Shadow Eyes by Dusty Crabtree

Synopsis: 

Iris Kohl lives in a world populated by murky shadows that surround, harass, and entice unsuspecting individuals toward evil. But she is the only one who can see them. She's had this ability to see the shadows, as well as brilliantly glowing light figures, ever since an obscure, tragic incident on her fourteenth birthday three years earlier. 

Although she's learned to cope, the view of her world begins to shift upon the arrival of three mysterious characters. First, a handsome new teacher whose presence scares away shadows; second, a new friend with an awe-inspiring aura; and third, a mysterious and alluring new student whom Iris has a hard time resisting despite already having a boyfriend. 

As the shadows invade and terrorize her own life and family, she must ultimately revisit the most horrific event of her life in order to learn her true identity and become the hero she was meant to be. 

Review: 

So this book is a pretty good read, mostly because the author did a really good job with build up. They author did a good job from very early on in the book to make sure the reader was emotionally involved in the book, as well as keeping the suspense pretty high. It's one of those books where you really want to keep reading so you can find out what is going to happen to next, while the whole time trying to piece everything together in your own head. 

I like the characters in the book as well. Iris was a pretty solid character, and I think that the author did a really good job making her a real character and not just someone made up of a lot of high school stereotypes. I will say that there were some moments when I got a little annoyed with Iris though, mainly because I prefer my main characters, especially women characters, to be really strong women. But because Iris is a little on the young side, I have more latitude with her, she has her weak moments, but I also have to remember that almost no one is super confident in high school, Iris hasn't grown into herself yet. And by the end of the book, I do feel like she has made some headway into growing into herself. 

As for the rest of the characters in the book, I think that just about anyone who went to high school will recognize someone you knew in them. I also think that the author did a pretty good job at making me, the reader, want to know more about the characters as the story was progressing, I was pretty invested in them. 

Overall, this was a really solid read, and the thing I liked most was the fact that the author kept me going the entire time. I really did want to know what as going to happen next. My biggest complaint was the end, I felt like the author wrapped everything up to quickly, and it didn't always feel organic to me. But there is going to be a sequel so maybe things will get wrapped up/continued in the next book to my liking. I think if you are looking for a good YA book, then this one might be for you.