About the Book

Book: The Good Shadows
Author: Carol Alwood
Genre: Young adult romance with a supernatural twist
Release Date: January 10, 2020

She believed him when he told her some Shadows were good.
When sixteen-year-old Violet Blackstone seeks to belong outside of her Christian community, she opens doors to a dark world she doesn’t understand.
Her parents’ secret separation and conflict at church fuel her desire to find something more. She sneaks out to a party at Chuckanut House and meets Dakota Selby, the mysterious new guy at Bellingham High School who reads her tarot cards and tells her she doesn’t belong. When she discovers his family owns Chuckanut House, she plans to hold her parents’ twenty-fifth-wedding-anniversary party there to reunite them in the beautiful mansion surrounded by forest and ocean—and to spend more time with Dakota to prove she fits into his world.
Violet works her way into Dakota’s life and must face the secrets and Shadows buried deep within Chuckanut House and her own family’s past. Entrenched in darkness, Violet searches for light and love as she battles Shadows threatening to capture her soul.
When her life falls apart, where will she turn?
Winner of the 2016 Orange County Christian Writer’s book proposal contest.

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The Good Shadows by Carol Alwood is a very good novel about the pull of the dark world of Witches and Wiccan. Yes, there was a few times I wanted to quit ready this book because of the subject. I kept thinking how can Christians write and read about these things when the author described the spells and there rituals in details but I am glad I kept reading because it clearly shows that only God is the answer and not Magic and tarot cards.

This book does not glorify this dark practice, but to show how easy it is to seek out something, just as this evil, but it could also are alcohol or drugs or sex when we feel lost and trying to fill the void that only God can. Spiritual Valves and God are very much apart of this story as well.

I think parents should read this book before giving to younger teens and younger children before reading it themselves and doing the Bible study at there back of the book. No, I have done the study but I am thinking I might as I have teenage grandchildren and a grandson who is 10, just the ages to be curious about the world.

I know this subject needs to be address but I am sixty and what to keep my head buried in the sand, but God is calling all Christians to be aware and truly know what is going on in the world today. So as you can see this book has raised awareness and much thought and emotions within me.

I am eagerly awaiting book two.

I received a contemporary copy by the author and Celebrate Lit. These opinions are my own.

About the Author

Author Carol Alwood grew up in the green haven of Bellingham, Washington, the setting of The Good Shadows series. Now living in Southern California, she misses the raindrops on maple leaves, so when she isn’t home for a visit she writes stories that take place in her hometown. Carol adores fiction and is the author of the novelette, Ghost of a Girl. She also wrote Focused Backstory: The Key to Writing Deep Character Journeys, a newly released writing-craft book.

More from Carol

Magic isn’t a new topic for Christian fiction.
Many readers of this genre often enjoy spell-filled stories that take place in faraway lands because they know the narrative involves make-believe creatures and battles. But what if by becoming used to magic in stories we have allowed a gentle pathway for magical ideas to trickle into our lives? What if in one sudden moment (in the same way other things have become acceptable overnight) magic, a.k.a. magick, touched our fingertips in the real world, and we felt compelled to wield its power? Could it be that magic is already here? All one has to do is check online for tarot card readings, potion recipes, and steps for casting spells. What if while we scoffed at the thought of magic as something more than the stuff of fantasy our children stumbled upon it? From this logic, The Good Shadows was born.
Violet Blackstone is a sixteen-year-old pastor’s daughter who struggles to feel whole. Her parents hide their secret separation, she feels like she doesn’t fit in at church, and she meets a Wiccan priestess’s son who shows her another way of thinking. Nestled in the shadowy forests of the Pacific Northwest, Violet sets out on a new pathway that leads toward love and magick. Meanwhile, she uncovers disturbing information about her own family’s past. Her friend Owen tries to stop her from heading down this dark path, but she’s drawn in by a boy with forest green eyes and the desire to exercise control over her crumbling life.
What will it take for Violet to realize she has opened doors to a dark world and there are shadows are after her soul?
This award-winning book is available on Amazon in paperback and as an ebook (Kindle Unlimited). The Bible study at the end is ideal for small groups or individuals to enjoy an in-depth study on magick and sorcery. Don’t miss Ghost of a Girl, a novelette in The Good Shadows series, and The Dark Shadows (book two coming out June of 2020).
Carol Alwood is also the author of Focused Backstory: The Key to Writing Deep Character Journeys and the book’s corresponding workbook. Both are available on Amazon. While Carol lives with her husband and two daughters in Southern California, she loves visiting her hometown of Bellingham, Washington, where The Good Shadows takes place. The road to Chuckanut is a real place with stunning views and inviting forests. Check out her website for a virtual hometown tour and to read chapter one of The Good Shadows.