Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.
My Thoughts.
I loved this book, what a fresh, intriguing and somewhat creepy story that will have you sitting with the lights burning all night long.
I enjoyed the concept of the storyline, so different from what is out there at the moment in terms of subject matter.
To intersperse World War 2, Spanish Influenza and Spiritual Photography which were all prevalent around the same time period, makes for a novel that is at no time boring and which has piqued my interest in some of the history that made this story so unique.
Set in 1918, extending towards the conclusion of the War, Mary Shelley makes for a strong heroine, personally affected by the War, when she discovers that her childhood friend and potential love interest Stephen has become a casualty of War she is devastated, and then at his funeral she starts to hear him talking to her and then not long after she begins to see his spirit, Stephen can't move on, his death isn't as cut and dried as everybody has been led to believe.
His older brother convinces Mary to sit for a spiritualistic photo (which he's become famed for) in hopes that Stephen's spirit will appear in the developed portrait, but is he a fraud or is he honestly capturing the ghostly forms of friends, family members and soldiers who have been killed on the battlefield.
This book had a very well thought out and executed plot and ending that had me wiping away a few tears, so invested I was in Cat Winters wonderful characterisations.
With the added addition of archived spiritual photographs taken from that time period, that will give you shivers down the spine, their inclusion gave this story an added depth and realisticness that had me fascinated and certainly creeped out all at the same time.
I highly recommend this book, such a great read that will definitely be re-read by myself at some point.
Simmi Shergill's life is a mess. Her powers of psychic feeling are on the fritz, and Grandon Township's sudden population boom has brought quite a few unsavory characters to town. She also looks like an over-blown balloon in her size 14 pants, but not even starving herself seems to be working as a diet plan. Well, at least her boyfriend, Alex, loves her so much he'd do anything for her. Last summer he even risked his life to protect her from the mysterious boy everyone was convinced wanted to kill her. The problem is, she's not so sure she feels the same way. Is Alex really the man of her dreams? And why can't she stop fixating on her would-be killer, Dax? Whenever he's around, part of her wants to run screaming in the other direction while the other part longs to run into his embrace, no matter who she'd hurt or what she'd risk. Simmi's loyalty is on the line. Who will she choose-the blind seer who loves her, or the charming telekinetic with "bad idea" written all over him? Emotions run high as the tension mounts in book two of the Farsighted series.
My Thoughts.
While I enjoyed the storyline of this book and I managed to finish it in a day, I was let down by my dislike for the lead heroine Simmi, I wasn't really a fan of hers in the the previous book Farsighted but I really couldn't stand her at all in this book.
And while Simmi and Alex are now together the relationship is pretty much one sided, while Alex is in love with her Simmi doesn't reciprocate and instead lies to him and strings him along especially now that she is attracted to Dax whom is living with Alex and his family.
Simmi is hiding a secret, she is battling bulimia, a condition that only worsens throughout the story along with her sense of self-esteem, Dax helps her feel more comfortable and happy with the skin that she's in.
As in Farsighted I really loved Shapri's character, she's not afraid to speak her mind and I'm hoping that she ends up together with Alex, you can tell from the way that she defends him in this book that she really likes him but because she's Simmi's best friend she'd never think to betray her in that way.
I'm really looking forward to the next book which is from Shapri's pov, a character that I really love and which hopefully features a lot more Alex.
Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The
only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are
dead broke and insanely overprotective, and... oh yeah, he's blind.
Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a
normal life, an enticing new girl comes to their small Midwest town all the way
from India. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex.
Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Sophomore year might not be so bad
after all.
Alex is in store for another new arrival—an
unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as
he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they suggest
Simmi is in mortal danger.
With the help of the mysterious psychic next
door and friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex embarks on his
journey to change the future.
Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firmNovel Publicity Best known for her Young Adult novels, she is also developing a small, but devoted, following to her children's book series and is beginning to dabble in other genres as well. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available via almost every social media site in existence. Visitwww.emlynchand.com for more info. Don't forget to say "hi" to her sun conure Ducky!
Note: Emlyn also writes romance under the pen name, Darby Davenport.
Inspired by the childhood classic Alice in Wonderland, this harrowing and romantic story features teen zombie slayer Alice Bell who has lost so much—family, friends, her home. After a strange new zombie attack, Alice fears she may be losing her mind as well. A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do wicked things. The whispers of the dead assault her ears and mirrors seem to come frighteningly to life. She’s never needed her team of zombie slayers more—including her boyfriend, Cole—than she does now. But as Cole strangely withdraws and the zombies gain new strength, Ali knows one false step may doom them all.
Expected publication: September 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Above all else, though I try not to think about it, I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed. There is no loophole.
Until now, that is...
For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her 'other' life - a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she's a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she's considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other. With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she's always wanted...But just what - and who - is she really risking?
All Hannah needs is a nice and quiet vacation after her first year of teaching French at a high school. She joins her brother Ben for the summer in their mom’s log cabin in Arizona. There, she meets Josh again, Ben’s childhood friend from the Navajo reservation. The little boy from the rez has grown up fast, and Hannah can’t help but feeling more for him than just friendship.
But fate apparently has something else in store for her. And it’s not peace and quiet. Night after night, Hannah is plagued by strange nightmares about the past of Navajo Nation and terrifying shadows chasing her. They seem to come closer – and why is Josh always present in her dreams?
Sometimes, the past has a way of catching up with you.
My Thoughts.
An absolute pleasure to read, this book had me flying through the pages to see what the conclusion to this fantastic story would be.
A truly original concept and storyline has me eager to see what Jen will release next.
