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The Shadowing #2
The Shadowing #2: Skinned
Filled with bloodcurdling twists and turns, this sequel to Hunted will draw readers into a world of terror.
The Shadowing draws near . . .
After learning that he is the last chime child, the only one who can protect the human world from demons, Callum turns to his friends Jacob and Melissa for help. Jacob is a ghost who teaches Callum to control his powers; Melissa shares her extensive knowledge of the supernatural.
But with the Shadowing quickly approaching, Callum is faced with an unexpected problem. One of the Netherworld demons has surfaced early and is feeding on the flesh of young children to gain strength. Now Callum must stop this monster without becoming her next victim. . . .
The Shadowing draws near . . .
After learning that he is the last chime child, the only one who can protect the human world from demons, Callum turns to his friends Jacob and Melissa for help. Jacob is a ghost who teaches Callum to control his powers; Melissa shares her extensive knowledge of the supernatural.
But with the Shadowing quickly approaching, Callum is faced with an unexpected problem. One of the Netherworld demons has surfaced early and is feeding on the flesh of young children to gain strength. Now Callum must stop this monster without becoming her next victim. . . .
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2011
14 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
About the author
Adam Slater
11 books37 followersAdam Slater doesn't scare easily, which is lucky because his study overlooks a graveyard. He has a degree in Folklore and an unhealthy love of horror films, both of which helped to inspire The Shadowing books. If he wasn't a writer - and if his girlfriend would let him - he'd be a stunt driver.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 19, 2011
When I looked at this cover I was immediately scared. Look at it! It’s so creepy. I read the back of the book and it totally reminded me a bit of those R.L.Stine books that I loved when I was younger. Yesterday evening I started to read it and I just had to read the whole damn thing. I could not put it down, because A) It was creepy B) I could not sleep with that book on my bedside table (Again the cover). Yes, I admit when I finished reading it, I put the book in my drawer. And it will stay there, unless I can find another good hiding spot for it.
Skinned is the second book in the Shadowing series. I have not read the first book, but I wasn’t lost or missed out anything to not enjoy the story. Callum is a brave, strong, caring boy. He’s a likable character and very feisty. I liked the secondary characters a lot, especially his grandmother. My only complaint is that she gave in too easily. If she says no, it should have stayed a no and he should have listened to her.
The plot is great. There is action, suspense and some wicked spells. At the beginning the pacing was a bit slow, but it quickened it pace when the action kicked in. Also I loved how this story started, so creepy. At the end there are a few twist and turns, which made me anxious to get the third book.
Skinned is a fantastic book that has the creepy factor nailed down. Read it if you are or ever were a fan of R.L.Stine books.
Skinned is the second book in the Shadowing series. I have not read the first book, but I wasn’t lost or missed out anything to not enjoy the story. Callum is a brave, strong, caring boy. He’s a likable character and very feisty. I liked the secondary characters a lot, especially his grandmother. My only complaint is that she gave in too easily. If she says no, it should have stayed a no and he should have listened to her.
The plot is great. There is action, suspense and some wicked spells. At the beginning the pacing was a bit slow, but it quickened it pace when the action kicked in. Also I loved how this story started, so creepy. At the end there are a few twist and turns, which made me anxious to get the third book.
Skinned is a fantastic book that has the creepy factor nailed down. Read it if you are or ever were a fan of R.L.Stine books.
March 29, 2021
as a fan of darren shan, barry hutchison etc i thought i would give this a try. i loved the first book in the series, it hooked me right away and kept me reading until the end without putting the book down. this one i found just as creepy, and it really made you feel terrified and creeped out. in this installment we start to learn more about why these terrifying creatures are coming after the kids.
however, there is disappointing news about this series! after the release date for book 3 passed with no book appearing but no change in the date (i was desperate to read the next!) i contacted the publisher. and as of when they told me, there is going to be no more books published from this series.
i do hope this changes, because this series has so much potential and is utterly brilliant! i hope they reconsider, as i'm desperate to read the next one!
however, there is disappointing news about this series! after the release date for book 3 passed with no book appearing but no change in the date (i was desperate to read the next!) i contacted the publisher. and as of when they told me, there is going to be no more books published from this series.
i do hope this changes, because this series has so much potential and is utterly brilliant! i hope they reconsider, as i'm desperate to read the next one!
February 29, 2012
You probably thought the Fetch was alive. And Black Annis was alive. And Jacob was alive. NOPE, Chuck Testa.
June 11, 2019
This book was such a pleasant surprise. When I picked this up, I expected a horror reminiscent of those by R.L. Stine. But this was more along the lines of "the chosen one must fight the forces of evil". While there are countless "the chosen one" books out there, this wasn't too bad. It follows Calum, the last chime child, who must fight not only creatures from the Netherworld but evil humans too. The chosen ones just never get a break, huh.
