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Cameron
FAMILY IS EVERYTHING.
When Griffin and Calvin Cameron set out to complete their family’s dream of connecting the worlds, they have no idea that everything they know is about to change, or that they’ll be plunged into a vicious fight for their own lives.
Struggling to understand his purpose for existence, Eclipse feels he will never be loved by his own kind. When he and his worst enemy are caught in the crossfire of a civil war, their only chance for survival may lie in the most unexpected of alliances.
However, Eclipse is still haunted by Cirrus, the Shadow he once was… and a dangerous new Empress has risen, seeking to dominate the Shadow world at any cost.
Cameron is the third book in the Shadows series, a saga of unlikely friendship between human and monster, set against the backdrop of a darkly thrilling mystery.
Is it true you started writing the Shadows Series when you were nine?
It is! I think it was around that time that I started feeling the lonely feeling, that sensation of missing something, but I wasn’t quite sure what. So I started telling Shadows as bedtime stories to my godsister, and it grew from there. I wrote countless drafts in the back of the class at school, and when I was fourteen I tried to get it published. It took a wee bit longer than that for it to get out into the world, but it feels so good that it’s here now and people are reading it and each having their own unique experience of it.
If you had to compare Shadows to something, what would you compare it to?
I hear people saying it reminds them slightly of Saturday morning cartoons, and it definitely carries that inspiration; I grew up with Beyblades, Pokémon and those sorts of anime on TV, and also those old movies on VHS like Dragon World, where the young human befriends a magical creature. Personally I think those comparisons exist because the soul-linked magical creature thing, what I like to call “monster buddy” fiction, is less of a genre these days- so I’m hoping that Shadows helps bring it back! I’d love more authors to be putting out books like that so I can read them.
So what other genres does Shadows fall into?
It’s a young adult thriller, amongst good company like the Hunger Games, the Maze Runner and the Chaos Walking Trilogy. It’s definitely fantasy/science fiction, but it’s based in our own modern time. I see it as less a typical fantasy adventure quest, and more so a thriller where the characters are running for their lives, being hunted, trying to survive just long enough to unravel whatever the heck the conspiracy is they’ve gotten themselves caught up in. It’s emotional, thrilling, laugh-out-loud (I hope), and a lot of fun.
Be honest. Is Griffin Cameron based on you?
No. He’s much shorter.
Anything else to add?
Read Shadows for Cirrus, the Fruit-Loops loving, slightly unhinged dragon-parrot. See, you’ve got to read it now.
Thanks for reading!
When Griffin and Calvin Cameron set out to complete their family’s dream of connecting the worlds, they have no idea that everything they know is about to change, or that they’ll be plunged into a vicious fight for their own lives.
Struggling to understand his purpose for existence, Eclipse feels he will never be loved by his own kind. When he and his worst enemy are caught in the crossfire of a civil war, their only chance for survival may lie in the most unexpected of alliances.
However, Eclipse is still haunted by Cirrus, the Shadow he once was… and a dangerous new Empress has risen, seeking to dominate the Shadow world at any cost.
Cameron is the third book in the Shadows series, a saga of unlikely friendship between human and monster, set against the backdrop of a darkly thrilling mystery.
Is it true you started writing the Shadows Series when you were nine?
It is! I think it was around that time that I started feeling the lonely feeling, that sensation of missing something, but I wasn’t quite sure what. So I started telling Shadows as bedtime stories to my godsister, and it grew from there. I wrote countless drafts in the back of the class at school, and when I was fourteen I tried to get it published. It took a wee bit longer than that for it to get out into the world, but it feels so good that it’s here now and people are reading it and each having their own unique experience of it.
If you had to compare Shadows to something, what would you compare it to?
I hear people saying it reminds them slightly of Saturday morning cartoons, and it definitely carries that inspiration; I grew up with Beyblades, Pokémon and those sorts of anime on TV, and also those old movies on VHS like Dragon World, where the young human befriends a magical creature. Personally I think those comparisons exist because the soul-linked magical creature thing, what I like to call “monster buddy” fiction, is less of a genre these days- so I’m hoping that Shadows helps bring it back! I’d love more authors to be putting out books like that so I can read them.
So what other genres does Shadows fall into?
It’s a young adult thriller, amongst good company like the Hunger Games, the Maze Runner and the Chaos Walking Trilogy. It’s definitely fantasy/science fiction, but it’s based in our own modern time. I see it as less a typical fantasy adventure quest, and more so a thriller where the characters are running for their lives, being hunted, trying to survive just long enough to unravel whatever the heck the conspiracy is they’ve gotten themselves caught up in. It’s emotional, thrilling, laugh-out-loud (I hope), and a lot of fun.
Be honest. Is Griffin Cameron based on you?
No. He’s much shorter.
Anything else to add?
Read Shadows for Cirrus, the Fruit-Loops loving, slightly unhinged dragon-parrot. See, you’ve got to read it now.
Thanks for reading!
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 28, 2019
3 people want to read
About the author
Sam Blood
10 books33 followersSam Blood lives in Auckland, New Zealand, where he spends his days writing urban fantasy, eating, and trying to impress his spectacular Sri Lankan lawyer wife with plot twists. He started writing the first book about magical creatures called Shadows when he was nine years old, and frankly, things have spiralled out of control ever since. If you enjoyed his books, he’d really appreciate a quick rating or review—reviews help indie authors get seen! www.sambloodauthor.com www.instagram.com/sambloodauthor www.facebook.com/sambloodauthor
Dive into the Shadows universe with my other books:
Counterpart Academy: (Young Adult, Urban Fantasy)
A Warrior So Clever and Cursed (Prequel)
A School so Gorgeous and Fatal
A Princess so Noble and Vengeful
The Shadows Series: (Young Adult, Portal Fantasy)
Shadows
Raven
Cameron
Majestic
Eclipse
Winghold
Dive into the Shadows universe with my other books:
Counterpart Academy: (Young Adult, Urban Fantasy)
A Warrior So Clever and Cursed (Prequel)
A School so Gorgeous and Fatal
A Princess so Noble and Vengeful
The Shadows Series: (Young Adult, Portal Fantasy)
Shadows
Raven
Cameron
Majestic
Eclipse
Winghold
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 3, 2023
This series has been taking me an incredibly long time to read, especially considering how much I love it. I read the first book all the way back in 2017, when I was still the same age as Griffin and in high school (I'm graduated from uni now). It wasn't until 2021 that I read the second book, and now, in 2023, I've finally read the third book. Better late than never, I say... and Sam Blood doesn't disappoint. This book was as good as all the others and impossible to put down.
Having said that, I'm actually glad I didn't read this right after I read the first one. This one is darker than the previous books in the series. It's more mature, and less resolved. It wouldn't have satisfied the overly sensitive, idealistic dreamer that I was at 16- the girl who was so moved by the perfect triumphant arc and grand utopian vision of Shadows. This one is more of a reality check. It shows us that we can't save the world as easily as we'd like to.
Coming to it now, though, I was able to fully appreciate it- although I need book 4 right away. This one was told through two POVs- Griffin and Eclipse- with plenty of action and excitement in both POVs. The characterisation is great- every single character is so complex and developed.
Firstly, we need to talk about Calvin. He really threw my head for a spin in this one. There I was after reading the first book, thinking I not only understood him, but related to him, even! I thought he and Griffin were like me and my 11-years-younger brother- well, we are nothing like them! Shame on me for imagining that I would treat my brother the way Calvin treats Griffin. The worst part, though, is the implications that this book's revelations about him have about humans and Shadows being united. Calvin was the case study. He was the example of how people can change once united (or, in his case, reunited) with their Shadows. But in this book, we discover that he hasn't changed as much as we thought he had, and what does that say about the whole vision?
We also need to talk about Eclipse. I live for his character arc in this one. It was one of those instances of the right book coming into my life at exactly the right time, because his character arc mirrors exactly what I'm going through at the moment.
My favourite characters are still Phoebe and Ember. I don't think the fact that I happened to choose a Shadow and human pair as my favourites is any coincidence, either- they have the same spirit, and I love them for it.
Having said that, I'm actually glad I didn't read this right after I read the first one. This one is darker than the previous books in the series. It's more mature, and less resolved. It wouldn't have satisfied the overly sensitive, idealistic dreamer that I was at 16- the girl who was so moved by the perfect triumphant arc and grand utopian vision of Shadows. This one is more of a reality check. It shows us that we can't save the world as easily as we'd like to.
Coming to it now, though, I was able to fully appreciate it- although I need book 4 right away. This one was told through two POVs- Griffin and Eclipse- with plenty of action and excitement in both POVs. The characterisation is great- every single character is so complex and developed.
Firstly, we need to talk about Calvin. He really threw my head for a spin in this one. There I was after reading the first book, thinking I not only understood him, but related to him, even! I thought he and Griffin were like me and my 11-years-younger brother- well, we are nothing like them! Shame on me for imagining that I would treat my brother the way Calvin treats Griffin. The worst part, though, is the implications that this book's revelations about him have about humans and Shadows being united. Calvin was the case study. He was the example of how people can change once united (or, in his case, reunited) with their Shadows. But in this book, we discover that he hasn't changed as much as we thought he had, and what does that say about the whole vision?
We also need to talk about Eclipse. I live for his character arc in this one. It was one of those instances of the right book coming into my life at exactly the right time, because his character arc mirrors exactly what I'm going through at the moment.
My favourite characters are still Phoebe and Ember. I don't think the fact that I happened to choose a Shadow and human pair as my favourites is any coincidence, either- they have the same spirit, and I love them for it.
January 25, 2023
Action packed
Some huge unexpected twists as things ramp up in the series. This continues where both book 1 and 2 left off with both timelines coming together leading up to peak action. Awesome character development. Looking forward to reading the next one.
Some huge unexpected twists as things ramp up in the series. This continues where both book 1 and 2 left off with both timelines coming together leading up to peak action. Awesome character development. Looking forward to reading the next one.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews