Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Shadow Falls

Rate this book
In her Grandfather’s bright Wyoming valley surrounded by the mighty Tetons, 15-year-old Annie McGraw wanders a forest of shadows. She and her older brother, Cody, always spent the summers here—Cody scaling the cliff walls with Grandpa, Annie tracking Yellowstone moose with her camera. But after the phone call, the valley, like the rest of Annie’s world, feels drained of color.

Annie wishes the summer could pass like a night of dreamless sleep—until a grizzly bear finds her on the riverbank. The bear spares her life, but it has a message for her. Suddenly Annie isn’t sure how she feels about anything. Like signs in a dark forest, strangers emerge along her path—a handsome guy with a dangerous smile, a little boy wise beyond his years, the man in the Teepee Tree. Even Grandpa, always so solid and distant, seems to hold secrets behind his icy blue eyes. Struggling under the weight of her grief, Annie begins to follow the signs, and to hear the grizzly’s message.


From the Hardcover edition.

224 pages, Library Binding

First published June 14, 2005

Loading interface...
Loading interface...

About the author

Amy Kathleen Ryan

20 books703 followers
Amy Kathleen Ryan earned her MA from the University of Vermont, and her MFA from The New School in New York City.

Amy only reviews books she thinks are excellent.

Proud to be included in this list of classic science fiction titles: https://media.bookbub.com/blog/2015/0...

Follow her on TWITTER!!
https://twitter.com/AmyKathleenRyan

Website:
http://www.amykathleenryan.com

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
24 (40%)
4 stars
18 (30%)
3 stars
13 (21%)
2 stars
2 (3%)
1 star
3 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
8 reviews
January 16, 2017
Shadow Falls was written by Amy Kathleen Ryan. In this book, Annie McGraw is a girl struggling to cope with the recent death of her older brother. She returns to place that they went to every summer and visits with her grandpa. Annie and her Grandfather are both having a rough time getting over his death, so they bottle up there emotions. Amy Kathleen Ryan creates an interesting tale as two families try to deal with very important issues that can either make them stronger or pull them apart until nothing is left. Annie slowly came out of her grief and started to accept that Cody was gone. I found this book very interesting.
I found this book interesting because as Annie starts accepted Cody was gone she encounters unusual things that are interesting. For example;"Finally i could turn to look. It was a gargantuan, gnarled grizzly bear." I found this interesting because, in real life a bear would immediately attack you, but the bear spared her life, which is unusual. Another example is;" I smell the grizzly in the air and know i have to follow. I have to find him quickly." I found this interesting because, Annie is have illusions in the forest and this illusion is of her chasing the grizzly bear because he knows something she wants to know. Finally another thing i found interesting was;" Cody smiles at me, his stiff lips stretching over yellowed teeth. His voice becomes the stale wind moving like a razor through the forest, carrying the smell of smoke and death." I found this interesting because Annie is seeing Cody in her head, i find it interesting because Cody is dead and she says he smells like death and smoke. Therefore, i find a lot of things interesting through-out this book.
Thus, overall this was a great book with a lot of conflict going on that makes yu wanna just keep reading.
22 reviews14 followers
November 29, 2014
It was a slow read, took ages before I got interested in the story. But it was okay.
Profile Image for Conan Tigard.
1,134 reviews3 followers
November 13, 2015
Shadow Falls is an interesting tale about a girl struggling to cope with the recent death of her older brother. She returns to place that they went to every summer and visits with her grandpa. But she isn't dealing well with her loss, and either is he, and neither are talking, keeping their emotions bottled up inside.

Amy Kathleen Ryan creates an interesting tale of strife and healing, as two families try to deal with the highly charged issues that can either make them stronger or pull them apart until nothing is left. I found myself quite enjoying the story as Annie slowly came out of her funk and started to accept that Cody was gone. There are other people that need her now, and she has to learn how to reach out.

Overall, I think Shadow Falls by Amy Kathleen Ryan is a great read and should not be passed by.

I rated this book an 8 out of 10.
Profile Image for Catherine Stine.
Author 31 books541 followers
July 19, 2008
Breathtaking Wyoming setting, suspenseful action, heartfelt portrayal of sibling love and a certain brand of rivalry.
Profile Image for Lori.
137 reviews
February 20, 2009
After reading Amy Kathleen Ryan's other book, Vibes, I searched out her other books. This is another well written book but with a much different setting in the Wyoming wilderness.
Profile Image for laaaaames.
524 reviews97 followers
Read
July 1, 2010
This is just too slow for me, and maybe it's Deb Caletti's fault, but as much as I love me a good family drama, I don't read YA to deal so much with middle-aged and older people.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.