Hey hey!
So, as promised, I was finally able to finish reading R.E. birth by Thomas W. Everson. His book was on tour with the Spread the Word Virtual Book Blog Tours two weeks ago, and I did a promo spot, which you can check out here.
Quick Synopsis (check the promo spot for more info):
After collapsing in the woods due to a stab wound, the protagonist, Rain, is saved by a trio of time-traveling women: Ami, Agatha, and Evelyn. The women are bound to the time-traveling house by Evelyn, who had the ability during her life, and now haunts the house, and her family, in death. Owing them for saving him and without any memory of his past, Rain vows to help them break their curse, joining them in their travels.
Review:
4.5 Stars!
This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read before – and that’s awesome! Very rarely does something outside my typical genre keep my attention long enough to finish, let alone for me to enjoy it as thoroughly as I enjoyed this. Everson does an amazing job of pulling the reader in immediately with Rain’s struggles, and the predicament in which he finds himself. It’s difficult to keep someone interested when the protagonist spends so much time unconscious in the beginning, but Everson makes it look easy. His writing is fluid and quick, following Rain’s thoughts and emotions – a perk of writing in first person.
Every description and scene is vivid, and you truly feel like you’re seeing the world through Rain’s eyes. The reader shares in his confusion and curiosity, and that makes for a very immersive read. Rain is relatable, despite the fact that he doesn’t even know himself, and that makes him sympathetic almost immediately. Ami, Agatha, and Evelyn are also delightful characters, keeping Rain more than entertained with their day to day life. At times I did find that Ami was a bit exaggerated, almost a caricature of what “typical girl” would be like, I did come to realize that it makes sense – given her lack of interaction with anyone else but her mother and aunt from a very young age. Agatha and Evelyn are a bit more down to earth, though Evelyn can be a little larger than life at times, but this is what makes her my favorite character. Even the background characters are very real, as well, from little Emma to Burly. The constant time travel could make it difficult to have those passing characters come across as genuine, but once again Everson excels. It feels like we’ve just scratched the surface of this cast, and I’m looking forward to learning more about them!
Another bit from this book that had me wanting more was the settings! I wish they could have spent more time in each period, because the author manages to seamlessly and smoothly implant them into each one with little to no explanation. There’s no exposition of annoyingly long descriptions of where they are, or anything that would put a reader off as too much information. Rather, like Rain and the others, we learn about each time period as we go, with bits of info picked up from their experiences and surroundings. That’s expert world-building, in my opinion, and perfect for the sci-fi genre.
I won’t give too much about the ending, but I will say that it has me chomping at the bit to buy the second book, which came out a couple of weeks ago, so hooray!
Conclusion: Any fan of time travel and epic adventure needs to read this – it’s pretty great and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Can’t wait to get started on the next installment (once I clear the current mountain of books waiting for me!).
As always, think happy thoughts!
FictionTrials 