I received the book from the author in exchanges of an honest review.

I wasn't fully aware of what genre Shadow of Time was before I started it. Fantasy or chick-lit?
First half of the book is definitely chick-lit and I loved it! I adored Hannah; she's funny, independents og ready for a great summer. No teenage insecurity, but a young woman capable of standing on her own two feet and she doesn't need a man to have fun. Her brother Ben is amazing and almost as fun as his sister. Josh is fantastic and even though I thought a lot about the age difference in the beginning, it's not that noticeable later on.

I like the slow romance that develops between Josh and Hannah. Nice and easy they go from being childhood friends to having their first kiss and then things escalate. They barely kissed before the words ‘I love you’ are uttered and that's just too soon, even if an explanation follows later on.

The most noteworthy part of the book was the writing. It has a nice flow and it's both vivid and riveting - it completely captured me and I'm definitely going to read whatever else Jen Minkman publishes. First half of the book vanished between my fingers in no time and I loved every bit of it; Hannah making friends, Hannah falling in love, Hannah enjoying her summer. It was so relaxing and I kept wishing for a beach and warm weather. Slowly the paranormal part was introduced into the story and it worked very well in the beginning, but at some point it just got to be too much. Too much information came at me at once about the Navajo's and Josh and even though it was thrilling, I had a hard time remembering all of it.

Still, the story of the Navajo's is very interesting and especially Josh's story is heartbreaking and merciless - I enjoy getting to know him so well. Frankly, the story got a bit too paranormal, probably because I kept feeling that the book mostly was a chick-lit and those two genres doesn't cooperate very well for me.

At some point during the story something happens that makes it impossible for Josh and Hannah to be together which makes Hannah extremely depressed. Like really. She changes completely, as if Josh was her only reason to be happy. It doesn't fit the Hannah I loved in the beginning and it just annoyed the hell out of me, pardon my French. Too much teenage drama!

The ending seems a little rushed and it’s a bit too easy. I get the message and symbolic of it, but it happens so fast compared to the enormous build-up.
The first half of the book is a sure 5 star rating, but due to the amount of paranormal stuff (in what I felt was primarily a chick-lit), the easy ending and Hannah's break-down, Shadow of Time unfortunately only gets 3 stars (well, 3,5 stars).

Side note: I wasn't aware that the book was a self-published before I read it and I haven't got the best experience with self-published books. Shadow of Time is, however, the exception - it wasn't filled with spelling mistakes, the story is coherent and it leaves no loose ends. Way to go, Jen Minkman! ( )

Hannah Darson comes her mother's cabin at St. Mary's Point for summer vacation to get away from it all. Hannah's brother Ben is also there. Hannah hopes to reconnect with her best friend Emily Benally and her brother Josh. Upon meeting Josh again Hannah feels an undeniable attraction to him that she can't quite seem to explain to herself or anyone else. Hannah is attacked by three strange men which leads to her having haunting nightmares about a Navajo village and Josh. Josh is also attracted to Hannah but he's also keeping a secret from everyone. He remembers all of his past lives so he can help his people. Will Josh tell his secret? Who are these strange men? Will Hannah or Josh admit their attraction? Your answers await you in Shadow of Time.

This unique version of time travel isn't like other time travel books. The Navajo customs and traditions were what made this book special in my opinion. The characters were honest, real, down to earth, compelling, heart warming, and heart breaking too. The story was bold, rich, compelling, and haunting. I will definitely read more of this author's work in the future. ( )

I love it when I come across a book that sounds interesting upon reading the summary but then becomes so much more when you actually read the book. The writing was excellent, story line unique and very well researched. This book incorporated clean romance, Native American spiritualism (specifically Navajo), supernatural/paranormal content, historical references, and included characters that don't fit the normal 'type'- which was quite refreshing to me, however some may be uncomfortable with reading about characters that fall outside the 'norm.' For instance you have age differences, smokers, lesbians and spiritual shamans verses a typical young adult romance that features the 'girl next door' and her 'crush' down the street. What I loved about the characters were how intertwined they became... like an extended family. You can feel the closeness, trust and love between them which made the main characters connection even more real.

Hannah and Josh, the two main love interests in this book, grew up together each summer but haven't seen each other in four years. When they reunite there is an instant attraction which is awkward at first for Hannah since she is about 6 years older than Josh. At the beginning the attraction seems rushed however as the story progresses you find out why they have an instant connection and root for them.

This story stayed with me for days after reading it. I've read a few Native American fiction and I feel that this was very well done. However, not being of Navajo decent I cannot state whether the author's depictions are accurate. But, to me, it was well done (especially when I read the author notes about never stepping foot on Navajo soil!).

If you enjoy supernatural, paranormal, and not-your-typical romance then you will enjoy this book. Recommend for Young Adult and older. ( )

Shadow of Time by Jen Minkman

First I have to say this book was amazing, and I found the authors writing and the research it must have taken to write this story was truly fantastic. Shadow of Time is well written, the characters and story line were captivating, and I couldn’t put this book down. I have to say Jen Minkman has written a very original story and I found myself truly caught up in this novel.

We first meet Hannah who travels to their summer home to hang out with her brother during the summer holidays. Hannah who teaches French is looking forward spending time with her brother and relaxing. When she bumps into her brothers best friend Josh she is shocked to see it is the same man she was checking out at the gas station earlier. He has grown into a tall dark gorgeous young man.

Josh and Hannah can feel the attraction and the pull towards each other, Hannah does struggle a bit as Josh is 17 years old compared to her 23. But she cannot control the attraction she is feeling and knows Josh is feeling the same.

Things are going well for Hannah, but at night Hannah is having some strange dreams that involve the Navajo people and Josh. Her dreams are starting to frighten her, not sure what to do with the images she sees in her dreams she starts to wonder if they could be real?

Shadow of Time is a paranormal romance novel but so unique and original that you can’t help but get caught up in this story. Hannah is a great character and she seems very real I really enjoyed how she handled things and the way the author kept her character more true to life then some of the other female characters in books.

I loved all the history of the Navajo people and its culture to be truthful I was so caught up in learning about this that sometime it was a bit more interesting then Hannah and Josh, but I do love romance.
Josh was a harder character to understand at first he was so on and off with Hannah I wasn’t sure what was going on, but the story had me so captivated I couldn’t wait to see this relationship grow.

I have rated Shadow of Time a 4.5 star rating, and Jen Minkman is one fantastic author, I would recommend Shadow of Time to anyone who is reading my review to go get yourself a copy of Shadow of Time. I would definitely read anything Jen Minkman writes in the future.
( )

The research on this book was incredible. I was quite surprised to find out at the end of the book that the author had never even been to the Navajo reservation. She definitely had me fooled and impressed me.
There's part romance, part mystery and history and part paranormal in this story. The characters had an interesting journey through time and I liked them more and more once I found out how things were all linked together. ( )