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Shadows #1

Shadow Hunters

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Alex Garretty is forced to start over– new town, new school, and new name. This much she knows. It's what she doesn't know that could destroy her.

Alex is yanked from her home in the middle of the night. Her entire family is moved across country and given new identities. Just when she thinks it can't get any worse, she meets Daniel– her mysterious, charming classmate. It isn't long before she learns that she isn't the only one keeping a big secret, but Daniel's secret could cost Alex her life.

When a visitor from her past arrives in town, Alex must quickly learn who she can trust. As she discovers the truth about her destiny, Alex must find a way to accept it and even more importantly, a way to survive.

***Shadow Hunters was previously released as The Shadows under the pen-name H.J. Keane

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 2012

384 people are currently reading
763 people want to read

About the author

Hunter J. Keane

39 books34 followers
Hunter J. Keane lives in Chicago where she surrounds herself with good food, great books and fantastic friends.

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5 stars
188 (36%)
4 stars
168 (32%)
3 stars
102 (19%)
2 stars
37 (7%)
1 star
20 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Profile Image for Sandra.
3,354 reviews12 followers
February 12, 2018
2.5 star Not bad but also not terribly original it is filled with the standard YA PNR clichés. 1. Alex moves to new town. 2.Hot mysterious boy befriends her. 3.Alex discovers she has special powers 4. Hot mysterious boy is involved with secret demon slaying life and must train & protect her. 5. Hot ex shows up to create triangle. 6. Boys don’t trust each other but will work together to help Alex. 7. Mysterious shadowy organisation oversees Alex and directs her demon slaying. 8. Alex discovers dead parent was ...dun dun dun ...murdered by demons and is the source of her powers. 9. Alex is not only a demon slayer, she is a super special demon slayer. 10. Alex makes a stupid decision to sneak off and confront the demons alone to ‘save’ a loved one instead of making a plan.
As I said this wasn’t bad it is just that I have read this story a million times and the characters weren’t compelling enough for me to engage with, or even overlook the clichés. And Daniel had he personality of a slice of bread. He was just so bland.
Profile Image for Noah.
138 reviews
November 17, 2020
1.5 stars. I wanted to enjoy this and I’m more disappointed that I didn’t than disappointed by the book itself. I don’t tend to care about tropes being repetitive so that didn’t bother me. What did bother me was the blatant similarities to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Watchers = Guardians
Hunters = Warriors
Vampires = Shadows (they may be demons but the fangs make it very obvious what they were based on)

If I wanted to read something that’s in the Buffy universe, I’d go read it. Not something that’s very clearly a plot pulled from a tv show.

What also bothered me was that everything seemed to be a part of something bigger. When the book was over it didn’t seem like an ending to a book but a section to the story. It felt as though after dealing with Malthius and the whole prom thing, that there was more to come, like that was just a blip on the radar. I know there are 2 more books but it felt like this was only the first part of one book rather than an entire book.
Profile Image for Meche.
164 reviews12 followers
October 6, 2020
Didnt finish. The protagonist is annoying and super stupid considering she is in witness protection for a reason. She trusts Evan for no reason other than he is handsome and even when he lies to her and lets her be attacked she suddenly wants to hear from him and everyone thinks she is his property just because he is her guardian. I hated the book, the main character is judgy, it has the typical blondie that talks to her, is nice to her, but after she finds her "true" friends she categorizes her as a bimbo mean girl. I dislike her a lot
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Krystyna.
5,134 reviews55 followers
July 13, 2018
The blood is the key

Good read! Very similar to other works I've read but the story flowed well. The proofing could have been better and it got a bit annoying at times. The characters got better as the book progressed. Basically a fight of good against evil with her blood as the key to letting the evil in. Would I read any more in the series - possibly if the price was right ie 0.99p, otherwise no.
Profile Image for Zagorka Mihaylova.
3 reviews1 follower
January 24, 2020
Not bad at all. If you like that kind of characters , you can start the journey with Alex and Daniel and the world of Shadows . Basically the story trows you at the modern world, one hidden hero has to rise up and understand what is like to be a shadow hunter and at the same time save your family and the world of course.. There is love, new friendships , battles , betrayal and everything you will want in a romance-teenage monster type world .
Profile Image for Susan Harrowa.
239 reviews1 follower
February 12, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed!

Unique and engaging story. A little bit different from your regular urban fantasy demon hunter tales. But I love the heroine-strong willed, smart, sarcastic quick wit and makes the best of everything thrown at her. It's a fairly quick read without skimping on creativity or details.
Profile Image for Jeannie.
1,044 reviews30 followers
July 25, 2018
This book was a mixed bag for me. The basic storyline was pretty good, but I felt confused most of the book. I kept hoping it would get better. The book cover caught my eye and when I read about it, it seemed interesting, the follow through just wasn’t there. Yeah I’m sad, I had high hopes for it.
Profile Image for Alesha Simpson.
21 reviews
November 1, 2020
It was a good read.

I gave this book 4 stars because as much as I enjoyed the book I felt the 2 main characters had very little emotion. Alex was a good strong character, but I felt I was lacking how she was actually feeling at times. Daniel was a good character as well but I felt I knew more about his brother than him.
306 reviews
October 20, 2021
Growing up

This book is a great example of what a teenager goes through when they face harsh circumstances and comes out of it with knowledge and purpose. Understanding her potential as a Warrior is just the beginning. I look forward to the trials to come and hope the next book is as good as the first.
Profile Image for Fiona.
297 reviews6 followers
June 14, 2018
I just could not connect to the characters at all and sadly found myself rolling my eyes at the main characters predictable annoying nature. I'll admit the characters do improve way later in the book.

I may try reading again to see if it was just me.
Profile Image for Holly Mavigliano.
205 reviews1 follower
October 4, 2020
Interesting

Book was fine.plot was pretty good. A little romance, a little action. Characters were not that well developed...just kinda there. Writing was good and book flowed well.
78 reviews1 follower
October 1, 2017
Not good

Not a good book. The main character is whiny and spoiled, the dialog is trite. The story could be good but it needs better follow through.
Profile Image for Sheila Ryals.
2,630 reviews13 followers
October 18, 2020
😻

It was ok. Not sure what else to say. I guess just not my cup of tea. The storyline was interesting!
800 reviews4 followers
January 6, 2021
Not bad

The surprise revelation was not expected, so that was good, but she seemed totally ok with it. No adjustment period at all.
Profile Image for Krysti Tauer.
176 reviews12 followers
January 8, 2021
Quick teen read

I enjoyed this book. It’s a great teen read and I liked the story line. I look forward to the next book of fighting demons
154 reviews1 follower
February 9, 2024
Not bad at all

I enjoy ed this book. I read it very fast too. It took only several nights to finished it. It was very interesting.
Profile Image for mady.
273 reviews
January 30, 2025
in like 5th grade i was obsessed with this series so i’m feeling nostalgic
Profile Image for Jackie.
19 reviews14 followers
October 16, 2025
Great book

Great book the storyline is amazing I did notice a few spelling errors though. I loved it very much !
Profile Image for Shay.
132 reviews12 followers
July 28, 2012
***I received this novel in a giveaway on LibraryThing.com ***

The Shadows by Hunter J. Keane is a refreshingly unique novel. A fight between good and evil rests upon the shoulders of Warriors, and this story features a young teen girl named Alex. Alex's life is turned upside down where her and her family are uprooted from their home in the middle of the night and forced to move for their own protection- having to change their looks, names, and identity, and forced to keep secrets. But their secret, along with others, are unraveled and lives are put in danger.

The Shadows is a fantastic novel. The characters are likeable and endearing. The story is fun, fast-paced, and entertaining. This novel is definitely worth the time to read. I can not wait to see what will happen in the next installment of this trilogy.
Profile Image for Barb VanderWel.
1,819 reviews30 followers
December 30, 2022
I love this & I can't wait for more.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.
Profile Image for Becca.
6 reviews
February 28, 2023
Partway through it felt like large chunks of world building & backstory were cut out, which kicked me out of the story. Overall, I think this book has potential, but some rewriting needs to be done.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews

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