Lorelei I’ve lived my life on the run. Always looking over my shoulder. Waiting for the day that they would find me. Everyone I have ever loved has been ripped from me until I have nothing left but memories and dreams. For years, he has been the only thing to keep me sane. My demon prince from my dreams. His voice haunts me. Stirs me. Makes me yearn for him. But will I ever find him? Or will he find me?
As my abilities manifest, will I be able to maintain control, or will they control me?
Vincent For millennia, my life has been incomplete. Until I saw her. For years, I’ve watched over her. Protecting her from the monsters that chase her. Yet, I’m the biggest threat to her safety. My perfect Nephilim. My mate.
Her face is there every time I close my eyes. Her voice soothes my very soul.
Will I be able to shield her from the horrors of my world or will I fail and finally claim her as mine, damn the consequences?
An intriguing & exciting journey into the world of the paranormal. It grabbed me from the beginning and just kept getting better. Mystery, amazing characters, evil demons, budding romance & hot men, well sorta men lol It even had some fun banter between the characters, this book has it all. The narration was absolutely amazing!! Tim Page & Sarah Puckett totally rocked these characters. This is book 1 in this trilogy and continues into book 2. I’m so excited to see where she takes us. This is my first book by Jenn D Young but definitely will not be my last! I highly recommend this book!
1/5 ★ This was not good. It was like the author tossed in all the dark paranormal elements she could think of into the writing cauldron and gave it barely a stir then served it up. The pace is both excruciatingly slow and then also in other ways, way too fast.
Spoilers below... 🫣
THOUGHTS Around 30%, the plot actually begins, before that is all backstory and set up. In all that set up we meet our FMC a child, Lorelei, with intense special powers, who is the beloved of a very, verrrry old (millennia aka he's over 1,000 years old) hottie, MMC, named Vincent. He loves her, but since she's a child, he's not into her like that, he will get WAY into her when it's appropriate, on her 18th b-day. Then he will barely be able to contain his raging LUST feels.
Her fated love is a demon. She's a powerful magical special girl.
Oh and she plays violin. She loves music. She also composes music.
At 38% for no really good reason, on her 18th b-day, the bad guys find her, attack happens, and she's forced to go on her own to Los Angeles with a bunch of money and all the paperwork she needs to make a new life, along with a laptop and other technology she needs. Ssiiiiiiiighhh. I'm sorry, buuuut, could we make anything hard for this FMC?
Lorelei wants to be with Vincent, but he has to keep her away from him so she can be safe. Sooooooo borrrrrring. As much info dumping set up about her as we got, I still didn't care about her... or about her staying out of the hands of whatever bad-guys are after her.
Time jump to 3 years later. I'm not kidding.
In Los Angeles, it's her b-day. She's 21 now. She's got her violin. She's got a job in an orchestra. She's laying low. She's lonely. So she gets all gussied up to go out for a drink on her b-day. Meets a guy, he's reallll hot, she's going to go home with him, but they are attacked. She's fed on by a vampire.
55%, another inciting incident, (because really nothing has actually happened yet, we haven't seen this FMC get pushed into action unless running to LA off page counts -- which you can tell I don't think it does) but we'll call it the midpoint crisis, she's turned into a vampire, and Vincent, that old horny-for-her-fated-demon, comes to rescue her. Phew.
63% Instead of explaining what the hell is going on, the old horny demon can't control himself and gives her hot up against the wall finger pleasure that I couldn't muster any cares about. Once again, as hard as he is for her, as much as he wants her and she wants him, he's like nah, let's wait.
66% Oldddddd, MMC, explains the world, 12 arch angels, blah blah blah, demons, vampires, nephalem... elemental powers... blah blah blah... demons and vampires fought the archangels... blah blah blah... accords... oh, wait, *MMC reveals he is 2500 years old. Hahahaaaa.*
Ok. So. Let's take stock. She's a nephalem, she's been turned into a vampire, she was rejecting blood, but thankfully she can take Vincent's demon blood... She's hot for him. He's hot for her. He can read her thoughts. He has been protecting her. Making sure she stays hidden from the bad guys. They are mates. SHE'S A VIRGIN. (Of couuuuuuurrrrrrse.) He's a rock star, in the human world (ya, I know, too much? Nah, just pile on all the things). SHE IS STILL A VIRGIN AT THE END OF THIS NOVEL. And it ends on a cliffhanger... a peeve of mine.
Everyone wants her, wants to use her, she had to stay hidden because she's special. She has powers, she's different... x ♾️
We know. WE knooooooowwwwwwwww.
So all that is to say, this feels like a debut novel that needed a developmental edit. Everything in this novel feels like something vaguely familiar if you read this genre, concocted in a way that doesn't entice.
