Author: Melissa Pearl
Genre: Fantasy
Published on: November 4, 2011, self-published
Gemma Hart never knows when her father is going to whisk her back in time. Her toes start tingling and she has a few minutes to find a secret haven where she can disintegrate and appear in another time and place. While “across the line,” her training and skills are put to the test as she completes a mission that will change history for the lucky few her father has selected.
Gemma's parents are adamant that secrecy is paramount to her family’s safety. If people knew what they were capable of, they could be "used and abused", as her mother always says. Afraid she might accidentally utter the truth and break the ancient oath of her people, Gemma spends her school days as a loner. Only one thing can throw her sheltered life askew... Harrison Granger.
Harrison never expected to talk to the strange Hart girl, but after a brief encounter he can't stop thinking about her. He begins a campaign to chisel away her icy veneer and is met with unexpected consequences. As he slowly wins this girl over, he enters a surreal world that has him fighting to keep his newfound love and his life.
I found this book while browsing the fantasy and sci-fi section of the Kindle store. The synopsis caught my interest. Golden Blood is the first entry of the Time Spirit trilogy. The main character, Gemma Hart, is a high school student with a supernatural ability. The reader doesn’t learn about this right away, though. Most of the first part of the book introduces Gemma, her family, and her friends. You learn about their normal lives and the status quo before anything supernatural is revealed.
The love interest, Harrison Granger, shows up early in the book. He and Gemma have a crush on each other. They’re a bit too intimidated to make the first move, though. Gemma has a curious reputation at school. Students see her as a weird girl. Some of them go as far as calling her a “freak”. Even Harrison himself wonders if Gemma is a witch or an alien. Gemma earned this reputation for a reason. She and her family have a big secret. Because of it, Gemma’s parents compel her not to get too close to anyone. They only allow casual friendships. Gemma’s ended up a sort of outcast because of this.
It’s not long before Gemma and Harrison meet. The latter is dazzled by the girl he’s admired for some time. Harrison is more impressed when he learns Gemma can easily defend herself against the school bully. She’s not a girl you want to mess with. Later, Harrison is awed to learn that Gemma owns a black Ducati. He’s a car fanatic himself, being the proud owner of a restored ’78 Corvette Stingray. Little by little, Gemma and Harrison get to know each other. Despite Gemma’s reluctancy to open up, Harrison chips away at her defenses. He is a little too persistent at times, though. Harrison’s feelings for Gemma lead him to discovering her secret.
As the book synopsis reveals it, I don't consider it a spoiler to reveal Gemma's power. She can time travel. When Gemma does this, her body turns into gold dust and vanishes. Harrison is in the room when Gemma comes back. She's stunned that her secret is out but sees no reason to lie. Gemma explains about what she and her family are, and what they do with their power. There is a strange mechanic, though. Alistair, Gemma's father, has full control of the family's time travel power. When he goes to the past, he pulls his family with him. This means that Gemma and the others can't time travel by themselves. The Harts try to schedule the trips when they are all unoccupied. It doesn't always work as intended, which is how Harrison stumbled into Gemma.
Harrison and Gemma spend a while dating in secret. At first Gemma even refuses to let anyone at school know about it. Harrison doesn’t take it too well. Gemma eventually comes around but still maintains that her family cannot know about Harrison. She can only imagine what they would do. Gemma’s parents don’t want her to date a normal person. She thinks they expect her to marry another time spirit. Harrison scoffs at the idea, calling it archaic. Funny thing to say to someone who can time travel, though.
I enjoyed reading Golden Blood. It’s a rather quick read; I finished it in three days. The story is good, and the characters are likable. Harrison is confusing at times, and even comes off as controlling and pushy. Gemma herself is a solid heroine, more so than Harrison is a protagonist. She’s very paranoid and submissive, yet still has a slight rebellious streak. Harrison and Gemma are also said to be beautiful enough that they attract a lot of romantic attention. It sounded much like having, say, Austin Butler and Zendaya at the same school. Some readers find it coincidental that the two most attractive students fell for each other. It didn’t bother me too much, though. There are much more implausible coincidences than this.
As time-traveling fiction novels go, Golden Blood was entertaining. There’s plenty of action and romance. The world-building isn’t overdone, and the time-travel rules were explained well. At certain points, the nature of the time spirits sounded like a mythical story. I thought that made the novel cooler. I liked Gemma too, enough that I look forward to the next two books. I want to see what the characters get up to next.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
No comments:
Post a Comment