Shadow Beneath the City

The Secrets of Shadow series, Book 1

Young Adult - Paranormal
Kindle Edition
Reviewed on 10/09/2023
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite

Shadow Beneath the City is the first book in The Secrets of Shadow series by Joel Hopkinson. Amara is a young vampire with a dilemma in that she wants to kill all vampires for murdering her parents. Amara's constant companion, Shadow, is her only link to the human she used to be. Crime is a problem in New Mercia, and when three hoodlums stroll up looking for their next potential rape victim, they become Amara's next meal instead. Dropping by soon after to hear her favorite busker Lily play, Amara witnesses supernaturals she'd never known existed. After rushing Shadow to the vet, praying he would survive the injuries he'd sustained, Amara heads to the nearest police station to report Lily's abduction, where she meets Detective Carlos Ramirez. After recovering from the shock that there is a supernatural problem in New Mercia, Amara, Shadow, Detective Ramirez, and friends join together to save supernaturals from the evil that is the Lusus Naturae.

This is one of the more exciting paranormal stories I have read in a while and I applaud author Joel Hopkinson on his creative excellence in interweaving so many species within one tale. Shadow Beneath the City shows us what happens to domestic animals that are bitten by a paranormal species (shockingly, Wallace & Gromit seem to have had it all wrong!) and I loved seeing in my mind what transpires when a dog is bitten by a werewolf. Both good and evil are well represented and not only did I enjoy how the abduction played out, but seeing how the different species interacted with each other while trying to reach a common goal was extremely entertaining. I highly recommend Shadow Beneath the City to all fans of the paranormal who are over the age of fifteen, and I very much look forward to seeing what transpires in follow-up stories in this wonderful series.