Happy Thursday! Today, we're really excited to be participating in the blog tour for Kit Forbes' novel, Shadows Fall Away. This book is a really great take on the Jack the Ripper murders, and would be great for fans of YA historical fiction that don't mind a little bit of time travel and romance.
As part of the tour, we've got Ashley's review for you, as well as a giveaway! You could be one of five lucky winners to receive a digital copy of Shadows Fall Away, so be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post! You can also check out the rest of the tour stops by clicking on the tour banner above. There's lots of interviews, guest posts, spotlights, and more reviews!
About the Book
Publication Date: September 23, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books
Mark Stewart is one incident away from becoming a juvenile delinquent, and his parents have had enough. They ship Mark off to London England to stay with his eccentric aunt Agatha who is obsessed with all things Jack the Ripper. After a strange twist of luck, Mark is struck by lightning, and he wakes to find himself in 1888 Victorian London.
His interest in a string of murders Scotland Yard has yet to solve make him a likely suspect. After all, why would a young boy like Mark know so much about the murders? Could he be the ripper they’ve been searching for? Convinced the only way to get back home is to solve the murders, Mark dives headfirst into uncovering the truth.
Mark’s only distraction comes in the form of the beautiful Genie Trembly, a girl who is totally out of his league and who may have already caught the attention of the infamous ripper. To save her, he’ll endanger both their lives, and risk being trapped in the past forever.
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Chapters Indigo! | TBD
About the Author
Kit Forbes has been a lover of books, history, and all things paranormal for as long as she can remember. She lives in Western Pennsylvania with her youngest daughter and an assortment of cats who give new meaning to the world bizarre.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Ashley's Review
I never used to like historical fiction because I never used to care much about history. But as I've gotten older, I've really started to enjoy it more. Especially when it's centered around something like the Jack the Ripper murders. I mean, there are so many takes on Jack the Ripper. Like The Last Sherlock Holmes Story. But I've never read one quite like Shadows Fall Away.
For one, there's a little bit of time travel. Mark Stewart is this bad boy who keeps getting himself into trouble and now has to spend time in London with his aunt who spends her time with all things Jack the Ripper. And then he gets struck by lightning and time travels back to Victorian London in the midst of the murders. I loved how he's grown up around Jack the Ripper for basically all his life (between his aunt and his mother's book), and now all of a sudden he's living it.
While Mark is trying to solve the murders without getting himself arrested as the top suspect, there's also this side plot with a little bit of romance between him and Genie. Genie is just trying to help the women and wants to be a doctor someday, but is held back by her oppressive society and especially her father. Mark treats her like a person instead of putting her down like the other men in her life, and it's really nice to watch their relationship grow and change and to have Genie be able to be herself around someone. The romance is important to the story, but it isn't the most important thing and doesn't take precedence when other things are happening that should be more important.
I also enjoyed how everything is tied together and how things are resolved. Mark meets people in Victorian London that have what his aunt needs to find him, even if nobody knows it right away. He's also got enough information to possibly find out who Jack the Ripper is, but things don't always go according to plan. Watching Mark try to learn to be a proper gentleman and solve the murders and try to find his way back home made for a really great plot and had me hooked until the very end.
If you're looking for a fun, mysterious retelling of the Jack the Ripper stories and enjoy books with a little bit of romance and time travel, you'll definitely want to check out Shadows Fall Away! Kit's writing is excellent and will make you want even more. I'd give this book a 4/5, and can't wait to read more of Kit's books!
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