Sunday 20 January 2013

SHADOW OF TIME BY JEN MINKMAN

ISBN: 9781480242234
Publisher: Self/Indie
Pages: 400
Formats Available: Paperback , E-book

BLURB from Goodreads
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 REVIEW
I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
The cover makes a lot of sense when you read the book as it is a scene from within the book. I tend to favour covers that are a scene from the book as you know your minds eye is on the same wavelength of the Authors imagery. The cover depicts Hannah and Josh, or maybe even Josh and his wife in a former life in a Navajo cave.
The book is well written and descriptive in such a good way you can see the places Jan is describing.
I love all the characters, Hannah, Josh and Ben. I really loved how the former lives were brought into the story and we eventually find out about Hannah and Ben too. I admit i had guessed who Hannah was etc but the twist with who Ben is/was is really great and though you are given hints they are very subtle. I wasn't so keen on Emily as I felt a slight undercurrent that perhaps she was somewhat jealous of Hannah and Josh's relationship.
Maybe it was just me that read Emily that way.
Some of my review probably sounds a little confusing but, it will, I promise make sense when you read the book, and you really should. 
The only part of the book I wasn't as enamored with was near the end, the rituals and descriptions of past lives seemed a little off, in that I was so interested in them, but didn't get the detail where I wanted it. The scenery was a little overly described and I would have preferred a bit more emotional description. I really loved the fact the author went into history of Josh's people and to be honest would have loved and definitely read a book just on that and Josh's tribes traditions etc. Perhaps others would find the detail long winded, but it was telling us about a complicated time in history. I would have loved a little more, delivered in the way most of the book was written, as though Josh is telling us the traditions/rituals. I don't quite know how to put it into words, I really enjoyed the book but, I feel it could have been even better. I hope that makes sense. I would have loved to have seen "The Long Walk" through Josh's eyes.
I felt the book ended quite well, though I though perhaps Josh and Hannah would have taken more time and had more discussions over planning when they were next to meet up. All the jigsaw pieces as such had been put together, so will there be a book 2? I am not sure, as the "bad guys" were dispensed with at the end of this book.
Did I enjoy the book? Yes, I did. Would I recommend the book? Yes especially if you love Native American history too. Though you don't require any previous knowledge of the era is not needed to enjoy the book. Would I read a Bk#2? I think I would, yes. Would I read more by Jen Minkman? Yes!

Available from Amazon.co.uk

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