Shimmer by Alyson Noel

Title: Shimmer

Author: Alyson Noel

Series: A Riley Bloom Book #2

Publisher: Square Fish

ISBN:  970312648251

More Information: http://www.alysonnoel.com/shimmer/

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I reviewed the prequel, "Radiance," about a year ago, which stated that I would be interested in reading the sequel.  As you can tell, it wasn't a priority and didn't even make my Amazon wish list.  During the mass decimation of the Borders and Atlantic Books stores, I picked up a few books that were not normally would be in my queue.  And 'Shimmer' was one of them.  I did not expect much but Alyson Noel threw me through a loop.

Riley Bloom was on vacation with her guide, Bodhi, and dog, Buttercup, as a reward for the successful first mission in "Radiance."  While on the beach, Riley ran into a hellhound, scaring her silly.  With the high of her success, Riley made it her mission to help the hellhound to move on.  What she found was Rebecca, the hound's owner.  The little girl was full of anger and revenge, bringing unsuspecting souls into her world of torment.  Can Riley save all the unfortunate souls and her friends from this world and not lose her sanity as well?

Review or not to review?  That was the question.  If it was anything like its predecessor, probably not.  However, with the amazing writing and the mature subject, "Shimmer" was an enthralling read.  My greatest fear was that there wouldn't be any character development.  (I have read the Immortal series and that was the main problem with Ever.)  After reading the first couple of chapters, it was the case and the started to lose its appeal.  However, when Riley was faced with the problem of Rebecca, she came shining through.  Without being overconfident and making the minor mistake, she overcame many obstacles and saved hundreds of souls.  The supporting characters were interesting and helpful in shaping Riley to be a better Soul Catcher.  Unfortunately, they were too supportive.  There wasn't much screen time for Bodhi and Buttercup.  And Rebecca was a force to be reckoned with.  The highlight of this book was not its characters.  But the author's thought-provoking choice of topics: slavery, suicide and murder.  Ms. Noel wrote about them tastefully but pushed the envelope with strong written imagery, which made me cringed, sympathized and rethink my preconceptions.  The novel is not for the faint of heart but I believe everyone will leave with something after turning the last page.

I would highly recommend picking this up.  As least for one read.  In comparison to "Radiance," "Shimmer" had a heavier quality that made it more substantial, more in depth and more challenging.  Adults and young teens would equally enjoy this.  The chapters were still reasonably short that makes reading a breeze.  If you are looking for a fun, light, funny read, skip this.  If you are looking for Ever, or fans of the Immortal series, please don't bother.  The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is because I would not pick it up again.  I'm definitely interested in reading the next one.