Shadows by Paula Weston might be just another angel or nephilim book on the shelf, but there's something identifiably different that sets it apart from the rest: it's Australian, with a vivid Aussie atmosphere/setting and fantastic Aussie characters that you can't help but smile or feel or be connected with as they're so close to home (well, for those of us who are Aussie that is). Fans in need of another angel series after finishing Lauren Kate's Fallen series will devour Shadows, eager for the next books in the Rephaim series; there's a heroine--Gaby--to get behind, a boy--Rafa--to fall in love with, as well as the many sides fighting to win you over (just don't decide too early). 
 Gaby thought her life was absolutely normal--besides those dreams she's having involving hellions--but when she meets a guy in the bar who looks awfully like someone in those dreams and is also being pursued by a group of unknowns, everything that she believed and the facts about her own life becomes a lie; a life made up to cover up the truth about what really happened before she and her twin brother Jude had a car crash--was it even a car crash at all? Did Jude really die? These are the questions that Gaby aims to discover in this book, even questioning herself and where she stands in everything that is happening around her and the relations to those that are intruding her life. 
 Shadows was fast-paced and I flew through the book in a matter of hours, wanting to know more about certain characters and how things will be resolved. I could however credit the short sentences and succinct phrases for the pacing--even if the structure did get a bit too repetitive and rigid as the book went on. Weston has written an angst-ridden, suspenseful and mysterious debut novel, with surprises that trickle until the very last page. 
 What I loved most about Shadows was the characterization, especially those of the Australians, such as the slightly minor characters of the Butler brothers: these boys are your typical redneck Australians, and with their guns, their speech, and their actions you'll laugh at how true to the stereotype they are. Besides those distinctly Aussie characters, the description of the angels--with how prim and proper they are down to their clothes, especially Daniel--was well executed, producing a contrast between characters. To keep it short: Weston has written a great cast. I'm looking forward to learning more about Gaby's life and about the Rephaim in future books.