Into the Shadows

Into the Shadows #1

by Karly Kirkpatrick

Fans of the TV series ‘Heroes, the film ‘Push’, and the book ‘The Hunger Games’ will enjoy Into the Shadows, a modern and paranormal thriller. This is the first book in the Into the Shadows Trilogy.

Paivi Anderson has it all - friends, a spot on the varsity basketball team, wonderful parents, and quite possibly, her first boyfriend. It was everything a freshman in high school could ask for. Her perfect life begins to crumble when she discovers her name on a list distributed by a power-hungry presidential candidate. How could anyone think of Paivi as an Enemy of the State? Could it be because of her special powers? No one was supposed to know about them, but the mysterious messages in her tater tots say otherwise. In INTO THE SHADOWS, Paivi quickly learns who her friends are and is forced into a reality she didn’t see coming.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

278 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2010

About the author

I am a YA writer, avid reader, high school German and French teacher, and mother. I live in Elgin, Illinois with my husband, daughter, and three dogs.

Reviews

[Lore · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, how to say this... This has been one of the few books I haven't been able to finish. I tried, I really tried. I got as far as page 42.

First of all the book is BADLY written, the dialogues come out as empty, unnatural, forced and cartoonish. The characters have reactions that don't add up into a fleshed out real person. The whole explanation of how Paivi's parents have dealt with her powers since her childhood is at best superfluous and silly. Their whole parental dialogues come out as standoffish and surreal. Who talks like that in the real world?

Paivi, well, talk about a character with no personality. She is shallow, she has had this dreams since she was a child but she is superficial and plain and completely weird in her inner reasoning.

The whole explanation her parents give her as to what they are goes pretty much like this: yeah we are somewhat related to you know, the great Merlin? From King Arthur? and yeah some of the Saints people pray too, well, they are second cousin to my great aunt's. WTF?

I just couldn't stand the interactions between the characters, that is why I had to stop. Never happened to me before. I guess its the chance you take when downloading a free offer from Amazon.

I don't like giving bad reviews, I truly don't. I prefer to at least add positive things or how things could have improved the novel, but in this case not even the whole undercover thousands of people with power at the mercy of a greedy Senator or whatever is new. It has been done, it has been done better and the chars don't even talk and react like real people, what more can be said of it?

I don't recommend it.

[E.J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book as much as I wanted to...
I thought the dialogue was stilted and forced (reminiscient of "If I Stay") and the characters wouldn't really act that way in real life.
I had read that plotline a million times, hoping for her to bring in something new, but unfortunately, she didn't.
She also REALLY needs an editor for that book. I found LOTS of grammar mistakes. 64+46 does not equal 100. That made me notice it first.

[Alaina]

rtc

[Megg Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest - Karly is my friend. I also normally don't write reviews on Goodreads because there are books I don't enjoy and I feel bad rating them low just because I didn't like them. It's all opinion.

Into the Shadows was fantastic. I had a copy of it on my hard drive for months before it was released. Karly had asked me to critique it for her but then she changed her mind and asked me to wait until she made another round of revisions. I respected her request.

Then ITS was released and I found myself buried in a zillion other things. Today I found myself waiting somewhere without a book and so I pulled up the e-book I'd bought on amazon.

I read the entire book today. It was amazing, exciting, riveting and so much more than I expected. I knew Karly was amazing, but now I know, for a fact, that she is also a spectacular storyteller. Well done, my friend!

[Tisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this "paranormal thriller", especially seeing all of the stars, but was rather disappointed. There were some good ties in here for generating kids' discussion (current events importance, oppression, similarities with Nazi Germany, etc.) It felt like there was a lot of build up to nothing though with a lot of stilted dialogue. Might be a good read for the kids to review related to basic story composition. Too many open questions without enough meat on the bones to make "me" want to read a sequel. And those that mentioned the need for an editor are right on the money.

[Jim Saddler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to start...

I have a rule. If I start reading something, I have to finish it and I'm pleased to report that I have only failed that rule one time. Surprisingly, it was not with this book (it was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone which for some reason I couldn't understand how such awful writing could become so popular, but that's another story).

I suppose that Karly Kirkpatrick must have a great lot of loyal friends. That is the only explanation I could come up with for this booking having such a high rating. I don't fault that. Good for her and good for her loyal friends.