The story felt very much like I was watching an episode of Shadowhunters. Calum and his band of friends are hunting that creature on the cover (which is so amazing, btw! I'd be lying if I said the cover isn't the thing that made me buy this book) and we follow them in their adventures.
Horror wise this book isn't scary. At all. It has some gore, sure, but even that is very tame compared to other books I have read. But I loved the story otherwise. It was interesting and action-packed and I loved how the characters were a huge part of it and not just there as cardboards. Even the side characters had important roles and backstories and development.
I got this at a book fair so I'm not sure if I can find the rest of the books in the series at a bookstore, but if I do I'd love to read this series! Especially since the sneak peak of the next book at the end has me very very curious.
If you're in the mood of a quick, fun read I'd highly recommend giving Skinned a chance. And if you've read it already, let me know what you thought!
The story felt very much like I was watching an episode of Shadowhunters. Calum and his band of friends are hunting that creature on the cover (which is so amazing, btw! I'd be lying if I said the cover isn't the thing that made me buy this book) and we follow them in their adventures.
Horror wise this book isn't scary. At all. It has some gore, sure, but even that is very tame compared to other books I have read. But I loved the story otherwise. It was interesting and action-packed and I loved how the characters were a huge part of it and not just there as cardboards. Even the side characters had important roles and backstories and development.
I got this at a book fair so I'm not sure if I can find the rest of the books in the series at a bookstore, but if I do I'd love to read this series! Especially since the sneak peak of the next book at the end has me very very curious.
If you're in the mood of a quick, fun read I'd highly recommend giving Skinned a chance. And if you've read it already, let me know what you thought!
April 8, 2019
there was some scene and plot I can't agree with in this book, though the first one had a promising one. I might continue reading it, but not my priorities anymore. Light reading. Though the gore scenes were kindda forced. It's for Middle Grade/Young Adult, but some scenes might gross you out, so readers discretions are advised.
February 16, 2012
I have waited months for this book to come out. It is the sequel to “The Shadowing: Hunted” which is the first in The Shadowing series by Adam Slater. I finally gave in and bought it for the Kindle reader on my laptop as it hasn’t become available on the Nook yet.
The book is YA fiction which means that the exhaustive details about locations and histories are absent. This is not a bad thing – I can see how it works to keep a young person interested with its non-stop action. Callum must face the Hag in this story of the struggle between the Netherworld and our reality. Every hundred years the gateway between the two weakens allowing some demons to scurry through. Callum’s job as a chime child is to keep our side of the gateway demon free which means he must face and defeat the Hag.
Melissa, a friend of Callum, and Jacob, the born dead boy, help Callum in his quest to hunt down the Hag before she devours so many human children that she becomes too strong for them to destroy. Doom, the hell hound, is always by his master’s side ready to pounce on anyone who threatens Jacob.
The Hag is a fabulously creepy demon though I must say the one in the first book bothered me more. Still, Black Annis was not someone to trifle with, as Callum soon finds out.
So my review – the book is great. I enjoyed it almost as well as the first one but it did lack the umpf that the original (and usually all originals) had. This is, of course, because I already know Callum’s powers and the story of the Shadowing – the foundation of the series – so it seemed to lack a bit of imagination. However it is gory and rather disconcerting. It makes me appreciate that while there is inherent evil in the world, we don’t encounter the kind of that comes from our imaginations – they are far worse.
Enjoyed the read – it went by very quickly. I was disappointed the Kindle for the PC did not allow me to highlight things I wanted to remember – one of the sentences that I particularly liked was:
As Callum reached the woods, he saw that the trees were white with frost, standing in quiet ranks like an army of dead soldiers. Wow, such imagery and vividness!
I give the book an A though caution those who have a weak constitution to avoid it due to the high gore factor.
The book is YA fiction which means that the exhaustive details about locations and histories are absent. This is not a bad thing – I can see how it works to keep a young person interested with its non-stop action. Callum must face the Hag in this story of the struggle between the Netherworld and our reality. Every hundred years the gateway between the two weakens allowing some demons to scurry through. Callum’s job as a chime child is to keep our side of the gateway demon free which means he must face and defeat the Hag.
Melissa, a friend of Callum, and Jacob, the born dead boy, help Callum in his quest to hunt down the Hag before she devours so many human children that she becomes too strong for them to destroy. Doom, the hell hound, is always by his master’s side ready to pounce on anyone who threatens Jacob.
