Have you ever seen something you can’t explain? Did it vanish as fast as it appeared?Perhaps that thing you saw was lurking in the shadows, and you caught a glimpse of it before it went back into hiding.There’s a good chance, of course, that the thing you saw simply emerged from your imagination.Or maybe, just maybe, it didn’t… Smyth is no stranger to rejection. When she was only a baby, her father abandoned her after her mother died. Since then, Sapphire has never felt like she belonged anywhere, or with anyone. To make things worse, her foster carers have now turned their back on her – on her eighteenth birthday. After living with them throughout her childhood, Sapphire has to find a new home. Is it any wonder she finds it hard to trust people?
Abandoned by the people she called family, Sapphire is alone and searching for some meaning in her life. Except that meaning has already come looking for her. When she discovers mysterious creatures lurking in the shadows, Sapphire soon realises that her fate is unlike anything she had ever imagined.
“Shadows that come alive, a hidden world, and a mystery that grips you from the first page. R.J. Furness has created a world that is both magical and tangible. Part One of Sapphire Smyth & The Shadow Five will leave you satisfyingly breathless and in desperate need of a fox, a silver bangle and the next instalment.” PJ King – author of ‘The Divinity Laws’ series.
“Packed with mysterious magic, friendship, and adventure, Sapphire’s story will delight those with an imagination that often runs away with them.” L.L. McNeil – author of the ‘World Of Linaria’ series.
“Sapphire Smyth & The Shadow Five” is a six-part, serialised young adult fantasy story!
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Her father push her away when her mother died and she ended up with a new family. They turn their back on her once she hit 18. Now she needs to find a new place to live. She sees something in the shadows. What does it mean? What will she find out? See where life will take her
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Book source ~ Tour. My review is voluntary and honest.
Sapphire Smyth’s 18th birthday may not be the most enjoyable of birthdays, but it sure is memorable. After all, it’s not every day that you turn 18 and get kicked out of the foster home where you thought they cared about you. Abandoned as a child by her father when her mother died and now again by the only family she’s really known. What kind of bullshit is this?
Then something freaky happens. Is she going nuts or is she seeing shadows come to life? And what does her best friend Ben have to do with any of this? She wants answers but Ben isn’t talking. That should piss her off, but Sapphire is a bit of an idiot. And she’s easily distracted from questions needing answers. This is what I consider a major flaw of hers and it is supremely irritating.
Since this is part one of a five part serial I know it won’t come as a surprise that it’s about 100 pages and ends in a cliffhanger. The world building is sparse and the character development lacks, most likely because it is a serial and I think the story gets short-changed in this format. Probably why I don’t read serials. In any case, I think it would read better and be less frustrating (I’m looking at you short-attention-span Sapphire) if it were beefed up a bit. Since the story is very incomplete I may continue on to see what happens and review it as a whole. But I sure hope Sapphire gains some focus. And some answers. Because I just want to smack some sense into her at this point.
I’ve only recently really started reading stories broken into novellas, episodes, and serialized stories, but so far, I’m really enjoying this trend! I also really enjoyed this story. It’s short enough to be a quick read, and yet just long enough to grab my attention, and keep be coming back as the next installment is published. Written with TV shows in mind, these ‘episodes’ like the name suggests are to resemble the format of TV shows, and this story fits well in this format.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Sapphire is an awesome character but at this time she is just beginning to learn. I already am hooked on this series. This has it all. So many great characters that we are only beginning to learn about. Action-packed with bullies and scary things, all making their mark in this society. Backstories that hopefully will be even further clarified. Suggestions of even more mysterious people and actions. I cannot wait for the next in the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.