused at times. But I still think everything could have used more details and development. I’m planning on re-reading Amelia’s books so I can reacquaint myself with her older work. Like I said earlier, I remember enjoying them but can’t remember a thing about them. Go figure!
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Feb 14, 2010 Jael rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Supernatural/fantasy fans of YA

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes writing sure has come a far way in the past 11 years. She weaves another fantastic tale. It's not exactly a Den of Shadows book, since there are not vampires in this one. Like most of her books it has a pleasant twist towards the end, that is more creative than cliche.

But the story follows Cooper. After surviving a horrible car accident, he woke up in the hospital able to see Samantha, a ghost. After meeting Samantha and trying to find out more about her (she's an amnesiac...more

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Dec 09, 2010 Jessy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is my favorite guilty pleasure writer. They're never very good, the names are ridiculous, and there's always a point where I lose my suspension of disbelief and/or ask myself if I read this before.
This one, particularly, had a lot of moments where I just wasn't sure if I was supposed to know who these people were or not. Are they minor characters from earlier books? I feel like Atwater-Rhodes assumes we know a lot more about her world than she tells us in her books.

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Jun 01, 2010 Tweller83 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, scary-horror

When high school senior Cooper Blake is in a car accident that ruins his football career, he awakens to a ghostly girl at his bedside. As he tries to figure out who she is, he discovers two other teenagers who have mysterious powers and they help Blake to find out who this girl is. When they get closer to her identity, they discover that she may not be as nice as she seems to be and they all could be in great danger.

Really good book!

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May 27, 2010 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, paranormal, psc-reviews, young-adult

3.5 stars
Cooper wakes up from a horrible car accident - and finds a beautiful, mysterious girl there in the hospital with him. Unfortunately, no one else can see Samantha. Dark shadows surround the two of them. They need to figure out what the shadows are, who Samantha is/was, and if there is any way to help her.

Could be a good choice for those who like horror, but want something shorter and less horrific than Stephen King or Dean Koontz.

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Jul 06, 2010 Amber rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 21, 2010 Sherry rated it 1 of 5 stars

Why do I keep reading Amelia Atwater-Rhodes? She blew me away with "In the Forests of the Night," then lost me. "Hawksong" was a good first attempt at adding sexual tension to YA, but anything after that has been so bland and follows this formula: long exposition that takes up three-quarters of the book followed by an explanation that comes from nowhere and "happily ever after" conclusion. This book is no different.

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Oct 16, 2011 Michelle Gaines added it

I really enjoyed this book. I am familiar with the author, so I knew that I would like it, but her books are always different and surprising. Every new book gets more complicated and interesting, and I like reading shorter books that are not apart of a trilogy or series somtimes. This book was about a boy who is dealing with post traumatic stress from an awful car accident and then starts to see the ghost of a girl who doesnt know anything about her past. I would definately recommend this book t...more

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title link	preview: Token of Darkness
avg rating	preview: Token of Darkness Goodreads rating: 3.51 (851 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6509143-token-of-darkness?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320395549l/6509143.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6509143-token-of-darkness?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes[/url]

Token of Darkness (Den of Shadows #6)

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