Review of Shadows of Time

[Mayang Bature]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Shadows of Time" by Valerie Massey Goree.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Shadows of Time is a novel written by Valerie Massey Goree about a woman named Anna. Anna just found out that her estranged mother died of organ failure. Unbeknownst to her, her beloved mama had amassed a fortune. This was a surprising revelation, and Anna naturally wanted to know more about her mother and how she got all that money, despite her mother's specific instructions in the will that she not. Anna must now balance her thirst for knowledge with her professional and love lives, all while seeking the truth in God's word.

This was a rather straightforward book. The author got right into the story, skipping any side stories or wasting time on backstories. There weren't many characters, which allowed the author to build on those that already existed. I liked it since I never got confused by the story's progression as I read. The author employed appropriate descriptions, particularly when discussing her characters, to give each one a distinct personality. That also made them feel more human because Anna and Cullen, her love interest, would frequently crack jokes, which lightened the mood.

This was a small book, only about 200 pages long, but it felt much longer while I was reading it. It seemed a little slow at times, especially when they were looking for information about the company that Claire, Anna's mother, used to work for. Given that Cullen was supposed to have exceptional talents when it came to the internet and obtaining information, their progress did not go as quickly as I thought, despite having someone with such skill. When discussing Cullen's employment, the description was always fuzzy, most likely due to the author's lack of knowledge in that area. Further research on that subject would have improved this story.

I thought the plot of the story was a little too simple. The mystery was not fascinating, and the plot twists were all too evident. I correctly predicted what would happen on several occasions. That made the plot dull at one point since I could tell what was going to happen from a mile away. I had high hopes for the plot, but I was disappointed.

This story had a touch of romance woven throughout it. That was adequate and matched the narrative perfectly. The religious elements were also well-integrated into the plot and did not feel overly intense. I believe the author did an excellent job of balancing all of these elements without allowing them to eclipse the main plot. This novel would appeal to readers who appreciate basic mystery stories and romance. Because of a few flaws that hampered my enjoyment of this book, I rate it 3 out of 5 stars. It is, nonetheless, a good read, but readers need not expect anything spectacular.

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Shadows of Time
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[Laney K]

I'm not a huge fan of overly simple plots, they tend to be a bit boring, so I'll skip this one.

[Shavon Crawford]

I did enjoy the story and how it talk about the balance of love life and professionalism. I also find it interesting when the thirst of knowledge is so tempful.