Shadow Bringer (Raven Academy Book 1) by Brandi Elledge – Review by Ayla Phipps

Shadow Bringer: Raven Academy by Brandi Elledge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mystery that keeps you guessing and intrigue to keep you hooked. This is the first book I have read by the talented Brandi Elledge, and I was not disappointed. Riley is tired of her “cult” community and though the world outside the fence is full of dangers she longs to escape her “prison”.
The world of today is long gone, and the shadows carry secrets and the impure. Riley lives in New Haven, a puritan community in Alabama, but how safe is it really when the extremists start moving south. Everyone has a chance of having the “impure gene” inside them that when mutated could turn them into a vampire, werewolf, shifter or the forbidden shadowbringer. Sam, her best friend, and she have dreamed and planned for the day they graduate high school, and they can finally escape the community and see the world outside for themselves. Only on day one of their senior year something is different, while being preached to over and over about the dangers of leaving the community and being given only one warning before exiled if the try they now have fifteen new students at their school. Pure High, where Sam’s mom is the dean, has welcomed and allows the new students to come and go from the community at will. Angry and confused Riley starts to speculate why they are allowed to and what has changed. Adopted at age three, Riley has always felt like an outsider. As a child she dreamed of the shadows and for as long as she can remember she has had all-consuming headaches but now something is different. The pain was always there just changed in degree but now more ailments are hitting her, waves of heat and fevers while the headaches continue. Asher, one of the new boys from outside the fence is clearly the top dog and he seems to always have an eye on Riley. While a girl in the group that seems to be his girlfriend strongly disapproves of his interest in Riley. A kiss at an end of the year party makes things complicated with her best friend Easton that leads to more awkward moments than she likes, and Sam thinks the two of them would end up together and reproducing like they are “supposed” to do if they don’t mutate.
What is happening to Riley, is she mutating? Who will she become, and who were her parents? This world kept growing and evolving as more was revealed. The process, while feeling slow at times, helped build a complete image in the mind that made it easier to see. The characters were never truly what they seemed on the surface, proving don’t judge a book by its cover. I was kept on my toes as I lost sleep in need of knowing what would happen next and by the end, I was already looking for book two, Shadow Dweller, out now. I know I will certainly be diving into it soon to learn what happens next.
While I usually don’t comment about other reviews, I felt it was necessary in this case. When I first came across this book the first comment, I saw mentioned no cursing and no “naughty” romance was in this book and that it was appropriate for younger children to read. Now I understand that every person’s opinion is different just as the age we determine to be a younger child might be different. I consider a younger child the age of my older son, which is eleven, and just three chapters into this there were statements that I would not approve of knowing he was reading in a book. Yes, there is some cussing/cursing in this book not excessively, but it is there, but the “naughty” romance comment is more what I am concerned with for a “younger child”. As an adult I felt the comment fit in with the story and made me laugh but this is the quote, “Baby, you haven’t had me between your legs. You have no clue what I’m worth,” one of the guys said. Now once again as an adult there is nothing wrong but an eleven-year-old, I don’t feel it is appropriate to deem this book okay for younger children. Once again loved the book and can’t wait for number two, just my opinion on another review.

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