All Hannah needs is a nice
and quiet vacation after her first year of teaching French at a high school.
She joins her brother Ben for the summer in their mom’s log cabin in Arizona. There, she
meets Josh again, Ben’s childhood friend from the Navajo reservation. The
little boy from the rez has grown up fast, and Hannah can’t help but feeling
more for him than just friendship.
But fate apparently has something else in store for her. And it’s not peace and
quiet. Night after night, Hannah is plagued by strange nightmares about the
past of Navajo Nation and terrifying shadows chasing her. They seem to come
closer – and why is Josh always present in her dreams?
Sometimes, the past has a way of catching up with you.
My Review:
Hannah just wants to relax with her brother Ben after
teaching French for a year. When she gets to her brother's place, she catches up with her old friends, Emily and Josh. Josh isn’t the little boy that she remembers and he’s
been acting strange around her. While she tries to figure out her feeling for
Josh, she is being plagued with nightmares and being followed. She thinks she’s
going crazy, but she knows that Josh has something to do with it.
Josh has secrets that he wishes Hannah wouldn’t find out
about, but he knows it’s impossible to keep things from her. Is Hannah ready to
find out the truth? Well she going to find out whether she wants to or not.
Sometimes the past
won’t stay buried.
There were only two things that really bothered me about
this book. So the first thing that bothered me was Hannah was a little obsessed
with Josh for the first 50 pages. After that she calmed down. Another thing is
that it felt kinda like an insta- romance. Josh and Hannah really didn't do
anything to get to know each other. Well there was one time, but that didn’t end
so great. Other than that.. I loved the book. I loved all the mystery surrounding
the book and the dreams. What do they mean? Is she really crazy?? I kind of had a
clue about what was gong on, and then I didn't.(does that make sense?) Also it
was fascinating reading about the Navajo, their traditions, and how they
live. It was pretty exciting stuff. I can’t really say much without giving
anything away, but I just want you to know that you need to read this book. It’s
like those movies that you watch and at the end it shows you what you missed
and you realize that everything made sense all along, although it was a bit confusing at first. It was pretty cool.
Overall: A very enjoyable
book that has a little bit of the past, present and future.
Hannah: She was
so awkward, it was funny especially the first time she meets Josh again. I came to care
for her, and there was one part of the book where I was sobbing for her. Other
than that, she keeps a level head about everything. I mean, even though she thinks she is
going crazy and after everything that she learns. She not your typical butt
kicking heroine, but she is tough in her own way.
Josh: During the
whole book his feelings were so all over the place, he gave me whiplash. He is a 17
year old guy that is wise beyond his years. He is pretty well admired for a 17 year old and a lot of people look up to
him. He is trying to make a difference at the Rez, like building a school and
keeping the kids off drugs. It’s a lot for a 17 yr old, but he handles the
weight pretty well.
3.5 Stars
Jen Minkman (1978) was
born in Holland, in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn. When she was 19, she
moved between The Hague, Salzburg
(Austria), Brussels
(Belgium)
and Cambridge (UK) to complete her studies in intercultural communication. She
is currently a teacher of English, career counsellor and teenage coach at a
secondary school in Voorburg, Holland.
She tries to read at least 100 books a year (and write a few, too!). She is a
published author in her own country, and translates her own books from Dutch
into English for self-publication.
In her spare time, she plays the piano, the guitar and the violin. For every
novel she writes, she creates a soundtrack.
