Shadows

Erasing #1

by K.D. Rose

What if to save the ones you love, you had to unlock the key to a different reality?

Generations of mystery smash together when a seemingly traditional family must shatter their illusions of normality to confront themselves and their friends, leaving no possibility unexplored in order to rescue—well, who exactly? Watch the Ross family, the High Five Gang, and multiple generations dig into an innovative explosion of imagination where they must confront numerous realities, real-world danger, and worst of all—their own teenage hormones!

In a place where nothing is as it seems and shocks are around every corner, even the people you thought you knew may find themselves strangers in this moving and provocative reality-bender. With breathless pacing and psychological intrigue, Shadows and the High Five Gang will keep you guessing until the very end.

Genres: Paranormal

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 17, 2013

About the author

K. D. Rose is an eclectic poet, author, analyst, thinker. K. D.’s book, Inside Sorrow, won Readers Favorite Silver Medal for Poetry. In 2017 she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her poetry, essays, and short stories have been published in Word Riot, Chicago Literati, Poetry Breakfast, BlazeVOX Journal, Ink in Thirds, Northern Virginia Review, The Nuclear Impact Anthology, Stray Branch Magazine, Literary Orphans, Maintenant Contemporary Dada Magazine, The 2016 Paragram Press Anthology, The Eastern Iowa Review, Lunch Ticket Arts and Literary Magazine, Bop Dead City, Santa Fe Literary Magazine, Hermes Poetry Magazine, Slipstream, Wild Women's Medicine Circle Journal and The Offbeat. She also won an Honorable Mention in the 2016 New Millennium Writings Poetry Contest. Her last release was DreamPoem. She has a B.S. in Psychology, a Master's Degree in Social Work and worked as an analyst for Dept. of State and Homeland Security.

Reviews

[Rebecca Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Received An ARC Of This Book In Exchange For My Honest Review!

This is a book unlike any other book I've read before. The uniqueness of this story had me so engrossed that I hated having to put it down to do things around the house.

This is an action packed story from beginning to end. Michael Ross with the help of old friends that went by the 'High Five Gang' needs to rescue his wife and their friend Mira form the astral plane. After watching Brandon their 3 year old son start to disappear in front of her and not be able to do anything to stop it she lost it. She and Michael went to the astral plane to find him and bring him back but something goes wrong and Mira regresses to the age of 9. She doesn't remember anything about astral travel or who Michael and her friends are.

The astral plane sounds like it would be a great place to live and explore as a children. This doesn't really surprise me considering your feelings and mind conjures up the scenery. As we get further along in the story we learn that even thought the astral plane seems like a lot of fun it can actually be vary dangerous especially to the untrained traveler.

I enjoyed the interaction between the 'High Five Gang.' They all seemed to get along pretty well and fall back into old habits easy. Well with the exception of Michael and Stu who isn't a member of the 'High Five Gang' but has traveled with Michael and his friends before. I hope that as the series progresses we get a more in depth look into the characters but in the next book I'd really like to find out more about why Michael and Stu seem to dislike one another at the beginning of the book.

I truly can't wait to see where K.D. Rose goes with this series. The Ross Family quickly became a favorite of mine. Especially with all the astral prodigies and capabilities this family seems to have. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to escape to another place in time for a few hours or to anyone who just loves to read.

[Mollydee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book. It is about a married couple, Michael and Mira, who do some interesting things. Like traveling to another plane of existence. They have been doing it since they were young and they even have a bunch of friends they do it with. But now that they are older and married and have children, they do not visit the place they set up in the astral as much as they used to. And when someone goes, it is mostly Mira now that goes.

But what happens one day when Mira's son's whole body just disappears? Where did he go? He does come back but the a few days later his leg disappears. Again, what is going on?

Mira travels into the astral to get answers. But something happens there. Plus she went with her whole and physical body, which is very dangerous to do in the astral. You can bring your consciousness to another plane of existence but your whole body is a different matter completely.

As Mira has an incident that causes her to regress in the astral, which means danger for her, it is now up to Michael and the rest of the gang to go there and get Mira out before seven days is up. Seven days is the longest known time anyone has ever been known to keep their whole body in the astral without dying.

