Maureen Noel

You really need to stick with this book. Most of it leaves you scratching your head, but all revelations happen at the end. The reason I took two stars off? One star was for the length of time it took for ANYTHING to make sense and for the childish relationship banter. Another star was for..... SPOILER ALERT.... why Sapphire dreamed of Safire in the first place. If you go in the undo you go back in time. Safire only "hung off the walls" of the undo so just her pregnancy and memories went back? What, they spontaneously took human form? They landed in the only ancestor with the same name?? It's never explained and it just confused me. It isn't a bad book, it's worth a read if toy can stick it out. If you give up on books easily, then pass this up. It needs a dedicated reader.… (meer)

I must admit that I struggled to read this book, not that there wasn't sufficient interest to keep me reading but, I was frequently looking back at what I had read to see if I missed a key point, why I didn't understand what was happening or what was the relationship between the characters? Once I relaxed and allowed the jumps between Sapphire (awake and on present day Orcas Island) and Safire (Sapphire's Nightworld alter ego while she is asleep) then I was able to progress with my reading. I also had to make allowances for other characters to move across time and between physical locations. The description of a barren future with people living with animals, without technology or any infrastructure for providing utilities or services we currently take for granted and no way to provide sufficient food. When long winters start freezing living things, humans devolve to something less than human and exploit weaker humans (some women and children). People grow up fast or die. Joining groups and living be rules of the strong was the only way to survive. The contrasts between living in "Today" and the future world was made immediate by following a character that was transported between both worlds. I'm reading the book a second time now to see if there is some mechanism that caused the changes or if it was just something that happened to a strong self sufficient young girl. It is interesting to read of the recognition of what can be done in an inhospitable environment to substitute for modern medicine and deal with the challenges that each day brings. A great adventure that is thrown upon an intelligent young lady with internal resources that she didn't realize were available for her. An interesting look at an alternative that is successfully managed in spite of inherent disadvantages. You have to cheer the resourcefulness and strength of the determined young lady!… (meer)