So, I love Ilsa J Bick’s books and from my interactions with her on Twitter she seems like an awesome person. I just want to put all that out there before I say this. I hate her. She is an evil person who writes evil books about people who do evil things and have evil cliffhanger endings. EVIL.

Okay, got that off my chest.

So Shadows picks up right where Ashes ended, and yes you are thrown back into the story with a vengeance and no help remembering who everyone is. But how can you even be upset about that when it is so damn exciting straight out the gate?! I didn’t really get slowed down by trying to remember people until I got a little into the book. As I read, my Ashes memories came back to me and I soon got along without trouble.

How about that there gore? Yeah, it’s there. This is pretty much a zombie book, so I’m not sure why so many people seem surprised by the amount of gore in it. This isn’t Twilight folks, we have real monsters here. Bad crap happens, people die, and no one friggin’ sparkles. In other words, it was gruesome and cringe-worthy. That’s fine with me.

I must be one of the few who barely noticed the shifting perspectives. There were parts of the story that I liked better than others, but overall I wasn’t distracted or annoyed by the multiple perspectives. I guess I enjoy the different perspectives because Bick has such a deep understanding of how people’s minds work. Each of the characters feel different when things are in their perspective thanks to the psychological quirks they have. This woman knows people…especially crazy people.

So why four stars instead of the five stars I gave Ashes? Well, it is a little slower than Ashes. It does suffer a bit from middle book syndrome. It’s a book that is getting us to someplace bigger. Ashes blew me away because it dragged you into a world that was exploding. This book is like a lot of other books that show you a world after it’s already exploded. That’s just not quite as awesome to me.

And that cliffhanger ending. I’m not saying I wasn’t expecting it. I’m just saying…grr. In the end though, any book that makes me this damn upset is an awesome book. I have a feeling Bick will end this trilogy with a book so mind blowing it makes Ashes look boring. And I can’t wait.

Well, after reading some of the negative reviews, I kinda feel bad about saying this. Every Day is one of the best love stories I’ve ever read. Is A a little obsessed with Rhiannon? Yes. Does A find inventive ways to be near her all the time, no matter what body A is in? Yes. Okay when you lay it out like that it does sound a little creepy, but haven’t we all behaved that way? Especially about our first major love? If you say no, then I humbly suggest you may never have been in love.

A has no body. A is basically little more than a soul that travels from person to person, tagging along for a day in the life. A is no one and everyone. When A meets Rhiannon, life seems to have a purpose because she is the first person A has known who is worth working for.

I loved A. I loved how A was used as a vessel to explore the generally restrictive thoughts of what makes a person male or female, since A is neither. Yes, Levithan probably peppered the book with more one day tolerance tales than was truly logical, but that was kinda the point of the story. Love is love, no matter who the two people involved are.

Rhiannon was adorable and I loved her and I wanted A to be with her in the worst way. Every moment between them was filled with a longing that hit me in the gut and made it impossible for me to look away.

I do agree that the subplot of Nathan and the priest/other traveling soul wasn’t explored enough. With the way the ending was, we didn’t need to know that there were more people like A out there. But I will overlook all of this because my enjoyment of the first love and epic feelings far outweighs that.

I highly suggest this book to anyone willing to overlook a few unanswered questions and believe in the unexplainable.

After reading a lot of the low reviews for this book I’ve decided there are two types of people. Those who ‘get’ Elizabeth Scott and her style of writing, and those who don’t. Neither group is better, I just think they exist.

This book was everything I’ve loved about her other books, sparse almost poetical writing that grips me from the get go. My only complaint would be that I wanted to know more about the dystopian alternate universe. I’d love to see Scott try her hand at a true dystopian novel.

This was a love story as much as anything, but a damaged and broken one. That may not appeal to some people, but it is right up my alley. For a large part of the book you aren’t sure what is going on, but that’s because Ava doesn’t know what is going on and that is the whole point!

Scott just has a way of putting you in the MC’s shoes and making you live and breath with them. I already handed this book off to a friend and would happily recommend it to others. If you are willing to read something a little off kilter from what you are used to, give it a try.