I pushed through and finished this book. I'll tell you, the only reason I got it on the Kindle in the first place is because it was free and my Kindle needed something to do.

I feel like two separate authors wrote this book; one for the main story line and the other for the dialogue. The main story line was actually okay if a little far-fetched and coarse. The dialogue and personality of every one of the characters was not so lucky. I didn't connect with any of them. They seemed forced and...broken somehow.

The characters themselves were nothing special, in fact all through the book I didn't really get a clear idea of what their special "powers" were?!? Paivi, just a little bit, Christian, not at all other than re-arranging some tater tots. Yes. Tater tots. It's absurd, I know. Mostly I disliked the characters and every action and conversation they had. They all talked like seven year old kids, or worse. I didn't feel like there was any strength in any of them, they all just kind of rolled over. But it was mostly their interactions with each other and everything around them. I assume that the "hero" of the story would be Paivi, but she didn't really do anything to make you think that. It's just an assumption.

I love reading and I love writing my own stories (most of them I am highly insecure about) so if any one good thing came from this book it is that I have more confidence in my own writing. If Ms. Kirkpatrick can publish something like this, I know I can publish my own work...because it's better than hers. Not tooting my own horn here, it's just a fact that I'm aware of now.

Even in series books the reader should connect with the characters and feel something for them (I didn't at all), and, even with series books, the reader should get some sense of satisfaction at the end of the book. I didn't get that either. I feel strangely robbed of my time. Fully three-quarters of the book was wasted words. I feel like, if she had started writing when Paivi and her brother were removed from her parents that the book may have been a little bit more satisfactory at the end of it. That wouldn't do a thing for the poor character development and the highly crappy dialogue. It's hard to put into words how bad the character development and the dialogue were in this book. I feel like I need to explain it better, but I can't.

The book ends where it really should have begun which, in turn, does not make me want to follow the story or these characters any further in their journey. I'll pass on any future works by Ms. Kirkpatric. I can only hope that the takes the time to re-read her story and edit where it is needed and she needs to work on her descriptions a little more. She repeatedly referred to the light of the moon as "silver" on whatever surface happened to be convenient. It was frustrating to put it lightly. The book was a disappointment and that is saying something, because I wasn't expecting that much from it in the first place.

[Sandra Pulliam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so I finished this book yesterday and needed a little time to mull over what I was gonna say. So bottom line is I loved it! I had one major issue that is still bugging me but I'll get to that in a few.

First and most important is the main character. She was written so realistic. I read a lot of YA book and find myself rolling my eyes on how the kids talk to the parents or lack there of parents. She was not the outcast she was for the most part "normal" (not that there is a normal these days). Her friends were "normal" and how things happened with the boys in her life were "normal"!

Secondly, the writing was fast paced keep me up all night reading and truly Young Adult. Not listed as YA teetering on the edge of mature adult like some of the ones I've read. There were some typo's that were very noticeable but no biggie I figured out what they were saying. It was a true page turner that in the end left me excited about the next book.

Now I do have to vent a little on why this did not hit 5 stars. Kids these day are smart. Politically they are a lot more knowledgeable than given credit for. I am so stuck on the following events in this book:
1. Since when does a President-Elect have any power?
2. What happened to the Senate and Congress?
3. Where is the President of the United States?
4. Elections were in November yet this President Elect built an army of ATC agents, was able to re-write peoples rights and build prison camps in what 4 weeks? Sorry that kinda doesn't work for me.
5. Did no one in the World care to question this list?
6. Again President Elect? No power what so ever.

Ok, now that is off my chest I was comparing it to "Hunger Games" in the sense that in that story it was a Dictatorship which was extremely unfair. However, that story takes place in the future and she explains in detail about the war in America that changed how everything was run and how America was now divided. Anyways in this book it is set up in the here and now. So this part of the story was in no way acceptable to me especially when you watch anything political these day.

However, once you get past that glitch the book is amazing. I really think Karly Kirkpatrick is gonna do very well as a writer. Can't wait for the next book to come out. I really wanna see the President "Elect" get taken down! Congrats on a great start to a successful career Karly:)

[Debi Faulkner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a difficult book for me to read, but in a positive way. Kirkpatrick managed to capture and convey the mindset of a strict regime and the terror that such governments can cause some while empowering the weak and cowardly with promises of power.

