Jacquelyn WheelerCritiques

I went into Rising Shadow completely blind, all I knew about the story was that there was a race called Soterians that are created when evil begins to outweigh good in the world. Interesting premise! After reading so many books in a row about paranormals, and people with special powers, I was looking for a different take on the subject. My hope was that the Soterians would sate my need for some superhero goodness with a bit of a twist.

The story starts with a flash forward look at the ending, and therefore begins with a big bang! As I opened the first page, I was immersed. Jacquelyn definitely picked the perfect opening to the book. It pulls you in and makes you want to keep reading. Sadly, this pace doesn't continue throughout the book. As I was getting to know the characters and their friends, the story was getting slower and slower paced. There were pages I found my eyes glued to every word, and then other pages where it seemed as though nothing was going on.

One thing that I did love about this book was the cast of characters and their diversity. From the hot headed Michael, to the sweet and patient Rebecca, I found myself adoring the way they interacted with one another. It was refreshing to see romance present in the book without it overpowering the overall story line. However my one gripe was that Ashlyn was often extremely selfish when it came to the team. I kept trying to remind myself that it made her more human and realistic, but honestly it was a bit frustrating to read.

Overall I enjoyed Rising Shadow enough to finish it and I did love the ending! If the pacing had been a bit better, I truthfully would have loved the story even more. Jacquelyn Wheeler has created a new world, complete with the superhero twist that I was looking for! I'm looking forward to diving into her new book, Merger and finding out what happens to Ashlyn and her crew.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: Great idea but I felt a big disconnect with the story and I had a hard time getting through it.

Opening Sentence: Suddenly, the road ahead of us was a mosaic of red brake lights, and traffic slowed to a stop.

The Review:

Ashlyn Woods has just gotten into her dream college. In high school she partied a little too much and didn’t get the grades she needed to get into a good college. So she went to community college for two years and worked a crappy job to save up to go to UCSB. She will start her junior year there and can’t wait to leave her old life behind. She had a crappy boyfriend she broke up with and friends that weren’t very supportive. Upon arriving to her new life Ashlyn makes some new friends and even meets a great new guy. Then things start to get weird.

The balance between good and evil has shifted and someone needs to help restore it. Turns out Ashlyn is a Soterian: a person that develops supernatural powers to help restore balance. Ashlyn has always dreamed about flying and now she actually can, and that’s not her only power. With a team of other Soterian’s by her side she fights to stop an evil villain that could destroy the world as we know it. But once everything goes back to normal so will Ashlyn. She doesn’t know if she will be able to deal with living her dreams and then have them taken away. Is it worth loving and losing then to have never loved at all?

Honestly, I had a really hard time with the characters in this book. Ashlyn is the protagonist and I felt that she was a really weak character. She was really wishy-washy when it came to making decisions which really bugged me. One moment she would be this strong confident women and the next moment she would be totally insecure. She has worked so hard to get where she’s at and then all the sudden she makes a whole bunch of life changing decisions at the drop of a hat. It was like she was bi-polar and that really didn’t work for me.

Kai is the love interest in the story and I don’t really get why Ashlyn was so smitten with him. I get that he is good looking and wants to be a rockstar, but once again Ashlyn is suppose to be this put together girl and dating someone like him didn’t really fit. He dropped out of college to pursue a music career and now he has decided to move across the country because he feels like it. Sure, he was sweet and trusting but really he had nothing else going for him. Their love was total instalove and there was no development at all. They meet one time and the next time they see each other they are professing their undying love for each other. So suffice to say, I wasn’t a huge fan of them being together.

This book was a pretty bad read for me. I have my little list of pet peeves that I can’t stand in books and this hit pretty much all of them. It seemed that everything conveniently worked out, and it was very predictable. Also, I felt that the writing was too descriptive. There was really nothing left for the reader to imagine on their own. I obviously didn’t connect with the characters very well. I felt that for their age all of the characters should have been more mature and put together and they just weren’t. So that all being said, I know that there are people who would not agree with me. This book actually has decent reviews on Goodreads so if you are intrigued by the synopsis, by all means give it a try and hopefully you have a better experience than I did.

Notable Scene:

I was falling in love with Kai, the most amazing person I’d ever met, and he was falling for me, too.

Pull, pull, pull, breathe.

I had inexplicably levitated, and Rebecca was reading people’s feelings, meaning that we were either crazy or freaks of nature.

Pull, pull, pull, breathe.

Speaking of freaks, I had professor Gordon’s class again tomorrow. I had to decide whether I was going to drop the class or just tough it out.

Pull, pull, pull, breathe.

Gordon kept pressing me to come to his office hours…

And then suddenly, I knew what I had to do. The connection was so simple, so clear now. I jumped out of the pool and ran to the locker rooms, where I showered and dressed as quickly as I could. I practically sprinted to the religious studies building. I wasn’t sure whether he would be there that early, but it was worth a shot.

I found his office and knocked on the door. As soon as my knuckles touched the wood, the door opened, and Professor Gordon was standing there with a slight smile on his face.

“Come in, Ashlyn. We’ve been expecting you.”

FTC Advisory: Jacquelyn Wheeler provided me with a copy of Rising Shadow. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Merger is an enjoyable second book in the series. The Soterians are great to read about and it is such a unique concept how their powers are distributed and how they work.
Ashlyn is once again a great main character with a voice that is fun to read, and it is ever so easy to get caught up in her world. She is easy to relate to because she is not perfect, but she is working through her problems. She deals with jealousy and assuming the worst in a situation and I can totally understand how that feels and how easy it is to fall into.
There is still action, but not quite as much in this book. It is really interesting to see how they tackle corruption from politicians and corporations and the widespread effects. While there was less action, there was a lot of character building. I got to know and love the secondary characters. Jesse was my favorite, as they spend more time together. He is funny and a very real character.
Merger is well paced, and I was never bored, and I am craving for the next book! The Soterians is a great series, and it is a wonderful world to get lost in.

I had previously heard about this book and when an ARC tour of it was announced I didn't hesitate to join. The idea of the Soterians is very unique and was a joy to learn about. It started out decent but felt like the author was trying too hard to push into our heads the idea that something was up with Ashlyn, the main character. But at about 60 pages in, that feeling fades away and it really starts picking up. New characters are introduced throughout the book and just when I thought I had everything figured out there was a twist in place.

As far as the action and romance went, Wheeler couldn't go wrong. The characters of Ashyln and Kai were meant to be together.

This novel involves a lot of politics. If you aren't a politcal person and think that just because this books talks a lot about politics that it won't be for you, then you are wrong. The Soterians can be helpful in any situation(I am sure of it!!), it just so happens in this book, its a politcal backdrop(I hear the next one is financial).

It's exciting to see YA go into a different direction. I've never read anything quite like this, and I think that's one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much. It's new and refreshing.

I look forward to the sequel, titled Merger, which was released March 18th.

Prior to receiving this book, I hadn’t read any reviews, opinions or buzz on it, which is extremely unusual considering it’s usually what strikes my interest for books in the first place. Since the buzz was low and I had no preconceived notions to go by, I was a bit worried that I might end up hating it, but fortunately, my worries were for nothing.

Rising Shadow, though not one of the most spectacular books I’ve ever read, pleasantly surprised me by how much it pulled me in. I was expecting the story to include paranormal villains and some kind of mystical “self-discovery” mission, but this story had neither. In fact, the main villains of the story are very real and very believable. I enjoyed the idea that instead of dark powers and mythical creatures, the Soterians fought against bona fide evils- politicians, robbers, etc.

Only one thing bothered me enough to mention- the fast relationship between Ashlyn and Kai. While I appreciated that even the main characters acknowledged that their feelings escalated entirely too quickly, I didn’t like how fast the word ‘love’ had been introduced into their relationship. I would’ve much preferred to see them progress more, but on the other hand, it’s easy to see why Jacquelyn wrote them like that.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. Complete with a cast of butt-kicking characters, awesome powers and realistic missions that balanced out the real evils of the world- Rising Shadow is definitely worth checking out!

I went into Rising Shadow completely blind, all I knew about the story was that there was a race called Soterians that are created when evil begins to outweigh good in the world. Interesting premise! After reading so many books in a row about paranormals, and people with special powers, I was looking for a different take on the subject. My hope was that the Soterians would sate my need for some superhero goodness with a bit of a twist.

The story starts with a flash forward look at the ending, and therefore begins with a big bang! As I opened the first page, I was immersed. Jacquelyn definitely picked the perfect opening to the book. It pulls you in and makes you want to keep reading. Sadly, this pace doesn't continue throughout the book. As I was getting to know the characters and their friends, the story was getting slower and slower paced. There were pages I found my eyes glued to every word, and then other pages where it seemed as though nothing was going on.

One thing that I did love about this book was the cast of characters and their diversity. From the hot headed Michael, to the sweet and patient Rebecca, I found myself adoring the way they interacted with one another. It was refreshing to see romance present in the book without it overpowering the overall story line. However my one gripe was that Ashlyn was often extremely selfish when it came to the team. I kept trying to remind myself that it made her more human and realistic, but honestly it was a bit frustrating to read.

Overall I enjoyed Rising Shadow enough to finish it and I did love the ending! If the pacing had been a bit better, I truthfully would have loved the story even more. Jacquelyn Wheeler has created a new world, complete with the superhero twist that I was looking for! I'm looking forward to diving into her new book, Merger and finding out what happens to Ashlyn and her crew.

This is an exciting story with an easy to relate to heroine. Ashlyn has mistakes in her past with no so great boyfriends and moves to a new college, she finds a great guy and a best friend and realizes she has powers to help the balance of good and evil. She still struggles with self esteem a lot and they are doubts that I know I could relate to.

The story itself is well written and well paced. She builds up the supporting characters well, and they all serve a purpose.

I couldn't give full stars because it was a little too political for me-- not in the aspect that she tried to sell her views, but politics was a driving force in this novel.

I would recommend it, and I am anxious to read the next one

Since this book is a first one in the series it was explaining everything you pretty much need to know about all the characters and the role as Soterians. I loved the characters and the relationships they each formed. I really enjoyed the plot of the story. It was easy to read and follow. I was shocked at some part and not surprised by some of the things that happen. I can tell the other books in the series are going to get better if they are just as good as the first one.

I felt like the author could have ended the book a little bit better with more of an ending then a cliff hanger. After I read the final page, I turned it hoping there would be more. I don't mind cliff hangers but they always bother me because I always want more. I want to know what happens during Ashlyn and Kai's road trip. What happens to the other Soterians while they are away. If they will ever get Good and Evil back to normal. (I'm sure they will in the final book) but that is besides the point.

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This review was originally posted on my review blog : http://fallingofftheshelf.blogspot.com

Ashlyn Woods really does seem just as average as the synopsis to this book implies. In fact, she felt far too average for me to even begin to like her. I found myself putting this book down more often than I actually was reading it. I actually had to stop reading this one completely when I realized that after I reached my 50 page rule I was still not thrilled with it.

While there was an undertone of something paranormal lurking under the surface, I found that I couldn't get really enjoy it because of the constant talk of politics. I know that this was part of the story, but I'm not really into politics, so this was a major turn off for me. I also didn't really like that when Ashlyn met her roommates, it was like they had known each other there entire lives. I felt like there needed to be a little more development between these characters.

Overall I can't say much for this book because I didn't finish it. I don't particularly like giving out reviews of books that I haven't finished, but in all honesty it is still an opinion, and it may help someone in the future. I just hope that there are readers out there that will find this book to be something they enjoy, and will share their opinions as well.

I have to admit that I am a "cover judger". But every once in a while, a great book comes along that proves the old saying true, you can't judge a book by it's cover. Page one of Rising Shadows sucked me in. I needed to know more of these super heroes.

At first you are shown a glimpse of the Soterians, then you are shown into Ashlyn's life, a girl leaving her hometown for college. The story is told in Ashlyn's point of view. Ashlyn is a great character that I enjoyed getting to know. She has a bit of a rough past, but is positively turning it around. She is a real nineteen year old, still unsure of herself but taking steps to be the person she want to be.

I enjoyed reading about the college life. USBC was a fun setting. Wheeler has alot of knowledge of the college, which helps the reader visualize it. I love Ashlyn's roommate, Rebecca. She is the kind of friend I want to have. Kai is a great character. He is a nice guy that fully supports Ashlyn in her journey. Kai and Ashlyn fell in love quickly, but it was so real I couldn't disagree. They are very mature about their relationship. Even though it's love at first sight, they really take time to get to know each other as a person.

As soon as the world of the Soterians is revealed, I couldn't stop reading. This book holds alot of life lessons. I love how bad cannot be destroyed, it can only be balanced out by good. Usually super heroes must "destroy all evil". But the Soterian's job is to balance it with good. It was exciting reading about the different Soterians and what powers they had. The story kept taking twists and turns I didn't expect, which kept it interesting.

