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A review by aoki_reads
In the Eyes In the Shadows by Gage Greenwood, Gage Greenwood
5.0
First, I’d like to thank the author, Gage Greenwood, for providing me with an ARC of In the Eyes, In The Shadows in exchange for my honest review. Though I am a couple days behind, happy belated publication day (10/31/24) — you also shattered my heart with this one.
”When Jackson was a kid, it seemed true. He never noticed his father losing. As he grew older, he recognized it happening more and more often. Senior lost with his wife, with his dreams, with his drinking, until finally, he started losing the big one.”
A fever dream filled with grief is how I can describe this book. It left me emotionally battered.
Jackson’s tale is one of heartache and somberness. After slowly losing his father to cancer, his already spiraling life has now completely crashed.
The panic attacks are coming back, the hallucinations resurfacing. Life is not good. And there’s Lexia— the violent yet hurting soul who won’t release her grasp on him. Why? You’ll soon find out.
It’s hard to describe this novel without giving away the details that build this book into the grief-stricken story that it is. But with every page, you’re pulled further into the melancholy that is Jackson’s life.
Though Jackson falls into the darkness, you root for him to conquer his struggles and ultimately defeat the past that nips at his heels. You can feel Jackson’s days growing longer and more tedious as the book ramps up and— God, do you wish for his suffering to end.
But the hallucinations grow more frantic, the humming becomes louder, the darkness beckons, and Jackson is crumbling. His longtime girlfriend Amanda is understandably frightened. The love of her life is falling apart, again.
And then there’s the picture-taking of dead animals, the brewing obsession with death—
Is it coping with loss, or something more? Something more sinister. In The Eyes, In The Shadows will leave you with the lines blurred between grief and darkness.
I loved this book. I love every book Gage produces— but this one truly hit different. Grief horror has a way of worming itself into the soul and squeezing at your heart strings. And while Jackson’s character was a whirlwind, I think everyone has a little piece of him somewhere inside, a bit of relatability. Grief will tear you apart. It will rip you at the seams. Gage writes our MC with such poise, honesty, and sincerity. You feel it on every page. Tie grief in with broken mental health and well, you see what it can do. And as someone who battles schizoaffective and panic disorder, Jackson’s mental warfare was extremely relatable.
This book did its job. It makes you feel.
Whether you have suffered loss or struggle with mental health— this is a powerful read. And let’s talk about the redeeming and absolutely absurd ending.
Will it change your mind?
Amazing novel once again, coming from an incredible author and human being. Thank you for sharing the most vulnerable parts of your writing ability, and I’m absolutely looking forward to whatever is next. A sad yet wonderful ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star read!
”When Jackson was a kid, it seemed true. He never noticed his father losing. As he grew older, he recognized it happening more and more often. Senior lost with his wife, with his dreams, with his drinking, until finally, he started losing the big one.”
A fever dream filled with grief is how I can describe this book. It left me emotionally battered.
Jackson’s tale is one of heartache and somberness. After slowly losing his father to cancer, his already spiraling life has now completely crashed.
The panic attacks are coming back, the hallucinations resurfacing. Life is not good. And there’s Lexia— the violent yet hurting soul who won’t release her grasp on him. Why? You’ll soon find out.
It’s hard to describe this novel without giving away the details that build this book into the grief-stricken story that it is. But with every page, you’re pulled further into the melancholy that is Jackson’s life.
Though Jackson falls into the darkness, you root for him to conquer his struggles and ultimately defeat the past that nips at his heels. You can feel Jackson’s days growing longer and more tedious as the book ramps up and— God, do you wish for his suffering to end.
But the hallucinations grow more frantic, the humming becomes louder, the darkness beckons, and Jackson is crumbling. His longtime girlfriend Amanda is understandably frightened. The love of her life is falling apart, again.
And then there’s the picture-taking of dead animals, the brewing obsession with death—
Is it coping with loss, or something more? Something more sinister. In The Eyes, In The Shadows will leave you with the lines blurred between grief and darkness.
I loved this book. I love every book Gage produces— but this one truly hit different. Grief horror has a way of worming itself into the soul and squeezing at your heart strings. And while Jackson’s character was a whirlwind, I think everyone has a little piece of him somewhere inside, a bit of relatability. Grief will tear you apart. It will rip you at the seams. Gage writes our MC with such poise, honesty, and sincerity. You feel it on every page. Tie grief in with broken mental health and well, you see what it can do. And as someone who battles schizoaffective and panic disorder, Jackson’s mental warfare was extremely relatable.
This book did its job. It makes you feel.
Whether you have suffered loss or struggle with mental health— this is a powerful read. And let’s talk about the redeeming and absolutely absurd ending.
Will it change your mind?
Amazing novel once again, coming from an incredible author and human being. Thank you for sharing the most vulnerable parts of your writing ability, and I’m absolutely looking forward to whatever is next. A sad yet wonderful ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star read!