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Translucent #4
Slaying Shadows
The girl sobbing in 16-year-old Leona Hewitt’s bedroom has the same long dark hair as her, the same startled hazel eyes as her, the same stuck-up nose as her. She’s identical in every way . . . and she’s here to take Leona’s place.
By a twist of fate, Leona has until midnight on Halloween to outsmart her evil double and steal back her shattered life—and her soul—or forever become a ghost.
But all the clues point to a startling truth. To her horror, she’s learning the other Leona has more claim to her old life than she does—even to her boyfriend.
Could it be that after all this time, everything she knows about herself is a lie?
By a twist of fate, Leona has until midnight on Halloween to outsmart her evil double and steal back her shattered life—and her soul—or forever become a ghost.
But all the clues point to a startling truth. To her horror, she’s learning the other Leona has more claim to her old life than she does—even to her boyfriend.
Could it be that after all this time, everything she knows about herself is a lie?
- GenresYoung Adult
325 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 15, 2015
3 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 4, 2015
I swear each book in this series surpasses the last!
January 31, 2016
Let me start by saying that I didn’t know I’d enjoy this series so much, and I certainly didn’t know I’d plow through these four books so quickly. When I started, I didn’t realize how long the series was, so when I read the author’s note at the end of the third book telling me I was halfway through the series, I was filled with terrible anguish. Not because I was getting closer and closer to the end, but because the fifth and sixth books have yet to be released! You mean I’m actually going to have to wait to find out what happens next? That’s like spending the next few months on Tartarus!
But since I’m really here on Earth, let’s talk about book four. Remember, I’ll do what I can to keep the review spoiler-free for this book, but I really do have to mention some plot points from the previous three.
The previous book ended with Leona returning from the dark planet orbiting the black hole and heading to confess to Emory for Ashley’s death. Emory’s with his girlfriend, and she’s…Leona herself! Is it a dark matter copy of her like how there was evil-Ashley in book two?
This book starts with a one-page prologue reminding the reader of this scene…except it’s narrated by THE OTHER LEONA! This is abso-freaking-lutely brilliant, and it expertly sets up the main conflict driving the book.
This other Leona isn’t the dead-eyed vengeful zombie that the other Ashley was. She seems like Leona, and they each make plausible arguments of how the other could be the fake Leona. I saw both scenarios, and because the prologue switched point of view, a little twinge of doubt about the narrator being the real one was always in the back of my mind. That kept me more on my toes than in the previous two books. Every twist, turn, dream sequence, blackout, shift in perspective, and vision shown by Dark was fresh and exciting. I like dopplegangers as a plot device about as much as invisibility, but throw them together whenever the Leonas spied on each other? Outstanding!
The alien invasion has started, and people all over the world are vanishing and reappearing as dopplegangers. The military is ready to fight, and at least one of the Leonas has discovered a weapon and has Emory on her side. The literal opposite of dark matter is light matter, but I won’t spoil what this blue substance is made of. You’ll just have to follow the breadcrumbs to learn the answer, and I’m intrigued about the commentary on humanity it may make in subsequent books.
There are scenes within the multi-dimensional space inside a wormhole. These scenes are vividly described and really intrigued the physics nerd in me. I loved how Leona (whichever one she was) tried to make sense of what she perceived there. Rix took a theoretical construct and made it into a very real—and mesmerizing—place for the narrator.
Throughout this installment, I found myself ruminating upon the ongoing themes of guilt and atonement. Leona finally gets to confess to Emory for hiding his sister Ashley’s dead body, but can Leona fully atone for her sins? Would going to jail be enough? What about being in some sort of solitary personal Hell? Would such a sin split apart someone’s soul—or could they lose it completely? But would any of those punishments make a difference without being able to look the person you’ve wronged in the eyes? Or face her ghost? Or without being able to look yourself in the eye? That last one is brilliantly symbolized by the literal presence of the two Leonas alternatingly trying to form a tenuous truce and battling for dominance. I find it most amazing that since the start of book one, Leona has atoned in so many different fashions.