Along the way we find out very interesting things about some members of the gang. Stu for one. And definitely somebody with a lot of skeletons in her closet is Mrs. Ross, Michael's mother with whom Mira never got along with but now may have to trust her with her life.

This book was full of imagination and adventure from beginning to end. When the kindle told me I was 97% done, I fell back into that lull that you do when you are almost done with a book. But then the author threw out a twist that was completely unexpected.

I recommend this to anyone that likes adventure, some mystery, I guess you can call it a bit of paranormal also, and a really good story. A little romance too for flavor.

I was thrilled at the end to read there was going to be a sequel because the way the book ended, there is enough material for a sequel for sure!

[Bookish Satty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from the author, free of cost, in exchange of an honest review from my side.

Firstly I would like to thank the author and the tour organizers for giving me this opportunity of reading and reviewing this book.

Woohoo!!! This book just took my breath away!!! What else can I say guys!!!

I loved this book so much. The plot is awesome and the story line is so unique that I just couldn't resist this story even during my exams. It's that fantastic.

The characters are developed well and the emotional turmoil that Michael went through really broke my heart into pieces and to be honest after reading so many romance books where the girl just keeps on making plans on how to snatch attention of a boy and shockingly the boy already remains interested in her from a long time but that dumb girl never notices that and why does they try to avoid each other at first always is out of my league to understand. Anyways my point is that it was a great experience being away from that stupidity.

The High Five Gang is awesome-sauce man!!! But I'm so disappointed that we didn't get a lot of background or past information about their lives. I just admired them fully. The shock of losing your loved ones is portrayed so genuinely in here that at one time I just forgot that it's just a story. It touched my heart totally.

Everyone should pick this up the sooner you can because it's so awesome and it's going to blow your mind away and also your heart!!! Go for it guys!!!

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is a new spin on psychological sci-fi. Set in a world where minds and even bodies can cross into a mental reality, “Erasing: Shadows” is a fast paced blend of adventure and renewing friendships.

Read full review in the 2014 March issue of InD’tale Magazine.

[Michelle's Paranormal Vault of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my blog post for the tour, to enter the giveaway and to read an excerpt.


I have mixed feelings on this book. I liked it, but did have some issues with it as well. Nothing too major and I would still recommend this book as it has lots of promise, especially if some of the issues are taken care of in the next book.

First off I do not understand the “adult Themed” , not even close, there is nothing scary, nothing sexual at all, few kisses, and like very platonic type kisses. Yeah, can’t see why it would be for 18 and up, absolutely makes no sense on that.

I felt the characters and their relationships to each other weren’t explained much at all, so I wasn’t able to really get to know them. Especially Michael’s intense dislike of Stu, which made absolutely no sense, and kept thinking at some point it would be explained some. It never was.

I was frustrated in trying to understand why it was stressed repeatedly that Stu was only 19 in this world, but in the astral world much older. It was said like that a few times, made it a bit of a mystery, but no explanation. I also was confused at this as its stated that the High Five Gang did most their astral travels when they were really young, and since its known that Michael is in his 40’s and assuming the rest are at least in 30’s, how is it Stu even would have been traveling with them at all, as in most of those travels they did he would not have even been born yet, or super young for the later part. They all mostly quit when they had family’s etc.

What was also weird was how the astral projection was treated as common place but yet secretive, and Michael’s mother was hiding some secrets and that frustrated me too.
Unfortunately so much information is crammed into a small amount of time, but only partial info. It’s really just thrown at you and you need to struggle through it to piece together on your own.

I kind of felt like I was an outsider looking and listening in on someone’s conversation without knowing them at all, so left me unsatisfied for the most part.

I think one of the most confusing parts was the age regression thing they do in the astral plane, (and the fact they can regress even if they “travel” to the astral plane with their physical body, which doesn’t feel as believable) it’s like was I reading about an adult or a child? In some of them they regress and keep adult memories but in cases of becoming a teen, they feel the hormones of a teen.

Also, I sure wish it was explained what a Watcher is, and what they do, just a big mystery there. Won’t say who is a Watcher, so not to spoil it, but sure wish it was explained at least some. Also, it seems just anyone can go to the astral plane, so that seems weird. Or is it certain people? It’s hinted that it’s anyone.

I think one of the weirdest parts are what happened to Trina, and Stu’s “energy doll?” Or whatever you want to call it. I can’t say much about that as it will spoil that part. But anyone who reads this will know. That whole situation was just strange and weird. In my opinion it didn’t add to the story and could have done without it at all.
I did like Mira when she was an “adult” the whole 4 year old, 8 year old etc was just a bit weird. Michael was one I didn’t connect with at all.

I had to get used to the narrator style of writing, so was multiple view points. I have not read many books like this, so took some adjustment for me.

I really liked Stu the best on what we did learn about him, and the hint at an attraction to Michael’s older daughter (around 18-19 I think). So maybe that will develop in the next book. If the next book is more on Stu and her and Mrs.Ross I think I would like that a lot.

I guess overall it was a good start and a great idea, just needs some polishing up, or at least more in the next book to help us understand more.
I think people who like paranormal type books will still enjoy this story, and think it’s still worth giving it a try.

I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I was provided a copy of this book from the author for my honest review.

Cover Review: Wow, now that cove is amazing. It’s what drew me to the book to see what it was about and if I would like it. I really like it, and it’s just another example of how a great cover can make all the difference in a book getting a chance to be read. Now in saying that, I can’t see what part of the book the cover is about. Like it really doesn’t “fit” the story at all. But nerveless it’s still nice to look at.

I give the cover alone 5 out of 5, but cover relating to the book would be 4 out of 5.

[Sorcha O'Dowd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

ARC provided through Xpresso Book Tours.

This is going to be a slightly mixed review, so before I get to the nitty gritty I'm going to just make clear that this author has obvious talent, and is a natural storyteller and any criticisms I make during this review are only made in the hope to give constructive advice to the author, which may help improve the novel if it were to be revised.

The author created an engaging, intriguing and clever storyline. The way that she used the idea of astral travel and created her own world with it is just one example of her strengths as a writer. However I feel that, like myself, other readers may have trouble falling into the story as there was little if any detailed explanations of what exactly astral travel is. I feel that in the author's reminder to 'show and not tell' a lot of the detail that explains the storyline was left out before we were thrown into the action. In my own opinion a short prologue that gave a brief insight into the history of Michael and Mira's travels, and what exactly astral travel means, would have really helped me get to grips with the concept of this book a lot quicker. As it is, having finished the novel I still don't think I fully understand exactly what astral travel means, or why they needed to make certain astral trips to find their missing son.

Having these missing elements had me struggling to make it through the first half of the novel as we were introduced to more characters who have astrally travelled in the past with the Ross' before I really understood the concept of the story. I understood Michael and Mira's desire to find their son, but I still don't understand how them travelling to the astral plane and meeting at a certain meeting point would help them recover their son. With a little more explanation as to the ins-and-outs of astral travel at the begining of the story I feel this would have made me better understand the story.

This being said, I am so glad that I made it past the 50% mark of the story as I really engaged with the later storyline and began to connect to the characters in ways that I found difficult earlier when struggling with concepts and terminology. I adored Stu's character and am so excited to see if a relationship develops between him and Madison in future books in the series. In the day since finishing this book, I have been smiling when I think about the few, but meaningful, interactions that they shared in this book.

I am also excited to see more of Mira's character in the real world. Despite her being a main character throughout the book, I look forward to seeing the mother Mira rather than the child Mira. Her character was brilliantly portrayed throughout this story and the author's portrayal of a young Mira wandering the astral plane with a mysterious young friend was so intriguing and suspenseful to read as I saw the emotional progression of Mira through her childhood and waited in anticipation for her reunion with her husband and the 'High Five Gang'.

Overall this was a unique, exciting and intriguing story which had me on tenterhooks as I reached the later stages of the novel. It was clever, imaginative and showed the true skill of the author. The author has a wonderful prose-like writing style that is a real pleasure to read. My only suggestions for improvement would be to give more explanation or detail regarding the astral travel aspects of the novel as I spent most of the novel feeling as though I only knew half of the story and was just trying to keep up with the characters.

3.5 stars, and an enjoyable read.

