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After surviving a near fatal kidnapping, Gabrian is determined to pick up the sordid pieces of her life or at least she is trying to. But somewhere in the chaos something has gone awry.

Her ability to turn off the cravings is broken—leaving her victim to a body meant to run on instinct for survival, a body constructed to reap fear within the Realm.

Now Gabrian must test the strength of her will—harness in the unrelenting urge to feed in order to secure her Elders trust or risk becoming the monster that lurks within.

409 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2017

23 people are currently reading
254 people want to read

About the author

Kade Cook

7 books123 followers

Kade Cook is Supernatural fantasy fangirl. Her love of Twilight, The Mortal Instruments and ACOTAR inspired her to write her own fantasy book series, The Covenant of Shadows.

Book one, GREY, was Shortlisted for the 2017 Emerging Writer's Prize on June 27th for Canada's best new books in Speculative Fiction.

Born and raised as a NB 'Maritimer' from the East coast of Canada, Kade will always be at home around good times and kind hearts, proud to be a daydreamer with a story to tell.
You can visit her at goodreads.com/Kade_cook or come hang out on her website: kadecook.wordpress.com/ or facebook.com/kadecook.author/

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5 stars
33 (63%)
4 stars
9 (17%)
3 stars
7 (13%)
2 stars
1 (1%)
1 star
2 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Kayla Krantz.
Author 45 books742 followers
December 4, 2017
After recovering from the attack by her father that nearly killed her, Gabrian begins to learn new things about herself…like the fact that she’s Grey, capable of using more powers than just the Boragen ones she had believed she had. Trapped between her cravings and her desires to do right by the people she loves, Gabrian backs herself into a corner that she nearly doesn’t leave alive.

Action-packed and engaging, Calico continues us right from where Grey left off, engaging us in Gabrian’s newest journey. With vividly written characters and fantastic worldbuilding, Calico is a must read for all fantasy lovers!
247 reviews
December 24, 2017
The beautiful mind is at it again with CALICO: book two of The Covenant of Shadows (TCOS). TCOS has to be the literary fiction of supernatural paranormal if that’s even possible. It’s beautiful prose. CALICO begins where Grey left off; in a sort of calm. But things definitely not resolved for Gabrian Shadwell. Gabrian has to go before those pesky Elders again, and Cook does a good job of making you feel her anxiety, not only there but throughout the story. In short, Gabrian has a LOT going on, not only in her short hazy past as a Boregan, but in the way of her newly developing, colorful gifts.

Cook infuses powerful emotions in this second installment of the saga, both negative and positive, and the writing is superb. The dynamic between Shadow Walker, Shane, and Borrower, Gabrian is captured in these words spoken by Shane.“As long as there are stars to shine through the darkness of night and there is breath to fill my lungs, there will never be a place in this world or the next that my heart won’t find yours.” Bonito!

The strength of CALICO resides its mystery, suspense, and the complexity of its characters. When the story begins, things appear to be black and white where good and evil are concerned, but when it heats up (literally) and the plot thickens, all bets are off. Things definitely aren’t what they appear to be as one of the final chapter headers read: “A FRIEND, A FOE, OR SOMETHING IN BETWEEN. Cook takes the story to the limit and the characters and readers to a chilling place we only heard about in Grey: Erebus.

CALICO is one of those reads of the savoring kind. Try it out. “Following the narrow lip of sand that kisses against the grassy shoreline, Gabrian drifts down the beach, following the moon as it dances in the distance upon the ocean’s smoothened flesh.” Mmmm...

Cook also subtly blends in a bit of philosophy in this genre-defying piece. “There is always something good to fight for. And so, because of this, I [Shane] try to carry that measure of gratitude with me as a reminder to keep breathing, keep believing, and keep fighting for those precious moments.” And, “Not taking advantage of a chance to help someone is a wasted opportunity to witness one of life’s precious miracles.”

The pacing in CALICO is such that it never lets up, even in the final pages. I was compelled to read the final chapter twice. This one easily gets my highest recommendation. Soooo looking forward to the next book in TCOS series.
Profile Image for debturk1970_bookvibes.
1,857 reviews18 followers
August 23, 2018
A Rollercoaster Ride of Goodness 🥀💕❄ 3.5 Strong Stars!!🌟

I loved this as much as book 1. I do, however, dislike the main characters constant inner berating of herself & inability to open up those that love her & want nothing more for her to succeed!!🙄 I want to strangle that character flaw right out of her, she never learns & as a Psychologist you'd think she'd recognize her own issues & deal with them in a much more healthy way especially as its making her dangerous!!!

It's an extremely long book. It takes us through many of Gabrian's changes with her powers growing & her hunger spiking - she's in a constant battle with herself not to feed on people's life force 😳

It's an amazing story, I love the entire concept & can't wait for book 3!! 😀💕 This episode is a total rollercoaster ride that I wouldn't have missed for anything. The cliffhanger ending was brilliantly clever but equally frustrating. Lol

Debbie, 1970, UK
Profile Image for Yves Robichaud.
Author 2 books74 followers
January 31, 2018
Book Review
Calico (Covenant of Shadows, Book 2)
By Kade Cook

Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Calico is Canadian author Kade Cook's second novel. It is the second book in the The Covenant of Shadows young adult fantasy series.

