Legion of Bats by Shadow Stephens - Review

Welcome to Reading It All's stop on the Legion of Bats Blog Tour brought to you by Promotional Book Tours!

Title: Legion of Bats
Author: Shadow Stephens

Synopsis: In a world governed by fear and corruption, a baby was born and immediately targeted for death. Hidden away in the rural West Virginia town of Tanner, Zoe Masterson grows up feeling like an outsider—just a little different from everyone around her. As bad becomes worse, she is arrested for arson and taken to a mental hospital, where she discovers nothing is as it seems. This book is appropriate for 17+

My Thoughts: Paranormal books are incredibly popular right now, especially with the Twilight craze. The usual topic is vampires or werewolves, and don't get me wrong, I love them. Shadow Stephens took paranormal in a completely different direction, though. She created a secret society of Endowed, hidden from human eyes, and full of powers.

I'm not sure where to begin with the characters. The main character, Zoe, is new to this secret world. She was always considered different and so she learned to be alone. I like Zoe. Sometimes she can be a bit of a mess, but if I suddenly learned I was part of a secret world full of people with amazing powers I might be a little freaked out, too. I actually think she handles things pretty well. There were a few areas of the book that she really frustrated me but I won't say much because I don't want to spoil the book for others.

When Zoe is placed in the mental hospital she meets a group of Endowed who will become her friends. Todd is an interesting guy, and he cares about Zoe a lot. At times I didn't like him though. Stevie is spunky and I really loved her character. Larkin is a sweet girl. I think she is just incredibly strong since her power can be very difficult. Miles is a fun character, and I would love to have his power. All of these characters had depth. We learned about them as people, as well as about their powers which range from telekinesis to speaking with animals.

Then we start to learn about the Guardians, a race of half Spirit and half Endowed. We meet Zoe's Guardian, Icarus, and he is just wow. I loved Icarus. He and Zoe are forever connected because he is bound to her as a Guardian. Their relationship is so much more though. I enjoyed how their relationship grew.

There are so many more characters. I could write for ages about them all. Stephens really made a very diverse world in the Legion of Bats. She gave back story and developed so many characters. She has an amazing imagination and true talent. The plot was a wild ride that I loved. I was pulled in right from the start and just couldn't put it down. At one point I glanced at the clock to realize it was 2am and I had to be up with my kids in a few hours. I would love to read more about the Legion of Bats, and I hope that Stephens will make this a series. Even if she doesn't, she will be an author that I will watch. With this book as her debut I think she will be going very far!

Rating:

Follow the Tour Promotional Book Tours and Shadow Stevens are offering up a tour prize - $25 Amazon Giftcard AND 5 Autographed copies of Legion Of Bats Fill out the form to Enter to Win! a Rafflecopter giveaway I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.