May 212010
Book: The Golden Spiral
Author: Lisa Mangum
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Published: 2010
ISBN # 978-1-60641-635-8
Hardcover: 369 pages
Reviewed by : Sheila
FTC FYI: I borrowed the book from the library, but I
am planning on buying my own copy soon!
His eyes. His touch. His kiss. Dante was unlike anyone Abby had ever met. Now he’ s gone, and Abby will do anything to get him back . . . The hourglass door has closed behind Dante, sending him back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Abby knows that Dante, as a Master of Time, is the only one who can stop them from destroying time itself. She also knows that he will need her help. But almost immediately, things start to change, and Abby s worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past specifically. As Abby s world fractures around her, she must face a terrible truth: either Dante didn’ t make it through the door, or he is lost forever. So with Dante s blueprints in hand, she begins construction on a new door, a new time machine that will either save Dante or doom him. With each new change that ripples into her present, Abby s life continues to spiral out of control. Her relationships with Jason, Natalie, and even her family are threatened to the breaking point and beyond. Zo s power is greater than Abby ever imagined, but as she struggles to free Dante, she receives help from an unexpected and unlikely ally. The bank is eroding. The barriers are thinning. And time is running out.
Wow! That is the first thing I said after reading “The Golden Spiral”. It is the sequel to the very popular, “The Hourglass Door” by author Lisa Mangum, that came out last year. The third book in the trilogy, “The Forgotten Locket” will be coming out Summer 2011.
When I first started reading I was very confused. In the prologue I was desperately trying to remember all of the characters and what they had done in book one. I highly suggest that you re-read “The Hourglass Door” again before reading “The Golden Spiral”. Once you get to chapter one, things start making sense again.
As in the case of most series written, I enjoyed reading the second book more. It comes down to the fact, that the first book usually establishes characters and storyline. In the following books the author can do more with the characters. You already know the characters, how they will react to something; you either really like them, such as main characters Abby and Dante, or you really hate them such as the character of Zo.
Abby carries the storyline in this book. She is strong, confident and brave. Her devotion to the man she loves makes you sigh. There is a lot of romance in the story that female readers will love! I am not sure the male readers will react as favorably to that as women, but I am glad that the romance is there. The romance shows why Abby would sacrifice everything for the man that she loves. You have to understand this in order to appreciate the lengths that Abby goes to so she can save Dante. Speaking of Dante, he is a very yummy, Italian man. You can understand why Abby would do anything and everything to have him in her life.
I love how Lisa shows time travel in her books. It is unique and believable, as far as time travel goes. The whole idea of a river of time, that controls all of our lives and how it can change when someone disrupts the flow, is brilliant to me. “The Golden Spiral” has a lot of action and mystery. You are constantly wondering, what in the world will happen next?
There is an important lesson at the end of the book that the character Zo talks about.
“I’ve learned lot since I’ve started traveling at will through the river. I’ve made some mistakes, sure, but I’ve tried to learn from them. One of the things that fascinated me about the whole process of changing events is seeing how people’s choices can change what happens to them. The chain reactions are fascinating. Sometimes things work out exactly as I planned…sometimes I have to improvise.”
In point #9 in the reading guide it says, “The book touches on the importance of making choices of our own free will, of shaping your own destiny and future. Are there choices you have made that have changed the course of your life?'”I think that this question applies to adults as well as the young adults who this book was mainly written for.
So, I recommend this book to all people that like speculative fiction, a nice, clean romance, lots of action and surprises thrown in throughout the book…read “The Golden Spiral”. The book ends in a way that will make you wait anxiously for next Summer and “The Forgotten Locket”. Way to go Lisa Mangum! I really loved this book.
Rating: 4 stars
Recommend this book? Yes, 100%
Read it Again? You can count on it
One Response to “My Review of "The Golden Spiral" by Lisa Mangum”
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You got me excited! It's sitting on my to-read shelf from library.