As Gabrian Shadwell continues to struggle with her powers… dangerous powers… lethal even, she realizes that her life has changed forever. Through it all, she has found romance though nothing ever comes easy for her. With time, everyone realizes that there is more to Gabrian than initially thought and for many, she is viewed as a threat. She juggles her training and her love life all while trying to stay alive and not kill anyone.

I must admit that I half-expect that sequels will never live up to the original, but such is not the case with Calico. It picks off right where Grey left off and doesn’t stop for a second. It is an action-packed thrill of a ride and a wonderful book.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the young adult fantasy genre. I still think that this series is better then the Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare.

Kade Cook's blog: https://kadecookbooks.wordpress.com/
Buy from Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_nos...

Yves Robichaud
Author of Kaylen’s Rising (Tomes of Taria, Book 1)
www.facebook.com/KaylensRising
www.twitter.com/@yvesr72
www.yvesrobichaud.com
Profile Image for EJ Hatton.
26 reviews10 followers
December 28, 2017
Oh my Lord!! I was totally not expecting that. Especially the ending. I won't say too much for the sake of potential readers. There is one burning question that I need to ask: is there going to be a third book or is this the last? This book, along with the first, is a definite must buy.
Profile Image for Jenna McLean.
37 reviews
January 18, 2018
Kade Cook has outdone herself with Calico!
Her growth as a writer/author is just...wow! Grey was absolutely wonderful and really drew you in, but Calico knocked it out of the park! Way to go Kade - I can't wait to see what happens next!
Definitely in my top favorite books of all time!
Profile Image for KL Cook.
3 reviews5 followers
December 19, 2017
Without missing a beat the author picks up Gabrian's story, opening up the her still relatively new world even more. She allows you to see the characters in more light and fall into their personalities, to feel their pain, and joy as if it were your own. Kade also turns a light on to the soul suffering struggles that those with addictions often go through and allows us to see how they rationalize and cope with such an all consuming and internal war zones they live within.

Through laughter, tears, and subtle insight it is a journey that wrenches at your heart and yet fills your private thoughts with possibilities and hope. A story about the supernatural world, told like no other before, an adventure worth taking... one that makes you long for more of this realistic yet mystical Realm. Cannot wait to dive into the next portion of this dark fantasy series.
Profile Image for J.B. Richards.
Author 6 books146 followers
March 16, 2019
New twists on vampire lore, stunning revelations, and tense romantic situations make for a highly stimulating read in “Calico”—Kade Cook’s dark fantasy thriller and sequel to the first book in The Covenant Of Shadows Series, “Grey”.

Laced between layers of sumptuously descriptive text, Cook’s vision of a young woman who is newly aware of the supernatural powers she now possesses is both tantalizing and frightening. Even as her main protagonist, Gabrian, receives some much-needed training as she tries to come to terms with who and what she is, Cook keeps her readers engaged in a stimulating guessing game of precisely which of her mentors is working for good and who is tipping the scales toward evil. Fans of Cook will find an epic back-and-forth struggle ensues between clans even as Gabrian’s life—and that of others—hang in the balance.

Cook’s ability to weave a provocative and compelling story is undeniably visible in both “Grey” and “Calico”, but this second installment of The Covenant Of Shadows Series delves so much deeper into the world of shadows, revealing both new and old alliances, a broader range of otherworldly creatures, and powers beyond one’s wildest imagination.

Because of the complexity of Cook’s fantasy world and the characters contained therein, I do not recommend reading “Calico” without first having read “Grey”. Both novels, however, are brilliant reads that I highly advocate for occult, mystery, and paranormal romance fans ages 15 and up.
Profile Image for Samantha Dianna.
4 reviews
June 2, 2018
Amazing!!!!!

Well another great book....just need the third one to come out so I can sleep well in knowing what happens. Recommend this book to anyone that likes suspense, fantasy and alittle love in a book!!!
Profile Image for Sarah Northwood.
Author 23 books375 followers
March 23, 2018
I was lucky enough to win a digital copy of this book back in November but have just had time to read it and I do wish I’d got around to it sooner. This is the second book in a series, and as I didn’t read the first, I wondered if I might struggle to follow the storyline. Not at all, I was hooked in straight away with Gabrian’s tale. I love how the author Cook, has done such a wonderful job bringing to life characters that seem incredibly real. A suspenseful story, packed full of magical action, which is done in such a realistic way, I do hope that there will be a third book. This one finished with a feeling of more to come, and left things open ended.
Profile Image for Donamarie Fournier.
189 reviews1 follower
September 22, 2018
A mesmerizing story that just keeps going. This is a real roller coaster ride. Gabrian's story just keeps going in different directions. I love the calico colors and can't wait to find out what it all means. Now I need the next book to hurry up and get released so that I can find out what is going to happen next.
Profile Image for Carol Watkins.
22 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2019
Intense drama

Slow start, but the Story engulfs you. The self discovery of y
The main character is interesting. A fantasy world that invites you in.
399 reviews2 followers
July 25, 2024
I eat up every word, and the author’s pages fill me with satisfaction.
Profile Image for Vee Paradis.
8 reviews
April 5, 2018
I loved Calico so Much. It was the perfect book on the beach. I once again, wish it didn't end and could pick up the next one. So easy to read, so well written, such captivating and loving characters. I LOVE it.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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