Release: April 30th 2021
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Not Your Father’s Bedtime Stories
Source: Author
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD
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In this middle-grade horror story, Tiger Lily Dander and her friend, Stacy, wake one morning to a world in which everyone they care about is missing, except each other.
Together the girls must determine why their loved ones have disappeared before their menacing shadows succeed in robbing them of their joy and making sure they, too, vanish forever.
About the Authors:
Sage Hyatt loves to sing, make arts and crafts, and is a connoisseur of desserts and cute cat memes. She is author of The Last Shimmer, a middle-grade horror story. In this, two girls must confront their shadows to save themselves and their loved ones from darkness. Her story, “Psychopath Strawberry,” in which a mad scientist’s efforts to spread a toxic ice cream are thwarted by a little girl, was published in the June issue of Spaceports & Spidersilk. More of Sage’s tales can be found at Not Your Father’s Bedtime Stories, which she has written with her dad, author Ryan Hyatt, since she was six.
Ryan Hyatt tells stories about your future. He is a former news reporter, columnist, and author of the Terrafide sci-fi series. He edits the satirical sci-fi news site, The La-La Lander, as well as Not Your Father’s Bedtime Stories, kid’s lit he creates with his daughter, author Sage Hyatt. Find him at the beach and his stories across the Internet.
The Last Shimmer Review:
Firstly, let me say that I admire Sage and her father Ryan for executing this novel. It’s not every day where you read a gripping, suspenseful story from a young gifted person. If this is the kind of eerie story that Sage writes now, I cannot wait to read her novels once she grows up!
The story is pretty creepy for a middle-grade novel, and the author narrates it nicely. I liked the concept of the shadows taking control and fighting back against the ‘fleshed’ people who shimmer. Tiger Lilly (I love the name) is lovely in the lead as she tries to save her friend Stacy and get things back to normal. She is not afraid to stand up to her friend against bullies like Rita. I also thought President Lance was a fascinating villain.
Probably my only criticism of the story is its length. There is so much potential to the tale, with so much happening. It would have been nice to expand the details to make the book at least 80-100 pages. I would love the author to re-write this tale (and perhaps make it a series) in the future because I would love to know more about the shadow world.
Nevertheless, I encourage everyone to read this book because it is an excellent debut by a young author. It also imparts a beautiful message of always staying positive and shining to fight away negativity. Overall, “The Last Shimmer” is a lovely read!