🕯️Slow burn or Insta-lust/love🧨: Insta-mate/fated, but slowwwwww burn. 🌶️ Spicy Level: 2 / 5 🔥 How much spice: 2 / 5 💥 M (demon looks like a human)/F (human, nephalem, vampire) {My spicy scale: 5 = pure, full-on spice-all-the-time/erotica and 1 = closed door}
👀 POV: 1st person, both MCs
WHAT YOU’RE IN FOR: 💠 lackluster story, frustrating pace, underdeveloped characters 💠 FMC who doesn't know who she is 💠 2500 year old MMC who is dtf, knows who the FMC is, and wants to f*ck her but also wants to wait. 🤣
Into the Shadows Shadows Ascending Trilogy, Book 1 By: Jenn D. Young Narrated by: Sarah Puckett, Tim Paige
This book is awesome and I loved every moment of it. The story swept me right in, grabbing my attention and captivating it for the entire book. It is hard to believe this is the author’s debut novel, clearly she is a gifted writer with an imaginative mind, she created a fascinating world with equally fascinating characters, a variety of paranormal beings, a variety of Angels, Demons and Vampires. I adored, Lorelei, the lead female character, we meet her when she is a young girl and watch her grow into a strong, young woman. Lorelei was not aware of how special she is, she has been watched over for most of her life for her protection. Vincent is her guardian angel, ok maybe more like demon, but is her protector. I just loved how everything plays out in this book, it is the first in the series and it is laying down the foundation for the rest of the series. There great character growth and world building which I loved, the more I learned the more I wanted to know. The connection between Vincent and Lorelei was awesome and I am looking forward to see more of them in the next book of the series. This book has a lot of offer, there is plenty of drama, heartfelt and emotional moments, some thrilling suspense, twists and turns and a slow burn romance. Jenn D. Young, thank you for this amazing story. 🎧📚🎧
And for the narration, Sarah Puckett and Tim Paige were the perfect cast to bring these characters to life. They did an awesome job portraying the characters, giving each their own voice and personality. Sarah Puckett’s Lorelei was spot on, as was Tim Paige’s Vincent, they both took on their roles and made them their own. They were awesome playing the secondary characters too. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured the characters emotions which was reflected in their performance. They are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another awesome listen🎧
Thank you @PinkFlamingoProductions @AudiobookObsession #TheFlock #AudiobookObsessionReviewer🎧
What an epic story! I couldn't stop listening. And these narrators were the perfect voices for these characters. This is a paranormal romance with an unique twist. Lorelei is special, even though she is meant to feel anything but in the foster system. She has dreams of Vincent her whole life. In this story we follow her from childhood to being in her early 20's. We watch the things unfold in her life even she doesn't remember. I don't want to give any other details. There is so much that happens in this book. Just know it's freaking epic! Just when I thought I had the story figured out, bam!, surprise. And the ending leaves you wanting so much more. The rest of trilogy is not available on audio yet but you can go read it in book form. That's where I'm headed. This is a must read for paranormal romance fans. This is not a predictable book and it will have you holding on for dear life from start to finish.
Angels. Demons. Vampires. These are all supernatural creatures that I thought I was familiar with, yet this book has made them all subtly different, to the point that they’re not the creatures I thought I knew. Lorelei’s story drew me in from the beginning. It’s filled with twists and revelations and so very many secrets. I’m already itching to dive into the next book to find out what happens next. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author as part of the box set.
First off, Wow, just Wow! This is not my usual read, but the first pages had me hook, line, and sinker. If I had not been at work, this would have been read in one sitting. Still got it read in less than 8 hours. Lol. The plot and characters were great! I loved how she started the book and then glimpses into the past as LorLei (I know that is probably spelled wrong) would remember bits and pieces. Just enough to make you hungry for more. Vincent, is perfect. Their chemistry is off the wall. Definitely cannot wait for the second book in this series. Jenn D. Young hit her debut novel out of the park.
I cudnt put this book down once I found it by accident!!! I feel in deep to Loralai story. I wanted to help her uncover all the mysteries. She was a well developed strong character who faced problems head on. She had a good bite to her personality Lol. Vincent was an absolute heartthrob. All dark,. Deep. And alluring. I wanted a piece of him. For myself. The world building and creation of characters were very interesting and exciting. I can't wait to start book 2 NOW 💋💋🔥🔥
I am such a huge fan of exactly this kind of story. Paranormal romance with angel lore and crazy hot Insta-love? Yes, please! All day. I'm super excited for the second book! Think I may have found a new favorite author.
Into the Shadows by Jenn D. Young first grabbed my attention with its narrators. Sarah Puckett and Tim Paige are fabulous at bringing characters to life. They both convey the emotions to set the stage. The storyline was captivating. This is the first book of a trilogy and I was glad the author didn't leave it as a cliffhanger. I definitely will listen to the next book. The descriptions in the book were vivid and I could envision so many details. I'm captivated by it.
Fantastic read! Loved following Lorelei and Vincent's story :) This is a new author to me and I'm glad I came across her. Loved the book and can't wait for the next one :)
I loved it great character building and world building. I loved Lorelei and Vincent's story great chemistry. Jenn is a new author to be but fast becoming my favorite I can't wait until the next one.
This story was super fun to read! It has so many fun types of characters and such a good story within the story! I am loving it all!
Honestly I want a Vincent of my own! A couple of the other characters wouldn’t be bad either! Got to love a story they had lots of hottie characters in it.
