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Walking Among the Shadows: Awakening
For high school sophomore Aiden Storm, Jasmine is everything a teenager could ever want in a girlfriend. But all he can think about is killing her.
When Jasmine arrives at Deerfield High Aiden’s simple life is changed forever. Her presence awakens a darkness inside of him that slowly spirals the soft spoken teenager’s mental stability down an abyss of madness. Constantly tormented by a growing hunger for violence, Aiden confides in his best friend Tony his uncontrollable urges. Choosing friendship over his conscience Tony promises to keep Aiden’s dark desires a secret while they try and unravel the mystery of Jasmine and the affect she’s having on Aiden.
On the night of Aiden’s seventeenth birthday their friendship is tested when the town of Deerfield is rocked by a home invasion and murder that directly implicates Aiden. Without an alibi or recollection of his whereabouts on that night, Tony begins to suspect Aiden is on the fast track to becoming Deerfield’s first serial killer.
But Aiden fears something more sinister is at work in Deerfield and its source is Jasmine. Aiden believes underneath her beauty Jasmine harbors an evil that has already infected him and will soon spread to everyone he loves if it isn't destroyed. Aiden must find a way to keep Tony quiet, remain one step ahead of the FBI, and maintain his sanity long enough to find out who and what Jasmine really is…
When Jasmine arrives at Deerfield High Aiden’s simple life is changed forever. Her presence awakens a darkness inside of him that slowly spirals the soft spoken teenager’s mental stability down an abyss of madness. Constantly tormented by a growing hunger for violence, Aiden confides in his best friend Tony his uncontrollable urges. Choosing friendship over his conscience Tony promises to keep Aiden’s dark desires a secret while they try and unravel the mystery of Jasmine and the affect she’s having on Aiden.
On the night of Aiden’s seventeenth birthday their friendship is tested when the town of Deerfield is rocked by a home invasion and murder that directly implicates Aiden. Without an alibi or recollection of his whereabouts on that night, Tony begins to suspect Aiden is on the fast track to becoming Deerfield’s first serial killer.
But Aiden fears something more sinister is at work in Deerfield and its source is Jasmine. Aiden believes underneath her beauty Jasmine harbors an evil that has already infected him and will soon spread to everyone he loves if it isn't destroyed. Aiden must find a way to keep Tony quiet, remain one step ahead of the FBI, and maintain his sanity long enough to find out who and what Jasmine really is…
- GenresHorror
414 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2013
7 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 12, 2016
Wow
This book here! Navi Robins I would love to know what goes on in your head. I never was a "paranormal fan", but I might have to reconsider after reading this story. Aiden Storm is the smartest, loveable, hilarious, and sarcastic teenage boy you can possibly read about. After a couple of life changing events Aiden realizes that he has special powers and certain things he thought was crazy, was indeed his reality. I enjoyed this story and the adventure it took me on, I look forward to reading the 2nd installment.
This book here! Navi Robins I would love to know what goes on in your head. I never was a "paranormal fan", but I might have to reconsider after reading this story. Aiden Storm is the smartest, loveable, hilarious, and sarcastic teenage boy you can possibly read about. After a couple of life changing events Aiden realizes that he has special powers and certain things he thought was crazy, was indeed his reality. I enjoyed this story and the adventure it took me on, I look forward to reading the 2nd installment.
March 11, 2015
The name Aiden Storm is perfect for this Navi’ Robins created character as invisible and unexpected storms continue to wreak havoc in his life. The author’s vivid descriptions of what happens to Aiden when these downpours of disturbances appear are phenomenal. The first chapter had me ready to pull an all-nighter to finish reading, however once I entered into the flashback of how the storms came to be, I got lost in the details. Reading about the things and people who caused Aiden to literally blackout and end up being transported somewhere else made for good reading but the stories becomes a bit long winded. When Jasmine enters the picture Aiden doesn’t understand the affect she has on him and finding out takes its’ toll not only on him but his entire family; theirs is truly a Romeo and Juliette story if ever I’ve heard one. Aiden’s best friend, Tony was good comic relief for this dark story line. This was a well written book with very few mistakes; grammatically and typographically, especially for a debut novel. All of the background information may be necessary for some readers but it made the story entirely too long for me. I would’ve liked this book better if it was 200 pages shorter. I would give this book a 3 because of the length but will give it a 4 because it was excellently written.
