A Supernatural Hero’s Journey Into the Past
Audiobook Review: Shadows of the Past by Nellie H. Steele
Or, in this case, a heroine’s journey.
Shadows of the Past is book one in the Shadow Slayers stories, written by Nellie H. Steele and published by A Novel Idea Publishing, LLC. The book is the beginning of a suspenseful, time-traveling supernatural mystery series that follows Josie Benson, her cousin Damian, and ex-boyfriend Michael (who doesn’t seem to want to go away) as they battle the dark forces of evil across the centuries.
The story opens with twenty-five-year-old Josie having recurring nightmares of running through a dark cave with blood on her hands. Despite the support of family, friends, and therapy, nothing seems to help. Then, one day, a mysterious man leaves an antique music box on Josie’s doorstep, the first clue in Josie discovering her past, her legacy, and her need to confront her demons before it’s too late.
Steele weaves an intricate tale of suspenseful storytelling mixed with dark magic and fascinating characters. As someone with a background in metaphysical studies, I was intrigued watching this story unfold. My mind kept cycling through a plethora of possible scenarios. Past lives? Alternate realities? The occult? Time travel? Wormholes? Parallel universes? I won’t leave any spoilers here, but I will say that while Steele’s work is one of fiction, there are definite parallels to what you’d find in mythology and ancient lore. There are enough bread crumbs along the way to give the reader opportunity to try their best in figuring out exactly what’s happening.
I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version of this story, narrated by Graham Mack. Mack’s warm voice does a superb job of differentiating between both male and female character voices in such a way that there’s no question as to who is speaking. The pacing of both the story and the storytelling is solid, and it was easy to become immersed in Josie/Celine’s intriguing world.
About the Author:
An Indies Today finalist for Best Book of the Year 2020 with Cleopatra’s Tomb, Nellie H. Steele made the leap from science to art with her first book, The Secret of Dunhaven Castle.
An animal enthusiast, Nellie often features a version of one of her fourteen rescue animals in her stories, though the fictional pets are usually better behaved than her own fur-babies! A literary split personality, Nellie’s work ranges from cozy mystery to supernatural suspense to riveting adventure.
She lives in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. When she isn’t writing or engaging in animal care, she enjoys teaching Statistics and Data Science at a local university.
Check out all Nellie offers at www.anovelideapublishing.com/novels or at her blog, Nellie’s Book Nook, available at www.nelliesbooknook.com!
Connect with Nellie on Social Media:
Author’s Website: http://www.anovelideapublishing.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nelliehsteele
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nelliehsteele
Twitter: www.twitter.com/nelliehsteele1
