I Become Shadow

By: Joe Shine

Narrated by: Rachel Dulude

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

This debut thriller combines a pulse-pounding thriller with a new-adult coming-of-age story set at Texas A&M University.

When Ren Sharpe was 14, she was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called FATE and trained to be a human weapon.

Now, four years later, she receives her assignment: protect Gareth Young at all costs. Currently a student at Texas A&M, Gareth will someday change the world. FATE calls people like Gareth "FIPs" - future important people - and they're everywhere, each with a FATE-trained shadow.

But when disaster strikes, Ren will have to turn on her maker. Together with Junie, a fellow abductee and the one person she trusts, Ren takes Gareth on the run.

Because whatever else happens, failure is not an option.

©2014 Joe Shine (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Loved the book

Loved it! Wren kicked butt! Audio voice was perfect. Will definitely read more books by this author.

Great concept

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The author did a great job developing the characters and the heroine was very likeable. I wish books like this had been available when I was a teenager. I love to read and this book is definitely one of the best YA novels I've read. It is not too angsty and the characters ring true. The suthor did a good job making the concept seem very possible. I listened to the entire book over the course of 2 days. I recommend to teens and adults.

I’m glad I took a chance

I looked at this selection a half dozen times, and the premise just never clicked.
Then I ran into as a free with my membership read, and decided, ‘why not?’ I’m so glad I did. The book was fast paced and very well written. Good detail without being over the top and annoying. Character development was interesting and done well and you felt like they were family and friends you’d known for years; some players were well written nasty people you wanted to hate. Tough girl who doesn’t want to be run over and give up herself, her power or her friends. Great book. There must be a book two, as the ending is ‘complete’... but leaves you waiting to turn the page for more. This a good YA book with light ‘attraction’, and no sex, there’s no ‘really foul’ language either, there is violence, but not gratuitous....come on - it’s an action/thriller. I’ve included that information for those who care about such details.
I’m familiar with the narrator and really enjoy her reading style. She made this set of characters believable and relatable as they learn to navigate a bizarre and immersive, twisted experience that’s beyond their control.

I’m glad I decided to give this book a try. It was not my usual choice, and it drew you in and you were rooting for the main characters. I recommend.

hard to follow

writer started in first person then switched to third person makes hard to follow.

Best Book Ever!

Hands down, my favorite book I've read OR listened to this year. It's labeled "young adult", but I think anyone over the age of 14 would love this book.

In the mid 90's, a group discovers how to see into the future (somehow). They know who will die young, and who will go on to do something very important. They could just leave things like that, but if an organization with GOOD intentions discovers how to look into future events, chances are very high that another organization has the same capabilities, and if the future does not benefit them, they're going to want alter it.

Thus, F.A.T.E...Future Affairs Training and Education Center. F.A.T.E snatches up the teens that were going to die anyway, and trains and conditions them to be protectors of those who are destined to do great things. Ren was going die, so they snagged her up. This story follows Ren from her last few days of being a normal teen, through her four years of training, and on to her assignment.

The clencher for this book is Ren's personality...she's very much a tongue in cheek, roll with it type girl, and that is how this story is told. This book is non-stop action from page one and never slows down. I LOVED this book and became fully emerged in it. There is a second book, but I'm not sure it has the same characters. I will definitely be grabbing that book up as soon as I can get my hands on it! It does have a different narrator, as it will follow a male character. No way that narrator will be as good as the one who narrated this book (she was outstanding), but if the writing is similar to this book, I don't think subpar narration will take away from it much.

Excellent YA story

Narrator performed credible characters throughout. This could be a wonderful YA series. . . .

Basically Black Widow rising.

Okay, I really liked this story. I couldn't help but think that it was more or less like the black widow story from the Marvel Universe. I like stories about college but this one ended up being very little about college and mostly about the creation of a super soldier and then things go off the rails pretty quick right about when you think things are going to get boring.

I would listen to more in the series. I was hoping for super powers but I guess super skills is pretty cool too.

Need a book 2

This book was great as a standalone but it would be phenomenonal as a series. We NEED book 2!!!!

I wasn’t sure at first....

I wasn’t sure how to write this review, because I didn’t want my opinion to stop anyone from reading this book. In all honesty I really enjoyed this book. There were a few instants I was upset, because things were fast forwarded and it became confusing. It seemed almost like I was being shoved huge amounts of information at fast times and it was difficult to retain. I really loved the character development from the main character and even Juney. I wish there were more bits of information about the link, past lives, and where they are heading in the future.

Well Done

Joe Shine has pulled off a very rare feat. A young adult novel with a surprisingly fresh concept and crisp intelligent and sometimes funny execution. The language is good for any audience and the writer uses descriptives elegantly.
I would recommend this book for anybody over the age of 12, male female, grown-up, grandparent. Give it a try and find a surprising diamond to add to your library