Review Double Trouble Style

Review

Double Trouble

Style

Shadows:

It’s almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn.

And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams—he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense. Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth—and that the truth is more likely to be found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly, who can she trust?

Haze:

"But what if we can’t find Jude?" 

He leans closer. His breath is warm on my ear. "We will."

"How can you be so sure?" I want to believe him so badly, but this is Rafa. The guy who’s all action and no plan. His smile is tired, knowing. An echo of a shared past I don’t remember. 

"Because I’m not smart enough to give up, and you don’t know how to." 

Gaby Winters’ nightmares have stopped but she still can’t remember her old life. Still can’t quite believe she is one of the Rephaim—the wingless half-angels who can shift from place to place, country to country, in the blink of an eye. That she was once the Rephaim’s best fighter. That demons exist. That Rafa has stayed. 

But most of all, she can’t quite believe that her twin brother, Jude, might be alive. 

And Gaby can’t explain the hesitancy that sidetracks the search for him, infuriates Rafa, and sends them, again, into the darkest danger.

So, I read both of these on my trip. I purchased Shadows myself after receiving Haze as an e-ARC from Net Galley and Random House of Canada Limited in exchange for an honest review. (Thanks guys!) I was super excited to dig into an angel/ nephilim book because it has been for ever since I've read one. There was that phase/time when every book ever centered around angels or nephilim and I got really sick of them, so I've avoided them. I was really excited to read that type book again and was really hoping that these would be great. 

On that same track, let's talk about my thoughts on the general concept and story line.  I found Weston's approach to it all quite refreshing and I loved what she did with it all! It was not at all like all the other books out there. There was no info dumping, but the world building was great and there was enough history that it wasn't confusing. I thought it was a really cool twist, very original and I felt it worked quite well

Boy, oh boy, the characters! Ooo, did I love them! They were all unique and had depth and dimension they were lovable, and spunky, and fresh. Rafa was hotter than Hades even though he could be a bitt of a butthead, it was in a lovable way. 

I loved Gaby and Maggie just as much. Gaby was so tough, yet volatile and spunky, and loving, and she had breakdowns. I loved that she had breakdowns. She was strong but let's face it no one is so strong that they don't go through the occasional breakdown. Her breakdown's weren't annoying, just realistic. Although the character growth was a little lacking and very subtle, I didn't care and had no problems with the characters.

The plot for Shadows  was well paced for the most part and it was all deliciously dramatic. Haze's plot was just as good and the ending was killer. (That just started the part of the song "You Give Love a Bad Name" where it is all "shot through the heart and you're to blame, and I realized that that pretty much sums up every fan's feelings about the ending.) It was shocking and emotional and just mm! I was left clutching my heart and whispering no!

The writing was acctually really good and I admire Weston for her amazing story crafting skill. I really had no problems with either book and Haze was a great follow up to Shadows. It did anything but pale in comparison to the first book and I loved the craziness and the drama of it all. 

Last Thoughts: I'd highly recommend these books to anyone who likes this genre. To people who are wary of Angel and Nephilim books, I'd say give it a chance and keep an open mind because these are not your average, cookie cutter Angel and Nephilim books. I am giving it four and a half stars out of five but really there isn't much of a reason for it not being a five our of five, other than the fact that I've gotten really stingy about giving five star ratings.

Shadows: Goodreads, Liberty Bay Books

Haze: Goodreads, Liberty Bay Books

Gif. Consensus: