This is the first of Paulo Coelho's books I have read and perhaps that was a mistake. I found the first half of his journey intriging and compelling but when the Valkyries appeared it all seemed to be a bit too much. It went from simple explanations eg the 'second mind' to 'hard to digest' rituals and characters. I found myself asking 'is this book factual?', perhaps if I had read his other works first I would have had more of an understanding of his beliefs and practices. 
A cracking good read. Loved the light hearted way in which the character of James using the written word and telepathy relays his own history whilst explaining the concept of ‘Balancers’ (protectors of mankind) to Katrina his great great….Grandaughter and newly emerged Balancer . The depth of explanations could have, in lesser hands, been tedious but Chris Adonn made it extremely interesting and writes with natural humour and compassion. This book made me laugh and cry I was so caught up with the characters. In essence she made me care and want more. Can’t wait for Book Two.
Received this Time Travel Sci Fi novella free from LibraryThing and was looking forward to reading it however I was just getting into the story and interested in the characters when it ended all too soon. Very descriptive and atmospheric but as it stands I felt too much was left unanswered, plenty of scope for a sequel. Would make a good read if fully developed into a novel. 
Romance
with a hint of mystery. The mystery is
introduced early in the narrative and holds the suspense to end, with little glimpses
throughout. The mystery however is a
subplot, the main plot revolving around Jessie, Brother Thomas and subsequently
her husband Hugh which ultimately leads her on a journey of self-discovery. The result is an enjoyable, gentle read with
some well written observations of human nature without using unnecessary
padding. 
BOOK 1 
