The Shadow Chaser by Dylan Birtolo

The Shadow Chaser

By Dylan Birtolo

Published by Inkwater Press

ISBN: 1592990746

278 pages

A Quick Synopsis: Darien Yost is a normal guy, just learning after a series of strange black outs that he has the gift of shapeshifting. While coming to terms with his new power, he finds himself the focus of interest to a number of different people who want to use his talent for various reasons.

The General Review: The Shadow Chaser is a great urban fantasy suspense story. From the first chapter, the author draws you in to the life of Darien Yost and keeps you captivated until the last sentence. Each chapter ends with a sentence that made you want to keep reading because you have to know what’s going to happen next. The natural, supernatural and dream worlds are blended together to create a fantasy realm that is intriguing.

Likes: The word imagery is vivid and detailed, while pulling the reader into the story with descriptions that are realistic and captivating. I had a really hard time putting the book down.

I also really liked the shapeshifting concept. It was interesting to see how those who shift into animals had the characteristics of the animal they become.

Dislikes: Since this book is independently published, there are imperfections such as spelling and grammatical errors. I thought some areas of the story could have been a little more polished with some of sentences rewritten to better convey what the author wanted to express. I also thought that the last few chapters were rushed and not as fully developed as the rest of the book.

Judging a Book by its Cover: I really like the cover art for this book. I think that this cover is a really good snapshot of the personal journey the protagonist goes through in the pages of the story.

In The Beginning-Chapter 1: I think the author did a great job describing the setting and portraying the confusion Darien experiences after recovering from one of his blackouts. It definitely kept my interest.

The Cast: There are a lot of characters in this book and with only one exception, I thought their development was well done. The timing of the entry for each character is written in such a way that the reader doesn’t get confused. For the most part, each character is unique and easy to tell which team they play for.

The only thing that bothered me was I felt that the development of Ellen’s character was lacking. It is assumed that she is Darien’s girlfriend, she made a few appearances in the book, but very little is revealed about her purpose in the story.

Closing Comments: Overall, I enjoyed reading The Shadow Chaser and as mentioned above, I had a hard time putting it down. I recommend The Shadow Chaser for anyone looking to read something different and unique.