The First Lights of Eventide
While exploring the remains of a historical relic hidden by dense wilderness, Neely Shaw accidentally steps through a portal that takes her from 2016 to 1906. Suddenly, the collapsing structure is a new and bustling tourist attraction. Accompanied by architect Josh Carraway, she begins uncovering clues to the mysterious disappearance of a young woman who vanished without a trace. Is there a hand guiding their excursions to the past? When Neely and Josh become separated in time, Neely finds herself falling in love with a man from the past while also trying to uncover the reason she’s traveling through time.
Taking the point of view of a historical site project reviewer kicks off the story well. Many descriptions, however, are very broad. Much of the narration is expository. Many times, characters come to conclusions out of nowhere without any buildup or forethought into how their conclusions were made. One example is Neely’s insistence that she and Josh needed to hold hands while stepping through the portal. If they didn’t hold hands the first time, why the second time? The time travel aspect lacks any defined rules, making it hard to buy into. Additionally, everyone accepts time travel way too easily. While in the past, Neely keeps stumbling upon answers or meeting incredibly helpful people, so there is little tension in the plot. Any obstacles in her path are solved via simple solutions. There’s some repetition in the narrative with thoughts later being spoken aloud, often in the next paragraph. The entirety of Chapter Two feels unnecessary as everything is summed up in Neely’s later dialogue. Overall, the book could use further development. One final note: having a horse on an old farmstead named after Confederate General Lee and taking it to pick up a Black farmhand? This felt like an ill-considered choice.