I didn't want the story to end. I wanted to jump right into the second book to see Ashlyn battle Deimos. I could stop thinking about it after I finished. My mind kept going back to the Soterians. This is a fantastic debut novel for Wheeler. She is a talented writer that knows how to capture an audience. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series.

Rising Shadow
By Jacquelyn Wheeler
Publisher:September 10th 2009 by Jacquelyn Wheeler
# of Pages:378 pages
Age Rating: +13
My Rating:5 Stars

Synopsis:
Ashlyn Woods just transferred to one of the most beautiful campuses on the west coast, where she can't wait to start her life over as a normal college student. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she discovers that she is a Soterian: a person who develops amazing powers when the balance of good and evil shifts too far in evil's favor. Soon she and the other Soterians are studying martial arts and learning to use their powers to prevent California from being plunged into chaos. But they quickly discover that they're up against a much more dangerous enemy than they anticipated. And when Ashlyn meets Kai, a devastatingly gorgeous guitar player, she realizes she must sacrifice more than she ever imagined.

Review:
After reading alot of "Vampire" books, this book wasa nice break. The "Rising Shadow" is my cup of coffee, I love reading books like this with boys/girls have superpower.( like Maximun Ride or Spiderman.)
And the author wrote it so that it wasn'y the same old I-got-superpower-and-stop-the-badguys- from-taking-over-the -world, but it was different.
I thought it was interesting how the "bad guy" is show as evil and that it can never go way, just slow down or stopped for some time.
Ashiyn seem like a real person, she reacted like how anyone would and she was tough,able to hold her ground and she wasn't the whining type of girl. And as for Kely, I thought that he was going to be like all of the other "bad boy" but no, he wasn't. He was kind and very helpful to Ashiyn.(and it's nice to know that there are still some "Good boy")
Thus book is SO NEAT!! I can't wait for the next book! You should read it! If you are the kind of person who like to read about superpower or that kind of stuff, then you will love this book!
I give it 5 stars!

Enjoy!:D:D

I really wanted to like Jacquelyn Wheeler's first novel "Rising Shadow". I like the premise, kind of a variant on "Heroes" (with a good smidge of the Power Rangers), that when there is a time of crisis and evil in the world, that heroes emerge to restore balance. The opening scene is a good one and grabs you. It was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed a fair bit of it on a certain level, but then ...
Well, I loved the setting, UCSB and Isla Vista. If you are familiar with them, they vividly jump to your mind's eye when Ms. Wheeler's protaganist Ashlyn rides her bike, "the rocket", across the campus in the early morning or hits the beach or DP. I could readily identify with dreams of flying, having had them myself for many years.
But ... I am clearly not the target audience for this novel. The target audience unfortunately would seem to be someone who lives for everything that a young teen on a TV show lives for. I really grew tired of the endless descriptions of how hot someone looked in their t-shirt, how one's hair was this or that, who was falling in and out of love, who was looking daggers at who and so on. Young teens may find the lovesickness and cattyness enjoyable and real, but that makes this a sort of young teen romance idea of going away to a party school, rather than a slightly more serious rendering of the subject. Perhaps if this had been titled "Campus Love for Heroes" or "Love Stories of the Soterians" I would have known what to expect.

Here's a sample snippet - if you love this, you'll likely love the novel, if not, well ...

"I looked into his eyes, and I was surprised to see that he was staring back at me. I felt my heart hammering in my chest. My God, he was unbelievably gorgeous. He lips looked so soft and perfect. I had an almost irresistible urge to reach out and trace them with my fingertips.
Suddenly, I felt a weird chill, and I looked around. Kelly was standing behind us.
“Having fun?” she spat. She looked furious, like flames were about to shoot out of her eyes."

I often enjoy "young adult" novels for light quick reads but found myself disappointed here. Instead of a science fiction (or fantasy) novel, I felt it was too much of a teen romance/relationship novel. I understand the relationship part of the book as being part of the bigger story; there just seemed to be too much time spent on dreaming of love etc rather than more on what the powers were all about and good and evil in the world sort of stuff. This is said to be the first in a 5 book series. I wouldn't write the series off and hope that the author takes a bit of a more mature approach rather than spending so much attention on rather shallow matters. I think a bit of editing to clip out some of the nonsense and tighten up the story would help.

A below average novel, but with some good ideas and characters. It picks up the pace of the adventure later in the story and it did keep me reading through to the finish, and that is always a plus.