Temporal Shift by Nina CroftMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
**I was provided a complimentary copy of Temporal Shift in return for my honest review.**
This is a tricky one for me to review, as there were times when I had a really difficult time reading it; I felt as if I was missing out on something, that there was some vital clue that I should have known beforehand. Additionally, this was my first time reading work by this author, so having had no previous knowledge of her writing style, I had nothing to draw upon with which to discern series or not.
Several times I actually stopped reading and looked for series attachment, thinking there had to be something going on before this book. I could find nothing - no similar titles, no series title. Turns out, after all that struggle, I was right. I still don't understand why I couldn't find any series association it's never that difficult - but I would recommend (in the future) that the author and/or publisher mention the series affiliation, possibly giving a summary or a Prologue?
Now, on to the story. Quick and to the point - I loved it. After I got past the whole series issue - some things I just had to cast aside because clearly they were associated to another story - I found that I really enjoyed the story and Nina Croft's writing style.
To me, this story screamed Sci-Fi/Paranormal Romance blend, given the space crafts and worm holes combining with supernatural creatures.
The main characters contained depth of character, flaws and all; everything you want to see in your Hero and Heroine.
Saffaria has known, and been groomed, to the one purpose her life revolved around. She has dreams of (Devlin) for years, but when she actually meets him... Well, I won't say. You have to read it to find out! =)
Thorn has been by Saffaria's side since she was born and is there to help her, aiding her along her quest, until she fulfills her destiny.
But Devlin...oh Devlin...he lives for one thing and one thing only - to kill the leader of the Church of Everlasting Life. When he has a little run-in with Saffaria, and she eventually informs him that they are fated - not just to be lovers, but to spend eternity together - big surprise, he balks.
The problem resides in that Saffaria's whole destiny, the one that says she will be the one to save the Human race, is dependent on having not only Devlin's assistance, but that of the entire crew of the Blood Hunters.
Will she be able to convince Devlin to aid her, or will her run from his so-called "destiny?" Can Saffarina convince the Blood Hunters to help her, or will things the events that have already occurred be too much to overcome? Will Devlin finally come around to not only aid Saffarina, but accept his destiny with her? If so, how does this unfold?
It's quite the engaging story, full of plot twists and turns. Other than my initial confusion regarding the series issue, or not, I would say this was an excellent story. Although, given the disruption it caused in the story (from lack of previous information), I would highly recommend that you read the first three, yes three, in the Blood Hunter SERIES, before you attempt to read this one.
I can't stress this to the author and publisher enough: In the next book of the series, either write a Prologue, that summarizes what has happened to bring us to this point, or place a CLEAR remark that the book is part of an ongoing series.
I've never encountered this problem before. I can always find series info, or tell that a book is part of a series, if just from the first few intro pages, which always list the previous books, usually in series order. It is possible that, due to this being an ARC, that all of that was removed, but still...something needs to be there to inform the reader.
And just think...with a summarized Prologue, you give the reader enough to feed from that not only will they be intrigued to read further, but you have given those who have yet to read your work a reason to continue. Maybe it's a prime book, etc. and they don't have the previous ones, nor any inclination to buy them. By drawing the reader into the current story, by informing them a bit of what came before, not only will they understand the current story better, but they might very well be inclined to go back, reading the others that came before it.
Highly recommend! A great story, built on a solid foundation. =)
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