[Desiree Putaski · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if your toddler started to disappear right before your eyes? Literally, one body part at a time just vanishing? Chances are I would slip right off the deep end! As a mother, losing one of my kids was always (and probably always will be) one of my greatest fears. And while Mira Ross does freak out over her three year old just vanishing… she knows a thing or two about where he got off to.

At first, I had some trouble wrapping my mind around what was going on. Michael and Mira Ross, along with their friends the “High Five Gang”, can travel to the astral plane. Even though most of them have not traveled in ten years, they are all willing to start again to save little Brandon. What starts as a simple search and rescue turns into a race to save someone’s life. It brings their friends and family closer together.

This isn’t the first book I’ve read about traveling to another plane of existence; but it’s definitely one of the most unique! The astral world is the same as the real world, yet it’s not. There are dangers all around (be sure not to step in the holes) and the scenery of the world changes with the mood of the person creating that world. The world building is exceptional and you can almost feel the changes happening as the astral world is changed over and over. My only criticism would be that the reader is sort of thrown into this travel with no basic background of what it really means. There are bits and pieces of information throughout the book, such as being able to travel “full body” as opposed to just having your spirit or soul there (but it wasn’t thoroughly explained, so maybe it’s just an image of the person traveling). But how would people appear differently? And then there is mention that people who travel full body “feel” different when they touch people in the astral world; are they solid as opposed to not quite solid? And I would have liked to have a little more background on the High Five Gang; you really do have to infer a lot about the friendships/relationships there. They’ve been friends since childhood (and are now in their 30′s), they have traveled extensively between the worlds together, but most of them stopped about ten years ago to settle down; with the exception of Michael’s brother, Jonathan. he continued to travel and learn more about traveling and the worlds from Stu. I would have liked to learn more about Stu, but perhaps his story is for another book (based on a conversation he has with Michael’s mother). And then there is Michael’s mother. Her characters transformation through the story is one of the best. We learn so much about her and why she has the relationship with her son/daughter-in-law that she has. But, as always, there is a fine line that an author has to walk in the first book of a series. You don’t want t lay all the cards out on the table, because then what will you learn by reading the rest of the series? I think Ms. Rose laid an excellent foundation for this series. I am hopeful that a lot of questions will be answered as we “travel” on more adventures with this group.


Even having felt a bit lost at times, overall I think this was a great story. The imagination that went into creating this world and mode of travel is beyond anything I have seen in quite some time. The characters, while not developed to their full potential, keep you engaged and wanting to learn more about them. I am definitely going to be “author stalking” on this one to find out when the next book is available!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3*s
review posted here...
http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...
Erasing: Shadows is the first book in the Erasing series…
One day whilst doing the dishes Mira notices that her three year old son starts to disappear, growing more transparent she tries to cling onto him to stop him vanishing but in the end, all that’s left …is a shoe. Distraught, she searches the home she shares with her family – husband Michael, their 3 children & Mother in law, Mrs Ross – but comes up with nothing. She knows where he has gone but how? Why? Does someone mean them harm? Who would do such a thing? So with haste Mira & Michael prepare to go back to a place they hadn’t visited for many years, a place where as children, along with their friends, they had formed the High Five Gang and possibilities were limitless…. Only what happens when you get there and you forget? You are so traumatised by events that you regress to a safer time, a safer place and it’s up to someone else to steer you home?..... it’s time to get the gang back together one last time.
I liked this story, it was something very different and something you could imagine being limitless & without boundaries in where the story could go and what you could see. Some of the world was very imaginative and I did like the idea but at times it was confusing which sometimes made me go back and re read parts where I thought I might have missed something. All of the characters were likeable but the wasn’t a lot of depth to them, I suppose I connected with our main characters most of all and they were easy to understand, the trauma of a missing child would definitely affect a person so Mira’s reaction and the point of the book was definitely believable to a certain extent and then Michaels quest to bring her back was on par for how I would expect him to react. I think the most interesting characters for me were Mrs Ross & Stu, they pulled on my curiosity and I wanted to know about them. I think the age regression thing was ok but a little weird, was I reading about adults? Children? Kids bodies holding an adults intellect? It was a mind bender because some retained knowledge whilst others didn’t. I feel that whilst this was a good introduction to the world, because of what goes on there, the rules, the age stuff, the different areas etc. that I couldn’t grasp everything and understand it all, it would definitely take further reading but I’m intrigued enough to try a sequel and if what I read into it, the character change may be a plus.

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

** I received a free ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review **
**3.5 Stars**

I thought Erasing: Shadows was a good book. It was full of action and adventure and the storyline was very unique.

Mira and Michael have been together since childhood. And Michael is still so in love with his wife after all these years. So when the unexpected happens and Mira finds herself stuck in the astral plane with no recollection of the real world or her family, there is no hesitation. Michael will do whatever it takes to save her. Including calling up their old friends, The High Five Gang, for one more adventure.

There were a few questions that I thought could have been cleared up with a little more detail like:
1. Why does Michael dislike Stu so much? Is it really just Stu's arrogance and know-it-all attitude or is there more to it?
2. What's the issue between Jonathan and his mother?...
Just to name a few.

Also, I thought a few of the characters were left under-developed. I would have liked a little more background on the other members of The High Five Gang as well as Stu.

With that being said, there were a lot of things I really liked about this book too. The author does a great job with world building. While I was in the astral plane, I felt like I got to experience all of it right along with the gang. From the scenery, to the sounds, to the gravel digging into my legs at the secret meeting place. You can tell that a lot of thought and imagination went into this alternate reality and it paid off.

The storyline had a lot of potential. I read A LOT and this is the first book I've ever picked on this subject. And that's saying something because any more every book I read seems to be just like the last. This one was completely different from anything else I've read. It was fast paced and action packed and the author did a good job of holding my attention.

And last but not least, I really liked Mrs. Ross's character. She was probably my favorite which surprised me because I wasn't expecting her to be in the beginning. In the start, she's very moody and mysterious but her character really seemed to grow throughout the book.

In the end, while there are a few things that could have improved this book, I thought it was a good read and I will most definitely be reading the next in the series to find out what adventures the Hive Five Gang have in store for me.

[Aneta Bak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything is normal in Mira and Michael's family, until their youngest son Brandon disappears right in front of Mira's eyes. This is no ordinary trick. Mira and Michael are part of a group called the High Five Gang, they could travel to a world where they could manipulate everything with their minds, including their age. When Michael and Mira set off to this world to find their son, Mira accidentally makes herself too young, and forgets her past. Now not only is Brandon missing, but Mira is also trapped without any recollection of who Michael or the rest of the High Five Gang are.

This book really surprised me. This book was really good, I really liked the chemistry between Mira and Michael, you could definitely tell they loved each other. I felt like we got to know Mira a lot, since we had to puzzle the pieces together with her of her past. But we didn't learn much about Michael, he definitely grew as a character, but other than facing his fears near the end, I felt like he didn't contribute a whole lot to this story! I was really surprised with the characters Stu and Michael's oldest daughter, I really hope that something happens there in the future books. I expected Stu to be one of the bad guys since Michael didn't trust him at first, but he actually turned out to be one of my favorite characters.
This book didn't really feel like a New Adult book, it was about Adults in their thirties or maybe forties? Either way, they felt a little too old for me, even though we got to see them as twelve year old and fifteen year old, their behavior didn't drastically change, other than small little things like jealousy. But on the other hand, there was no "Adult content" in there, which really makes me question which genre this book belongs in.

But in conclusion, this was a fantastic book to a series that created a fantastic new world. I am really excited to see how the rest of the series goes. And I really hope that Stu and Madison are in it more, hopefully that will give it more of that New Adult vibe.

I would like to thank K.D. Rose, and Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with the opertunity to read a copy of this book. Thank you so much once again!

Happy Reading :)
- Aneta

[a_tiffyfit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could not get into this book. The cover and the blurb lured me in, enchanting me and promising to be right up my alley in the Fiction I Will Love category, but ultimately this book fell short for me. I struggled to finish it even though I was interested in this new view of astral projection (Taking your BODY with you, so it's more like...an alternate universe? Taking food with you? Changing your face (masking), adjusting your age, doing everything with such purpose? COOL!). The concept was really great, but the writing just didn't hook me.

