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Colorworld #4
Shadoworld
Alternate cover with ISBN 1517271665 / 9781517271664 can be found here: Shadoworld
After facing the dangers of a death-touch, marital separation, and even terminal cancer, Wendy thought she could handle anything. But losing her supernatural abilities has turned out to be much harder to adapt to than she thought. Now Wendy is pregnant, and the prospect of being a mother has Wendy fearing she'll never find "normal".
With Robbie's birth, Wendy finds renewed determination to love life the way she once did.
Her new found faith is shaken, when she learns that Robbie's life will be cut short by a genetic disease.
In the midst of mourning for the life her son won't have, Wendy finds that Mike, Gabriel's brother, has been incommunicado for many months. Immediately following the news of Mike, Wendy receives cryptic instructions from Robert, her Uncle, that just might be the key to saving her son.
The answer to both Mike and Robbie take Wendy to Los Angeles. But within an hour of her plan landing Wendy is taken, and Robbie isn't the only one whose life is on the line.
After facing the dangers of a death-touch, marital separation, and even terminal cancer, Wendy thought she could handle anything. But losing her supernatural abilities has turned out to be much harder to adapt to than she thought. Now Wendy is pregnant, and the prospect of being a mother has Wendy fearing she'll never find "normal".
With Robbie's birth, Wendy finds renewed determination to love life the way she once did.
Her new found faith is shaken, when she learns that Robbie's life will be cut short by a genetic disease.
In the midst of mourning for the life her son won't have, Wendy finds that Mike, Gabriel's brother, has been incommunicado for many months. Immediately following the news of Mike, Wendy receives cryptic instructions from Robert, her Uncle, that just might be the key to saving her son.
The answer to both Mike and Robbie take Wendy to Los Angeles. But within an hour of her plan landing Wendy is taken, and Robbie isn't the only one whose life is on the line.
495 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 2015
About the author
Rachel E. Kelly
5 books58 followersI dig philosophy, lore, fairy tales, authentic romance, and the occult. I have longed to read something that artfully combines all 5, and since I haven't found it, I decided to write a story of my own. Colorworld is the culmination of all these loves of mine, and it's my passion to make it something everyone can read and get something out of. Stories are meant to entertain, yes, but the best stories are the ones that do that AND make you question yourself. And since I hold all other literary works to this standard, it is also the standard I hold myself to when writing.
The Colorworld series is a story that opens your eyes to the beauty of that everydayness we all know so well while weaving in that wee bit of fantasy we all long for.
For sample writing, visit colorworldbooks.com
The Colorworld series is a story that opens your eyes to the beauty of that everydayness we all know so well while weaving in that wee bit of fantasy we all long for.
For sample writing, visit colorworldbooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 20, 2016
This review was originally posted on Fanboy Comics .
Gabriel and Wendy’s lives felt extraordinarily blessed when they were able to reverse the effects of hypno-touch and cure their myriad of life-threatening cancers. On top of this blessing, Wendy somehow became pregnant during the worst of her illness, and the promise of a child together should bring them closer together than before; however, Wendy’s healing came at a painful cost: complete loss of her special abilities including the emodar that has been part of her being as long as she can remember. As she struggles to learn how to interact with her husband and family without the crutch of reading their emotions, Wendy spirals into anger and depression that gets fueled further by bad news about her infant son; however, there are people who still value her abilities over her health and safety, and they will stop at nothing to get her help. Could the unexpected trials help Wendy rebuild herself as a stronger woman who will stop at nothing to protect those she loves?
I loved the first chapters of Shadoworld, the fourth installment in Rachel E. Kelly’s Colorworld series. Wendy’s difficulties in learning to live as a normal human being seemed like a wonderful parallel for anyone dealing with changes in capabilities, and I sympathized strongly with how she had to learn how to function with her new normal. Unfortunately, the tonal shift about a third of the way through the book threw me off a little, although, admittedly, it would have been abject navel gazing if the entire story had been Wendy examining herself and trying to grow, and it took me a few chapters to figure out the point of the sudden shift. However, by halfway through the book, I was completely on board again, and I loved seeing more depths to Mike. Bringing Letty, Wendy’s high school best friend, back into the story definitely added some lighthearted fun, as well, plus female bonding is always a good thing in my opinion. By the end of the book, I couldn’t believe how quickly I’d ripped through it, and I kept tapping my Kindle convinced I had somehow missed pages. The world shifted so much through the course of the story that I was sure there had to be more right away.
While there are hardships, losses, and conflicts in Shadoworld, I found it much less emotionally painful to read than Lumaworld simply because none of the issues carried the personal impact of drawn out illness; however, it is still darker than the first two books in the series. Hope, growth, and positivity continue to be focal points for the main characters, and even the worst events have a purpose rather than serving as melodrama or fridging.
Shadoworld was a light, fluffy read after the emotional trials of Lumaworld, but it’s not just a puff piece to fill pages. Wendy is morphing from girl into capable young woman through the course of the series, and she learns who she is, how to adjust to a changing purpose, and the nature of love through the course of this book. If you love Kelly’s characters the way I do, this is a must read, but please don’t jump on here. You need to start at the beginning to fully understand why Wendy’s resolution and strength are so meaningful and to fully understand how all of the cast intertwine with one another.
