Shadow Bound

By Erin Kellison

Book Overview

When a demon breaches the barrier between death and life, the salvation of the world depends on the passions of a beautiful banshee just coming into her power and the man willing to use her to avenge... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0505528290
• ISBN13: 9780505528292
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Leisure Books
• Length: 322 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.1" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Dark, Delicious Paranormal/Fantasy Romance

Twenty-six years ago, the fae known as Death stepped through the veil between Shadow and loved a woman incandescent of soul, breaking the laws of Shadow to do so and setting into motion events with far reaching repercussion. Chaos has spread like a stain across the country ever since, spawning soul-eating and immortal wraiths with voracious appetites. That's not all that was spawned that night, however. At twenty-six, Dr. Talia O'Brien has always known she's different, not quite normal, otherworldly, and has yearned for nothing more than peace. Brilliant she may be but fear of her differences keep her insulated from humanity, until a knock on the door and the death of her roommate stripped the blinders from her eyes and forced her to realize there were creatures out there that were hunting for her, and they were even less normal than she was. Adam Thorne is intensely motivated to find out as much as he can about the wraiths, desperate to discover the way to kill them. Six years ago he watched his older brother Jacob attack and eat his mother, then his father, and only luck prevented Jacob from consuming him too. Since then he's kept the creature that used to be his brother contained in the bowels of the Segue research facility as Adam does everything in his power to find a way to kill him. With only a word...a name - Shadowman - as a clue to stopping the wraiths in general and his brother in particular, he stumbles across a doctoral dissertation on near death experience that gives him the first - the only - other mention of Shadowman he's ever seen. A dissertation by Dr. Talia O' Brien. Talia's on the run from horrifying monsters, physically and mentally spent when Adam finds her and brings her back to Segue, saving her life. She doesn't trust him. She's not sure what's going on. She doesn't even know the full extent of her powers or why she has them. All she knows is that Adam is a beacon of hope and his cause, while motivated by an unhealthy, if understandable, obsession, may be the only way for Talia to survive what she realizes instinctively is a coming war. With a breakneck pace and slick, tight plot that is deliciously original and unique, Kellison has jettisoned herself into the ranks of the upper echelon of paranormal romance series. The narrative is smooth, balanced and lyrical of prose and at times and gritty and coarse, drawing the reader along and perfectly setting the tone for each scene, adding an intangible layer of excellence to this sophisticated, polished story. Talia and Adam are complex characters, flawed and complicated, and often at cross purposes in their motivations, but their interactions are pure, rich, meaty entertainment and I absolutely love the disciplined and deftly crafted development of their characters. Their evolution as individuals and together as a pair felt organic to the story, each step carefully executed, imbuing each of them with depth and personality that makes them shine. I loved it. I loved every

Shadow #1, I predict that this author will become WELL known.

Talia O'Brien is twenty-six and has a PhD in anthropology. Her mother died at birth. She was raised by an aunt, also deceased. The description sounds as if she were a normal person. However, in a near-fatal car accident ten years ago, Talia came face-to-face with her biological father, Shadowman. He goes by many names. Death and Grim Reaper are used by most. He is wrapped in shadow, wields a massive scythe, and is feared by all - including Talia. Adam Thorne founded the Segue Institute six years ago. In a concrete hole, beneath the institute, Adam keeps his brother, Jacob, in a cell. The institute exists for the express purpose of discovering how to kill a wraith. These anthropomorphic monsters are "deathless" and regenerate by sucking out the souls of humans. Jacob has become such a creature. Lead by a demon, the wraiths are organizing and call themselves The Collective. Adam has read Talia's dissertation and needs her on his staff. But locating her is difficult. Talia is being hunted by The Collective and is in hiding. The wraiths want Talia alive, though no one can figure out why. Once Adam has Talia, he must convince her that humanity is at the brink of destruction. Without her, life as we know it is over. The situation is simple. She is the daughter of Death, able to use the shadows as a chameleon blends into its surroundings. She is destined to live apart from others and die in a war she did not understand. As horrible as the wraiths are, they are not Talia's greatest fear. That is reserved for what happens whenever she screams in fright. Death, the dark thing with red eyes inside the black wind of her scream, comes. ***** FIVE STARS! In all my years as a book reviewer, twice I have stated that a debut author would someday become well known and multiple best sellers in their futures. The first was John Grisham in the Legal Thriller genre. Years later, the second was Jacquie D'Alessandro in the Historical Romance genre. Now, again after several years, I have found a third, Erin Kellison in the Paranormal Romantic Suspense genre. The shadows lurking within these pages are alive with horrible dangers that will keep readers quickly turning the pages until the very end. Well developed characters, a touch of romance, and overflowing with suspense, this story is unforgettable. But no matter how deeply engrossed you become, don't forget to breathe. ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

A rising new star brings us a great read!

Erin Kellison is a rising new star of dark fantasy. This is her first entry in what will no doubt be a long career of fantastic storytelling! This story is fast-paced, easy to read, intelligent, exciting (very hard to put down!), with a great cast of characters and compelling world building. It's got a great balance of thrills and an intriguing back story, with romantic overtones. I'm thrilled to see such a bright new author hit the scene and can't wait for her next release! Bravo, Erin!

Spellbinding

I tried to read this slowly, taking my time to enjoy Ms. Kellison's gorgeous prose. I couldn't! The story was just too compelling and the characters, too real. I love how smart and fresh her take on paranormal worlds and fairytales is. These wraiths are freaking scary! And she leaves no gut-wrenching opportunity unturned. I finished it within days and am so glad the next book comes out soon. Usually, I have to wait months for the next installment.

Well-written, and a very interesting concept

I'm not ordinarily a fantasy fan, but "Shadow Bound" does an amazing job of blending current reality with the shadow world - this makes the story believable and gripping. The concept behind the book is extremely interesting, which makes for a definite page-turner (I read the entire book in two days). The characters are complex and appealing, and quickly get you emotionally invested in the story. I rarely get as absorbed into a book as I did with this one. My only complaint is that I have to wait until the follow-up book is released in another month or so. :)