The characters and their relationships were not explained very well so I couldn't quite understand why there was such much dislike on Michael's behalf towards Stu. Other than knowing they were the High Five gang (which really was adorable and I liked it - a glimpse of the camaraderie they had as children, exploring the astral universe together), I also didn't understand how it was stressed repeatedly that Stu was only 19 in this world, our world, but in the astral world was much older. It was said like that a few times hinting at this kind of mystery and history, but without ever explaining that. The astral projection is treated as common place yet secretive, and Michael's mother is reserved and hiding major secrets, which I found frustrating. The intricacies of this travel that they are doing, the inner workings and how it happens, needed to be explained to the reader in more detail. It felt like I was jumping in the middle of a soap opera, tossed a bunch of pieces of information, and expected to paste it all together myself. Even when the characters were reminiscing about their pasts adventures, etc., it didn't really solidify them or give them a strong backstory to glue them together for me. I also found their different personalities in the astral plane, due to adjusted age, muddled my understanding of their relationships further.

I wish I had been able to connect to this story and characters as I really loved the idea. The idea is complex and different and beautiful. But it just was not executed in a way that involved me as a reader and I could not get into it. :(

My copy was provided by as a review opportunity to read and give my honest review. Thank you very much for the opportunity!

[Giovana (laBOOK'S Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was previously postedat Corazones Literarios

Erasing: Shadow is really complex novele. There is some many characters and story lines. Eveything start when Michael and Mira's son desappears in strange way. Then, Mira also desappears, and is up to Michael to find his wife and son quickly enough before it's to late. To compete that task, he called his old friends, The High Five Gang, to help with it.

Like I said before, this novele is really complex, so much thing going on and if you're not really paying attention, you're going to get lost as well as Mira. The book goes around the fact that Michael's wife is losted and he has to find her. Now, I really like it, and I like the mistery that the author can bring with it, however, what I didn't like is the lot of things that happend over there. Was like they solve something and then another thing happend. We never get a relax momento on it, and it could be both good and bad. But I think it is too much.

But I really like the plot, is defferent and never have read a book with this kind story, and is really refreshing. Also, like the characters, they are so different and they have their own personality, I really like this High Five Gang, because remind me the school when we have our friends and we do this eventures and all that. It was great to have this kind of reading. I also like the relationship between Micheal and Mira, it was cute to watched them, and also I aways was looking for to have more of their moment along, and for they to recall their life together.

I really don't like Maddison, the oldest doughter of Micheal and Mira, when you read the book you find out why but I think, she is really stupid. I like Jonathan, Micheal's little bother; I think he is hinding something I really want to know what is. In general, this book has a lots of secrets. And worth to find it, so read it because it's very entertainent and a wonderful read.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author and Paranormal Romance & Authors That Rock for an honest review.

I waivered as to give this book 3 or 4 fangs. I settled on 4 mostly due to the new world I was I introduced to and the imagination behind it.

The story starts off with 3 yr old Brandon literally disappearing before his mother's eyes. Mira frantically held on to her son to no avail. Michael, husband and father, and Mira revert back to their adventurous youth and once again astral travel to find their son. However the stress causes Mira to regress back to her 9 yr old self and forgetting everything she knew about astral traveling. Michael knew they need help from their old friends, The High Five Gang, to get his wife back. Only to encounter many twists, turns, and secrets along the way.

This book is the first of a series about astral traveling. This book did not have any sex or romance, but the love the family felt for each other was apparent. This story is appropriate for all ages, but I feel it mostly targets YA/NA.

My favorite character from the book was Mrs Ross, Michael's mother. She has plenty of secrets of her own and brings an interesting dynamic to the story.

I only have a couple of complaints. Frankly, the book was way to short. It's only 160 pages. Which ties in with my second complaint. There wasn't enough background story or information on any of the side characters, like the high five gang. They simply appeared as part of the story with no real set up or back story. I did feel a bit lost or confused at a couple of points, luckily I stuck it out and kept on reading. Everything was eventually tied together and wrapped up with hints as to where the next book will be going.

Even though I wish there was more detail and background to back up the story. I did enjoy and appreciate the new world, thoughts, ideas, and imagination that kept this story interesting.

[Elizabeth (Stuffed Shelves) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mira helplessly tries to hold on to her three year old son, Brandon, as he disappears in her arms, leaving her with just his shoe. Before you know it she is sucked into an astral plane, causing her to regress to the age of nine. While also not remembering doing so, which really puts a damper on things. Michael, her husband, will stop at nothing until they find her and their friend. So now Michael must call on his old friends, the "High Five Gang"to help him.

Unfortunately, all this information is crammed into a small amount of time and is basically thrown at you, and left for you to piece together. I did love reading about friends who can get together after many years and still pick up right where they left off. Although, they would converse about past memories and experiences, without explaining what was going on. I felt like an outsider, listening in on someones conversation without knowing them whatsoever.

I wish there was more backstory to the characters. I didn't understand a lot of the interactions between the characters because things were just implied or assumed we, as the reader, knew. Since they were in this world, and in the astral world, I could not distinguish where they were at most moments in the book.

I really wish I liked this book more than I did, but I just couldn't get into it. The idea is great, and if it was tweaked just a bit, I think it has potential to be a five star book, but I will rate it at a 2/5

[Tnt Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Erasing: Shadows starts off as Brandon, a three year old boy, starts to disappear in front of his mother, Mira. Mira tries desperately to hold onto Brandon, but he disappears and Mira is left holding his shoe. Mira and her husband, Michael, have traveled the astral in the past and prepare to go after Brandon. However, something goes terribly wrong. The shock of losing Brandon causes Mira to regress to the age of nine on the astral plane and forget all she knew of traveling the astral planes. Michael must call in the old ‘High Five Gang’ to help him rescue Mira.

I enjoyed this story. It was action packed from the beginning. I enjoyed meeting the ‘High Five Gang’. I loved their interactions and that they were willing to help each other after ten years of separation. I was intrigued by the mystery Michael’s mother, Mrs. Ross, offered. What did she know about traveling the astral planes? And why didn’t she tell anyone about her experiences? This book was well written and easy to read. I would have liked a little more background on the gang. I didn’t really understand why Michael’s brother was estranged from their mother. I also didn’t really understand the tension between Michael and Stu. I would have also liked the relationships of the rest of the gang explained. Who was with who, stuff like that. Overall, I did enjoy this story.



4-stars

Reviewed by Tracy

[Carrie Peeples · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, this really boggled my mind at first. I had a difficult getting my mind wrapped around what I was reading for a bit. However, once the premise was ingrained in my psyche, it became easier to understand.

There is a lot of back and forth movement. Keeping track of what is happening is a bit difficult at the beginning.There seems to be no clarity as to what is happening or scenes or settings. No real background is coming out. Everything seems generalized as far as relationships and experiences. Then as you get further into the book, and as the story line unfolds, it really opens up and fills out. It’s like a light bulb goes off in your brain.

You think the story is about one issue, and another introduces itself. The twists and turns are have you constantly thinking. It doesn’t exactly build like a regular book. It keeps an even stream of interest without overwhelming you. At every turn something is happening…you just are never sure where this is leading. A lot of where you are in the book really makes you use your brain.

It slowly builds at the end with a twist that makes you want smack yourself in the forehead! Hard. It’s a good thing it is an aftershock of the climax. However, Though this book makes you take moments to absorb what you have read, you end wanting to read further and into the next book.


I give this book 4 stars

[Kim Reads (Read Your Writes Book Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Julie
for Read Your Writes Book Reviews

I don't usually read paranormal type books and this one was very hard to follow. Erasing Shadows is about a married couple, Michael and Mira, who met when they were very young and learning to travel the astral plane. Mira experiences a traumatic event when she witnesses her three-year-old son disappear before her eyes (while in the real world). She travels to the astral world to find him but ends up regressing to a time before she even learned how to travel the astral world.

There are tons of rules and trying to distinguish the real world from the astral world was very difficult for me. If you like books such as this, then it's probably a really good book. I didn't care for it but that's only because of the type of book it was.

Michael ends up helping to save Mira from her regressed self with the aid of his astral traveling friends and even his very experienced astral traveling mother. Michael and Mira's daughter starts gathering friends to travel the astral world but doesn't tell her parents and it appears a sequel to this book is about Madison's travels. Unfortunately, I'm not interested in reading it.

Source: Author

[Shayna Varadeaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right off the bat I am taken in and intrigued and I get a narrative feeling with it. The plot isn't lacking it just takes a bit to get going. It really felt very suspenseful the whole way through.

Myra's toddler disappears right before her very eyes and she breaks but she is determined to get her son back. She travels with her husband to the astral plain and doesn't make it back in her broken mess. Her husband Michael doesn't know what to do besides turn to their old group of friends, The High Five Gang, from when they were careless teenagers travelling the astral plain for kicks.

They all agree to help and they work together until they hit a snag by way of a death in the group.

The story really ends up bringing side character Stu into the forefront with his special abilities. Throw in a know too much mother of Michael's and you have a great paranormal mystery to keep you glued to the pages.

There's a great cast of characters and a great story to be told.

Just when you think you may have it figured out you find yourself wrong. It's a great book to get lost in and dramatically beautiful as well.

I recommend Erasing Shadows as a good YA read.

[Tanya Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Brandon starts disappearing right before his mothers eyes which then starts a whole turn of events. Brandon's parents are "travelers" who can travel to the astral world and have since they were young. They go there to find him only to have his mom stay there. It is now up to Michael (his dad) to bring her back.

I truly enjoyed this story although it reminded me so much of "Insidious" which made me laugh a little :) I loved how Brandon kept "popping" up in the astral world, he was a little cutie pie. The characters in the story were well described and each had their purpose to what needed to be done. I enjoyed Michael's moms character and her role in the whole scheme of things.

The story moved along great, with the flow of information perfect. You didn't loose track of what world you were in or what event had to happen in order for things to work out they way they were supposed too. Definitely a great addition to your library

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

** Originally written for Book Bliss book blog. I received a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review**

Review:3 stars
General: This book is one of the most original storylines and plots that I think I've ever read. From start to finish it kept me both on my toes and engaged. I loved reading Michael and Mira's story. I felt the world building was on the confusing side as a reader but you could certainly see that it was all thoroughly planned in K.D. Roses's mind. It may needed a double check for clarity in a few of the rules of the real world versus the astral world but overall it wasn't terribly confusing. I felt that overall the time spent in the book was well divided and a solid pace that fit the book. I wasn't insanely connected to Michael, but I was to Mira. She exploded with a sense of realness despite all the chaos she was undergoing and I enjoyed connecting with her.

[Lisa Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

KD Rose does an absolutely amazing job at world building here. The alternate realities explored in this novel have been well crafted. The Astral Plain becomes a living a breathing entity in the work and the characters are completely developed. With a large cast, Ms. Rose ensures that each character is fully formed and a believable character. So why four cups? Well, I love time travel scenarios. But, the amount of "age" play in this novel had me re-reading a few parts to understand something. It is evident that Ms. Rose is an extremely educated woman and she has done plenty of research in these scientific areas. I am definitely looking forward to the next installment and hope that it is as complex in plot as this one!

For the full review, please check pen-the-dream.blogspot.com
Lisa A. Adams

[Nicky Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great idea, the author should be really proud that they came up with something different, and not just on the face of it, but from the tried and tested paranormal novel formula that most other ones tend to follow.

From a writer’s perspective, there are obvious dangers to doing this. I found the world building a bit complicated and the characters’ back stories a little lacking. The relationships were a bit fuzzy, but that probably was down to the fact that the author didn’t go done the normal relationship route. I think that maybe a prequel should be written quick to give more depth to characters like the High Five Gang?

The front cover is very pretty and will certainly stand out from the rest on the virtual bookshelf.

Overall I’d give Erasing Shadows 4 out of 5 stars, an interesting read, but one you need to concentrate on to really appreciate.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mira is desperately holding on to her 3 year old son that is disappearing in front of her eyes. All she has left is his shoe, Mira and her Husband Michael set out to find him, astral traveling is involved. when they how ever not succeed, they get help from their friends and the High five team.

I loved the story and can't wait to read more about this family and their friends. Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

I received a copy of this book for a honest review.

[Angelique]

Review to go up on 06/01