The parallels to Nazi Germany were a bit overt, and while I think they worked, things like the glowing Yellow Stars to identify Enemies of the State seemed a bit much (I mean, who could really agree with such a practice, especially after . . .). The thing is, though, that Kirkpatrick manages to make it all seem plausible. And that's the part that made this book difficult for me. She made it seem so real . . .

I'm looking forward to book 2!

[LaDawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another self-published book that needs the touch of a real editor. It took almost half the book before i felt the action start to out-weigh the stilted dialogue and the grammar mistakes.

Still, the beginning of this book was so much like the tv series "Heroes" that I considered it a direct rip-off. More than once I almost gave up on reading it. It did get a little better, but not enough to make me pick up the next one in the series.

[Hmr28 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yuck, poorly written with many grammatical errors. I was not able to get past page 35. The entire 35 pages was a prime example of telling vs showing. I probably would not give this author another shot.

[Karen Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this writing, however, the story ended abruptly. I hope there will be a sequel.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the ideas behind Into the Shadows, but it reads really young. Paivi is 14, so the narrative obviously sounds like a young teen, but the tone really does not match the seriousness of the plot. Also, everything is oversimplified and actually kind of ridiculous. The presidential election is coming up, and one of the runners has obtained a list of people with special abilities who supposedly could be linked to a rampant terrorist group. Paivi and her family are on that list. She sometimes has glimpses of the future, a very powerful ability if she knew how to control it and got into the wrong hands.

Into the Shadows has a great base. It's set in the near future and really resembles the time that we are currently living it. Terrorists have gotten more extreme though, and one presidential hopeful wants to be the one to take them out using any means necessary and getting into the White House along the way. One of Paivi's teachers is also really passionate about getting her students involved in politics. They should be aware of what's going on around them even if they can't vote. That's great, but sadly, the way everything plays out is just kind of silly.

Paivi and her family (among others) are tagged as Enemies of the State, and their rights have been stripped because of this. But Paivi cries because she can't be on the basketball team anymore, compares her EOS status to being grounded, and finds a loophole that allows her to attend the school dance. Um...right. Because this isn't a bigger deal than that? The EOS have to wear badges declaring them as such and have to place them in charges at home before curfew. Wouldn't ankle bracelets like the ones for house arrest make more sense? They can be tracked and they can't take them off and essentially hide their EOS status (which Paivi does)! And why are they even allowed out in society if they're such a threat? It makes zero sense. And sneaking into Canada is apparently very easy.

I'm disappointed in Into the Shadows. There's some great ideas here, but it was all just too simple to the point that it didn't even resemble a realistic situation. I also think it would have benefited from a slightly older protagonist. Paivi just has no grasp on the seriousness of the situation. I appreciate that she understands this is wrong at the very least, but she's upset for all the wrong reasons. This does end on a cliffhanger, but I won't be continuing.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Into the Shadows falls within the paranormal/fantasy young adult genre, which by any measure is fairly saturated right now, but brings fresh ideas and positive changes which make this an excellent addition to the field. Karly Kirkpatrick has also added elements of a political thriller to create an engaging and often gripping tale of an intelligent young woman forced to make decisions about her life well before she is ready to. The novel begins with Paivi Anderson dealing with common teenage problems, the desire for a boyfriend, an annoying younger brother, school bullying, and ends with her world changed so far as to be almost unrecognisable.

While the beginning of this novel adequately introduces Paivi through descriptions of her thoughts and feelings about her world, it is the ways she reacts to the troubles she faces that makes her a likeable and involving protagonist. By the last half of this novel I greatly admired her, and began to reflect unflatteringly on some of the other female protagonists of this genre, and by the close of the novel, which clearly sets up for a sequel, I was impressed by her growth and maturity and by Kirkpatrick's skill in creating this character, which is unfortunately not fully utilised in the novel's opening.

In weaving so many elements together, Kirkpatrick has created a thrilling and original novel that should satisfy those who usually read any one of these genres. If her writing improves as much between the first and second novel as it does between the beginning and end of this one, then the follow up to Into the Shadows will be outstanding.

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately I don't have much good to say about this book.

The writing was poor and I noted multiple mistakes. The dialogue was awkward and the author didn't write scenes in a way that made you feel you were in them. I believe this is an example where the advice "show, don't tell" would be appropriate.

