I was reading this mystery story named Shadow for weeks now, which explores the complex relationship between a young couple, Nikita, a 27-year-old investment banker, and Harsh, 25, a businessman’s gifted son with a flair for writing. Did I enjoy the read? Lets check.
It begins with Harsh-her recent ex, visiting her, hoping to get a closure, only to be met with an explosive outburst.
With each chapter, their personalities were getting getting clear to me. There’s a master planner who can turn the table at any cost, and a so-called emotionally unstable messed up person that leads to complete chaos, wrecking every good occassion as much they can.
Jealousy, toxicity, and emotional immaturity define it all over the next 6 months. As they revisited old memories, one action provoked another, dragging them into a cycle of blame and deadly vengeance. It made me wonder: how much is too much, and at times - should friends interfere so deeply in private matters that they end up giving unknowingly some shape to it as well?
The writing style is impressive being a debut novel. Though the number of characters sometimes made it hard for me to follow who was connected to whom. The flashbacks helped explain their bond, though they felt slightly overwhelming at times with their long descriptions of the events reflecting the draining nature of such relationships.
This story will resonate with many in their 20s, it’s relatable, raw, and a mirror to the chaos we’ve either seen or been part of in romantic relationships. The cover art deserves praise. The clever design with the bent figure forming an "A" in "Sh'a'dow" was striking!
I got my copy from here:
But the most I liked is how the story ended with a mystery. It’s open-ended, leaving me with lingering questions. Who was more monstrous in their minds? Can love truly survive when anger, disrespect, and trust issues are at play at such a level? What’s the final outcome of such a relationship? Do we really need closure to this extent! Readers who enjoyed Gone Girl and Verity will likely appreciate this emotionally intense, spiraling crooked relationship drama mystery.
Overall, I enjoyed this young adult story about love, hate, and revenge. The way it weaves mystery into modern elements like Instagram, Blog, social media banters, pubs, publishing a book, concert events, even having a netflix series makes it a gripping read you should definitely check out.