I love Lorelei and her spunk! She is a fun character that is strong and growing stronger with each page!
Pnr has become one of my new favorite genres and i absolutely loved this one! The characters were amazing and i can’t wait to see where the rest of this series takes us!
I just love demon and angel stories and this one is definitely up on the list. Living in the human world is hard, especially when you don’t know what you are capable of. Luckily she is able to find out after some very hard times and will hopefully find out what she is meant to be in the next book.
I am a huge fan of paranormal romance but, I am hard to please because I listen to so many. Into The Shadows delivered on all fronts, it deals with various breeds of the paranormal/ supernatural and the characters have such a well developed history that is relevant to the present. I loved the story and the journey that it took me on. I loved how there was always something new to learn so this fantasy world felt seamless to absorb myself within. I have listened to many books narrated by Sarah Puckett and she is a phenomenal voice actor. Tim Paige was a relatively new discovery for me, but his voice acting throughout this book has been one of my favourites of all male narrators. I feel that both narrators were a great choice for Ms Youngs brilliant storytelling. I need the next book in this series and I need it now.
Into The Shadows (Shadows Ascending Trilogy) by Jenn D. Young is a wonderful story to read. This is book number one in this brand new start to a series. I can not wait to read the next book in this series. I highly recommend this story to all.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
I received this audiobook free, as a Pink Flamingo Productions reviewer, for an honest review. This story was AWESOME. The author brought the story to life for the listener. I love strong women with developing powers. This paranormal story provides details of the world of paranormal, from angels to demons. The only disappointment is that the next book in this series isn't available in audio yet. I don't want to wait. Tim Paige does an excellent job with the main male character, Vincent, as well all the other male characters. His voice relates the strong, sexy male persona to the listener. Sarah Puckett brings the character and personality of Lorelei as she grows into her power. She also does a great job with the other characters. So looking forward to the next book in audio format. Can't wait!!!
This is an intriguing start to a new series. The world building is rich with detail and the characters are captivating. I'm really looking forward to where this journey takes Lorelei as more of her story is revealed!
I received this book for free for a honest review. I loved the characters and storyline. This book was amazing!!! it flowed very well and held together. The author did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. highly reccomend
Into the Shadows (Shadows Ascending Trilogy, Book 1) is the intro to this young adult paranormal romance and begins with a powerful prologue that captures your mind. Archangels, demons and vampires are the supernatural creatures embodying this world. The lovestory between Lorelei and Vincent experiences complex thoughts and actions. The world building created is unique and well weaved. Chemistry between mc's, unanswered questions answered, life long that began during childhood dreams of Vincent. This ends in a cliffhanger and book two is not available on audio yet.
Narators Sarah Puckett and Tim Paige flawless performance captures the essence of the characters and their storyline. Both narators performances were excellent. Excellent inflections and great expressing emotions.
THIS IS BOOK 1 OF THE SHADOWS ASCENDING TRILOGY. THIS IS SUCH A GREAT START FOR THE SERIES. I REALLY ENJOYED READING LORELEI AND VINCENT’S STORY. ITS VERY WELL WRITTEN AND KEEPS YOU PULLED IN THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOOK. IM DEFINITLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE REST OF THIS SERIES AND WOULD RECOMMEND READING.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I absolutely LOVED this story! Vincent and Lorelei are two amazing characters who take you on a fantastic journey. Somehow the author was able to include enough backstory and growing up spanning over almost a decade without the story seeming disconnected or like it was skipping around. It is truly a well written story. I love that nothing is as it seems and you are pulled into their story and left impatiently waiting for the next in the trilogy! As for the audiobook, Sarah Puckett is absolutely amazing, great voice that keeps you sucked into the story and feeling what the characters are feeling. I loved Tim Paige, he has a great voice and was a fantastic Vincent. They both have these voices that can go from innocent and fierce to oozing sex in no time at all. I would definitely recommend this story! I couldn't stop listening!!! #AudiobookObsession #PinkFlamingoProductions
This is the kind of story that is right up my alley. So many great paranormal aspects I love. Different beings in the world. Fated mates. Growing and evolving powers. It was all excellent. And I really liked the way the story developed. It unfolded in that way that every time you might think about pausing for a minute something else would happen that would keep you listening. That was also due in part to the performance of the narrators. Sarah Puckett and Tim Paige were so so good. I highly recommend this story and now am anxious for book two because there's so much more to this story I need to know.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this story and am continuing to read the trilogy. The story development was very well done. I could not put the book down! I do wish that the editing was improved as I came across quite a few mistakes. The other issue I had was with one inappropriately timed sexual encounter that didn’t seem like it would be realistic given the emotional state of the situation. I also felt that the book could have used more details in minor areas for transition purposes. Those are the reasons for the four instead of five stars. Otherwise a fun and exciting read!
This book has everything you need in a fantasy book. There is Demons, angels, vampires, magic, witches the list is endless. With a fantastic strong storyline and well built likeable characters this series looks to be very exciting. The performance from Sarah and Tim is great. #pinkflamingoproductions #flockreview #audiobookobsessionreviewer