A review by merlinscove
Hidden by Shalini Boland

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Today I’m reviewing Hidden, the first book in the Vampires of Marchwood, by Shalini Boland. As I understand it, these were published before and have now been rereleased (with a name change for this book, from Chosen), so I was looking forward to reading this as it passed me by originally. So, let’s get on with the review…allons-y!

Here’s the blurb…

My name is Madison Greene. On my seventeenth birthday, I inherited an old mansion and wealth beyond my wildest dreams. I thought it was a joke, but as I step through the creaking door of the sprawling building, I realise my life in foster care is in the past. I’ve been chosen and my world has changed forever.

But I wasn’t told that Marchwood House hides a secret.

As I explore every inch of the crumbling property, I stumble upon a set of large, dusty boxes in the basement. When I pull back the lid and look down, I find myself staring at the most handsome face I’ve ever seen. High cheekbones, porcelain skin…

And when he wakes up and locks eyes with me, I realise my heart already belongs to him, even though my head is screaming at me to get as far away from Marchwood as possible. Because I know what he really is.

I never planned to fall in love – but it’s too late now. Alexandre has a dark and dangerous past. He needs me and I have to help him. But can a human really save a vampire?

This is one that I’d class as YA but leaning more towards NA, as there are some heavy themes in here. The female main character, Madison, is 17 but has had to be strong for a long time, so is more mature in a lot of ways. It’s heavier than Twilight, let’s put it that way! Although it manages to lose the creep factor associated with Twilight due to the fact that, while the male main character was born in the 19th century, he hasn’t spent those years out in the world maturing far past the age of 17/18! Anyway, this book is very much not Twilight so I’ll leave that talk there and get onto the book!

When we meet Madison she’s on the cusp of turning 17, getting into trouble often and in a precarious living situation with foster parents that have taken her, and her brother Ben, in for the payday rather than a genuine desire to provide a loving home. During a school suspension she is forced to work in a supermarket with her foster mother, including on her 17th birthday. She is approached by a smartly dressed man who turns out to be a solicitor for a firm representing a long dead distant relative who tells her that she and her brother are the only living descendants of their client, and as such has inherited his huge country house and a fortune in money. The catch? She has to live there. Happily, and quite sadly if think about it a little, she manages to ditch the parasitic foster parents with a payoff of a house and a lump sum, with them kept vaguely around in case they’re needed for social services. So it is that Maddy and Ben move into the palatial estate of Marchwood, where a long buried secret lies hidden in the basement…

What I will say is that this book does not rush. There isn’t a hint of a vampire until almost 50% through the book. Luckily the book is good enough that you enjoy the story as it is! The first half of the book is told from two perspectives and two timelines, as you find out about Maddy and about the male main character Alexandre in 1881 as you find out how they’re connected. I’m a history nerd so I loved reading about 19th century archaeology and ancient myths and legends, so it meant that the first half didn’t drag for me at all. The vampiric stuff? Starts in earnest after 50% and involves a sweet but intense love story, as the book races to its action packed conclusion and sets up for the next book in the series.

This is a really well written and pleasant to read book, with a couple of well fleshed out main characters and good side characters that I hope I’ll see developed more in the second book. I loved the world building and the attention to detail, and the vampire backstory was a new one to me which is a lovely change! There’s a lot of story packed in here, but it doesn’t drag at all which is a testament to Shalini Boland’s skill. The story is rounded off nicely, with a good bit of peril dropped in for good measure in the second half of the book, and it leaves a fleeing antagonist and some breadcrumbs for the next book Taken - which, as far as I’m aware, was released on the 21st of March 2023 with this and the third book Hunted. 

I’m going to give this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because I simply enjoyed it! It’s one I’d happily reread, and has me looking forward to reading the rest of the series as soon as I get a chance! 

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, Second Sky and Shalini Boland for my copy of the ebook.