Title: Endless
Author: Amanda Gray
Published: September 10, 2013
Publisher: Month9Books
E-book courtesy of Netgalley
Jenny Kramer knows she isn't normal. After all, not everybody can see the past lives of people around them.
When she befriends Ben Daulton, resident new boy, the pair stumble on an old music box with instructions for “mesmerization” and discover they may have more in common than they thought. Like a past life.
Using the instructions in the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that transports them to Romanov Russia and leads them to believe they have been there together before. But they weren't alone. Nikolai, the mysterious young man Jenny has been seeing in her own dreams was there, too. When Nikolai appears next door, Jenny is forced to acknowledge that he has travelled through time and space to find her. Doing so means he has defied the laws of time, and the Order, an ominous organization tasked with keeping people in the correct time, is determined to send him back.
While Ben, Jenny and Nikolai race against the clock - and the Order - Jenny and Nikolai discover a link that joins them in life - and beyond death.
My Thoughts:
I was so grateful to get a chance to read and review Endless, by Amanda Gray! I'd had my eye on it for a couple of weeks now, not only because the cover is gorgeous, but the premise sounded very interesting as well. I LOVE history and historical fiction, so when I saw that the Romanovs of Russia were tied into the story, I was really intrigued. I was also curious as to how these characters knew each other in their past lives.
Jenny is a 17-year-old girl who has always felt different than everyone else. With a simple touch, she could see into other people's souls and into their past lives. She has kept this secret from everyone, including her father.
"The Ouija board was a bad idea."
One day, Jenny and her 'friends' were playing a game, and she gets a mysterious, yet personal message from a Ouija board. She knows it must somehow be related to her ability, but has no idea how and why this is going on. Then she begins having mysterious dreams...and in these dreams she is in a place she has never seen, and she is a young woman named, Maria. She also has encounters with a young man with vibrant, green eyes named Nikolai. He seems so familiar, yet she cannot place where she knows him from. One day she sees a man with these same green eyes, who claims that she knows him.
Jenny also meets a boy named Ben. One day, they come across an old, antique music box with mysterious writing on it. Together they try and uncover the secrets of the music box and things are revealed about the two of them. As Jenny and Ben spend more time together, she wonders if she can trust him with the knowledge of her gift and if she can tell him the dreams she has been having.
I really liked the characters in Endless. Jenny is a really sweet girl who is in a predicament when it comes to her future. She wants to be an artist, yet she doesn't want to disappoint her father by not taking on the same occupation as him. Can she keep from hurting him? Ben comes across as somewhat angry and standoffish, but I like the guy. He's been through a lot and has a lot weighing on his shoulders. Nikolai. I really liked him from the beginning. For someone so young, he has such wisdom and maturity. He would do anything to protect Maria/Jenny.
Even though, we spent most of the time in the present, the times spent in the late 20th century had a huge impact on the story. It was a bit sad, because I knew what was going to happen. Prior to reading Endless, I knew a little bit about the Romanovs, but afterwards I did a some more research on them- especially Maria, because I was very curious about her.
After the first half of the story, I was loaded with questions- how is this and that possible? Thankfully, the author answered most of them by the end of the book. I was a little confused on one thing though. In Endless, there are the concepts of reincarnation, soul mates, and time travel, and they exist simultaneously. There's also the notion that time is not linear, but that it exists on different planes or dimensions So a person may be here with us on this plane, but they may also be living a life on another plane (during another time). So I wonder, would he or she only have part of a soul, since the other part(s) of them (their souls) are on different planes and in different bodies (shells), with different personalities? I am in no ways a science person, so this has definitely given me something to ponder.
I would like to say that, that did not keep me from enjoying this book, as I adore books that feature time travel and find it interesting! I also thought that this book introduced many unique and interesting ideas/concepts that aren't in other YA books. One does not have to be a history lover to enjoy this book either.
Endless was definitely a smooth read, and I really hope that it will become part of a series. The author leaves it open for a possibility. If so, I will definitely want to read it!
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Title: By Your Side
