by Shawntelle Madison

A Fantasy, 2024 by Amistad, 448 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

The prologue feels a bit out of place. It didn’t necessarily get me interested in the book. In fact, starting with the first chapter may have sucked me in more.
As is common with time travel books, there are a lot of characters and a complicated timeline to keep track of. Of course, this isn’t a negative for every reader so call it a content warning.
There are some unanswered questions that feel like tiny plot holes, things like diabetes being mentioned once (when it’s needed for the plot) and then conveniently never an issue or a consideration again.
The ending felt rushed. You spent a lot of time building this story and the ending was a let down. I wanted more from the love story and more from the curse.

The opening chapters set up a compelling premise that pulls you in easily. You want to understand the rules and try to find a way to beat them for these characters. You want to know everything about their world and their curse.
The emphasis on writing an accurate historical fiction piece comes through, even with the fantasy elements. The characters and their struggles shine here, from the challenges of schooling kids on a farm to the challenges of war and race. It’s beautifully written and well researched.
The initial moments for each of the characters you follow through the time travel are brilliant. Those first moments when they realize what has happened and have to cope are just well written and original, even for the genre.

Readers of historical fiction who want to try something a little fantastical with the time travel element are really the audience for this one. The historical fiction really shines here.