'Was it really just her visions that set her apart? Made her feel different? Wasn't it true, if she was honest with herself, that it was more than that? That she'd always felt out of place? Not quite present in her own skin?'

Plot

Jenny Kramer knows that there's something different about her. After all, she can see people's past lives by touching them. She befriends Ben, a boy who's new to town, and together they stumble upon an old music box.

The music box contains instructions for 'mesmerization' and by using it, they discover that they have more in common than they thought; they knew each other in a past life.

Using the music box, Ben and Jenny share a dream that takes them to Romanov Russia, where they find that they've been here before. Jenny has been having similar dreams for a long time, dreams that involve a mysterious young man named Nikolai. When Nikolai appears in Jenny's life, she has to believe that he has traveled through time to find her.

But there are those who don't approve of Nikolai breaking the rules of time and space, and they seek to capture him and send him back to his time. Refusal to do so could mean that Jenny loses Nikolai forever, and they race against the clock to try and keep Nikolai in Jenny's life.

My thoughts

I received a free copy of this book from the Publishers, Month9Books via NetGalley. This was the first book that I was approved for on NetGalley, as it was on the Read Now section.

This month, I'm trying to read as many books from NetGalley as I can, so I thought that the first book I got from there would be a good place to start. I was initially attracted to this book by the lovely cover; it caught my eye, and after I'd read the synopsis, I really wanted to read it and was delighted to see that it was available to read now.

I really enjoyed this book and found myself missing it every time I had to put it down. I found everything about it incredibly interesting, especially the aspect of Jenny having a past life in Romanov Russia. I'd vaguely heard about the Romanov family, and there was actually a reference to them in some of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, with Alexei, one of the children, featuring as a Vampire.

As I made the connection between these two very different books, I found myself enjoying this book even more. The history aspect was fascinating for me, as instead of creating a completely fictional past life for Jenny and Ben, the Author has taken events from history and twisted them to fit into this story. For me, this made the story even more enjoyable.It gave me a new interest in the Romanov family, and I was instantly on Google trying to learn more about them.

Although one of the main aspects of this story is of course the romance between Jenny and Nikolai, I didn't feel like this overshadowed the rest of the story for me. There's too much going on for the couple to really play on their feelings for each other.The majority of the story is action packed and involves Jenny working with her friends rather than spending all of her time with Nikolai.

I don't think that there's a sequel planned for this book, but I really wish there was, as the ending left me wanting more. But at the same time, if there wasn't a sequel, I'd still be happy with the mystery left behind, as this was a great standalone novel.

If you're looking for an exciting and interesting novel to read, then this is for you, especially if you're looking for something suitable for teenagers, as the romance is very toned down. The book is marketed as a Young Adult novel, and it's definitely suitable for this age range. ( )

Endless was not at all what I expected. I completely forgot what it was about before I started reading it so that might clue you in on my "sudden" unexpected feeling coming from this book. Endless is about a girl named Jenny who doesn't like to touch people because when she does she sees images of that persons life - more accurately she sees people's past life when she so much as grazes them with her fingertips. Then events occur where she discovers who she was in her own past life and two boys that she should have no connection to, become a close part of figuring out who she is because they were there in her dreams of her past life as a Romanov.

Now what is so awesome about Endless is that it had the paranormal elements with Jenny's powers to see past lives and it had flashbacks of Jenny's life as a Romanov and on top of all that there was this shady secret society that controlled time travel which has something to do with Jenny's late mother. There so much in this story but it all blends together and works remarkably well. I was truly impressed by how absorbed I was in this story.

Time travel is usually a no-no for me because it makes me nervous. I don't like it. I don't trust it. Time travel should stay in books and movies and away from me. So it was a surprise to me that I enjoyed that part of the book. Although, the characters weren't time traveling. It just had to do with time travel like time travel was mostly talked about.

I loved the flashbacks/dreams about Jenny as a Romonov. I don't really know anything about the family apart from the movie Anastasia which isn't saying much although it's a great movie nonetheless. It was so interesting seeing her life at that time. It was mostly about her and a boy named Nikolai as well as the fear her family had for their safety. Jenny herself was a likable character and I enjoyed reading her discovery of who she is and where she fits in the world.

“It's like that sometimes for people who have had traumatic experiences in their past life. It's hard to move on, to belong, in one place when you have unresolved business in another.”

