When Shadows Creep

by K. Brooks

Flynn Freemont thought he’d be better off without the other Guardians and away from Caldwell Manor. He had escaped the confines of eternity within the Manor’s ever-shifting walls and found meaning in his own life and the broken ties to his temporary family. Flynn thought he was free from the old ways, the Guardians’ rules, and their responsibilities. But now, something else has come crawling into his life, sniffing at Flynn’s power. The Darkness came, slinking out of the shadows in Flynn’s new home, Freemont House. With Flynn’s life in danger, his adoptive tribe—the other centuries-old Guardians—will do whatever it takes to bring him home. He reluctantly sheds the autonomy of his life by the sea and returns to Caldwell Manor, but the Darkness follows him and threatens to unravel the Guardians’ very existence. The Darkness waits for Flynn's resistance to fade, in order to feed its destructive efforts to destroy the Guardians’ protective connection to the multiverse. It will bide its time, waiting to strike when the Guardians are at their weakest. In order for the Guardians to save their world—and all others—from this unknown evil, they will have to shed old wounds and forgive new betrayals to save Flynn from the darkness. And himself.

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2018

Reviews

[Dave Wickenden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evil is Alive!
Unknown to mankind, there are Guardians who protect our world from parallel universes that coexist next to ours. When one of the Guardians is infected with an ancient evil that draws on the power of the multiverse, life as we know it is a threat.
Ms. Brooks brings evil to life. Her rich prose conjures up an ancient evil that is so manipulative that even the reader doubts what is real or imagined. The story is extremely well written and engrossing and I found myself revisiting the “Manor” hours after the lights were out. The adventures that are still unknown or untold about the Guardian’s exploits will make a rich garden for Ms. Brooks and her fans to play in.
The story moves at a frantic pace and will send shivers through the most versed horror fan. Suspense keeps building until the final confrontation explodes across the pages. This is a tale masterly told.
I was given an Advance Reading Copy in return for an honest review.

[J.B. Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overview: The Darkness is biding its time, waiting to strike when the Guardians are at their weakest. Can they shed old wounds and forgive new betrayals to save their world?

K. Brooks’ bone-chilling paranormal fantasy, “When Shadows Creep”, provides readers with a mind-bending trek into the unknown as Flynn Flanagan is persistently pursued by an insidious entity referred to as The Darkness. Brooks successfully instills fear and foreboding in this tale through the use of a Hitchcockian method of writing whereby the monster is never truly revealed, but it is feared and reviled for its elusiveness and lack of a fixed physical form. Only feelings like “the chills”, an extreme sensation of dread, and physical aches and pains are provided by the author to allow her characters to sense the monster’s presence and intent, representing the evil one in this tale as a true villain of the imagination. By the time the monster is cornered, it’s nearly too late to save anything... let alone Flynn.

While some paranormal horror stories seem unrealistic or contrived, “When Shadows Creep” comes through as a brilliantly constructed, hair-raising trek into a magical realm where the usual rules don’t apply. Aside from some formatting issues on the Kindle version I read, I was quite impressed and absorbed by this story. With no sexual situations, and only the type of horror one would find in PG-13 movie, I strongly recommend this paranormal fantasy for ages 13 and up.

[Jen Samson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a ride! The premise of this book is just mind boggling! The idea of a House that is ALIVE and moves and shifts between time and space, and protects its residents through these shifts is so beyond your average paranormal storyline! The pacing was perfect - fast and gripping. I read the electronic version and got so engrossed that I caught myself reaching for the top right corner of my kindle to turn the page. I loved that this story shows that courage is not the absence of fear but the strength and power of loyalty.

And that last scene? Stunning!

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! It is told through multiple points of view, which if not done right can be confusing but K Brooks does it wonderfully! It flows perfectly between characters and what is taking place in the story, making it easy to follow along. I was completely enthralled in the story and characters. My favorite thing K Brooks did in this book was gave the villain, the darkness, a voice. I found myself looking forward to what it was thinking throughout the story and what it was planning. Her writing is captivating and I really enjoyed her writing style. The story itself is unique and leaves for a great cliffhanger to the next novel. If you haven't read her first book, The Spark That Left Us, I do suggest you read that first!

I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I get what the author was trying to accomplish, however the world building was lacking, the characters were not well developed, it had far too many POVs in 3rd person with no differentiation of voice.

Most of the story was told and not shown, and it lacked a cohesiveness.

However, there were some parts that were written well, some of the individual action scenes had decent description, and they flowed, just not from one to the other.

Also, at some point a door was described as being twice as wide as the characters wingspan, even though the character did not have wings.


edit: the more I think about this book the more annoyed I am.

[Gabrielle Chevalier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was extremely well written. I felt as if I was reading something vintage and timeless. The story itself is strong and poetic. Descriptive, but not overly drowned out with filler content. It isn't usually the type of story I would normally go for, but I enjoyed it a lot. The cover itself is absolutely sweet! Good job! 5 Stars.