For her and Earth’s sake, let’s hope it’s enough. The events on the horizon in the yet-to-be-released fifth book Black Sun look bleak. Curse you, Dan Rix, for making me have to wait and find something different to read until then!
Let’s recap the rankings thus far. I thoroughly loved the 5-star premise, twisty-turny plot, scientific explanations, and symbolism of Translucent. The horror of Of Starlight was fun, but I missed some of the science, so I gave it 4.5 stars. I predicted a few too many events in Ash and Darkness, but the ambitious storytelling of Leona alone earned its slightly lower 4.5 stars. As for Slaying Shadows, I loved the which-one-is-the-real-Leona plot and the deep symbolism. This installment is my favorite since the first, slaying shadows (though only faint ones) of the previous two and rising back up to FIVE STARS.
But since I’m really here on Earth, let’s talk about book four. Remember, I’ll do what I can to keep the review spoiler-free for this book, but I really do have to mention some plot points from the previous three.
The previous book ended with Leona returning from the dark planet orbiting the black hole and heading to confess to Emory for Ashley’s death. Emory’s with his girlfriend, and she’s…Leona herself! Is it a dark matter copy of her like how there was evil-Ashley in book two?
This book starts with a one-page prologue reminding the reader of this scene…except it’s narrated by THE OTHER LEONA! This is abso-freaking-lutely brilliant, and it expertly sets up the main conflict driving the book.
This other Leona isn’t the dead-eyed vengeful zombie that the other Ashley was. She seems like Leona, and they each make plausible arguments of how the other could be the fake Leona. I saw both scenarios, and because the prologue switched point of view, a little twinge of doubt about the narrator being the real one was always in the back of my mind. That kept me more on my toes than in the previous two books. Every twist, turn, dream sequence, blackout, shift in perspective, and vision shown by Dark was fresh and exciting. I like dopplegangers as a plot device about as much as invisibility, but throw them together whenever the Leonas spied on each other? Outstanding!
The alien invasion has started, and people all over the world are vanishing and reappearing as dopplegangers. The military is ready to fight, and at least one of the Leonas has discovered a weapon and has Emory on her side. The literal opposite of dark matter is light matter, but I won’t spoil what this blue substance is made of. You’ll just have to follow the breadcrumbs to learn the answer, and I’m intrigued about the commentary on humanity it may make in subsequent books.
There are scenes within the multi-dimensional space inside a wormhole. These scenes are vividly described and really intrigued the physics nerd in me. I loved how Leona (whichever one she was) tried to make sense of what she perceived there. Rix took a theoretical construct and made it into a very real—and mesmerizing—place for the narrator.
Throughout this installment, I found myself ruminating upon the ongoing themes of guilt and atonement. Leona finally gets to confess to Emory for hiding his sister Ashley’s dead body, but can Leona fully atone for her sins? Would going to jail be enough? What about being in some sort of solitary personal Hell? Would such a sin split apart someone’s soul—or could they lose it completely? But would any of those punishments make a difference without being able to look the person you’ve wronged in the eyes? Or face her ghost? Or without being able to look yourself in the eye? That last one is brilliantly symbolized by the literal presence of the two Leonas alternatingly trying to form a tenuous truce and battling for dominance. I find it most amazing that since the start of book one, Leona has atoned in so many different fashions.
For her and Earth’s sake, let’s hope it’s enough. The events on the horizon in the yet-to-be-released fifth book Black Sun look bleak. Curse you, Dan Rix, for making me have to wait and find something different to read until then!
Let’s recap the rankings thus far. I thoroughly loved the 5-star premise, twisty-turny plot, scientific explanations, and symbolism of Translucent. The horror of Of Starlight was fun, but I missed some of the science, so I gave it 4.5 stars. I predicted a few too many events in Ash and Darkness, but the ambitious storytelling of Leona alone earned its slightly lower 4.5 stars. As for Slaying Shadows, I loved the which-one-is-the-real-Leona plot and the deep symbolism. This installment is my favorite since the first, slaying shadows (though only faint ones) of the previous two and rising back up to FIVE STARS.
