Shadows Cast By Stars Review

464 pages

Two hundred years from now, blood has become the most valuable commodity on the planet—especially the blood of aboriginal peoples, for it contains antibodies that protect them from the Plague ravaging the rest of the world. Sixteen-year-old Cassandra Mercredi might be immune to Plague, but that doesn’t mean she’s safe—government forces are searching for those of aboriginal heritage to harvest their blood. When a search threatens Cassandra and her family, they flee to the Island: a mysterious and idyllic territory protected by the Band, a group of guerilla warriors—and by an enigmatic energy barrier that keeps outsiders out and the spirit world in. And though the village healer has taken her under her wing, and the tribal leader’s son into his heart, the creatures of the spirit world are angry, and they have chosen Cassandra to be their voice and instrument…

Review:

This book is definitely a little strange and steeped in the paranormal. I admit when I first started reading I thought it would be all about the government hunting the aboriginal's for blood. However, it turned out to be so much more than that. Cassandra and her twin brother Paul are both able to connect with the supernatural world and they also have powers that neither are sure how to use. Cassandra has a lot of growing and learning to do throughout this novel and she handles it pretty well. However, Paul has a harder time handling the things he sees and just fitting in with others in general. Some of the character interactions were a little strange to me, characters I initially thought were all bad turned out to have different sides to them as well. I really enjoyed the world building, it was steeped in mystery and mysticism with an amazing description that makes you feel as if you could see it right before your eyes. There wasn't a lot of rush to action moments in this book yet there were a lot of random twists and unexpected happenings that made it for an exciting read. I definitely recommend this novel especially if you like dystopian fiction mixed with the supernatural.