The romance was alright. I liked Nikolai but took me some time to get to know him and see how much he cares about Jenny. I still think that there is so much more I needed to learn about him. His character feels purposely like a fixture. Someone who is too faraway from his time so that he doesn't connect with me in the present time.

“I'd do it a thousand times over for one chance to spend my life with you.”

Ben also took time to warm up to. He was the moody bad boy type when he was first introduced. He became an invaluable secondary character with his own side story that was really appealing and that I was interested in seeing how it concluded.

“It was like his loneliness connected them more intimately and deeply than someone she could have known for years. Like she and Ben skipped over all the stuff people usually do when they first meet. All the fake smiles and putting their best foot forwards. As if they'd jumped right to knowing each other so well they could themselves even when they weren't at their best.”

Everything that made the story what it was kept me occupied in that fictional world. The only thing that was iffy was Nikolai whom was kind of up in the air at the end of the story. Actually everything didn't feel resolved. I felt like Endless needs a sequel but it doesn't look like it is going to happen which is unfortunate because it's a really good story that deserves one.
( )

This book was okay. The worst thing was that I thought things would be as good at the end as they were at the beginning. A case of 'idea sounds better than it was in execution.' A story about a dream-traveling girl with magic hands uncovering a secret cult in her home town, except, there was a romance that got in the way, and the villains were not so good. The bad guys were a poor version of Scientology meets Lemony Snicket's VFD. (Doesn't that sound appealing, though?) After the first chapter I was ready to get sucked in, but then once I'd read the thing, I felt like a great many of us felt after Twilight. In case you didn't read that, basically you've read 500 pages of stuff but feel like not that much happened. I don't mean that in an existential way - you just feel empty inside. Despite all the heart-pounding, all the voracious page-flipping, you wonder what happened aside from Bella staring at and thinking about Edward a lot. Here it is again. However, I can tell you the last chapters, while very Scooby-Doo, were jarring. The team gets together, bags the baddie, but it was such a departure from the thoughtful painting that Jenny does, the whirlwind descent into the Romanov family life of the past, and the creepy monks who seem to follow Jenny. It also reminded me a little of the Beautiful Creatures series, only in that the parents aren't all clueless, but the helpful ones are invariably dead. Jenny may save the gentleman in distress, and the end does tie things up enough while leading on for the next book, but it felt a little silly, is all. For that kind of beginning I was hoping for more than just a mystical romance. It's definitely readable, but I don't think I'll pick up the sequel.

"Tolerable, but not interesting enough to tempt me."
Fitzwilliam Darcy

I loved this book and could not put it down. The story was engaging and the characters were very real. I highly recommend this book. ( )

NOTE: I received the eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The cover is what had me requesting this one. It's so pretty! Speaks of innocence and purity. Then the summary hooked me too, and I thought - why not?

Gee. Then I read it. I could barely reach the end.

It's supposed to be a time travel novel, no? Yes, but it isn't. There is absolutely no traveling through time. Unless being told that it happens does it for you. For me, it does not. Which is why I was so immensely disappointed!

I wanted to know what happens when you mess up and go to another era, dang it! I wanted to be there to see how it happens! I didn't want a wordy explanation of the twists and turns and what nots! I didn't want to know that it's just not right, and it could be fixed by a bunch of lunatics who'd rather put you in the abyss of nothingness than help you be happy for once!

Huge. Disappointment. Here.

I guess the writing was okay. But I'm not entirely sure because I couldn't manage to pay it much attention. You see, I was too upset that nothing was happening. And I do mean nothing. There were perhaps two events in the whole book that could be called 'dramatic' and one of them was completely on the side.

The characters couldn't redeem my opinion either.

Jenny Kramer has dreams. Of what she doesn't know, but she is in them. Only they feel too real to be just dreams. Then out of nowhere a guy by the name of Ben crosses her path, and suddenly, they dream the same dreams together. Peachy, no? And convenient, certainly.

Then the guy Jenny always dreams about, Nikolai, appears to an art show in a gallery, where Jenny's showing her paintings. And wham! Instant attraction. Of course, it's later on explained as normal, since they're soul mates and Nikolai has traveled through time to find her. But seriously? Could it get any cheesy than this?

Yes. And it does. Because silly as it sounds, Nikolai allows himself to get captured by the 'monks' who straighten out who belongs to what time. And guess who saves him from their clutches? Jenny. Of course. Who is a mastermind of covert affairs, but ignore my sarcasm.

Anyway. If this sounds like your cup of cake, be sure to pick it up. It sure wasn't mine. ( )