4 out of 4 stars
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Samyann’s Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation is an extraordinary journey into a world of past lives and how those lives shape the present.
Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation is a story about a young couple living in modern day Chicago and the mysterious connection they have to one another. The story opens with a young woman named Amanda Parker, a single woman living with her cat. She prepares for her day and leaves her apartment, but doesn’t return the same person as when she left. She ends up saving a man named Mark Callahan from a falling elevated train. While they both feel some sort of connection in the beginning, Mark is the one who decides to pursue a relationship.
After Amanda saves Mark’s life, she is taken to the Lexington Antique Shop, owned by a man named Ed Morgen. Before she is hospitalized for her injuries, she finds herself being drawn to an antique grandfather clock in the shop. The story begins to take off after Amanda purchases the antique clock, as she was never able to rid herself of the desire to be near it. This is when she embarks on a journey, with the help of Mark and her Godmother Mary, to learning about her past life through past life regression.
This story was surprising in many ways. First of all, if you’re a historical fiction fan, this will appeal to you. The reincarnation story takes place during the Civil War and The Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Samyann is incredibly accurate in historical descriptions and events. A glossary of historical information is provided at the end of the book. As a history buff, I was impressed and satisfied by the accuracy, especially since the flow of the story wasn’t interrupted.
As much as I want to call this a romance story, I feel that there’s so much more to it than that. In fact, it’s about as much of a romance story as Wuthering Heights (it’s not). Amanda’s struggles with her mental stability and Mark’s struggle to keep her grounded take up a large portion of their relationship. Aside from that, Amanda and Mark’s relationship blossoms at the perfect pace, and you’ll encounter suspense and revelations as you move through their story. The author leaves room for excitement and the occasional sinking into the warmth of romance.
While it’s clear that this story was carefully tended to and built from a solid foundation, the writing is what drew me in from the beginning. I’m a sucker for the transformation of words into art. It’s beautiful; a true masterpiece. There was one point where I could actually feel the cool breeze described. The author truly has a way of taking a story and breathing life into it. There are well-written books that take forever and a day to finish simply because the author lacks the skills to pull the readers in, and there are poorly written stories that have potential, but the author simply couldn’t convey it the way he or she hoped to. This story is a well-written masterpiece.
There isn’t anything I didn’t like about this book. Everything about it was enjoyable. I give Yesterday: A Novel of Reincarnation 4 out of 4 stars for the pacing, accuracy, writing, and of course, the story. I hope to read more from this author in the future. No matter what genre you prefer, I think everyone could take something from this story and enjoy it as much as I did.
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Yesterday
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