Hannah and her brother Ben decide to spend their summer vacation at their Mother's log cabin in Arizona, after embarrasing herself at a gas station in front of a hot guy she's mortified when she discovers that he's Ben's best-friend from childhood Josh, what has her baffled is the intense attraction she feels for him which Josh also reciprocates.
After an encounter with three drunken men she starts to have nightmares that involve terrifying shadows with red eyes and always in her dreams is Josh a little older and they are set years ago in the past, but are they just dreams or is Hannah seeing past events that have occurred many lifetimes ago?
I loved the added storylines of the Navajo Nation it added a whole lot more to the story, more depth and the history and their customs I found to be extremely interesting, a great idea, that you don't really find in paranormal books.
This is an extremely well written, well researched book and I would love to see another book after this one, I loved the characters especially the brooding Josh and I want to read more.
I recommend any fans of paranormal romance or even romance books pick this one up it is well worth the time spent reading it.
I give this 4/5.
Q & A With Jen Minkman.
1) There is a lot of details about the Native Americans and the different tribes, how much research did you have to do to write this book?
I really had to delve deep and get a lot of books and movies about the Navajo in order to educate myself. They are quite different from tribes like the Lakota (who have been extensively portrayed in famous films like Dances With Wolves and Into The West) so good research was vital! I think out of the nine months I spent writing this book, at least three were solely dedicated to reading up on Navajo culture, mythology, language and history.
2) Have you always had an idea of featuring Native American's in your first book?
No, not really... the first book I attempted to write was a high fantasy novel. What gave me the idea to write about them was reading New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - I liked the chemistry between Jacob and Bella in that book and was actually disappointed they didn't end up together, so I figured I should write a paranormal romance novel with Native Americans and a happy ending :)
3) If a film were to be made from this book, are there any actors in particular that you would like to be cast?
Oh, definitely! I would love to see Saoirse Ronan as Hannah and Kyerin Bennett as Josh. Not sure whether he can act, actually (he's a model)... another good one would be Michael Spears, but he's too old to play the part and Lakota, not Navajo, but I really admire his work in several projects he's done!
4) Were you inspired by any songs/music while writing this story?
First of all, I wrote my own music for the book (the songs that Hannah and Josh sing in the book really exist and can be listened to on my website). I also listened to tons of pow-wow CDs, most notably the Navajo Mountain Singers, and to punk-rock music from Navajo Nation made by the fantastic band Blackfire. I still want to see them live one day!
5) Do you plan on writing another book set in this world, maybe a sequel?
I wasn't planning any sequels, but some reviewers have complained they wanted to know more about Josh's background, so there might be a companion novella at some point.
6) Describe Shadow Of Time in five words
true love lasts beyond death.
7) What authors have inspired you over the years?
Too many to name, but a few notable ones are Ray Bradbury, Margaret Mahy, David Eddings, Tonke Dragt and Thea Beckman.
8) What are you currently reading? And what was your favourite book(s) of last year?
I thoroughly enjoyed The Hunger Games and Ultraviolet last year. Right now I am reading a book written by Ervin Laszlo about the zero point energy field and the way the world should change in order to avoid total breakdown of the current economic system. I can be very scientifically-oriented at times... but always mixed with a sense of spirituality and higher purpose.
9) And finally you're hosting a dinner party and you can only invite five people (dead or alive), who would you choose?
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, David Bowie, Jesus and my sister (because she likes all of my other guests a lot, too, and we tend to share all that makes us happy).
Jen Minkman (1978) was born in Holland, in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn. When she was 19, she moved between The Hague, Salzburg (Austria), Brussels (Belgium) and Cambridge (UK) to complete her studies in intercultural communication. She is currently a teacher of English, career counsellor and teenage coach at a secondary school in Voorburg, Holland. She tries to read at least 100 books a year (and write a few, too!). She is a published author in her own country, and translates her own books from Dutch into English for self-publication.
In her spare time, she plays the piano, the guitar and the violin. For every novel she writes, she creates a soundtrack.
'I have always been drawn to writing. My first book was a sci-fi novel at the age of eight, which I painstakingly typed out on my dad's typewriter and illustrated myself. Nowadays, I stick to poetry, paranormal romance, chicklit and/or fantasy. In my home country, I am the first-ever published writer of paranormal romance, and I will gradually make my books also available in English (seeing I have to re-write and translate the books myself, this will take some time!).
Publication: 26th February 2013 Publisher: Random House Books For Young Readers Pages: 304 Genre: Dystopian Age Appropriate: Young Adult
You or your Alt? Only one will survive.
The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.
Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West’s confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she’s no longer certain that she’s the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.
Elsie Chapman's suspenseful YA debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.
My Thoughts.
Elsie Chapman has created a fresh and exciting new world that will keep you transfixed until the nail-biting end.
I love the concept of this book, the fact that your Alt (twin born to different parents) is the one that will be ordered to kill you, anywhere between the ages of 10-20 you will be visited by someone from The Board (the people in charge of the city) who will then activate the order, and it's kill or be killed, only one will be left standing, you are given a month and if neither one nor the other is dead in that time then you will both be terminated.
Only the Alt that wins is allowed a proper education, job, marriage and kids, the Completes (Alt's that have won) are allowed the best that life can provide. After a tragedy that affects West considerably she has almost given up on life, and then she gets activated to destroy her Alt, but with the guilt that she's feeling over the tragedy she thinks that maybe she's not the better version of herself, so it's up to Chord (her brother's best-friend) to convince her to fight for her life just like she convinced him to do when he was activated feeling the exact same way. I'm intrigued to see how this will be carried on as a series, this book ended perfectly so I would have been happy just to have it as a stand-alone novel, so I wonder. A fast and thrilling read, very enjoyable. I give this 4/5.