June 25, 2016
With a series that seems to be on an upward trend, I was eager to jump into ‘Slaying Shadows, but held off for a month, so I wouldn’t need to wait an incredibly long time until the next installment is released. But thankfully, it’s not too far away, and with what went down in this novel, I was certainly lead on a thrilling ride.
Things are finally making sense. Consequences are finally being dealt with a heavier dose of reality than I’ve seen in the previous books giving it a darker tone. I loved it. The pacing is so much faster, so much more action takes place, and our protagonist Leona is really put through the ringer.
We see more character growth from Leona, not only from the challenges she has faced, but also in taking ownership for her actions – good and bad. I think that is the single most aspect of this series so far has really stood out.
I did have an issue with Leona popping in and out of dark matter – when had it become so plentiful and easy to come by? Previously it was such a scarce commodity, and now whenever she needed it, it was there.
There were many twist and turns I did not see coming – Megan, Emory, and with Leona herself. I am usually pretty clued on with my reading and can guess storylines and plot twists well in advance – but in ‘Slaying Shadows’ – either because I was so wrapped up in the action or drama; or because it’s just so out there, I had no idea what the eff was going on. Just brilliant.
So we get a lot of answers in ‘Slaying Shadows,’ but we also get many more questions posed, and by the end I was chomping at the bit for ‘Black Sun…’ but I’m going to have to wait until the physical book is released.
I got so excited with all the new elements introduced in this novel. Though that was tarnished by the “happenstance” of the main cast being thrust together by the hand of fate – that part of the story felt a little Machiavellian from the author… the organic nature of the story dwindling. But that’s just me nit picking. ‘Slaying Shadows’ was still immensely entertaining and left me begging for more.
I must say the end scene was a stroke of genius – I loved how it was described and the build of tension… but argh - a cliff-hanger!! Dan Rix you ruin me!
4 books down, 2 to go. Bring it on Mr Rix.
Things are finally making sense. Consequences are finally being dealt with a heavier dose of reality than I’ve seen in the previous books giving it a darker tone. I loved it. The pacing is so much faster, so much more action takes place, and our protagonist Leona is really put through the ringer.
We see more character growth from Leona, not only from the challenges she has faced, but also in taking ownership for her actions – good and bad. I think that is the single most aspect of this series so far has really stood out.
I did have an issue with Leona popping in and out of dark matter – when had it become so plentiful and easy to come by? Previously it was such a scarce commodity, and now whenever she needed it, it was there.
There were many twist and turns I did not see coming – Megan, Emory, and with Leona herself. I am usually pretty clued on with my reading and can guess storylines and plot twists well in advance – but in ‘Slaying Shadows’ – either because I was so wrapped up in the action or drama; or because it’s just so out there, I had no idea what the eff was going on. Just brilliant.
So we get a lot of answers in ‘Slaying Shadows,’ but we also get many more questions posed, and by the end I was chomping at the bit for ‘Black Sun…’ but I’m going to have to wait until the physical book is released.
I got so excited with all the new elements introduced in this novel. Though that was tarnished by the “happenstance” of the main cast being thrust together by the hand of fate – that part of the story felt a little Machiavellian from the author… the organic nature of the story dwindling. But that’s just me nit picking. ‘Slaying Shadows’ was still immensely entertaining and left me begging for more.
I must say the end scene was a stroke of genius – I loved how it was described and the build of tension… but argh - a cliff-hanger!! Dan Rix you ruin me!
4 books down, 2 to go. Bring it on Mr Rix.
December 18, 2015
This book. OMG. Poor Leona discovers she has a double, and she's taking over Leona's life. If that's not completely freaky, she also discovers that there are other doubles ("doppelgangers") who plan on feeding on human souls on Halloween and taking over.
Leona's struggle in this book pulled at my heartstrings. Her double has invaded every single facet of her life, and what's more, no one believes she's the real Leona. And her doppelganger believes she's the real Leona, and Leona (the real one) finally gets Emory to believe her. Together they discover that Ashley left them a message in her paintings, and, little by little, they piece things together.
