Genre: YA Contemporary, Thriller
Hardback: 320 Pages
Publication: September 24, 2013 by Knopf BFYR
Before: Corey, Holly, and Savitri are one unit—fast, strong, inseparable. Together they turn Chicago concrete and asphalt into a freerunner’s jungle gym, ricocheting off walls, scaling buildings, leaping from rooftops to rooftop.
But acting like a superhero doesn’t make you bulletproof…
After: Holly and Savitri are coming unglued. Holly says she’s chasing Corey’s killer, chasing revenge. Savitri fears Holly’s just running wild—and leaving her behind. Friends should stand by each other in times of crisis. But can you hold on too tight? Too long?
In this intense novel, Swati Avasthi creates a gripping portrait of two girls teetering on the edge of grief and insanity. Two girls who will find out just how many ways there are to lose a friend…and how many ways to be lost.
Chasing Shadows is a dark, gritty read told through the alternating perspectives of Holly and Savitri. Graphic illustrations add another dimension to the story, giving us imagery of the world that Holly enters as she falls into a darker spiral following the death of her twin brother.
This story is all about the characters. I love how it’s told from the perspectives of the two girls because it gives us great insight into how they deal with their grief and allows for story development that wouldn’t have been possible without the voices of the two girls being allowed to shine. Scariest of all is how real this all is even when it seems most ludicrous. I could easily imagine this all taking place in the real world without any supernatural elements.
What I love best about Chasing Shadows is that, in the end, you don’t know what’s real and what’s not, and in the end it doesn’t matter. What this story is about is two girls going through the various stages of grief and what they do to manage it. It is about what the human mind can accomplish and about how far one can push the limits of friendship and what can be forgiven.
This is a thrilling, exciting new read. I highly recommend it for those who enjoy a good psychological YA read.
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This post was made as a part of the Chasing Shadows book tour.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Bookworm1858 says
I liked this book a lot too once I got used to Holly's narration-Savitri's was much easier for me to follow for some reason.
Wimsey Productions says
Wow! This sounds like a really interesting premise. Thanks for the review!
Thomas Murphy says
sounds like an awesome book! Thanks for the review.
Joyous Reads says
Great review, Kris. I've been curious about this book since I learned that it has illustrations by Craig Thompson. I will definitely get on this right away. The ending might be a bit confusing but I'll give it a go, anyway.