3 out of 4 stars
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Yesterday A Novel of Reincarnation by Samyann, tells the story of Amanda and Mark and their quest to find how their past identities intertwine. Amanda has lived with tragedies of her past. She has built walls to protect herself against more hurt and sorrow. Mark is headstrong and believes Amanda is his soul mate. He works to prove he will be there for Amanda through her emotional turmoil by slowly replacing her wall with trust and eternal love. Amanda and Mark both have to conquer their past to bind their future together.
Amanda and Mark pass through doors to catch glimpses of their pasts. They have to decipher how these moments weave and merge into their present. These episodes are short lived and minimal. It comes across as mini stories within the whole. The timestamps are not ongoing so they do not continue where the previous one ceased. This causes breaks within the novel to leave an unending voided space.
It is easy to paint a picture of the storyline, from the cobblestone streets to bell towers. One can almost feel the heat from the fire in Chicago. I can see the intricate carvings on the clock and hear the horses hooves and creaking of the wagon. Samyann has a way of bringing out the tiny detail that makes one feel a part of the unfolding story.
The historical references in Yesterday are well researched. The journey they encounter moves from current day Chicago back to Civil War 1862 while traveling from Charleston to Chicago, also The Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The banter between slaves and their owners is typical of the times. The relationships of masters, workers, and caretakers are effortlessly portrayed. Traveling from the Southern confederacy into the free North, was filled with disorder and chaos. Samyann easily brought to life the conditions during the Civil War era.
I have given this novel a 3 out of 4 stars. The first several chapters are hard to follow as I would get lost in the act of too much information at one time. It is not until chapter 5 when the story starts to have some flow to it. There is a lot of jumping around between times. If more subtlety were used it would result in greater binding among regressions. Samyann carries a bit of mystery and romance in her accounts with Amanda and Mark's past, however it leaves me wanting more of their pastimes to go along with their present selves
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Yesterday
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