The Shadowed Onyx by Nicole O'Dell

 Today we are going to do a review/interview with my teen daughter that read Nicole's book The Shadowed Onyx.

What type of a  book is The Shadowed Onyx?
The Shadowed Onyx is a teen, young adult fiction.  It is the third book in Nicole O'Dell's series Diamond Estates.  It is a deep book it deals with suicide and supernatural issues. 

Did you have a favorite character in the book?
 I liked Beatrice (Bea).  She has Down's Syndrome. She has a sweet loving spirit and outstanding faith in God.

Can you set the theme of the book for me?
Joy's a good girl, but her world turns upside down when she catches her boyfriend and  best friend kissing.  Joy goes to Melanie's house to forgive her, but what she finds isn't what she was expecting in the least bit. 

Tell me about the main character?
Joy's best friend, Melanie, has committed suicide.  Joy is struggling with this and partly blames herself.  She reaches out for help and makes a new friend in Raven; however, Raven is mixed up with some bad things and is encouraging Joy in doing them too. 

How do some of the other characters play a part on the main character.
The death of her best friend causes her to blame herself
The cheating of her childhood friend and boyfriend causes her to never want to like a guy again.

How does the main conflict in the book change the main character?
At first messing around with things like the Ouija board scared Joy, but as time went on it became harder for her to say no to doing it.  Sin has a way of doing that.

What makes this book special?
It is a pretty deep book.  It takes on such topics as suicide, Satanism, the occult, and demonic powers.  

Seventeen-year-old Joy Christianson is the life of the party.

But when her best friend commits suicide, Joy’s already wavering faith slips completely out of reach—and darkness and depression lay claim to her soul. A group of “friends” lead her to the Onyx, meant to help her let go of the past and bring her into harmony with reality, and Joy finds herself embarking on an ominous journey of witchcraft. Caught in a world of evil and shadows, Joy isn’t so sure that there’s a way out, and soon finds herself at a crossroads.

Will Joy find the hope and light her heart longs for?Or will her dejected soul remain forever in the shadows?

Afraid of letting the depression and evil take root, she decides to seek help in the haven of Diamond Estates—and tries to reclaim the Joy she once knew.

Nicole O’Dell, founder of Choose NOW Ministries and host of Choose NOW Radio: Parent Talk and Teen Talk, is a youth culture expert who writes and speaks to preteens, teenagers, and parents on preparing for life’s tough choices. The mother of six, including pre-school triplets, Nicole is the author of  nineteen books. YA fiction, like her popular Scenarios for Girls interactive fiction series and the Diamond Estates Series, and non-fiction for teens including Girl Talk, a Q&A resource based on the popular advice column she writes with her two daughters, all emphasize the importance of making good choices. Hot Buttons, O’Dell’s non-fiction series for parents, pre-empts peer pressure by helping parents tackle tough issues and was recently endorsed by Focus on the Family. Visit www.nicoleodell.com for access to her bustling blog network and other resources.

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for this review post