James Thomas (5)

The story starts with the murder of a belly dancer. Her life, the reason for the murder, and the killer are all a mystery to the reader.
Then we come to Elliot Shields and his 5 and a half year old niece, Gee. Gee remembers things that no child could have lived or even know about. Elliot soon learns about past lives experience and reincarnation.
Though Gee's memories and Elliot's help in the investigation, we learn about Sherri Williams. The belly dancer who Gee used to be. Her life, her killer, and the reason for the murder are all revealed to us.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Well written, few typos, and interesting characters. The storyline is thoughtful and gripping.… (mehr)

I received a free copy of this e-book from the Library Thing Member Giveaway program in exchange for reading and reviewing it.

Generally, reincarnation is not a topic that I read much about, especially not fiction. However, when I saw the blurb for James Thomas’ To Dance Again, it caught my attention; enough that I wanted to give it a try.

Elliott Shields has lost his parents and brother in an accident, and now his sister-in-law Rhonda and five year old niece Gee have come to live with him. Gee initially seems precocious, but the more Elliott talks to her, he realizes that she is referring to experiences and memories that she simply could not have. Together, their exploration of reincarnation and past lives leads them on a fascinating journey into Gee’s history – and Elliott’s love life.

Thomas’ main characters, Gee and Elliott were quite well drawn, and were both charming and engaging. Most of the supporting cast is solid as well, with the exception of Rhonda, who I could have done without. Her role was necessary but her personality was just annoying.

The premise of the story requires some suspension of belief, because even with the reincarnation theme, Gee’s history is a little hard to believe. I did like, however, that the author did not quite take the easy way out with the ending of the story. The history of raqs sharqi (belly dance) was well researched and exciting to read, particularly because it did not rely on the typical stereotypes.

Overall, this was a quick, fairly easy read that kept me interested throughout. While I doubt I’ll seek out anything more with a similar theme, I would read more from this author.… (mehr)

I won this book from Librarything in exchange for an honest review.

There are many wonderful things about this novel. I thought that Gee and Elliot were amazing characters and had multiple layers to them, with strong supporting characters Aunt Marian and Mirra. The overall plot was fascinating and I enjoyed the exploration of people living multiple lives and carrying some of those experiences with them. The tension kept me reading quickly to the end to see what would happen. It was also well written with only a rare spelling/grammar mistake (hard to find these days!)

Spoilers ahead. The one thing I had issue with, was the evil character's reasoning for being a serial killer through multiple lives. I thought it was a little rushed and could have been explored more. I was also interested to see more facets to the character-- what if he realized what he had done in the past? How come he is so separated with "multiple personalities" and blackouts whereas other people merely remember or dream? So many interesting questions that could have been examined.

That said, I really enjoyed the book and read it in one sitting!… (mehr)