Auren learns she is destined to enslave the people of her world, and Drevin, emperor of the Galvadi Empire is determined to end her life before it happens. Her foster father, Kado, has sworn to protect her and trains her as a shadow stalker. But her training is cut short, when their people are overrun by the Galvadi Empire. Now she has to find a way to help her people without succumbing to the prophecy.
The Hidden Truth (Episode 1)
A young shadow stalker is destined to enslave the people of the Serpent Isles, and the Galvadi Empire want this child of prophecy dead. Auren Trasks perfectly normal life is disrupted when the Galvadi invade, and she learns a startling secret about her past. A secret that will change her life forever.
The Delohi-Saqu’s Fate (Episode 2)
Auren is being targeted by the Council of Elders, and the only one who could put an end to their corruption is her father. But leaving the Dark Isle would turn Kado against her.
Shadows’ Betrayal (Episode 3)
After seeing the monster she will become, Auren swears not to leave the Dark Isle. Despite that, the elders are conspiring against her. To escape their scheming, she and Kado decide to explore the Dark Isle. But worse things await them in the forests.
Forbidden Love (Episode 4)
Kado and Auren survive a deadly storm, but when Auren is forbidden from pursuing love with another young shadow stalker, will it be enough to drive a wedge between her and her foster father?
Destiny Reconciled Part 1 (Episode 5)
Auren and Kado accept that they may not be able to avoid her leaving the Dark Isle. Now they have to prepare for that eventuality. Will the training be more than Auren can handle?
Destiny Reconciled Part 2 (Episode 6)
Cathnor has been arrested and is facing a death sentence. The Dark Isle is out of control, and Kado is the only one who can help his people. So he prepares Auren for the possibility that she may have to leave the Dark Isle without him and face her destiny alone, but can she leave him and do what must be done?
Excerpt
"Put out the fire!" I yelled. I shoved the binoculars back into Deakan's hand and started throwing dirt from the hole we dug for the fire pit over the campfire. Jade helped me while Deakan looked through his binoculars to see for himself.
"What's happening, Auren?" Jade asked.
I worried that Jade might start to panic, but it wouldn't help to keep her ignorant when it was obvious something was happening. "The Galvadi are invading the island. They're burning down the villages, and there's a hydrocar heading our way. They must have seen our campfire."
"It might be someone coming to warn us." She stood up and looked out into the valley again, with a hopeful expression.
I shook my head at the same time that Deakan thrust his binoculars back in his bag. Jade might not have been able to see the hydrocar in the distance, but it was clear that she saw the flames engulfing the village. Both she and Deakan helped me cover the fire pit in silence, then Deakan threw his backpack over his shoulder.
"We'll need to get to your hydrocar and get off the island," I said, studying the gap in the trees to the north where Deakan's hydrocar waited just beyond the forest. I couldn't see it from the angle we were at, but I couldn't see any of the darker Galvadi vehicles either. I doubted it would take them long to overtake the island and disable our lone escape, though.
"Are you nuts? It's too far away. We'll never make it before they get here!" Deakan said, pointing toward the Galvadi who were heading in our direction.
He was right. "Let's head toward the northern forest then, and we can make our way to your hydrocar from there." The forest was about two kilometers from us, but the Galvadi were far enough away we would have time to make it there if we ran.
Deakan nodded and took off, and Jade and I followed after grabbing our backpacks. His long legs drove him several meters ahead of us within minutes. When he noticed how far we had fallen behind, he stopped and scanned the hilltop while he waited for us, then let us go ahead so he could keep pace with us.
Half way there, Jade came to a halt and bent over panting real hard. She was not as fit as Deakan and I were. "I can't—"
I grabbed her arm and pulled her behind me. "Run! They're almost across the lake." In truth I had no idea where they were because we were on the opposite side of the hill now, but I needed to keep her moving somehow. It worked, and Jade began running again, albeit slower. By the time we reached the trees I heard the whine of the vehicle in the distance. I glanced back before joining my friends in the forest, and saw that the Galvadi had reached our camping spot. It wouldn't take long for them to realize where we went.
The canopy of leaves dampened the little daylight that was left. Fallen branches and other foliage littered the ground, so it would not be safe for us to continue running. If one of us suffered an injury, there'd be no way we could stay ahead of the Galvadi. As it was, it would take a lot of luck to keep us from being captured. Deakan held up his hand. I stopped moving, but Jade bumped into me.
"Voices," he whispered and pointed ahead.
Professional Reviews
An Exciting Coming-of-Age Story
This series is truly a series, as it is serialized into bite-sized chunks, like a magazine serial. This format allows Scattergood the flexibility to move easily between locations and between points of view, a technique she often uses to good effect.
The story follows a young woman with a shadowy (pun intended) past and a clouded future. She's being raised, not by her parents, but by a strict foster father who has been training her for...what? She isn't sure at first. But after she goes sneaking off with her friends and ends up stumbling into an invasion by a hostile empire, she discovers that ***SPOILER ALERT****
she is actually a shadow stalker by birth, and not only that, but the person the enemies want to capture and neutralize. She and her foster father flee to a remote island, where she undergoes training in her new abilities until new danger forces them to run again.
One of the best things about the series are the characters, who are human and sympathetic. The heroine is both a tough, capable young woman, and a naive and self-centered teenager; the tension between the two sides of her personality as she is suddenly forced to leave childhood behind and enter into adulthood is often well-captured, as is her ambivalent relationship with her foster father. The worldbuilding is also lush and unique, especially the exotic carnivorous plants that inhabit the island where the shadow stalkers live. The episodic structure meant that for me the first few episodes were slightly disjointed and it took a little while for the action to get going; however, the second half was gripping, and it breaks off at a point that is guaranteed to whet the reader's appetite for more.
Will She Save Her People or Fulfill a Deadly Prophecy?
When I purchased this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleased to meet Auren, a young woman who was trying to live her life under the strict rule of her guardian Kado. She is on a camping trip with her friends when the area is suddenly invaded by the Galvadi Empire. They wage a war against the people in the Serpent Isles and the Dark Isles, where the Shadow Stalkers live. Kado finds Auren and takes her to a safe location, though her friends are left to fend for themselves. Auren’s entire life is thrown into upheaval when Kado explains that his primary duty is to keep her safe and that she has an important destiny. When Auren arrives at the Dark Isles, she must come to terms with who and what she really is. She rebels against Kado because she feels like important information is being kept from her. Once she finds out that she and Kado have many enemies, both on the Dark Isle and with the Galvadi Empire, she works hard to embrace her destiny and allows Kado to train her. Complications arise when she meets two handsome boys, one whom she is not allowed to care for and one who she should stay far away from. Will Auren accept her fate and live up to the expectations of Kado, her father, and the Shadow Stalkers? Will she be tempted by her new feelings and pursue a forbidden romance? Will she leave the Dark Isle to find her father and fulfill a deadly prophecy?
The first six episodes of this series focus on Auren’s journey of enlightenment as the truth unfolds all around her. So many questions are answered including what happened to her parents, why Kado became her guardian, and why he is so strict with her. She begins to remember training sessions from her past that were suppressed in her mind. She slowly starts to understand the importance of her role in the war against the Galvadi Empire. The story moves through Auren’s transition from a young woman who sneaks out with her friends and lives a simple life to a woman who will one day defeat her people’s greatest enemy.
The one complaint I have about the book is the pacing. The vivid detail and amazing world building is a major accomplishment, but sometimes the detail gets in the way of the progression of the story. There are also times when being stuck in Auren’s head can be difficult when she is having a tantrum about being left out of the loop. Her maturity level during times of stress is certainly understandable, but can be wearing when there is no forward progression of her thoughts. There were many times when I had hoped that she would break through her immaturity and accept her circumstances more willingly, but that’s not Auren’s style. She has to come to terms in her own way.
Ms. Scattergood has created an amazingly detailed world and rich history for her characters. It is easy to lose oneself on the Dark Isle with its lush plant life and simplistic lifestyle. Her characters are well defined and very likable. Her writing style is very accessible and enjoyable.
I would recommend this part of the series to anyone searching for a story about self-discovery. This story is about finding the strength to accept responsibilities that seem impossible, but are meant for only one person. I would say that I am looking forward to reading the next part of the series, but I have already devoured it, reviewed it, and am waiting impatiently for the third installment. I gave this part of the series 4.5 stars.
Grabs you from the beginning and is well written. ...
Grabs you from the beginning and is well written. This is not my usual genre of reads, but this work might change that.
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Reviews for "Shadow Stalker Part 1 (Episodes 1 – 6)"