November 19, 2017
I’m up
I didn’t know what to expect when reading this book. Not only is it 1 million % different from what I’m used to reading it was so freaking amazing. I’ve never read anything like this and I read A LOT OF BOOKS. I am looking forward to reading more by this author. I highly recommend readers expand their horizons and give this author a try. You may just learn a thing or two.
I didn’t know what to expect when reading this book. Not only is it 1 million % different from what I’m used to reading it was so freaking amazing. I’ve never read anything like this and I read A LOT OF BOOKS. I am looking forward to reading more by this author. I highly recommend readers expand their horizons and give this author a try. You may just learn a thing or two.
August 2, 2016
DNF at 60 pages.
Mini-review:
If this had been a middle-grade book, it could've easily been a three-star rating, and I almost definitely would've read further. But as a YA book, nothing about this works. I know that 60 pages out of around 400 doesn't seem like very much, but I already got pretty much everything I needed to know, and I didn't feel like this was worth continuing. Throughout what I read, Robins consistently makes juvenile, amateurish decisions that ruin the suspenseful mood he was going for and makes the reading experience very cringe-worthy.
This starts in the very first chapter (which really should've been called a prologue). He uses the horror trick of opening in the middle of the action, and then going back to the beginning for the next few chapters. This only works if the opening chapter is intriguing and dramatic, and Robins fails at both, because his prose isn't good enough to pull it off. The situation he describes is mostly confusing - Robins' prose is very light on imagery and sensory details, to the point where it's hard to get a distinct image in your head. Robins' prose also isn't stylistic enough to get the sort of dark mood he's going for. This is kind of a hard thing to describe, but prose describing something dark should feel dark, and Robins' prose was just too bland for that. It doesn't help that there are a lot of basic errors, that make it obvious that this book was self-published. The errors are all over the place, but the most frequent problems are that paragraph breaks tend to be in random places, and Robins uses semi-colons and commas interchangeably, as if he doesn't know what semi-colons are actually supposed to be used for.
But the second chapter is where I really knew I was in for a bad experience. The entire second chapter consists of Aiden essentially telling us how scary this book is going to be. This is the cheapest possible way of building up suspense - Robins is essentially telling us directly that this is going to be a suspenseful story, rather than showing us directly anything to be in suspense over. It's an extremely amateurish move. Any basic writing class tells you to show rather than tell, and this is one of the most egregious examples of telling that I've ever seen. As I said earlier, maybe in an MG book, where you have to be much more direct, this could've worked. But in a YA book, it betrays a lack of understanding of how suspense gets built and what makes horror actually scary.
After that, we get a fairly standard YA urban fantasy introduction - the protagonist lives a fairly normal school life, punctuated by weird things occasionally happening. I didn't get to a whole lot of the weirdness, so I won't comment on that too much. But Robins' attempts to write a normal school life are very cringe-worthy. This is where he really starts to give Aiden a narrative voice, and it is... not at all realistic for a teenager, to say the least. It reads more like a ten year-old wrote it. In fact, nearly everything about Aiden reads too young - if not for the references to drugs and sex, I would think he was supposed to be a kid. Robins' understanding of what school is like for teenagers isn't any better. It reminds me most of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, particularly in how the teachers are written. And worst of all is the dialogue, which is stiff, unnatural, and blatantly unrealistic. Robins tries to put a lot of humor into the dialogue, and while a little of it works, most of it just left me cringing. Most of this would be excusable, if still a little painful, in an MG book, but for a YA book, there is no excuse for this.
On the whole, I don't recommend this book. The story strikes me as very mundane and cliched, and the writing quality is low enough that it would never get released through traditional publishing.
Mini-review:
If this had been a middle-grade book, it could've easily been a three-star rating, and I almost definitely would've read further. But as a YA book, nothing about this works. I know that 60 pages out of around 400 doesn't seem like very much, but I already got pretty much everything I needed to know, and I didn't feel like this was worth continuing. Throughout what I read, Robins consistently makes juvenile, amateurish decisions that ruin the suspenseful mood he was going for and makes the reading experience very cringe-worthy.
This starts in the very first chapter (which really should've been called a prologue). He uses the horror trick of opening in the middle of the action, and then going back to the beginning for the next few chapters. This only works if the opening chapter is intriguing and dramatic, and Robins fails at both, because his prose isn't good enough to pull it off. The situation he describes is mostly confusing - Robins' prose is very light on imagery and sensory details, to the point where it's hard to get a distinct image in your head. Robins' prose also isn't stylistic enough to get the sort of dark mood he's going for. This is kind of a hard thing to describe, but prose describing something dark should feel dark, and Robins' prose was just too bland for that. It doesn't help that there are a lot of basic errors, that make it obvious that this book was self-published. The errors are all over the place, but the most frequent problems are that paragraph breaks tend to be in random places, and Robins uses semi-colons and commas interchangeably, as if he doesn't know what semi-colons are actually supposed to be used for.
But the second chapter is where I really knew I was in for a bad experience. The entire second chapter consists of Aiden essentially telling us how scary this book is going to be. This is the cheapest possible way of building up suspense - Robins is essentially telling us directly that this is going to be a suspenseful story, rather than showing us directly anything to be in suspense over. It's an extremely amateurish move. Any basic writing class tells you to show rather than tell, and this is one of the most egregious examples of telling that I've ever seen. As I said earlier, maybe in an MG book, where you have to be much more direct, this could've worked. But in a YA book, it betrays a lack of understanding of how suspense gets built and what makes horror actually scary.
After that, we get a fairly standard YA urban fantasy introduction - the protagonist lives a fairly normal school life, punctuated by weird things occasionally happening. I didn't get to a whole lot of the weirdness, so I won't comment on that too much. But Robins' attempts to write a normal school life are very cringe-worthy. This is where he really starts to give Aiden a narrative voice, and it is... not at all realistic for a teenager, to say the least. It reads more like a ten year-old wrote it. In fact, nearly everything about Aiden reads too young - if not for the references to drugs and sex, I would think he was supposed to be a kid. Robins' understanding of what school is like for teenagers isn't any better. It reminds me most of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, particularly in how the teachers are written. And worst of all is the dialogue, which is stiff, unnatural, and blatantly unrealistic. Robins tries to put a lot of humor into the dialogue, and while a little of it works, most of it just left me cringing. Most of this would be excusable, if still a little painful, in an MG book, but for a YA book, there is no excuse for this.
On the whole, I don't recommend this book. The story strikes me as very mundane and cliched, and the writing quality is low enough that it would never get released through traditional publishing.
March 2, 2015
A Real Romeo and Juliette Story
The name Aiden Storm is perfect for this Navi’ Robins created character as invisible and unexpected storms continue to wreak havoc in his life. The author’s vivid descriptions of what happens to Aiden when these downpours of disturbances appear are phenomenal. The first chapter had me ready to pull an all-nighter to finish reading, however, once I entered into the flashback of how the storms came to be, I got lost in the details. Reading about the things and people who caused Aiden to literally blackout and end up being transported somewhere else made for good reading but the stories becomes a bit long winded. When Jasmine enters the picture Aiden doesn’t understand the affect she has on him and finding out takes its toll not only on him but his entire family; theirs is truly a Romeo and Juliette story if ever I’ve heard one. Aiden’s best friend, Tony, was good comic relief for this dark story line.
“Awakening: Walking Among the Shadows” was a well written book with very few mistakes. All of the background information may be necessary for some readers but it made the story entirely too long for me. I would’ve liked this book better if it was 200 pages shorter. I would give this book a 3 because of the length but will give it a 4 because it was excellently written.
Reviewed by: Rosa
The name Aiden Storm is perfect for this Navi’ Robins created character as invisible and unexpected storms continue to wreak havoc in his life. The author’s vivid descriptions of what happens to Aiden when these downpours of disturbances appear are phenomenal. The first chapter had me ready to pull an all-nighter to finish reading, however, once I entered into the flashback of how the storms came to be, I got lost in the details. Reading about the things and people who caused Aiden to literally blackout and end up being transported somewhere else made for good reading but the stories becomes a bit long winded. When Jasmine enters the picture Aiden doesn’t understand the affect she has on him and finding out takes its toll not only on him but his entire family; theirs is truly a Romeo and Juliette story if ever I’ve heard one. Aiden’s best friend, Tony, was good comic relief for this dark story line.
“Awakening: Walking Among the Shadows” was a well written book with very few mistakes. All of the background information may be necessary for some readers but it made the story entirely too long for me. I would’ve liked this book better if it was 200 pages shorter. I would give this book a 3 because of the length but will give it a 4 because it was excellently written.
Reviewed by: Rosa
July 12, 2015
First, I would like to thank Navi Robins for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
This book may not be suitable for teenagers as there are thoughts and acts of physical violence in this book. While I enjoyed the story-I did not care for the acts of violence Aiden wished upon anyone.
Navi Robins is a very talented author. As with any mystery story you will have your pain, your violence, hatred, betrayal, and despair. But with Navi’s book you will find way more than just that. It is unlike any book I ever come across before.
This is a story told by Aiden Storm. In order to know fully who he is you have to know where he came from. So, Aiden takes you on a journey all the family members and the people that were in his life and one point or another. Navi does an amazing job with all the details focusing on his past relationships. I found it quite fascinating some of what I learned about him.
Aiden’s reaction when lays on Jasmine for the first time was an extremely well written scene. I felt as if I was there watching it unfold before my eyes. She had some sort of hold over him. A new feeling rushed over him unlike any feeling he had before. But those feelings were not all good-some brought out rage, evil thoughts. There was no denying it-this beautiful girl would stir up trouble for him.
This book may not be suitable for teenagers as there are thoughts and acts of physical violence in this book. While I enjoyed the story-I did not care for the acts of violence Aiden wished upon anyone.
Navi Robins is a very talented author. As with any mystery story you will have your pain, your violence, hatred, betrayal, and despair. But with Navi’s book you will find way more than just that. It is unlike any book I ever come across before.
This is a story told by Aiden Storm. In order to know fully who he is you have to know where he came from. So, Aiden takes you on a journey all the family members and the people that were in his life and one point or another. Navi does an amazing job with all the details focusing on his past relationships. I found it quite fascinating some of what I learned about him.
Aiden’s reaction when lays on Jasmine for the first time was an extremely well written scene. I felt as if I was there watching it unfold before my eyes. She had some sort of hold over him. A new feeling rushed over him unlike any feeling he had before. But those feelings were not all good-some brought out rage, evil thoughts. There was no denying it-this beautiful girl would stir up trouble for him.
July 24, 2015
I got this book in exchange of an honest review.
Honesty I've never gave the books I've revised a bad review... Until today...
This book had me bored to tears until the 60% mark.
The first 40% if he book I wanted to throw it in the garbage but since I'm reading in my iPad it wasn't a good idea to throw it.
I found the dialogue lacking. I did think that teens talked that way. It wasn't realistic for me.
The book was unnecessarily long. Then all of a sudden at about 60% the book started to get interesting. That's when Aiden start to come into his powers and gets trained by Jaffrey and to then enter the fight of his life to save his life and the lives of the Baraqu people who he's learned that he is a descendant of.
He must learn to gather all his positive strength to defeat the Shadows that are slowly taking over earth.
If you can tough the book until the 60% like I did it's worth the read.
I hate giving negative reviews but this one I had to give.
The book would be so much better if the beginning was shorter and flowed easier into the rest of the book. There needs to be a lot of editing to keep the reader intrigued and interested.
Honesty I've never gave the books I've revised a bad review... Until today...
This book had me bored to tears until the 60% mark.
The first 40% if he book I wanted to throw it in the garbage but since I'm reading in my iPad it wasn't a good idea to throw it.
I found the dialogue lacking. I did think that teens talked that way. It wasn't realistic for me.
The book was unnecessarily long. Then all of a sudden at about 60% the book started to get interesting. That's when Aiden start to come into his powers and gets trained by Jaffrey and to then enter the fight of his life to save his life and the lives of the Baraqu people who he's learned that he is a descendant of.
He must learn to gather all his positive strength to defeat the Shadows that are slowly taking over earth.
If you can tough the book until the 60% like I did it's worth the read.
I hate giving negative reviews but this one I had to give.
The book would be so much better if the beginning was shorter and flowed easier into the rest of the book. There needs to be a lot of editing to keep the reader intrigued and interested.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2015
Walking Among the Shadows: Awakening was a really good book. The first chapter throws you in without any explanation or description but I think that this method worked for this book to get you hooked. The second chapter starts the explaining what is going on.
Aiden Storm is a teenage boy who thinks he's completely normal until this beautiful new girl walks in to school. Then his world is turned upside-down. He only feels hatred and violence toward her and thinks he's going insane or turning into a serial killer. He has no clue why he is reacting this way and only knows he has to stay away from her.
About the middle when it goes into describing the cause of all of these feelings and emotions, I got confused and spaced out. It didn't make much sense to me with the descriptions, which is very contrary to the rest of the book which is wonderfully described. Other than that part it was hard for me to put this book down. The characters are so realistic and Tony (Aiden's best friend) provides the perfect comic relief to make this book less intense. So much action and adventure in this book will keep you wanting more. The ending leaves you hanging and I can't wait for the next one.
Aiden Storm is a teenage boy who thinks he's completely normal until this beautiful new girl walks in to school. Then his world is turned upside-down. He only feels hatred and violence toward her and thinks he's going insane or turning into a serial killer. He has no clue why he is reacting this way and only knows he has to stay away from her.
About the middle when it goes into describing the cause of all of these feelings and emotions, I got confused and spaced out. It didn't make much sense to me with the descriptions, which is very contrary to the rest of the book which is wonderfully described. Other than that part it was hard for me to put this book down. The characters are so realistic and Tony (Aiden's best friend) provides the perfect comic relief to make this book less intense. So much action and adventure in this book will keep you wanting more. The ending leaves you hanging and I can't wait for the next one.
October 20, 2015
Walking Among the Shadows was a gripping mystery/thriller that grabbed me from the very first chapter. The main character Aiden is a high school aged young man. He seems plenty normal until Jasmine starts attending his school. Upon first seeing Jasmine, Aiden's whole demeanor changes and he begins having violent and evil thoughts. This isn't Aiden and he doesn't know what is wrong with him. Why is this now starting with the appearance of Jasmine? All Aiden knows is that he needs to stay far away from Jasmine. But, that is going to be easier said than done. These two have a connection. One that no one could ever contemplate. Aiden must fight to overcome the darkness.
The characters are developed very well and the scenes are set up with such detail that you feel as if it is taking place right before your eyes. The talent of the author is apparent in the presentation of the story and the twist at the end of the book. You will definitely want to pick up the next book in the series to see what happens next. I recommend this book and the rest of the series.
The characters are developed very well and the scenes are set up with such detail that you feel as if it is taking place right before your eyes. The talent of the author is apparent in the presentation of the story and the twist at the end of the book. You will definitely want to pick up the next book in the series to see what happens next. I recommend this book and the rest of the series.
September 22, 2015
The first chapter grabbed my attention very quickly. It then slowed down a bit until you got to about chapter eight.
Aiden Storm is a teenage boy who going into his sophomore year with his best friend Tony. his Sister Sarah is now going to be at his school, which he is none too happy about. He is tasked with keeping an eye on her and staying after school to watch her practice. To keep from having to sit and watch her Aiden is talked into trying out for the football team.
Aiden meets a new girl, Jasmine, and his world turns upside down. Dark thoughts, showing up places and not remembering how he got there.... and when he finally gets answers they are not what he expects them to be. The ending makes you want to pick up the second book, which I will be doing. (Given book in return for honest review)
Aiden Storm is a teenage boy who going into his sophomore year with his best friend Tony. his Sister Sarah is now going to be at his school, which he is none too happy about. He is tasked with keeping an eye on her and staying after school to watch her practice. To keep from having to sit and watch her Aiden is talked into trying out for the football team.
Aiden meets a new girl, Jasmine, and his world turns upside down. Dark thoughts, showing up places and not remembering how he got there.... and when he finally gets answers they are not what he expects them to be. The ending makes you want to pick up the second book, which I will be doing. (Given book in return for honest review)
January 23, 2015
Left me Speechless
I gave this book a five star because I never thought I would be interested in reading a thriller. The author has a crazy imagination which he made everything seem so real. I'm really at a loss for words right now. The story started off with fire and that's exactly how it ended. I am really hoping Aiden and Jasmine stay together. They can really become a force together that is not to be reckoned with. And Jason definitely got exactly what he deserved. I don't blame Jason one bit on how he reacted. I would like to know more about Mannys character. Something seems off about him. Even though I like to see Jasmine and Aiden stay together I still feel like she's not telling him everything. I'm hoping part two is even more exciting than this one!!!
I gave this book a five star because I never thought I would be interested in reading a thriller. The author has a crazy imagination which he made everything seem so real. I'm really at a loss for words right now. The story started off with fire and that's exactly how it ended. I am really hoping Aiden and Jasmine stay together. They can really become a force together that is not to be reckoned with. And Jason definitely got exactly what he deserved. I don't blame Jason one bit on how he reacted. I would like to know more about Mannys character. Something seems off about him. Even though I like to see Jasmine and Aiden stay together I still feel like she's not telling him everything. I'm hoping part two is even more exciting than this one!!!
May 24, 2015
I started reading this book as a suggestion! I had no idea what type of book it was as I opened it and started on page one! For lack of understanding that this was some type of sci-fi thriller I first found some parts rather disturbing! The more I read the more captivated and "all in" I became! This is my 2nd book by this author and I must say once again he has hit it out the park! This story was so very well written and detailed! I did however rate four stars because to me once the back story came it was a little to detailed & to long! There were many parts on the back story knowledge that I felt the book could have done without! But that is only my opinion. I would highly recommend this book & am actually looking forward to reading more books of similar genre!
October 22, 2014
This was the first time I've read anything by author Navi Robins, but i'd heard about the book. I see that this is a revised edition, so my review is based on this edition, and not the one before that.
This story absolutely captivated my attention from the first page to the last; I absolutely couldn't put it down. My "just one more chapter" turned into "dang, I just finished the book". The book is well written, and the author breathed life into the characters; you find yourself quickly caught up in their stories.
To the author I say, "Bravo. I can't wait to see what comes next!"
I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.
October 3, 2015
I got an Arc copy for an honest review and it was a good reading so I gave it 4 stars.
I found this story full of twists and many mysteries plus each character seem to be unique. I thought that the author did a great job at getting the reader's attention from the start and not letting it go til the end of the story. It's one of those good paranormal suspense books that keep you guessing pretty much until the end and I would recommend this book for you plus can't wait to start reading the next book.
I found this story full of twists and many mysteries plus each character seem to be unique. I thought that the author did a great job at getting the reader's attention from the start and not letting it go til the end of the story. It's one of those good paranormal suspense books that keep you guessing pretty much until the end and I would recommend this book for you plus can't wait to start reading the next book.
March 9, 2016
Aiden is an introverted teen that is good in sports. His mother talks him into trying out for the football team. He is also beginning to realize he is not an adverage highschool student that takes him in a world that confuses him. To top it off he has a forbidden love to deal with as well. I love how the author takes the reader on a wild ride with this book!
August 5, 2015
I got this book in exchange of an honest review. First, I would like to thank Navi Robins for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review. It's different from all the other books I've read. But it was alright book to read.
December 6, 2015
What a vivid and imaginative story! My first read by this author and though a bit violent for younger teens it was an amazing read. Definitely a talented author to watch.
Received a copy for an honest review.
Received a copy for an honest review.
February 8, 2016
This book was quite a long read, but worth it. I recommend reading the first book, as I came in on the second. It was a great plot line and I enjoyed the emotional play with Aiden. He is on a mission!
November 26, 2014
Enticing & Compelling! An Intense page-Turner!
December 16, 2014
Good read
I wasn't sure what to expect, but ended up really enjoying the book. Looking forward to the next book in the series!
I wasn't sure what to expect, but ended up really enjoying the book. Looking forward to the next book in the series!
August 28, 2015
I really enjoyed this one.. It was different, freaky, amazing and well written. The characters were different but good. I am glad I got to read this one
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews