Killed in an at-fault car crash, 18-year-old Lucinda returns as an angel to lead her grieving dog, Shadow, away from an inevitable life of loneliness and toward the only person she trusts to take care of him – her best friend Astrid.
–from the blurb about Shadow’s Angel
Unfortunately, finding Astrid is no simple task, but rather a three thousand kilometer journey across Australia filled with gloomy city streets, dusty outback roads, wannabe-film-star divas, drunken farmers with guns, rev-head sheep wranglers, a psychic-medium little girl, and a handsome truck driver with a secret burden of guilt. It’s going to be one hell of an adventure!
A massive thank you to Leesa Ellen for providing me with a digital copy for review! You can find out more about Shadow’s Angel on the official site and you can stay up to date with Leesa through her Instagram account.
Let’s be honest: Stories about dogs are a cornerstone of both movies and books. There are just so many good ones! But it doesn’t matter how many times this premise is used, it never seems to get old.
Leesa Ellen’s debut novel Shadow’s Angel is a perfect example of that. This book is, admittedly, outside of my usual preferences when it comes to reading; but it’s always good to branch out, right? It was equal parts sad and sweet, and I really enjoyed reading it.
But keep reading this review for Shadow’s Angel to find out more about what I enjoyed about this book!
Review
Obviously, the premise of this book is immediately intriguing! It’s a great play on a more common trope. There are a lot of movies like Hachi or Red Dog that focus on the dog’s devotion to his or her owner. This book was, essentially, the opposite of that, which I found super interesting. I always love it when authors turn popular tropes on their heads!
I really liked the characters, too. The dynamic between Lucinda and Shadow was so well-written and so sweet. Of course, considering the circumstances and context of the story, there were also a lot of painful parts. But that was definitely balanced out with some more positive emotions!
There were also a lot of great side characters that added so much to this book. It’s a bit difficult to talk about the plot and the characters separately for this book because they’re so intertwined. That’s true for any character-driven book, though, I suppose. Anyway, the characters and the different experiences Lucinda and Shadow had with them made for an excellent story that kept me entertained for the entirety of this book.
Additionally, I also just simply liked Ellen’s writing style. She has an amazing talent, and she especially has a knack for descriptions. Even the smallest details are included, and the scenery and story felt incredibly realistic. But it wasn’t just the physical descriptions that made me feel so present and involved in the story. She also wrote about the characters’ emotions and thoughts with such precision that they all came to life so vibrantly.
TL,DR Recommendation
All things considered, I recommend checking this one out if you’re a fan of this type of book! Shadow’s Angel was thoroughly enjoyable, and it’s an emotional rollercoaster. In short, this is a book that really makes you feel.
If you do choose to read this book, drop a comment down below to let me know your thoughts! Or, you can always reach out to chat on Instagram. I always love to talk about books, after all!
Additionally, if you enjoyed this review for Shadow’s Angel, you can use the Book Reviews tab above to see my full library of reviews. There, you’ll find plenty of other awesome books you can check out.
Buy it here!
