Book Review: ‘First Impression’ (A Shadow Maven Paranormal) by Pauline Creeden

Purchase Links: Amazon | Amazon UK

***I was gifted a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review***

Chira is an outcast in school and that suits her perfectly. She likes to keep herself to herself for the most part. The only company she enjoys is that of her best friend, Tasha.

Ben has an unusual gift. He also has a mysterious background. New to the high school, he is assigned a student aide to show him to his classes until he finds his bearings.

Hmmm, this one is tough. Bearing in mind that ‘First Impression’ is under the headings of YA and Horror, I was mindful that I probably wouldn’t be as creeped out as a teen/young adult would be. I was right. Sure, there was a paranormal aspect but honestly, I didn’t think any part of the story could be classed as horror. Murder mystery, yes. Horror, no.

Characters: Not being from the target audience, I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, but that’s not to say that teens wouldn’t relate either. I’m sure there’s teens out there that are like Chira and Tasha. I’m also sure there’s some teens that can relate to Ben in one way or another.
Storyline: It was good. It didn’t “wow!!” me, but I did like it.
The romance was quietly pleasant, growing over the course of the story rather than love at first sight. Yes, I know it’s for teens/YA but I’ve read some YA books that have their stars falling head over heels the minute they see each other, which I don’t think would have worked in ‘First Impression’.

Would I read more? I think for a quiet night in and something that’s not overly heavy and dark, nor too sickly sweet on the romance side, then yeah, I would.

Overall impression: Not a bad book at all. Sure, it didn’t “wow” me, but for the target audience, it works quite well. Teens/YA should thoroughly enjoy this series as it progresses.
Gonna give “First Impressions” a 4 Star rating – I liked the book for what it is although I still wouldn’t class it as a horror.