By Saundra Mitchell
Published By Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release 03/07/2011
Received: netGalley for review
Summary (netGalley): It's the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.
When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia's world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she's not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.
My Thoughts: The first part of the book was a little slow for me and I ended up putting the book down to read something else. Once the visions started and the story seemed to be moving forward it became much more interesting and kept my attention. The forbidden "fire and wind" romance between Amelia and Nathaniel was an interesting mix and I found myself at the end of the book wanting to know more about Nathaniel and his gifts. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Amelia and her cousin Zora, by the end you felt for them and could understand the heartbreak of both. The other side characters and personalities that you meet during the "vespers" also helped to make the story.
Overall: Once the story of the "vespers" and the romance got going this was a great book. You could feel for all the characters. Their reactions to finding out what the future held for them and how they reacted once those visions started coming true. I did have some questions about some of the Baltimore characters at the end and hopefully we find out more in a future book.
Rating: 4
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