Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Lady of the Shades” as Want to Read:
Lady of the Shades
by
Ed, an American author on the hunt for a story for his next book, arrives in London looking for inspiration. A stranger in a strange city, he's haunted by a deadly secret that refuses to stay buried, and no matter how hard he tries he cannot escape the manifest sins of his past.
What Ed wants is answers, what he finds is something he definitely didn't bargain for: the beau ...more
What Ed wants is answers, what he finds is something he definitely didn't bargain for: the beau ...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
September 2012
by Hachette Australia
(first published January 1st 2012)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Lady of the Shades,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Lady of the Shades
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Lady of the Shades
My thoughts: Introduction
Let us commence on this review by conversing on the fact that this book is extremely underrated and underappreciated. Honestly, this is a book that deserves many readers because of the amount of effort and work put into it. Everything from the storytelling to the writing to the structure of the characters stood out among the pile of the books that are in the similar genre and I will be ticking off the list today on why you should read this wondrous novel.
The ambience aro ...more
Let us commence on this review by conversing on the fact that this book is extremely underrated and underappreciated. Honestly, this is a book that deserves many readers because of the amount of effort and work put into it. Everything from the storytelling to the writing to the structure of the characters stood out among the pile of the books that are in the similar genre and I will be ticking off the list today on why you should read this wondrous novel.
The ambience aro ...more
What on earth is going on.
The whole book's practically just plot twists after plot twists after plot twists--so many god damn plot twist. I'd be annoyed if not for that fact that I was too impressed. Every time I'd come up with a solid idea, an explanation of sorts, Shan goes ahead and dismantles it.
So when I finally learned the truth--and gods, it was more fucked up that I could ever imagine--I just felt like banging my head on the table or flinging myself to the pacific. (In a good way.) I ju ...more
The whole book's practically just plot twists after plot twists after plot twists--so many god damn plot twist. I'd be annoyed if not for that fact that I was too impressed. Every time I'd come up with a solid idea, an explanation of sorts, Shan goes ahead and dismantles it.
So when I finally learned the truth--and gods, it was more fucked up that I could ever imagine--I just felt like banging my head on the table or flinging myself to the pacific. (In a good way.) I ju ...more
This is one of Darren Shan's adult books and it feels very different to the children's work. It revolves around Ed, a horror writer who comes to London to work on a new book, with his own personal ghosts tagging along, quite literally. There he falls in love with a woman who turns out to be a gangster's wife. Ed falls head over heels for her but from the day he meets her, nothing is as it seems.
The first half of the book is well written but quite slow-going, but it's necessary to build up to th ...more
The first half of the book is well written but quite slow-going, but it's necessary to build up to th ...more
I am disappointed. Perhaps because I expected more from Darren Shan. The character seems naive and juvenile, in spite of his past. He got conned oh so many times. Even though he is supposed to be mature... 40? I somehow feel like Ed is in his teens or early twenties.
Even the twists are too obvious. It's OK if the book is for teens or children, but for adults, I was expecting more subtle hints. ...more
Even the twists are too obvious. It's OK if the book is for teens or children, but for adults, I was expecting more subtle hints. ...more
Although this book is anything but standard crime fiction fare, I've come to realize that sometimes pulling away from the formulaic and reading outside the box can produce some eye-opening moments. Lady of the Shades turned out to be as twisty as a sack full of Philly pretzels; I actually thought I'd had it figured out a couple of times but alas it was not to be. Sadly I can't really get into why this book is so twisty without giving away the show, but I will say that just when you think things
...more
Darren Shan has done it again!!
This is one hell of a book. Fascinating, twisted, geniously plotted and awesome!!!
LOVE this!!!
SPOILERS. DO NOT READ.
OK. This starts with an assassin called Dash murdering a guy he was hired to kill, then he gets this message from one of his previous employers to kill a loved one or her lover or both.
The scene shifts to Ed, a writer who is haunted by ghosts (we later know why). He goes to London and starts meeting up with a guy he met over the internet, who help ...more
This is one hell of a book. Fascinating, twisted, geniously plotted and awesome!!!
LOVE this!!!
SPOILERS. DO NOT READ.
OK. This starts with an assassin called Dash murdering a guy he was hired to kill, then he gets this message from one of his previous employers to kill a loved one or her lover or both.
The scene shifts to Ed, a writer who is haunted by ghosts (we later know why). He goes to London and starts meeting up with a guy he met over the internet, who help ...more
Dec 15, 2020
♡ Hel Nemisis ♡
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own
"Maybe the mad don't need to sleep. Maybe their insanity is all they require to sustain them."