4.5 Prime Abilities out of 5
Gabriel and Wendy’s lives felt extraordinarily blessed when they were able to reverse the effects of hypno-touch and cure their myriad of life-threatening cancers. On top of this blessing, Wendy somehow became pregnant during the worst of her illness, and the promise of a child together should bring them closer together than before; however, Wendy’s healing came at a painful cost: complete loss of her special abilities including the emodar that has been part of her being as long as she can remember. As she struggles to learn how to interact with her husband and family without the crutch of reading their emotions, Wendy spirals into anger and depression that gets fueled further by bad news about her infant son; however, there are people who still value her abilities over her health and safety, and they will stop at nothing to get her help. Could the unexpected trials help Wendy rebuild herself as a stronger woman who will stop at nothing to protect those she loves?
I loved the first chapters of Shadoworld, the fourth installment in Rachel E. Kelly’s Colorworld series. Wendy’s difficulties in learning to live as a normal human being seemed like a wonderful parallel for anyone dealing with changes in capabilities, and I sympathized strongly with how she had to learn how to function with her new normal. Unfortunately, the tonal shift about a third of the way through the book threw me off a little, although, admittedly, it would have been abject navel gazing if the entire story had been Wendy examining herself and trying to grow, and it took me a few chapters to figure out the point of the sudden shift. However, by halfway through the book, I was completely on board again, and I loved seeing more depths to Mike. Bringing Letty, Wendy’s high school best friend, back into the story definitely added some lighthearted fun, as well, plus female bonding is always a good thing in my opinion. By the end of the book, I couldn’t believe how quickly I’d ripped through it, and I kept tapping my Kindle convinced I had somehow missed pages. The world shifted so much through the course of the story that I was sure there had to be more right away.
While there are hardships, losses, and conflicts in Shadoworld, I found it much less emotionally painful to read than Lumaworld simply because none of the issues carried the personal impact of drawn out illness; however, it is still darker than the first two books in the series. Hope, growth, and positivity continue to be focal points for the main characters, and even the worst events have a purpose rather than serving as melodrama or fridging.
Shadoworld was a light, fluffy read after the emotional trials of Lumaworld, but it’s not just a puff piece to fill pages. Wendy is morphing from girl into capable young woman through the course of the series, and she learns who she is, how to adjust to a changing purpose, and the nature of love through the course of this book. If you love Kelly’s characters the way I do, this is a must read, but please don’t jump on here. You need to start at the beginning to fully understand why Wendy’s resolution and strength are so meaningful and to fully understand how all of the cast intertwine with one another.
4.5 Prime Abilities out of 5
October 20, 2015
I received a free copy of this book from the author (Thank you!!) but that has in no way affected my review or feelings towards the written story.
Shadoworld is the fourth installment of the Colorworld series by Rachel E. Kelly, so if you have no idea what I’m talking about then I suggest looking up Colorworld (which is book one). I would consider this series New Adult based on Wendy’s age (the first book starts with her in her late teens and is currently in her twenties by book four). That being said if you are a YA (young adult) reader I wouldn’t shut out this book too quickly. It still contains mainly YA aspects I love, being a Sci-Fi type of premise and considering it starts with a teenage Wendy trying to find a way to make it through the challenges of her life.
I did really like Shadoworld, I think more so than Lumaworld. Shadoworld brought aspects from book one and two that I felt weren’t as present in book three due to the dire circumstances the characters were faced with. There was more lighthearted humor to this book. I’m giving Shadoworld 4/5 stars.
If you haven’t read the book, the series or/and don’t want to be spoiled in any way than I would stop reading this (below is the link to my full review which includes a spoiler half) and look into the books some more. Seriously, it won’t be the same if you don’t gasp at all the shocking parts when you read them.
I do recommend this series so I suggest at least looking into it
Full Review by Me
Shadoworld is the fourth installment of the Colorworld series by Rachel E. Kelly, so if you have no idea what I’m talking about then I suggest looking up Colorworld (which is book one). I would consider this series New Adult based on Wendy’s age (the first book starts with her in her late teens and is currently in her twenties by book four). That being said if you are a YA (young adult) reader I wouldn’t shut out this book too quickly. It still contains mainly YA aspects I love, being a Sci-Fi type of premise and considering it starts with a teenage Wendy trying to find a way to make it through the challenges of her life.
I did really like Shadoworld, I think more so than Lumaworld. Shadoworld brought aspects from book one and two that I felt weren’t as present in book three due to the dire circumstances the characters were faced with. There was more lighthearted humor to this book. I’m giving Shadoworld 4/5 stars.
If you haven’t read the book, the series or/and don’t want to be spoiled in any way than I would stop reading this (below is the link to my full review which includes a spoiler half) and look into the books some more. Seriously, it won’t be the same if you don’t gasp at all the shocking parts when you read them.
I do recommend this series so I suggest at least looking into it
Full Review by Me
June 14, 2025
I have to say I really like this book better then the third one. I love Mike and Wendy's dynamic relationship. I do say it was quite long and I started getting bored in parts of it but the twisty parts toward the last half are good just wish it was about 100 pages shorter.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews