She believed him when he told her some Shadows were good.When sixteen-year-old Violet Blackstone seeks to belong outside of her Christian community, she opens doors to a dark world she doesn’t understand. Her parents’ secret separation and conflict at church fuel her desire to find something more. She sneaks out to a party at Chuckanut House and meets Dakota Selby, the mysterious new guy at … guy at Bellingham High School who reads her tarot cards and tells her she doesn’t belong. When she discovers his family owns Chuckanut House, she plans to hold her parents’ twenty-fifth wedding anniversary party there to reunite them in the beautiful mansion surrounded by forest and ocean—and to spend more time with Dakota to prove she fits into his world.
Violet works her way into Dakota’s life and must face the secrets and Shadows buried deep within Chuckanut House and her own family’s past. Entrenched in darkness, Violet searches for light and love as she battles Shadows threatening to capture her soul.
When her life falls apart, where will she turn?
Winner of the 2016 Orange County Christian Writers’ book proposal contest
Coming June 2020: Book two, The Dark Shadows
Author Carol Alwood grew up in the green haven of Bellingham, Washington, the setting of The Good Shadows series. Now living in Southern California, she misses the raindrops on maple leaves, so when she isn’t home for a visit she writes stories that take place in her hometown. Carol adores fiction and is the author of the novelette, Ghost of a Girl. She also wrote Focused Backstory: The Key to Writing Deep Character Journeys, a newly released writing-craft book.
What readers have to say about this book…
“The Good Shadows takes teen drama to a new level. Alwood’s unique take on a topic typically avoided by authors of faith is compelling. Lovers of speculative fiction and contemporary YA will find this book hard to put down.”
–Alyssa Roat, literary agent at C.Y.L.E.
“The Good Shadows by Carol Alwood is the kind of story that will keep a reader up at night ingesting ‘just one more chapter.’ This page-turner is grounded in the characters who seem no different from teens in real life. Above all, this entertaining story provides an example and a warning regarding any involvement in the occult. This powerful theme is much needed in today’s culture. I highly recommend this novel to Christian young adults, in particular.”
–Rebecca LuElla Miller, author, freelance editor, blogger at A Christian Worldview of Fiction
“This action-filled book shows how easy it is for teens to be drawn into the “dark side.” Alwood creates a believable world in which readers experience the consequences of the small “steps” that lead to Violet’s ultimate deception and near ruin of her soul… Those wishing to probe the spiritual issues presented in this book will find the Bible Study at the back a useful guide.”
— Nancy Brashear, author
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I think the premise behind this book is novel and a good one. Magic is something that can enter your heart and soul by reading about it so we need to make sure we’re not reading things that are going to plant seeds that draw us away from God. And yet, this book talks about the darkness of magic and includes it. So should we read a book about magic to draw us away from reading about magic?
In our house, we are pretty strict about magic though we do allow some of the Christian fantasy books to be read. Before the kids can read them though one of the adults has to read and approve it.
So, I read this book. All in all, I did enjoy the book. The characters were fun and appealing. I think the author did a good job of showing how magic can infiltrate us when we give it a small toe hold even if we think our faith is strong. This book isn’t a fantasy book in that it is set in another world, but rather a book about magic set in a real city in our real country. I think this makes it even more real and brings home what is going on.
We are in a spiritual battle every day of our lives and we should remember this. Just thinking about and maybe messing with some tarot cards opens the door to Satan in our lives. Most kids don’t think of that when they say they were just curious.
I did feel that the parents in the book of Violet could have been better. For a pastor, he’s not what I think of when I think of upstanding and good parent. Yes, I know they’re not all and I get the need for Violet to have a less than stellar faith so she can be tempted. But I would have liked to see the father in a more positive light and fewer secrets, maybe more explanations.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
The Good Shadows was a wonderfully written magical tale by Carol Alwood. It is a little different from my usual genre I normally read. It is, also, a perfect reason why readers should go outside their comfort zone and try something new. I am so glad I did. I found it to be an unique and refreshing experience reading this book. I thought the characters were realistic and the setting was perfect for this story. I was intrigued from start to finish. It was not really a long book and I had no problem reading it in one day.
I am giving The Good Shadows four stars. I recommend it for readers – ages teen and up – who love a magical story with an inspiring message. I believe this one should not be missed and most definitely worth a read. I would love to read more by this author in the near future.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
This is not a book that I would normally read, and in most cases I would have stopped reading it early on for reasons that I’ll discuss later. However, I read Carol Alwood’s nonfiction book, “Focused Backstory”, a few months ago and enjoyed it so much that I decided to take a chance on this fiction story. With any author, there is no guarantee that they can write proficiently in more than one genre, or that the reader will necessarily enjoy their different works. Therefore, I went into this venture with some apprehension, but I am so glad that I took advantage of this opportunity!
First off, “The Good Shadows” is a novel about Wicca and magick and how they attract impressionable people under the guise of innocence. The main character is high school student Violet Blackstone, a pastor’s daughter who begins dabbling in the occult as a means of fitting in and seeking acceptance. Because she wears a nose ring and dyes her hair pink, she feels as though she does not truly belong in the Christian community. Her parents have their own significant issues, which contributes to her rebellion and search for love. This is one way in which this book provides valuable insight into some of the problems within the church. We can’t pick and choose those whom we deem worthy because none of us is worthy; it’s by God’s grace alone, demonstrated ultimately in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, that we can enter into a relationship with God.
Given the fact that by its very title it clues the reader in to some of what to expect, there are some very creepy scenes, and I will say that overall I found the story disturbing. Nevertheless, this is a clean read insofar as there is no profanity or sex, and as Alwood points out in her author note, the “good shadows” do not exist. For those who read and believe in the Bible, witchcraft and its related practices are forbidden. At various times throughout the narrative, Violet suddenly recalls a Scripture verse that fits her situation, although often she ignores these promptings. While it is easy to sit back and condemn her for making bad choices, it is far better to understand what led her to that point and to remember that no one is without sin. These are issues that are daily becoming more prevalent, and we need to reach out to the lost with the love of God and the truth of His Word.
Due to its controversial subject material, I would recommend this to mature young adults and adults. At the end of the book, there is a Bible study that explores some aspects of the novel in light of the Bible and offers a six-week guide with questions pertinent to teens today. I love this, especially because I believe that it is so important to have spiritual discernment and to be able to recognize when someone is heading down a dark path. As Owen tells Violet, “It’s never too late to turn things around.”
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.
Wow! This has been an experience I never thought I would have. Reading a book about Wiccan religion. The book takes readers on a journey as Violet becomes rebellious against her parents, her friends and God. Like Violet I grew up as a pastor’s kid. The church constantly watched everything we did and I was taught to keep secrets so the church would never know what happened in our home when no one was around. I understood Violet and her need to find something she could belong to. She feels like God has abandoned her so she is easily persuaded to take a walk on the wild side. There were times I wanted to tell her to stop trying to play parent and act her age. Her deviance brings her into a world where no Christian wants to be.
I am amazed at how in depth the author describes spells and the rituals that take place. It is evident the author has done much research on this subject. It was very hard to read the book at times as felt chills going down my arm. I loved her friend Owen. He and Violet have been best friends since they were little. He can sense that Violet is slipping away into darkness. His determination to save her is powerful. I don’t want readers to think this is a book to glorify Wiccan, but a book that warns us how easy it is to seek out something when you feel lost. God is very prevalent in the book and there is a strong pull of good vs evil.
The author captured my full attention and as much as I wanted to toss the book because of its content I couldn’t. I had to know if Violet turns away from God. I needed to know what Dakota was about. Violet is attracted to him even though he is not exactly a good influence on her. The deeper Violet dug into this new religion the more she became different. Her anger was almost out of control, she pushed friends away and turned her back on God. There is a verse I kept hearing as I read the book. “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he gets old he shall not depart from it.” Oh I know Violets parents held that scripture close as they fought for their daughter. There are secrets that cause a family to pull away from each other. Over and over again through the book I felt God’s presence rise as darkness tried to take innocence away. I am amazed at how good this book is and how the author handled a topic with honesty. She doesn’t hold back and allows Violet to dip her toes with curiosity into shadows that surround her in darkness. At the end of the book , the author has included a short Bible study. I highly recommend doing the study to see what the Bible says about the subject from the book. This book should be a reminder to all of us that there is always hope. Prayer is a powerful tool and when two or more are gathered in His name He is there with them.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
It took a while to get into the story, but once I did I had to keep reading to see how it ended. I think part of the reason is that I’m not the target audience for YA novels. I keep thinking I can read them, but when I do the characters make me batty (because, you know, they’re teenagers and moody). I’m also not a huge fan of the YA trend of skipping the introduction — I like to meet the characters before they run into their adventures, but that part of the story has been cut from the last few YA’s I’ve read.
Once I got past that, however, I realized the author had done a good job creating moody emotional teenagers. Personally, I would have liked to see more about her family and that dynamic, but there were lots of other relationships to focus on too.
Overall, an adventurous, exciting read that (once I got into it) pulled me through to the end.
I received a copy of the book from the author. All opinions are my own.
Although I believe Carol Alwood wrote this book for young adults, I’m sure many adults would enjoy it as well. I know I did — I couldn’t put it down. In fact, I can’t wait for the next one! It’s well written, cleanly edited, and full of fascinating, realistic characters and scenes. The storyline advances powerfully and is full of twists and turns. I’m familiar with the spooky setting in Bellingham, Washington, too, which made it even more realistic. But, most importantly, the author is exploring Wicca with a cool head and steady truth that makes it unique. I hope many people, especially young people, read this novel.
–Linda Nathan, author, The Glittering Web