Maggie has an issue with her stepfather, Val. Yeah, he can't dress well at all and he has a weird accent, but it's not that. What gets to her is the creepy shadows that follow him around. Magic is illegal, but these shadows don't seem to care. When Maggie finds out more about them, she may be in deeper trouble than she ever imagined.
SHADOWS by Robin McKinley is an okay read for me. Maggie and her friends are very quirky with their occasionally Japanese phrases thrown in, and they really are endearing. I especially love one o of the love interests, Taks. He has a mystery behind him that catches you off guard, but a mystery that amps up the story a lot. The writing style and narrative aren't bad either. Maggie's voice becomes very real, and her thought process original and distinct. Her thoughts help keep the story interesting and funny.
However, though as nice as the characters and style are, the pacing is far too slow for me. The time span the story covers isn't that long, but it feels like it takes forever to get somewhere. The action is very slow to happen, and because of that, about the first half of the book isn't very exciting. The likability of the characters and the potential for good action makes you want to stay in the story, but it is a struggle at times. I feel like a sequel to this book would do great if it incorporates more and quicker action. I would be willing to give a second book a try with that in mind, but I don't see myself rereading the first one at any point.
SHADOWS isn't a bad read, but it might not be one to keep you flipping the pages as fast as possible. If you enjoy slow building mystery and suspense, it might be the read for you.
A compelling and inventive novel set in a world where science and magic are at odds, by Robin McKinley, the Newbery-winning author of The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword, as well as the classic titles Beauty, Chalice, Spindle’s End, Pegasus and Sunshine Maggie knows something’s off about Val, her mom’s new husband. Val is from Oldworld, where they still use magic, and he won’t have any tech in his office-shed behind the house. But—more importantly—what are the huge, horrible, jagged, jumpy shadows following him around? Magic is illegal in Newworld, which is all about science. The magic-carrying gene was disabled two generations ago, back when Maggie’s great-grandmother was a notable magician. But that was a long time ago. Then Maggie meets Casimir, the most beautiful boy she has ever seen. He’s from Oldworld too—and he’s heard of Maggie’s stepfather, and has a guess about Val’s shadows. Maggie doesn’t want to know . . . until earth-shattering events force her to depend on Val and his shadows. And perhaps on her own heritage. In this dangerously unstable world, neither science nor magic has the necessary answers, but a truce between them is impossible. And although the two are supposed to be incompatible, Maggie’s discovering the world will need both to survive
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