Book Review: Minutes Before Sunset - Shannon A. Thompson

Title: Minutes Before Sunset (The Timely Death Trilogy #1)

Author: Shannon A. Thompson

Release Date: April 28th 2013

Publisher: AEC Stellar Publishing

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: ecopy from author (Thanks again, Shannon!)

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She was undoubtedly a shade, but I didn’t know her.

Eric Welborn isn’t completely human, but he isn’t the only shade in the small Midwest town of Hayworth. With one year left before his eighteenth birthday, Eric is destined to win a long-raging war for his kind. But then she happens. In the middle of the night, Eric meets a nameless shade, and she’s powerful—too powerful—and his beliefs are altered. The Dark has lied to him, and he’s determined to figure out exactly what lies were told, even if the secrets protect his survival.

He had gotten so close to me—and I couldn’t move—I couldn’t get away.

Jessica Taylor moves to Hayworth, and her only goal is to find more information on her deceased biological family. Her adoptive parents agree to help on one condition: perfect grades. And Jessica is distraught when she’s assigned as Eric’s class partner. He won’t help, let alone talk to her, but she’s determined to change him—even if it means revealing everything he’s strived to hide.

Paranormal romance is something I've been reading less and less of lately, so imagine my glee when I got the chance to read Minutes Before Sunset. And although it took a while for the book to capture my interest, I can say that when it did, I couldn't stop reading.

Unbeknownst to humans, a secret war has been brewing between the Dark and Light, beings who have special powers that correspond to their namesakes. A prophecy has foretold how the war will play out, so both sides are desperate to make sure it happens - or doesn't happen. Eric is of the Dark, a Shade, and as the first descendant, he will face the second descendant, who is of the Light, in the Marking of Change. His life consists of nothing but training and school, until he meets an unknown Shade in the forest.

One of the top reasons why I enjoyed this book was all the conspiracies. Even Eric, who plays a huge role in the prophecy, apparently doesn't know a lot, and that only added to the suspense factor. Jessica, on the other hand, is clueless. She's new to town, but more than making friends, her priority is to find information on her deceased birth parents. It's not very hard to guess so I'll just say it already: Jessica is the unknown Shade, and even without the training that Eric has been receiving for years, she easily gets adept with using her powers. The paranormal aspect of the book is very unpredictable, up until the end.

I was falling in love with her, and she was falling in love with me. It was fated, decided before any of us were born, and I hated it as much as I loved it. I could barely stand it.

Now for the romance. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but it was sweet, if nothing else. And well-developed, too; no insta-love here, in case you're worried about that. All the sneaking around that Eric and Jessica had to do - with the Dark, Light, and even each other - made for one tense read. 

Like I said earlier, this genre is an unusual read for me nowadays, but I don't think the dual POV is something I've encountered in it before; it worked really well for the story because I've gotten quite tired of the scenario where the guy is always being mysterious and all that jazz until the girl unravels him. And just when I thought I had everything figured out, another twist is shoved to my face (metaphorically speaking, of course). The sequel is definitely in my TBR list.

MY FAVE PART is Jessica's first visit to Eric's house.

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