I really enjoyed Ms. Minkman's Shadow of Time so when the author asked me to review this book I was thrilled!

For me this book was good, not great. It took me a while to get into the characters and get used to reading about Austrian 18 year old young adults drinking, doing drugs, sex, etc. A lot of the first half of the book is character development along with introducing the mystery surrounding the main character's crush. However, once you get over the hurdle of daily character build up the love story catches you and sucks you in. I got all teary eyed at the end and it was such a lovely ending.

So I would recommend those that may be a bit bored at the beginning to read through and you will fall in love with the characters just like I did.

Recommend for mature young adults and older, especially those who like fairy tales or paranormal twists to their stories.

I received this book from the author for review. (Rating: 3 1/2 stars) ( )

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I don’t remember the last time I read such a beautiful love story between young adults that touched me as much as this story did. This book is so different. from those I red lately - I never really feel that this is a story of high school graduates!.The tempo of it is not a constant thing it change along the moods of the main character. I think that the author really did a nice job at intereduce a different culture a European one. And I am also very sure that some of the readers will find it difficult to digest. She also used Music in setting background in such a way that you could feel the mood, and even hear it.

The book will have you guessing the whole time what is really going on? Is this a dream? Is this really going on? You find yourself transported into Austria and seeing Julia and Michael go through the process of falling deeply in love – you feel their love, you feel their pain, you feel their joy…all emotions are pulled into this book.

I loved the dynamics of Julia's group of friends and her close family. They were a very close group and I loved their freedom with each other were loyal to each other. Gaby was the comic relief in the book. I was always waiting to see what she would say next. She was not afraid to speak her thoughts. She was also a good friend. You can’t find one better than her.

I also loved the way Jen introduced a gay relationships into the story ( I believe in EU they don't make so much fuss on that subject) and Florian is such sweet and funny. They also cover it when she star to work at the bookstore, when Marco explain his preferences.

Julia is a dreamy person. She usually find a refuge from her troubles (In her family- and her family living without a father figure in their lives- I felt all her love and devotion to her mother and her little sister and that moved me and person life) in the wood. There she has a special place at the foot of a giant old Oak Tree. there she write all her thoughts, and tell him everything and there she find her serenity. She is calling it Mr. Oak and even laugh about her :silly" self when she hug him. She is a straightforward, honest, caring, and hard working.

Julia has been in love with Michael through high school and finally right before graduation, he notices her and gets exactly what he wants from her. After that, he has no interest in pursuing anything more with her – until one day during a severe thunderstorm, Julia sees Michael in her woods right near her “Old Oak Tree”. Michael is sprawled on the ground and it seems he had an accident on his motorbike. Julia immediately tries to keep him awake and calls an ambulance - Michael survives and doesn’t want anything else except for Julia now. Something is odd about Michael, he talks about himself in the third person – he professes his love for Julia – he isn’t the arrogant bastard that Julia and her friends remember. At first Julia couldn't trust a him, but slowly, slowly he gain her trust .

Oh and to make thing more complicated, there is this Thorstein hot guy, the new neighbor and the older brother of her little sister new best friend. He is gentle, he like music just like her, he his kind and patient, he could easily integrate with her group of friends and he want her very much. - This was the first time that the a character in YA apologizing about sending mixed signals.

In parallel lines there's another plot running at the same time - Anne, Julia's sister suddenly become secretive and obsessed with the prince of the woods. Julia see's drawing Anne has done and thinks they are of her sister imaginary which she made up from an old story they were told when younger. But things end up taking a much more sinister and dangerous direction.