Eliza's Shadow

Eliza Gowan's past has come back to hunt her. Since her mother's mysterious disappearance, Eliza has enjoyed a quiet life under the care of her aunt in the sleepy town of Port Rune. But the moment magnetic Ren Alden appears in her high school classroom, Eliza is thrust into the exciting world of magic and the path of danger. Menaced by an otherworldly enemy, Eliza embarks on a quest to solve the mysteries of her past and end the hunt for good.


Book pic and description from Goodreads.com

My Review

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

   This book was kind of the typical YA supernatural romance.  Eliza is just enjoying another typical day at school when the new boy, Ren, at school affects her in a way that no boy has ever done before.  See what I mean- very typical.  Thank heavens this is where the typical YA theme ends!

   Right after Ren appears Eliza starts to experience weird dreams and begins remembering things about her childhood that she never remembered before.  In her dreams there is a very creepy woman that appears over and over and tells Eliza that they are waiting for her to join them.  Then Eliza remembers that when she was little, on the night her mother disappeared, she had her first dream about this woman.  She is so confused about the things she is remembering and luckily Ren is able to solve these riddles.

   Ren tells Eliza she is a witch and Eliza is flabbergasted.  Now she must learn to be a witch as well as solving the riddle of the strange nightmare woman and her mother’s disappearance.   I can say that neither of these are easy tasks and Eliza must come to believe in herself and her powers in order to overcome all of the obstacles that she faces.

   Eliza is such a great character.  Whether on purpose or not the author describes her as a tiny girl, which seems to imply weakness, but she is a strong character and never gives up on herself.  Even during her magic lessons, which in my opinion are a bit horrific, she is able to master her fear and see how to solve the problems presented and complete the lessons.  School holds nothing on her magic lessons!

  Ren is also a great character.  He is so sweet to Eliza and puts up with all her meltdowns and self-doubts that she has as a new witch.  He has been called as her mentor and traditionally relationships between mentors and mentees is forbidden.  This allows for a lot of tension in the story because of course they are both extremely attracted to each other.  I found myself continually wanting them to break the rules because they are meant to be together, especially by the end of the book and all they have gone through.

   The book offers up an unexpected twist right at the end as Ren and Eliza are asked by the witch community to go on a secret mission.  It is such a great ending and leaves you wanting to read book two.  I know I am anxiously  waiting to get me hands on it!

Parent's Guide:  There was a few minor swearwords but nothing too bad.