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kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
Second in the 13 to Life Young Adult series.
The Story
After all the trauma in 13 to Life, Jessica is seeing a psychologist who believes nothing of what she says. But, hey, Jessie tried. Everything's cool. Pietr is going to break it off slowly with Sarah. Wanda has agreed to let Max, Cat, and Pietr Rusakova see their mother although they insist on Jessica being the mediator between them and the CIA.
But then things start going wrong. Pietr is drawing away from her and getting gooey with Sarah nor will he talk to her even Cat has no idea why Pietr is behaving this way. Dexter is cozying up to Jessica and, if this had been last year, would have made her decade but Dexter is not the one that Jessica loves. Even Max is getting up close and personal with Jess.
In all this emotional confusion, Jessica decides to concentrate on her show jumping with Rio and Wanda talks her into competition shooting. Jess also intends to help the Rusakovas find their mother and free her before she dies. Pietr may not love her anymore, but she still considers all of them her friends.
Then we learn that we only thought things were going wrong. Now, it gets serious. The missing book is found and reveals just how Jessica is important to the Rusakovas. Derek is something much more than he seems and dangerous with it. Wanda is threatening to cage the Rusakovas, someone tries to assassinate Jessica, and the CIA decides to get dirty…with Jessica's dad's help.
The Characters
Jessica is the editor of the school paper, a genius, in love with Pietr but encouraging him to go with Sarah and slowly break it off with her (Sarah has issues…and no one, I mean NO ONE wants to trigger Sarah's issues). And for some reason, Jessie is an important part of the local wolf pack.
Annabelle Lee is Jessie's very precocious baby sister. Amy is Jessica's best friend and hooked up with a abusive boyfriend.
Wanda is a CIA agent undercover as a librarian dating Jessie's dad. She's also sneaking Jessie out from under her dad's nose to work as a mediator between the CIA and the wolf pack.
Pietr, Ekaterina/Catherine, and Max were engineered as werewolves by the Russians. They and their parents managed to escape but their father was killed and their mother, Tatiana, was captured over a year ago. Their adopted brother, Alexi, moved them to to this town where they attend high school.
Derek is on the football team and the hot guy at school. Jessie has been passionately in love with him…until Pietr showed up. But now, Derek is spending a lot of time trying to get up close and personal with Jessie. A closeness that Jessie is starting to consider now that Pietr seems to be giving her the cold shoulder.
My Take
Not as good as the first book, 13 to Life. Jessica is getting all this negative information about Derek and she continues to "trust" him? Especially after that conversation between Derek and Counselor Harnek?? And why does Pietr have to be so mysterious and negative towards Jessica? It's just irritating.
Although, I did enjoy Macie and Jenny begging Jessica for her help in putting Sarah down…now that Sarah seems to be recovering her memories and her inner b*tch.
The big issue I don't understand is why it's okay that the CIA has imprisoned the Rusakovas' mother.
The Cover
In spite of its initial appearance of simplicity, the cover is quite complex. The wolf's head gives color and texture to the sky while his eye represents the moon. The young couple on the railroad tracks represents the teen suicides Junction is experiencing while I'm guessing that the trees represent the park in which the Rusakovas and Jessie spend time. I'm not sure what the scrolly bits are about. The title, Secrets and Shadows, refers, I think, to all the secrets that Pietr and the Rusakovas are keeping from Jessica while the shadows may well refer to the CIA, Wanda, and Derek.
The Story
After all the trauma in 13 to Life, Jessica is seeing a psychologist who believes nothing of what she says. But, hey, Jessie tried. Everything's cool. Pietr is going to break it off slowly with Sarah. Wanda has agreed to let Max, Cat, and Pietr Rusakova see their mother although they insist on Jessica being the mediator between them and the CIA.
But then things start going wrong. Pietr is drawing away from her and getting gooey with Sarah nor will he talk to her even Cat has no idea why Pietr is behaving this way. Dexter is cozying up to Jessica and, if this had been last year, would have made her decade but Dexter is not the one that Jessica loves. Even Max is getting up close and personal with Jess.
In all this emotional confusion, Jessica decides to concentrate on her show jumping with Rio and Wanda talks her into competition shooting. Jess also intends to help the Rusakovas find their mother and free her before she dies. Pietr may not love her anymore, but she still considers all of them her friends.
Then we learn that we only thought things were going wrong. Now, it gets serious. The missing book is found and reveals just how Jessica is important to the Rusakovas. Derek is something much more than he seems and dangerous with it. Wanda is threatening to cage the Rusakovas, someone tries to assassinate Jessica, and the CIA decides to get dirty…with Jessica's dad's help.
The Characters
Jessica is the editor of the school paper, a genius, in love with Pietr but encouraging him to go with Sarah and slowly break it off with her (Sarah has issues…and no one, I mean NO ONE wants to trigger Sarah's issues). And for some reason, Jessie is an important part of the local wolf pack.
Annabelle Lee is Jessie's very precocious baby sister. Amy is Jessica's best friend and hooked up with a abusive boyfriend.
Wanda is a CIA agent undercover as a librarian dating Jessie's dad. She's also sneaking Jessie out from under her dad's nose to work as a mediator between the CIA and the wolf pack.
Pietr, Ekaterina/Catherine, and Max were engineered as werewolves by the Russians. They and their parents managed to escape but their father was killed and their mother, Tatiana, was captured over a year ago. Their adopted brother, Alexi, moved them to to this town where they attend high school.
Derek is on the football team and the hot guy at school. Jessie has been passionately in love with him…until Pietr showed up. But now, Derek is spending a lot of time trying to get up close and personal with Jessie. A closeness that Jessie is starting to consider now that Pietr seems to be giving her the cold shoulder.
My Take
Not as good as the first book, 13 to Life. Jessica is getting all this negative information about Derek and she continues to "trust" him? Especially after that conversation between Derek and Counselor Harnek?? And why does Pietr have to be so mysterious and negative towards Jessica? It's just irritating.
Although, I did enjoy Macie and Jenny begging Jessica for her help in putting Sarah down…now that Sarah seems to be recovering her memories and her inner b*tch.
The big issue I don't understand is why it's okay that the CIA has imprisoned the Rusakovas' mother.
The Cover
In spite of its initial appearance of simplicity, the cover is quite complex. The wolf's head gives color and texture to the sky while his eye represents the moon. The young couple on the railroad tracks represents the teen suicides Junction is experiencing while I'm guessing that the trees represent the park in which the Rusakovas and Jessie spend time. I'm not sure what the scrolly bits are about. The title, Secrets and Shadows, refers, I think, to all the secrets that Pietr and the Rusakovas are keeping from Jessica while the shadows may well refer to the CIA, Wanda, and Derek.
kaeliwolf's review against another edition
5.0
I completely love this novel and the others in the series that are included with it.
britks's review against another edition
4.0
The second installment was much better! I followed the story clearly, it was a good read. Jess and Pietr have to put their relationship on hold. Sarah is pushing herself into Pietr's arms, Derek is coming on strong to Jessica, and now Amy is stuck with an abusive boyfriend and Pietr's hot, older brother pining for her attention. You get high school drama mixed with paranormal aspects. I think Delany did a good job with writing Secrets and Shadows than 13 to Life, because the story flowed a lot better and the characters took more shape. Jessica is a strong heroine and even though she is just human she is the cure that the CIA knows will cure the Pietr and his family.
The Ruskakova's know that the CIA has their mother and they agree to "animal testing" in order to get her back. They are trying to "find a cure" the agents say but in reality they know that Jessica has the blood that counteracts the wolf gene. SHE is what will save her werewolf beloved. The whole book is about how Pietr pushes Jess away because he thinks that he cannot protect her from himself. It is not like an Edward and Bella type thing, no, it is he actually is not ashamed to admit that Jess brings out the hormonal, feral teenager in his werewolf. What it means is that he want really wants Jessica and he uses Sarah as a facade so he wont have to fight his urges. But Derek wants Jessica too, and he toys with her mind to spy on Pietr and his family.
Derek's character is well developed in the book, he is an energy-vampire. Yeah, it was actually quite unnerving to read the bits about Derek because he is the reason why the CIA has their Mother, Pietr cannot be with Jessica, and how Jessica gets caught up in a strange battle with her own memory when it comes to Derek. But Pietr is true to his word, after he broke up with Sarah, he stayed by Jessica's side and even risked telling her dad everything the truth so that they could be together.
But the ending is what got me. They are sending Jess away from Pietr to go to a mental ward. All because she told the truth about running with werewolves, being a cure, saving her friends, and loving Pietr. Pietr gets beaten by two large men at the end while trying to save Jess from being taken against her will to the institution. I was mad, her father was being stooped by Wanda and the doctor because THEY do not want Jess healing the governments most powerful weapons.
Werewolves.
Come on where is the next book!
The Ruskakova's know that the CIA has their mother and they agree to "animal testing" in order to get her back. They are trying to "find a cure" the agents say but in reality they know that Jessica has the blood that counteracts the wolf gene. SHE is what will save her werewolf beloved. The whole book is about how Pietr pushes Jess away because he thinks that he cannot protect her from himself. It is not like an Edward and Bella type thing, no, it is he actually is not ashamed to admit that Jess brings out the hormonal, feral teenager in his werewolf. What it means is that he want really wants Jessica and he uses Sarah as a facade so he wont have to fight his urges. But Derek wants Jessica too, and he toys with her mind to spy on Pietr and his family.
Derek's character is well developed in the book, he is an energy-vampire. Yeah, it was actually quite unnerving to read the bits about Derek because he is the reason why the CIA has their Mother, Pietr cannot be with Jessica, and how Jessica gets caught up in a strange battle with her own memory when it comes to Derek. But Pietr is true to his word, after he broke up with Sarah, he stayed by Jessica's side and even risked telling her dad everything the truth so that they could be together.
But the ending is what got me. They are sending Jess away from Pietr to go to a mental ward. All because she told the truth about running with werewolves, being a cure, saving her friends, and loving Pietr. Pietr gets beaten by two large men at the end while trying to save Jess from being taken against her will to the institution. I was mad, her father was being stooped by Wanda and the doctor because THEY do not want Jess healing the governments most powerful weapons.
Werewolves.
Come on where is the next book!
xofelf's review against another edition
3.0
The plot jumped around too much but it was good otherwise.
trankin's review against another edition
2.0
This book has an underlying plot that was interesting to begin with but ended up going in way too many directions. I finished it because I wanted to see how it would end, but was sorely disappointed. The language is terrible and the storyline is riddled with way too much teen-aged angst. The writing is horrible. I will not read the next one.
ac223's review against another edition
4.0
Secrets and Shadows answers a lot of questions, but gives you twice as many to think about. New characters, and new dilemnas. Mix all of that in with a few surprising twists at the end, and hope the next book is just as good. Pietr has the same twisted views as Edward, almost too close, but just different enough. Jessica takes the lead for stupid female love interest over Bella, and while there are a lot of bad guys we haven't seen them at their worst yet. Derek is obviously not a good guy, several people have commented on his sudden interest in Jessica. How can the most popular jock be interested in Jessica, the school newspaper editor? It seems she has the same qualities Bella had when it comes to making all the guys fall for the unpopular girl with issues. I am sort of making fun of the book, but it is still good, and worth the read.
kfpdx's review against another edition
5.0
let me start by saying I hate cliff hangers
Now that said despite the HUGE cliff hanger at the end of this book I love this series. The characters are amazing and ever evolving. I cant wait to start the next book to see what is in store for Jessi.
Now that said despite the HUGE cliff hanger at the end of this book I love this series. The characters are amazing and ever evolving. I cant wait to start the next book to see what is in store for Jessi.