The Good Shadows
She believed him when he told her some Shadows were good.
When sixteen-year-old Violet Blackstone seeks to belong outside of her Christian community, she opens doors to a dark world she doesn’t understand. Her parents’ secret separation and conflict at church fuel her desire to find something more. She sneaks out to a party at Chuckanut House and meets Dakota Selby, the mysterious new guy at Bellingham High School who reads her tarot cards and tells her she doesn’t belong. When she discovers his family owns Chuckanut House, she plans to hold her parents’ twenty-fifth wedding anniversary party there to reunite them in the beautiful mansion surrounded by forest and ocean—and to spend more time with Dakota to prove she fits into his world.
Violet works her way into Dakota’s life and must face the secrets and Shadows buried deep within Chuckanut House and her own family’s past. Entrenched in darkness, Violet searches for light and love as she battles Shadows threatening to capture her soul.
When her life falls apart, where will she turn?
Here's what readers are saying about
The Good Shadows...
“The Good Shadows takes teen drama to a new level. Alwood’s unique take on a topic typically avoided by authors of faith is compelling. Lovers of speculative fiction and contemporary YA will find this book hard to put down.”
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-- Alyssa Roat, literary agent at C.Y.L.E.
“The Good Shadows by Carol Alwood is the kind of story that will keep a reader up at night ingesting ‘just one more chapter.’ This page-turner is grounded in the characters who seem no different from teens in real life… Above all, this entertaining story provides an example and a warning regarding any involvement in the occult. This powerful theme is much needed in today’s culture. I highly recommend this novel to Christian young adults, in particular.”
-- Rebecca LuElla Miller, author, freelance editor, blogger at A Christian Worldview of Fiction
“This action-filled book shows how easy it is for teens to be drawn into the ‘dark side.’ Alwood creates a believable world in which readers experience the consequences of the small ‘steps’ that lead to Violet's ultimate deception and near ruin of her soul.”
-- Nancy Brashear is the author of a psychological thriller, Gunnysack Hell, short stories including "Uncaged" and "Ready or Not!", and most recently, the poems "Cliffhanger" and "Lonely Dead."
Ghost of A Girl
He may be a mortician's son, but that doesn't mean he's seen a ghost. Until one night...
Sixteen-year-old Owen Parker stays busy with his family's business, playing basketball and keeping up his grades. But he's never too busy for his friend and secret crush, Violet Blackstone. Lately, Violet is acting strange spending time with new friends, talking about going to parties, and blowing off plans to hang out. Owen forgives Violet for testing their friendship, but it still hurts.
Owen is grateful a distraction presents itself. A ghost? Could it be he saw the ghost of a girl while trimming the hedges on the cemetery grounds? Owen doesn't necessarily believe in ghosts, but the girl he saw dancing--who disappeared into thin air--matches the photo which is etched into a nearby tombstone.
Owen and his best friend Jacob go to the cemetery at night with ghost hunting tools to figure out the mystery.
Enjoyable Read
The characters are described and developed with great skill. It was a gentle and sensitive story and one that held my interest to the end. I am sure most 'young adults' would enjoy reading this and perhaps also learn some life lessons along the way, without ever feeling they were being preached at.
Suspenseful and Entertaining
There is a lot of intrigue and mystery in this story and it's very well written. I enjoyed it immensely. It is geared to a YA audience but I am not YA and I think it has broader appeal.
Intriguing Intro Into a new Series
I really liked the setup for this novelette and think the author did a great job of teasing the potential of her new series set in the same world.