About the Book

Title: Shadows of Secrets and Lies: Young Adult Dystopian Thriller
Author: Dawn Brazil
Series: Shadow #1
Genre: YA Dystopian
Release Date: March 11, 2022

In the year 2175, the world will end, maybe, but not for everyone…

Eighteen-year-old Mandalyn Johnson’s mother tried to kill her. She knows because her father told her.
The one thing she knows about her father – he’s a master manipulator.

On the cusp of adulthood, Mandalyn is ready to shed all thoughts of her mentally unstable mother and take her rightful place among the greatest minds her society possesses.

Mandalyn manipulates her aerial pod, ChaWanda, into interacting like a feisty older sister rather than the computerized aerial device it should be, but she can’t figure out how she’s able to identify someone’s character by a random number thrust into her head. When she learns the character level of her rival for top-in-class – someone she’s known most of her life – crests at ten, she knows she must confront him. She’s never met anyone over a four. Tens are the most dangerous, immoral level imaginable. When he confesses that her character level is also a ten, her dreams of family redemption are shattered.

With the help of two other students with deadly character levels, they struggle to piece together what they know while they start to exhibit extraordinary abilities. With their newfound abilities, they’re able to see the future. In one potential future, they die and in the other, they kill everyone.

They must untangle the lies perpetrated by the people they love to determine which future will belong to them. And find out why the organizations tasked with bringing order to the world don’t want them to exist in the perfect world they’re trying to create.

Purchase your copy here!

About the Author

Dawn Brazil wants to live in a world inhabited by fictional characters. She thinks fictional characters are cooler than real people most of the time. But since the world is not comprised of dreamy book boyfriends, she creates them for everyone to fawn over. 

When she is not writing, she can be found with her nose in a book – swooning over another book boyfriend, drying up tears from a recent heartbreak, or shouldering a wound she received in battle. She also loves to create magic in the kitchen with an array of inspiring dishes she pulls from Pinterest. Dawn lives in South Texas with her sports-obsessed husband, three technology infatuated kids, and her great, big, colossal imagination.

And she is passionate about superheroes – especially Wonder Woman!

Connect with Dawn: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

My Review

Shadows of Secrets and Lies
by Dawn Brazil
Book 1 in the Shadow series
Rating: 4/5

Wow. Some authors have such amazing imaginations. I am always so impressed with the world-building that goes into writing YA dystopian thrillers. Having never read anything from the author before, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed her story and characters. She provided an escape to another world that was interesting and unique yet still relatable.

The story hooks you from the beginning and dives straight into this unknown world. The ending sets up the next book so I will be excitedly anticipating the next installment that comes out in a month. The characters are also very fun and relatable. I loved seeing how much Mandalyn grew as a character and in her relationships. And let me just say the chemistry she had with a certain someone was palpable. I also loved how relatable she was with all her insecurities and feelings of isolation. I liked how the author had her confront every relationship in her life and am excited to read more.

My favorite quote from the book (there were many that I highlighted):

Hugs are a way of wrapping a person up and holding them together when they are falling apart. I’ve hugged and been hugged quite a bit in the past few weeks. It feels right to allow someone else control over your body for a few seconds, to allow yourself to crumble. Sometimes in falling apart, we find that we fit back together even better.

PG-13 content with some swearing and steamy makeout sessions. Highly recommend if you enjoy high stakes (the author goes there) YA dystopian thrillers with action and romance.

My thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.