One thing that happens to Leona really, really sucks. I really worried for her continued existence at that point. Thank you, Dan, for more emotional torture. ;)
Leona finally gets to atone for her crime, and ends up not where she thought, and Dan Rix being Dan Rix, he left us all hanging!
And what Leona is actually becoming -- I will not say because it's a spoiler -- but it's brilliant. I did not guess that, and it made perfect sense within the world Dan Rix created. (Of course, he's brilliant with his science, so I expected no less). Yeah. It will blow your mind.
But seriously, I finished this book in less than 3 days. It had some amazing twists and turns and WTF moments. It's a wild ride. I haven't really read many stories about doppelgangers, so this was cool and unique to me (and how they are made. Chilling stuff). It's a great book, and I guarantee you will be wanting -- needing -- the next book after this one, Black Sun.
Sweet dreams.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***
Leona's struggle in this book pulled at my heartstrings. Her double has invaded every single facet of her life, and what's more, no one believes she's the real Leona. And her doppelganger believes she's the real Leona, and Leona (the real one) finally gets Emory to believe her. Together they discover that Ashley left them a message in her paintings, and, little by little, they piece things together.
One thing that happens to Leona really, really sucks. I really worried for her continued existence at that point. Thank you, Dan, for more emotional torture. ;)
Leona finally gets to atone for her crime, and ends up not where she thought, and Dan Rix being Dan Rix, he left us all hanging!
And what Leona is actually becoming -- I will not say because it's a spoiler -- but it's brilliant. I did not guess that, and it made perfect sense within the world Dan Rix created. (Of course, he's brilliant with his science, so I expected no less). Yeah. It will blow your mind.
But seriously, I finished this book in less than 3 days. It had some amazing twists and turns and WTF moments. It's a wild ride. I haven't really read many stories about doppelgangers, so this was cool and unique to me (and how they are made. Chilling stuff). It's a great book, and I guarantee you will be wanting -- needing -- the next book after this one, Black Sun.
Sweet dreams.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***
January 12, 2016
Decent, but Rix seems to have a flaw in the 3rd and or 4th book in the series; the pacing somehow, skips a bit. While this was a good addition, it doesn't really start hitting you with much of anything fresh until the tail end of the book, which kind of pummels you, in a good way. The rest feels too much like a saunter through semi-expected territory; and while it includes quite a bit (Megan, Emory, and a few twist and turns of story that are interesting), having so much going on doesn't lend itself to caring too much about much of it; and some things seem more or less glazed over, leaving you feeling emotionally short-changed. Despite this, by the end, it does what it is supposed to do: Progresses the story. Hoping books five and six are more like the ending (And I expect 5, at least, will be.) Worth the read, especially if you've read the previous 3 installments, but you'll have to be patient with it.
January 8, 2016
The BEST book I have read inquire some time.
I have Kindle Unlimited so started this series with curiosity and no great expectations-boy was I ever wrong! Although the books run together, they Are a series, each book has a unique plot. So far, the third book was the best (to me). This book had me on the edge of my seat. Good thing wasn't around a lot b of people as I was shouting and exclaiming over the actions of the characters. So far Dan Rix has topped himself with each book, and I anxiously await the next book. Great job Mr. Rix!
I have Kindle Unlimited so started this series with curiosity and no great expectations-boy was I ever wrong! Although the books run together, they Are a series, each book has a unique plot. So far, the third book was the best (to me). This book had me on the edge of my seat. Good thing wasn't around a lot b of people as I was shouting and exclaiming over the actions of the characters. So far Dan Rix has topped himself with each book, and I anxiously await the next book. Great job Mr. Rix!
April 26, 2016
Genuinely enjoyed this book
I really have been pleasantly surprised with the series. I wasn't expecting much from it. It's suspenseful and intriguing and dark. The Emory/Leona love connection makes me super uncomfortable. I'm hoping for good things in the following books. I would recommend giving these books a try.
I really have been pleasantly surprised with the series. I wasn't expecting much from it. It's suspenseful and intriguing and dark. The Emory/Leona love connection makes me super uncomfortable. I'm hoping for good things in the following books. I would recommend giving these books a try.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews