Alex is from a broken home, living in fear of his parents and is in fear of getting into trouble. But when Cynthia interferes between him and a school bully, he realises there is someone else who actually likes him. There appears to be more to either of them, as Alex can see shades feeding off the evil people do and Cynthia has her own hidden secrets. And when the school bully comes looking for them, it sets off a chain of events neither one of them was expecting. The small world they thought they knew, suddenly becomes a whole lot deeper when they realise that old myths and legends had more than a grain of truth to them.

This is a complete supernatural story mixing up some of the old myths and legends and giving them its own spin on the tales. As a result, the there is a certain amount of fun in trying to see where the influences have come from. Both Alex and Cynthia are likeable enough leads although there is little depth to their thoughts and spend more time acting on what they need to do. The supporting characters are varied and wisely kept to a minimum, although they do help to flesh out what is going on and provide the reader with an understanding of events Alex and Cynthia cannot provide. The downside is that it is a long story and feels a lot longer than it might have needed to be. It doesn’t dilute the message the book is trying to put across, but after a while it does lose impact. However the opening sections and the final confrontation are enjoyable enough.

This book is an enjoyable modern fantasy for young adults, although somewhat long, but if you are prepared there is a good story that picks up pace towards the end. Certainly worth giving a read if you are a fan of the genre and want something to occupy yourself for a while.