Shanna Miles

Ghosts, demons, and unique family bonds create a read rich with atmosphere and a character to root for.

Theo has been left at the family estate while his mother deals with the death of his father. While Theo can't seem to fit in at school, the array of ghosts and his other family members keep him busy. Actually, it's his deceased aunts, which pester him the most. In any case, he does have enough to do thanks to his paranormal talents, which have him and his cousins dealing with all sorts of situations surrounding the afterlife. That is until things start getting strange, and he realizes that there's more to deal with them than any of them every expected.

I've been looking forward to diving into this one for quite some time, but the universe...maybe ghosts... delayed things a bit. Still, I'm glad I finally got to it. Theo is a super sweet guy with a big heart, tons of determination, and even more patience...and considering his ghostly aunts, he needs plenty of it. Better yet, he doesn't attack everything alone but finds support in his family. This adds a cushion of wholesome goodness to contrast the other problems he faces. Theo also has a lot on his plate as he deals with the absence of his parents and takes on ghosts, demons and more. With all of this going on, there's definitely excitement, surprises, tense moments, and emotions too. The entire array settles into a surprisingly easy read, which will especially work well for the younger end of the middle grade audience.

I enjoyed the hints of history and myth as they wove around a imaginative world. I adds a wonderful atmosphere. Still, it would have been nice to have a bit more depth on this end to tie it better together. While the ghostly and demonly threats are grabbing, the entire paranormal world stays blurred below the surface. The background and details to build the foundation aren't fleshed out as much as they need to be for older readers. Also, there are moments where the pacing slows down, but this does allow emotions to settle in and character depth to form. There are more than a few characters, which grab attention with their quirks and personalities.

It's a fun read with humor, heart, creepy moments, and situations. Readers, who enjoy paranormal adventures and a touch of Southern myths, will have no trouble sinking in and getting lost in the adventure. I received a DRC and enjoyed joining Theo is his ghostly battles.… (meer)

Set after the COVID pandemic, For All Time is a young adult romance about teenage sweethearts - Tamar and Fayard - who spend some moments together at the airport in their hometown of Columbia, South Carolina before their world is shaken by an explosion. Tamar lost her mother to COVID and is suffering from a diseased lung herself and was planning to fly away for cyrogenics treatment. The explosion though reveals that Tamar and Fayard have been lovers across time and space. The meet in various intersecting stories set in the 14th-century Mali Empire, on a southbound train from Philadelphia in the 1920s, and even on a lunar base in the far future. I admit I found some of the storylines more interesting than others, and had trouble keeping track of the details of the different timelines, although that's more of a reader problem. Still, it's a clever novel that brings together romance, fantasy, science fiction, and even current events.… (meer)

This is a romance with a more complex and inventive storyline than most, incorporating science fiction, time travel and historical fiction. Tamar and Fayard have been together in various periods of time: current-day South Carolina, 1920s Philadelphia, 1325 in Mali, and even on a lunar base in the 23rd century. They always recognize their powerful connection but their memories never include how their relationships end up. Is it time for them to make different choices to get the outcome they want? The story bounces between Fayard and Tamar's perspectives, and the time periods, and at one point a moment in a diner is replayed and twisted upon itself. Is it fate or free choice? Is it meant to be? One thing is for sure--a romance has to have a happy ending.… (meer)