Seriously so many Pinky and the Brain jokes to be had with Review Time… So very many… Today Neko brings you another Review Request! And it is based in one of her all time least favorite genres: Time Travel. If I have to make a spreed sheet for this book my Kindle is going out the window… As usual this book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. And SPOILERS!
Title: The Mine (Northwest Passage #1)
Author: John A. Heldt
Published: 2013/12/06
Version: Ebook
Started: 2017/03/30
Finished: 2017/04/04
Rating: 
Goodreads Synopsis: In May 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity. He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he can’t use, money he can’t spend, and little but his wits to guide his way. Stuck in the age of swing dancing and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war. With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books. But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever. THE MINE follows a humbled man through a critical time in history as he adjusts to new surroundings and wrestles with the knowledge of things to come.
My Thoughts: Like I said above, I HATE Time Travel, the Girl on the Train had me so confused that, had I cared more, I would have made a bloody spreed sheet so the book made sense. The Mine didn’t need that! Haha! There was no back and forth, and here and there, and wah. A few days were skipped at a time but the book was linear! Neko can follow linear! And this is only one of the awesome things in this book!
The romance was sweet, heart breaking at times (I hate goodbyes ;_;), but sweet, the characters were witty, the Back to the Future jokes are endless, the bees knees were even mentioned!
Joel is a great protagonist who starts out the rich, spoiled, but endlessly curious and smart prince and is knocked down to the dredges of society when his curiosity gets the better of him. But he isn’t one to wallow, so takes things in stride and sets out on the adventure of his life. From eating rotten fruit to being the salesman of the hour his life is never dull but even as things look up the future is daunting. A World War is on the horizon and Joel knows the horrors instore for his new friends and family. Heldt did an awesome job with Joel fighting the grandfather paradox, knowing he can’t change things or risk altering history perhaps for the worse, but also trying to be true to himself and his heart. He really was a wonderful character to read about, the kind of guy you want to make friends with but smack at the same time ^_^
And his grandma is feisty! I’ve wondered what it would be like to see my grandfathers as young men, the stories are a riot, but it would also be so much culture shock because of the pedestals I have put them on and lets face it, it’s hard to connect the crazy stories with the old men I knew. Ginnie is awesome. Plain and simple. She doesn’t buy much of Joel’s lies, oh she likes him, but knows there is a lot more to the supposed cowboy then he lets on. The other two main girls, Grace and Katie are also individuals with strong personalities, snarky remarks, great right hooks, and hearts of gold. Besides Ginnie, Katie is my favorite character. She is smart, adaptable, reads situations really well, and loyal to her friends. When things get horrible around town for the Japanese population she doesn’t let it control and change her. Heck even at the end of the book she pulls one over on Joel and she’s ancient at that point! I wish she was a little more in the book, but I am glad that she comes back at the end for one last surprise. The whole cast as a whole though are people you would love to make friends with and all have great characterization.
The most awesome part of the book though is the world building. You really get swept back into the 1940’s and get a great picture of what Seattle use to be like. If anyone has seen the pics of Bellesquare Mall from when it was a strip mall you get an idea for how much the city has changed and Heldt does a magnificent job of painting that scene.
To be honest there really wasn’t anything I disliked about the book and the ending made me cry (yeah I cry a lot). I’m looking forward to continuing the Northwest Passage series and can’t wait to see what is in store next for my old home.
Overall it was a really cute, fun read, and if you enjoy time travel or romance I would say give it a shot! You won’t be disappointed.
Have any of you guys read The Mine? What did you think? Rattlesnake jerky perhaps?
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