THE MINE (Northwest Passage Book
1) by John A. Heldt (3.5 stars)
Having just graduated from
college in 2000, Joel Smith explores an abandoned mine and emerges in 1941, a
few months before the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The characters were engaging and the plot interesting. How Joel managed his
situation was plausibly developed and there was just enough happening
throughout the story to keep my interest. Most of the story revolved around
Joel finding the love of his life decades before he was born. I liked how the
author resolved Joel’s conflict between wanting to return to his own time and
not wanting to abandon his love.
My main quibbles with this book
were some consistency issues and not knowing whose head I was in while reading.
Most of the story is from Joel’s point of view, but there were times where I
suddenly found myself in another character’s head without a scene or chapter
break. This caused a few speed bumps where I had to go back and read through a
few paragraphs more than once. The book could stand another edit.
Overall, I think most will find
this a fun read, especially if you like time travel.
* * *
3 a.m. (Henry Bins Book 1) by
Nick Pirog (4 stars)
HENRY BINS has a sleeping
disorder named after him. Henry sleeps 23 hrs a day and is only awake from 3 to
4 a. m. regardless of the time zone. So in order to have any kind of life, he
has to regiment his time very carefully—every second counts. Then one day, his
life is turned upside down when he hears a woman scream from the apartment
across from his. When he goes to investigate, he finds a dead body.
Despite the improbability of
Henry Bins and his disorder, I found it very easy to suspend my disbelief and
just enjoy the well-crafted story. The characters were well fleshed and unique
and the plot was a doozy. So kick off your shoes, leave your skepticism under a
rock, and enjoy the read.
