The Shadow Project

This was a great book. The characters were interesting and it sucked me in from the first page. The plot took some unexpected turns. Read it all in 5 hours!

Young Danny Lipman is a talented thief. But when he breaks into a secret government facility, Danny is introduced to a world he didn't know existed. Teenagers are being used as government spies for MI6, via remote viewing, which a person's energy leaves their body and travels anywhere, not being seen or heard. This has been a completely safe procedure, until Opal's latest mission. When tracking a dangerous terrorist, Opal is seen by an evil mystic and captured outside of her body. Despite being a thief, Danny is a likeable character, brave and protective of his elderly grandmother. Danny's grandmother is not the frail, ill woman she appears to be either. Opal and Michael, the current available teenage operatives are confident on the outside, but on the inside just insecure teens. A fantastic, complex plot, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and a new look at the world of the paranormal; this was a surprising and completely unique story. With the feeling of a spy novel, this science fiction/fantasy novel covers a lot of ground, literally and figuratively. The blending of these genres should attract a wider range of audience, from teens to adults.

This is a really fun book. Certainly not life changing by any means, but it has all the necessary elements that make up a great spy thriller - action, secret espionage, special technology, likeable heroes, fast-pacing, secret religious societies, a great good versus a terrible evil, pending world destruction, and hints at romance (or just romance in general). The cast of characters is perfect as well, and although they're a bit stereotypical, it works well for a book like this. To be honest, this is the first sci-fi/fantasy spy book that I've read in a while that I really loved. Not that I'm generally into them, but it could rank among the Dan Brown's and James Patterson's, but with a more YA feel. I recommend this to everyone looking for a fun, fast read. -Lindsey Miller, [...]