Also the reactions of the characters were completely unrealistic. I have a hard time believing that people would act the way they did if overnight the government came in and just changed everything. Really, no one asks questions, no one revolts, everyone just cowers or immediately distrusts people they lived near their whole lives? Violence is just allowed in the schools against teachers and students? I get that this is supposed to be a take on Nazi Germany in WWII but things like this don't just happen overnight. Honestly the whole thing was kind of ridiculous.

Every character was one of three things: cartoonishly bad, with no grey area, a poor, poor victim or a good noble person who looks past the new badges and rules and helps the EOS anyway.

This is clearly a case where an editor (for grammar as well as story flow, dialogue and content) would have been money well spent.

Despite receiving the book free of charge, I can't recommend the cost of the time it would take to read the book.

[A Book Vacation · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! And I do mean, WOW! This was a fabulous novel that sucked me in and made it impossible for me to set down until I’d read every word. Kirkpatrick is a phenomenal writer and she blew me away with her debut novel Into the Shadows! I was on pins and needles throughout most of the book, worried about Paivi and her family—the similarities between this novel and the Red Scare were chilling. Part of the reason I love this novel so much is because it has aspects of our history intermingled within it. As it’s a YA novel, it helps remind young people about the atrocities our own country, and many others, have committed when scared—such as stripping people of their human rights, arresting them without providence, ruining careers/lives due to paranoia, and forcing people to wear badges identifying themselves as enemies of the state. This is a very real offence that has happened in many countries, and Kirkpatrick does a phenomenal job showing the reader the errors of our past through this fictitious novel, while also making it very clear that human panic and the mob mentality can easily overtake a nation; it could easily happen again if we aren’t careful.

To read my full review (6/24):

http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

We'll start out with what I didn't like... the age of the characters. I don't understand 'budding romances' from 14/15 year olds. Sorry. It's not plausible. Next... the most irritating factor that I ran into. Throughout the book, Paivi's mom and dad are referred to as Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Why? I don't know... it made things very impersonal and hard to connect with the family.
The characters... Well, honestly, they're not very well written but we mainly get the point. Christian is a very vague figure so far. Jason is a potential boyfriend that ends up saying "I love you" without Paivi recognizing it somehow... I don't know, it makes it hard to believe I guess.
The whole book is very much a take on the Holocaust. The segregation, the badges, the rules... I find it very interesting that instead of religion, it's 'powers' but personally, it's believable. It's the only reason I kept reading.
Although I'm not compelled> to continue reading this series (which means it doesn't really hold my interest), I might pick the next book up anyway just to see if the characters mature and what happens.

[Lisa Faye (Agnew) Coombs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am recommending this book to every friend of my teenage kids and all other YA fans I know. The main character was just the sort of heroine that you hope to find in this genre. She had the true vulnerability of being young and inexperienced, while being strong enough to face each challenge presented. There is friendship, romance, high school drama, plus characters with special and secret abilities. Overall, I thought the story was creative and clever. It was truly a perfect fit for release in an election month (with its undercurrent of political conspiracies and discriminatory acts by the government)! Because of this, I thought it left the reader (young or not) faced with that questioning or "what if" frame of mind. It thoroughly added to the intrigue and the pace of the story, while making you root for the main character and her plight. It leaves you with lingering feeling of wanting to know "what happens next" and in so sets itself up for the sequel. Bravo, on your debut e-book/novel and absolutely keep us posted for other adventures "Into the Shadows"!

[Meghan Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I applaud anyone who is able to complete a novel and go through the process of getting it out there... that said, I was really disappointed with this book. It didn't read like a YA, it read more (maybe) like a child 9-12 book. The characters are very simplistic as it the writing style, and it is hard to keep reading through short and stunted phrasing. But the concept is interesting, and if the book had been treated to a proper edit it would probably make a huge difference.

I came on to goodreads midway through the book because I was struggling with how bad I found it and wanted to know if I was alone... and was shocked to see how many positive reviews it received. As a note to others I would say that it appears from the 'acknowledgement' section of the book that the author is a high school teacher, and I would assume that she asked many of her friends/acquaintances/family/students to rate this book.... good for her, so the rating might be a bit misleading until she gets more reviews from new readers.

[Brigid · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank goodness this was a free e-book because it's bad. Truly terrible writing in almost every way. Stunted and contrived with a poorly conceived story line. The characters are awkward and wooden and their dialogue is unnatural and stiff. There's no flesh, no heart, no pulse, no spirit to be found. This book is just another good example of bad writing in the world of self-publishing.
This is a harsh review because I'm tired of these dreadful self-published books. The lack of care for these stories by their own writers is insulting to the reader and why these writers refuse to have their books properly edited is something I just can't understand. Why go to all the trouble of writing a book only to allow typos, bad grammar, and downright clichéd mistakes like, "I could care less...." to remain when these things could so easily be fixed? Not that better grammar would make this book any more palatable.
Don't even bother wasting your time unless you're looking for an example of how not to write a book. It has no redeeming qualities I could find.

[Erin Danzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karly Kirkpatrick wrote a thrilling, sometimes chilling novel. We start by following seven year old Paivi Anderson as she has a nightmare about her best friend's mom. Paivi can see the future, a gift that later gets her labeled as an Enemy of the State. The correlation between Kirkpatrick's plot and the Nazis can't be missed and I feel that Kirkpatrick did an excellent job of recreating that world in her novel. Even if you're not a huge history buff, the novel puts Paivi in your heart and doesn't let go until the very last word. The world was so believable I found myself watching the news to make sure the ATC wasn't coming into being. A very well written novel that should not be missed!

[Steve W · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book's description sounded more interesting the the book turned out to be. I liked the premise of the book, but the action and plot development just felt a bit weak to me, and the "special powers" seemed to play such a small part in the story Perhaps the story was intentionally slow because it was planned as part of a trilogy, but the ending barely felt like a climax at all, not even enough to make me want to read the next book in the series. . Granted, I am outside the target audience (young adult), so perhaps readers in that age range will find the book resonates more strongly with them, but I was hoping for something more than I found.

[Suzanne Toon]

Can't wait for the next one-it reminds me of another series I've read and liked, so I can't wait to see more! Some of the events in the story have been done before, but it's true to how life would be in the situation. At least to me, having never gone through anything of the sort. But that's the great thing about stories, isn't it? Experiencing things you never would normally. This book is about an seemingly ordinary girl who has to make grown up decisions in a world, literally a world, is against her.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book on goodreads, and the wonderful author sent the book to me. I know I know, only two stars not the greatest rating. I REALLY wanted to like this book more than I did. The story is a good one, I enjoyed the plot and the pace was great. My biggest problem with the book was the dialogue it seemed really fake and forced through out the entire book, I tried but I couldn't really get past that. I may not of loved the book, but I thank goodreads and the author Karly Kirkpatrick for giving me the wonderful opportunity to read it.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

What would you do if your biggest secret became public knowledge? That is the very interesting premise of this book. I enjoyed how this was introduced but as the story progressed it seemed much too predictable. I say this but the book held my attention and I read it in two days. So, there must be something going for it. Plus, I'm very interested in readind the next book in this series.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was readable, and at times, moderately interesting. I didn't like the writing style though, it felt stiff and unnatural. What type of 14 year old high school freshman says "I'm parched!" Seriously?? Although I'd eventually like to see where this story is headed, I wouldn't waste my time by reading any other books in the series.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading "Into the Shadows" and WOW! A knot tightened in my throat and tears brimmed in my eyes during chapter seventeen, and the tension literally raced my heart to the end! I can't wait to read the next book and find out what happens to Paivi, Torsten, and Christian!!!

[Albee Tiu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I opted to read this book due to some of the reviews provided. All I can say is that it was slow and won't make me pick-up book 2.

It might be because I'm not the right age group (post-teen) but there are young adult books that I find quite interesting. This is not one of them.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high expectations for this book and it disappointed. It is poorly written, and the dialogue is awkward. It has promise, the story line is interesting, but I do not think I will finish this series unless the other books are written better.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get passed chapter one, it was so poorly written. Who ever wrote the synopsis should have written the book.

An extra star for the "just-in-case it got better but I'll never know 'cause I'll never finish it" factor.

[Heathery · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another reviewer said that "the dialogues come out as empty, unnatural, forced and cartoonish." And I have to agree. I can't get past the characters' interactions with each other. Also, insta-love -- is there anything worse? I think not.