The Shadow Keepers

Marisa Noelle's brilliant Shadow Keepers has just been rereleased! I reviewed this book last year for the blog tour, and I'm reposting my review today so that no one misses out on this unputdownable YA. Marisa is currently my mentor for Write Mentor's Summer Mentoring Program and working with her has been an absolute dream. Her writing is incredible and I can't wait to dive into her latest story - Secrets of the Deep.

Here is the creepy blurb for The Shadow Keepers:

Sixteen-year-old Georgia Boone has seen the shadow creatures in mirrors and other reflective surfaces since she was six-years-old. But no one–not even her brother, the person she’s closest to in the entire world–believes her. She is all alone in the hellish world where crow-like creatures hunting her everywhere she goes.

When an afternoon of shopping ends in violence and blood, Georgia is sent to the UK’s most prestigious mental health hospitals: Brookwood Hospital. There, she’s forced to face her fears and answer the question:

Are the shadows real, or is this all in her head?

At Brookwood, the shadow creatures are more present than ever and are getting stronger every day. Only with the help of a mysterious boy who lives inside the mirror world might she be able to prove that she’s not hallucinating and stop the shadows from destroying the human world.

The Shadow Keepers is almost impossible to put down, and the creepy premise ensured that I was always thinking about it, even when I couldn't read on. Tensions and stakes run high as Georgia races to uncover the truth about the terrifying shadow creatures who have haunted her for most of her life. 

I don't think I've read many non-contemporary YA novels which features mental health so prevalently, and it was really clever how the character's mental health struggles became integral to the plot - they were never just another plot-point or issue to 'get over'. The topic as a whole was sensitively handled and I felt like I learnt some new things about mental health conditions as a result of reading.

Having said that, readers should bear in mind that as mental health is so important within The Shadow Keepers, the novel does include subjects like self-harm and suicide. If this isn't something you're comfortable reading, it would probably be best to avoid this novel. They're not a large part of the plot, but do come up.

You should definitely read The Shadow Keepers if you like:

- creepy monsters

- slow-burn romance

- seeing mental health in non-contemporary stories. 

From a writing perspective, The Shadow Keepers is brilliant for:

- world building - I could completely believe in the monsters and shadow world that Noelle created. 

- pacing - this story is paced just right, with plenty of action and tension, but also some great character driven moments to help back the pace off and give you a respite between the horror. 

- keeping the reader guessing about who they could and couldn't trust!