The Hag is a fabulously creepy demon though I must say the one in the first book bothered me more. Still, Black Annis was not someone to trifle with, as Callum soon finds out.
So my review – the book is great. I enjoyed it almost as well as the first one but it did lack the umpf that the original (and usually all originals) had. This is, of course, because I already know Callum’s powers and the story of the Shadowing – the foundation of the series – so it seemed to lack a bit of imagination. However it is gory and rather disconcerting. It makes me appreciate that while there is inherent evil in the world, we don’t encounter the kind of that comes from our imaginations – they are far worse.
Enjoyed the read – it went by very quickly. I was disappointed the Kindle for the PC did not allow me to highlight things I wanted to remember – one of the sentences that I particularly liked was:
As Callum reached the woods, he saw that the trees were white with frost, standing in quiet ranks like an army of dead soldiers. Wow, such imagery and vividness!
I give the book an A though caution those who have a weak constitution to avoid it due to the high gore factor.
August 24, 2012
(This review may contain spoilers).
It's been a little while since I read the first book in this series, so I thought I might get confused because it had been maybe a year since I'd read the first book. I was wrong, however. There was a little bit of confusion at first, but I quickly recalled what had happened in the first book and who the characters were.
This book was easy to read, partly because I did like the characters. I was pleased to see that Callum wasn't a natural when it came to his chime child powers. Even though he's fairly powerful because of the time he was born, he wasn't raised with the information about what his heritage was and I felt it came across very well that he couldn't necessarily access his powers at will... and that fear was a barrier to him being able to use his powers.
Black Annis was suitably scary. Although demons are fairly over-used, I didn't mind it so much in this book - partly because, I think, there were other supernatural creatures as well. (Though Black Annis did come across as a vampire, the similarities weren't enough for me to be bothered by the over-use of characters who feed on blood). Unfortunately, Black Annis stayed scary... until she started speaking. I always think that the monsters who don't communicate are the scariest. Still, the idea behind her was fairly unique.
I liked Melissa and Jacob in the book. They didn't feel like sidekicks, but more like characters in their own right. However, there is the problem that if Callum is the only chime child left, there are going to problems and even if individual battles (like the one in this book) are won, the war may not be.
I think it would be interesting if there was another Born Dead character like Jacob... or even if the ghosts of other chime children had a part to play. Either way, I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. I'm disappointed that it's not even showing on Amazon yet.
It's been a little while since I read the first book in this series, so I thought I might get confused because it had been maybe a year since I'd read the first book. I was wrong, however. There was a little bit of confusion at first, but I quickly recalled what had happened in the first book and who the characters were.
This book was easy to read, partly because I did like the characters. I was pleased to see that Callum wasn't a natural when it came to his chime child powers. Even though he's fairly powerful because of the time he was born, he wasn't raised with the information about what his heritage was and I felt it came across very well that he couldn't necessarily access his powers at will... and that fear was a barrier to him being able to use his powers.
Black Annis was suitably scary. Although demons are fairly over-used, I didn't mind it so much in this book - partly because, I think, there were other supernatural creatures as well. (Though Black Annis did come across as a vampire, the similarities weren't enough for me to be bothered by the over-use of characters who feed on blood). Unfortunately, Black Annis stayed scary... until she started speaking. I always think that the monsters who don't communicate are the scariest. Still, the idea behind her was fairly unique.
I liked Melissa and Jacob in the book. They didn't feel like sidekicks, but more like characters in their own right. However, there is the problem that if Callum is the only chime child left, there are going to problems and even if individual battles (like the one in this book) are won, the war may not be.
I think it would be interesting if there was another Born Dead character like Jacob... or even if the ghosts of other chime children had a part to play. Either way, I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. I'm disappointed that it's not even showing on Amazon yet.
November 30, 2012
After the first book in this series, I was distinctly unimpressed. But I have to say, it might be growing on me now. If for no other reason than this second book in a series did not end on a cliffhanger, and doesn't feel like it suffers from middle-book syndrome, where it just sets up the next book. It hints at what's to come, but the book actually has a plot all its own (gasp!). And the character's developed. It is such a refreshing change. The writing has also tightened up.
January 1, 2013
I like this series. When students say they want a horror book, this has become my go to standard, if there are any copies on the shelf. The first book, Hunted, had me jumping at shadows but this one is more on the gory side. The descriptions of Black Annis' fingernails and the different ways she uses them gave me chills. I am looking forward to book three.
May 19, 2013
Even more spooky than the last one!
February 17, 2014
Book two in the set. Continues in the same vein as book one with a combination of supernatural and horror. Again okay I would continue the set but nothing spectacular.
March 17, 2022
i loved this book it was awesome
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews