Shadow Walkers by Brent Hartinger

Source: Author
Zach lives with his grandparents on a remote island in Puget Sound in Washington State. With only his little brother, Gilbert, to keep him company, Zach feels cut off from the world. But when Gilbert is kidnapped, Zach tries the only thing he can think of to find him: astral projection. Soon, his spirit is soaring through the strange and boundless astral realm—a shadow place. While searching for his brother, Zach meets a boy named Emory, another astral traveler who's intriguing (and cute).
As Zach and Emory track the kidnappers from the astral realm, their bond grows—but each moment could be Gilbert's last. Even worse, there's a menacing, centuries-old creature in their midst that devours souls and possesses physical bodies. And it's hungry for Zach.
From Brent Hartinger, the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of Geography Club.
I have heard a lot of amazing things about Hartinger's books. So, I was really excited to read it. The main character Zach is really well developed and I felt that I knew him really well. Sadly, I didn't feel like that about Emory and Gilbert, who both weren't developed as much as I would like. The plot is rather exciting, but a lot of it seemed rushed, which may have been why I had a tiny problem with the characters and it seemed like several details about the Astral Realm were missing. I found the premise to be really new and exciting. I really wish that it had more depth. Hartinger's writing was lovely and made this story very enjoyable. Overall, I liked Shadow Walkers, even with the issues that I had with it. I just wish that it wasn't as rushed and maybe a bit longer.