Book Review: Minutes before Sunset

Minutes before Sunset (#1 The Timely Death Trilogy)
by Shannon A. Thompson

Genre(s): Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Publisher: AEC Stellar Publishing
Publication date: May 1st 2013
Pages: 247 Pages
Source: Sent for review
Format: eBook

Synopsis: 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.

Thoughts: 

• The concept of this book series is really interesting and not something I’ve really seen before. This twist on Light being evil and Darkness being good was something I’d never seen before. This being said, I felt like I never quite got a grasp on how the Shades and Lights worked.
• The telling of the story from two point-of-views (Eric and Jessica) was really smart because both these characters had two identities (Shade and Human). There was this constant build-up as both characters’ lives (in Shade and Human form) became more and more intertwined. You were kept in suspense as you wondered when both their lives would come crashing together.
• I was never too fond of Jessica as a possible female protagonist. She acted before she could think things through and this made her annoying at times. I felt like her development in her Shade powers was too sudden and unrealistic. She was physically stronger than people who had trained all their lives.
• I was also confused as to how Jessica had a different appearance when she met Shoman (Eric’s Shade form) for the first time because she didn’t know what she was and I didn’t think she’d know how to change appearance. She’d never mentioned being able to do it.
• Eric was really likeable. His character development, even though not significant, was still great to read about. He learnt to be more responsible and tried his best to mend broken relationships. At the same time, he worked hard and stayed funny and sarcastic.

Writing and Plot:
The writing in this book was enjoyable and easy to read. I can’t say that it was overly special as I felt as though descriptions were always quite simple and lacked any extra flair. In terms of plot, the book was continuously entertaining and action-packed. It had a fairly positive ending but there are still some loose ends waiting to be tied in the next book.

Overall, this book surprised me with it’s level of entertainment and addictiveness. The action was awesome and the book definitely questioned the usual: Light vs. Dark concept.

Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars

Quotes:

“One moment of true happiness was worth all the moments of pain.”

“Fate was a reality, but it wasn’t a beautiful or angelic thing. It was a heart-wrenching nightmare. And we’d fallen blindly into it. We had no escape. It was happening, and it was up to me to guarantee our survival of it.”

“I wasn’t sure what was worse: being oblivious or living within reality.”  

Check out the author’s blog: http://shannonathompson.com/

The sequel, Seconds before Sunrise, will be coming out this March!