praise for shimmer

"Noël ably captures the cadence of tweenspeak in this lively, action-packed adventure." —Booklist

" . . .Understanding and enjoying this book does not hinge on having read Radiance(Square Fish, 2010), but readers will be quickly drawn to Riley and want to learn more about this spunky character and her previous experiences. The author's sharp contemporary wit in concert with her fascinating fantasy setting and important historical connections will draw readers through this enjoyable novel and have them begging for Riley's third adventure." —School Library Journal

"There's just something about Riley that I absolutely love! She's spunky, sassy, funny and even though she's dead, she's so full of life . . . Although these books are mid-grade books, they can easily be enjoyed by adults as well. Riley shines! She is a superstar! I'm intrigued by the thought of the Here & Now and I can't help but want to see what adventure Riley will find herself in next." —4 Stars, Bookwormygirl

"Shimmer is a fast, fun and intriguing read. An excellent installment in the series . . . I look forward to see how things turn out in the next book." —Anna's Book Blog

"Riley Bloom is at it again! I can't help but love this girl . . .Once again, Ms. Noël wrote a fab book. It was a quick, fun read with great characters and real emotions. The book was easy to relate to and easy to feel. Her characters, her writing, and the plot were all good." —4 BITES, Book with Bite

"If I could pick only one thing I completely and totally loved about this book, it would be Riley herself. She is everything you want a female main character to be! She was clever, spunky, witty, sassy, and more . . . Another aspect of Shimmer that I enjoyed was the, shall we call it, philosophical part of it. I thought that Prince Kanta was a lovely addition to the book, and he was full of wise words. . .Ms. Noël has a way with words, too. The way she would describe certain scenes was like being inside the book. . .All in all, Shimmer was a very impressive and incredible read. At first it may seem like it's just a light-hearted and "cotton candy" novel, but not at all. It had deep meaning, morals, and it at times made you smile & laugh. Excellent read!" —5 stars, AllyKatz

"...I am loving this middle-grade series that features Riley's adventures in the afterlife. Radiance was a great start, and Shimmer continues the awesomeness. I absolutely love Riley as a character—she's fun but flawed and Noël captures her tween voice so well...Overall, these are just some wonderful books... I'm really excited for the third book in the series, Dreamland, out this fall!" —Book Chic

"It's hard not to fall in love with Riley and think of her as kid sister. She's defiant, strong willed and is on a mission to help those who are in need of assistance in crossing over. Shimmer has a lot of elements to the story that make this an engaging read. I felt that Riley as a character matured more after seeing the unimaginable things that happened to the slaves on Virgin Islands during the turn of the century. It's heartbreaking, but a key element to the story and one I felt Alyson wrote well. I really liked the message Shimmer has. To love and forgive is to be free from hate and anger. I would recommend this for middle graders and fans of Alyson's Evermore series. I'm looking forward to reading Riley's third book, Dreamland when it's out this fall." —4 Stars, Mundie Moms

"What I like about Shimmer is that although it's an entertaining, light-hearted novel, it also has deep meaning to it. It's an appealing story with very likable characters, but it also will make you think about what life-after-death might be like... Yet Shimmer is never heavy-handed or preachy with its underlying message. It is primarily a fun, enjoyable read, and you'll be rooting for Riley to succeed at freeing herself, Bodhi, Buttercup, and everyone else Rebecca has made her prisoners... Shimmer is a novel that will stay with you for a long time... The first book in the series is Radiance I highly recommend both it and Shimmer to anyone who likes reading touching and often humorous supernatural fantasy novels." —BSCKids.com

"Shimmer is a book I am not likely to ever forget. . .I feel as though Shimmer can teach readers a lesson in understanding those around us. We learn from Riley that first glance doesn't mean much. There are many more layers to people, and if you take the time to peel them back, well we all have a lot more in common than you might think. I am really looking forward to what's next with this series. I like the level of depth in Shimmer and hope to see more of the same from Alyson Noël." —Bellas Novela

"I adored Radiance, and Shimmer was just as good. I'm still amazed at Ms. Noël's ability to see through a 12 yr old's eyes and write about themes such as slavery, and the horrid things that happened during that unpleasant time in our history, while always keeping a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Shimmer was a wonderful read and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to reluctant readers. It ends with some unanswered questions that I'm sure will be resolved in the next Riley Bloom adventure, Dreamscape, coming this fall!" —My Bookish Ways

"Bestselling author Alyson Noël gives fans the second book in her fascinating series about Riley Bloom and her life after death. The character of Riley brings a lot of energy to the story, and her clumsy but heartfelt attempts to do what's right are endearing and contagious. Her strong views on life (and the afterlife) and her bickering with the frustrated Bodhi are amusing and compelling. She uses a clever approach to sharing the many horrors of the characters by taking Riley's first-person point of view along with her when she steps into the others' nightmares, experiencing their terrors as her own. She also offers quite a few interesting topics and words of wisdom on which readers can contemplate during and after reading, including destiny, free will, fate, the fact that "words have the power to harm or heal" and that "anger and guilt mixed together made for a pretty strong brew—one that could trap a person forever." —Chris Shanley-Dillman, Kidsread.com