REVIEW: Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh

Title: Enshadowed
Author: Kelly Creagh
Pages: 429
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Atheneum (imprint of Simon & Schuster)
Rating: 5/5 Owls

Summary

[From the back of the ARC] Varen Nethers is trapped in a perilous dream world -- a treacherous and desolate realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. Isobel Lanley, plagued by strange visions and haunted by the nightmares of Varen's creation, is the only one who can save him.
Isobel knows that her only hope lies within a Baltimore cemetery. There, in the early morning hours of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, a mysterious stranger known as the "Poe Toaster" will make his annual homage at the legendary poet's grave.
Only the Poe Toaster holds the key to the way between worlds. But even greater dangers lie ahead for Isobel. An ancient evil, draped in veils of white, is watching, challenging her for Varen's affections. When Isobel finally finds Varen, he is no longer the quiet and brooding boy who once captivated her, but a dark force, powerful and malevolent.

Review

I'm going to write this review in the form of a letter because I think Ms. Creagh deserves a letter because I LIKE LETTERS so here you go:


Dear Kelly Creagh,

I would tell you that I love you, but I'm not sure how tolerant you are of creepiness.

So, instead, I'll just tell you that Enshadowed made me cry and slobber and squeal and scream and also made me throw it across the room.

Maybe that'll be an adequate expression of my love for you, without me directly informing you of my predicament.

I began Enshadowed late one night, a while ago. I had just re-readNevermore and I was anxious to see what was going to happen to our darling Isobel. See, unlike a lot of others, Isobel has always been one of my favorite characters. I'm not sure why, but she strikes a chord with me that is unfamiliar to other people. Varen is that way, too. When Nevermore ended, I felt like my insides had been ground up in a blender. Its sequel seemed so out-of-reach, so far away.

Receiving an ARC was like heaven. In my hands when I tore open the box was the sequel to my favorite story, probably ever.

I know, the goth and the cheerleader has been so overdone. But Creagh writes the story so well, and makes it so believable, that I had no other option but to fall in love with it.

In Enshadowed, we are where we left off in the first book. Isobel is grieving and reliant on her best friend, Gwen (who happens to be my favorite character in the book). She has many clever lines throughout the book. One thing that will please people about Enshadowed is that the book is substantially shorter, only 429 pages. Nevermore was 543, which brought about a lot of complaints. I never really understood them, but to each their own, huh?

I don't want to give too much away about Enshadowed, because the book isn't due in stores for another almost two months, but what I can say is that I loved every second of it and I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE THIRD.

Yes, Kelly. I am insinuating something.

Love (Unless You Have a Problem With That),
Hayden // The Teen Bookworm