Throughout this entire novel, I was debating whether this book deserved 3 stars or 4 stars. Ultimately, the last two chapters finalised my decision to give it 4 stars. This book is definitely very underrated, I'm glad I picked it up at a secondhand store for less than a dollar. No regrets. I read a few reviews and for me it wasn't quite the fanatic page-turner I anticipated it to be but nevertheless ...more
Throughout this entire novel, I was debating whether this book deserved 3 stars or 4 stars. Ultimately, the last two chapters finalised my decision to give it 4 stars. This book is definitely very underrated, I'm glad I picked it up at a secondhand store for less than a dollar. No regrets. I read a few reviews and for me it wasn't quite the fanatic page-turner I anticipated it to be but nevertheless ...more
Dec 10, 2017
Sinead
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
library-reads,
horror-or-dark
I hadn't read any Darren Shan since his Cirque du Freak days, so I was excited to be revisiting one of my favourite childhood authors.
It reminded me a lot of 'The Woman in the Fifth' (Douglas Kennedy) at times, and overall it was a decent read. It pretty much only slipped from being 4 stars for me, as the constant twists and turns got a little exhausting after a while.
That said... I really, really, wanted to find out the conclusion of it all... And damn, it's a good one. ...more
It reminded me a lot of 'The Woman in the Fifth' (Douglas Kennedy) at times, and overall it was a decent read. It pretty much only slipped from being 4 stars for me, as the constant twists and turns got a little exhausting after a while.
That said... I really, really, wanted to find out the conclusion of it all... And damn, it's a good one. ...more
FIVE STARS THRILLER.
I found the book with £1 in a bookshop and I liked the cover, but didn't expect to be that good.
Great action with a lot of humps and bumps. I love it.
...more
I found the book with £1 in a bookshop and I liked the cover, but didn't expect to be that good.
Great action with a lot of humps and bumps. I love it.
...more
I loved it! Crime usually isn't my thing but it was just so twisty and so well written. (Seriously it's so twisty!)
...more
DNF at about 30%.
I just don't really like books like this. It's kind of meh, I feel it's predictable and just not very exciting. ...more
I just don't really like books like this. It's kind of meh, I feel it's predictable and just not very exciting. ...more
Lady of the Shades is Darren Shan’s return to writing for adults. Shan is more well known for his children's series Cirque Du Freak and Demonata, but has previously written The City trilogy for adults and mature teens.
Lady of the Shades is a standalone title and skirts the edges of a number of genres, making it an interesting and enjoyable piece with wide appeal.
The Times lauded it as “Utterly unputdownble”, an appellation or sentiment much overused in the marketing of books. It was, however, a ...more
Lady of the Shades is a standalone title and skirts the edges of a number of genres, making it an interesting and enjoyable piece with wide appeal.
The Times lauded it as “Utterly unputdownble”, an appellation or sentiment much overused in the marketing of books. It was, however, a ...more
While I found Lady Of The Shades hard to get into starting off it more than made up for it in the second half of the book. We start off with meeting Ed ,an ex-marine and now horror writer, who is invited to London to write his next book by Joe, who Ed met in a fan group online. Ed is plagued by ghosts, they constantly follow him everywhere. Joe invites Ed to a boat party but pulls out at the last minute and Ed decides to go on his own. He meets Deleena Emerson and they hit it off. He quickly fin
...more
This is an adult horror book from talented and renowned young adult horror writer, Darren Shan.
When I found this in the library by pure chance, I immediately got it out and dived right into it.
Lady of the Shades is a lot different to what I would normally expect from Shan. I have no doubts this is because Shan is a young adult author more than anything, and to read him writing in a more adult style was a little distracting. I found that it all flowed really well, but I wasn't enjoying it as much ...more
When I found this in the library by pure chance, I immediately got it out and dived right into it.
Lady of the Shades is a lot different to what I would normally expect from Shan. I have no doubts this is because Shan is a young adult author more than anything, and to read him writing in a more adult style was a little distracting. I found that it all flowed really well, but I wasn't enjoying it as much ...more
I have read several of Darren Shan’s YA books over the years. This might seem strange, me clutching at my forties for sheer death. Maybe Old Adult might best suit me! I find his YA horror books short and snappy, sharp-fanged critters that sink their teeth in quickly. I didn’t really fancy reading his adult books, thinking I might be disappointed. But with Lady of the Shades I was far from disappointed.
Lady of the Shades centres around American horror writer Ed Sieveking and how he falls in love ...more
Lady of the Shades centres around American horror writer Ed Sieveking and how he falls in love ...more
A fantastic novel from a fantastic writer.
Darren Shan has certainly thought of everything in this grand tale of Ed Sieveking, an American author who travels to London to find inspiration for his next book. Full of unexpected twists and turns, you can never really guess what is going to happen next in this fantastically engaging novel.
Whilst trying, and constantly failing, to guess the final outcome of Lady of the Shades, Darren Shan manages to draw your hope and faith wholeheartedly into Ed's c ...more
Darren Shan has certainly thought of everything in this grand tale of Ed Sieveking, an American author who travels to London to find inspiration for his next book. Full of unexpected twists and turns, you can never really guess what is going to happen next in this fantastically engaging novel.
Whilst trying, and constantly failing, to guess the final outcome of Lady of the Shades, Darren Shan manages to draw your hope and faith wholeheartedly into Ed's c ...more
this is the first 5 stars I've given to a book in a while, it's taken me a while to dive back into the adult world of darren Shans novels and I picked this up on a whim. I was not let down, after settling right back into his writing style I immediately began loving the characters, story and intrigue of the plot. nothing could really prepare me for the roller coaster of emotions the second half of the book was. fantasticly unpredictable with a hell of a finale. short and sweet, if you have the ti
...more
ok this was waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the last adult trilogy Darren Shan wrote, liked it more, full of twists till the end, ya i figured it out in the 2/3 of it,but still i was anxious to know if i was right,
great plot, good twist,no dull moment. Darren Shan did it again.
and i have extra love for the cover.
great plot, good twist,no dull moment. Darren Shan did it again.
and i have extra love for the cover.
The twists per chapter ratio is quite high. I thought I had most of them but some of them were quite surprising. He got me.
The book hooked me until the end. I guess I'm too much of an optimist because it wasn't the ending I wanted but that's fine with me. You'll know what I'm talking about after you've read it. ...more
The book hooked me until the end. I guess I'm too much of an optimist because it wasn't the ending I wanted but that's fine with me. You'll know what I'm talking about after you've read it. ...more
Allow yourself to be manipulated, surrender to this book. Albeit it had some pacing problems and it took a while for the story to actually kick in, it definitely was worth the ride.
(view spoiler) ...more
(view spoiler) ...more
An interesting read, a different read to darren shans YA books for sure. First half is slow however if you push through it there are plenty of plot twists to leave you wanted more in the second half. Go in with an open mind though as its a weird one.
Wow! Talk about twists and turns. One moment I thought I had it all solved, the next it was all discredited. Bloody brilliant!
A fantastic novel, brilliantly constructed, allows the reader to question reality to fiction as well as keeping them entertained. Would definitely recommend.
Aug 29, 2015
Rebecca eley
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
my-cult-fiction
I was so happy to find another grown up Darren Shan book after loving the City of the Dead Trilogy. This did not disappoint. I did not see the end of the book coming.
Ed stays in London because of a research for his new book, but he never would have guessed what awaits him there even though he knows every trick in the book, literally. He’s an author who writes about ghosts. He has his own, very personal reasons for that and doesn’t even know himself whether he is crazy or not.
When he meets the mysterious Deleena at a party, he is instantly interested in her. The more time they spend together, the more he realizes that there is much he doesn’t know – which inc ...more
When he meets the mysterious Deleena at a party, he is instantly interested in her. The more time they spend together, the more he realizes that there is much he doesn’t know – which inc ...more
I have to say I did not expect much from this book, yet it turned out to be very fascinating and twisted tale. The questionable inclusion of the supernatural, which one suspects from the beginning, makes the unravelling tale ever so enticing. I enjoyed the development of the characters and crime thriller vibe, with of course the grand finale where all questions got answered.
Holy sh**. What a phenomenal book! Oh boy... Wow...
Decent stand alone horror/thriller from Darren Shan, who on this occasion has branched into more adult literature rather than his normal teen, although the difference is not great.
Nice twists and a good resolution make this a good read.
Despite the genre not being one of my favourites around Shan continues to impress.
Nice twists and a good resolution make this a good read.
Despite the genre not being one of my favourites around Shan continues to impress.
See the original review here: http://justanotherbooknerd.tumblr.com...
The first book I am going to be discussing might as well be the last book that I read.
Makes sense huh?
Lady of the Shades is the first foray into the exciting world of adult fiction by the acclaimed teenage horror writer Darren Shan.
Those familiar with Shan’s style will notice some fairly obvious similarities with his older works, namely the use of first person and the all too compelling plots that he somehow manages to keep wh ...more
The first book I am going to be discussing might as well be the last book that I read.
Makes sense huh?
Lady of the Shades is the first foray into the exciting world of adult fiction by the acclaimed teenage horror writer Darren Shan.
Those familiar with Shan’s style will notice some fairly obvious similarities with his older works, namely the use of first person and the all too compelling plots that he somehow manages to keep wh ...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
Librarian's note: Also writes books for adults under the name Darren Dash. And in the past he has released books for adults under the names D.B. Shan and Darren O'Shaughnessy.
Darren Shan (born July 2, 1972 in London, England) is the pen name of the Irish author Darren O'Shaughnessy, as well as the name of the protagonist of his book series The Saga of Darren Shan, also known as The Cirque Du Freak ...more
Darren Shan (born July 2, 1972 in London, England) is the pen name of the Irish author Darren O'Shaughnessy, as well as the name of the protagonist of his book series The Saga of Darren Shan, also known as The Cirque Du Freak ...more
Related Articles
His Favorite Horror: The master of macabre shares his favorite works of terror just in time for his new noir fantasy, City of the Snakes.
20 likes · 12 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“I know that no matter how lonely I get, I'll never be truly alone again. Our loved ones don't leave us. They just move out of sight for a while, and wait...in the shades.”
—
5 likes
“What use was money if you didn't have the time to enjoy it?”
—
2 likes
More quotes…
