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The Time Shifters Chronicles #2
Children of the Morning
The Time Shifters are in danger. Someone wants what they have and are willing to kill if necessary to get it.
Akalya couldn’t hide in the past forever. The time has come to untangle the threads of a conspiracy so sinister that her very life hangs in the balance, as well as the lives of all of her kind.
Compelled by her promise to help Marcus, the half-breed, to learn to control his abilities, Akalya is conflicted by the need to go underground to elude the rich entrepreneur who continues to seek out others of her kind that even Akalya doesn’t know about, and the mysterious researcher working behind the scenes who already came too close to dissecting her best friend.
Akalya cannot leave, but she cannot stay. Most of all she must see that no more of her kind breed mutants like Marcus, who could become a danger to them all.
Akalya couldn’t hide in the past forever. The time has come to untangle the threads of a conspiracy so sinister that her very life hangs in the balance, as well as the lives of all of her kind.
Compelled by her promise to help Marcus, the half-breed, to learn to control his abilities, Akalya is conflicted by the need to go underground to elude the rich entrepreneur who continues to seek out others of her kind that even Akalya doesn’t know about, and the mysterious researcher working behind the scenes who already came too close to dissecting her best friend.
Akalya cannot leave, but she cannot stay. Most of all she must see that no more of her kind breed mutants like Marcus, who could become a danger to them all.
ebook
First published July 12, 2014
22 people want to read
About the author
Shanna Lauffey
19 books15 followersShanna Lauffey is a native Californian currently living in Europe. She spends her time between homes in Sweden, France and the UK. She writes Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance in her spare time between attending university and travelling.
Her first novel, She-Wȕlf, was released 1st January 2012. A Science Fiction series involving time travel is in progress.
Her first novel, She-Wȕlf, was released 1st January 2012. A Science Fiction series involving time travel is in progress.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 11, 2018
Thank you to the author, Shanna Lauffey, for gifting me with a copy of Children of the Morning. All opinions expressed are my own.
I read the first book in this series a little while ago and I enjoyed this one a little more. I'm just really getting into this series! There's still some vagueness like what I mentioned in my first review but it's remarkably better and everything is more distinct.
1. The characters. We keep the same cast of characters as in the first book and there aren't any more significant one's added which allowed the author to really dig into the existing character's personalities. In the first book, they were just barely shaped but in this next installment, they're so much clearer. I finally began to really understand the main character, Akalya, and her frame of mind. I find it's best to get to know characters through simply immersing with them in their own story and the author did a fantastic job of doing that with her. There are passages before the start of each chapter that are in Akalya's voice (first person) which really emphasized her time traveling abilities (they are written as though it's all in the past while currently in the future if that makes any sense) and her personality and also offsets the rest of the book which is in third-person omniscient. There still remains a bit of shadow and murkiness around the two villain's, though, and their personal motivations.
2. The plot. This installment is probably my favorite so far because of much we get to know about Akalya's time shifting abilities and we get to watch her shift through time and distance repeatedly and in quick succession. The plot is mainly about neutralizing/delaying the threat that the two villain's pose for the Time Shifters (they are capturing them and experimenting on them to gain a better understanding of their abilities and whether it can be taught or transferred to other people). Once you get used to the constant shifts in time and wrap your brain around what's happening, it's really enjoyable and slightly addicting. Personally, I haven't read that many books about time or time travel and honestly, it doesn't seem like there are many out there. Suffice to say, this series is a good addition to the small subgenre.
3. The romance. This is one of my favorite parts of the whole book. Yes, there is romance, but Akalya has lived with suspicion her whole life so consequently, there is no instalove in sight. It's more of a slow burn romance; one where Akalya wants to learn more about Marcus before getting involved with him, even if she was attracted to him from the very start. This serves as such a testament to both their character's and speaks to their motivations which I really enjoyed.
The Final Verdict:
While there is still some murkiness present that transferred from the first installment, the romance, character development of the MC, and the plot are all brilliantly executed.
4 stars
I read the first book in this series a little while ago and I enjoyed this one a little more. I'm just really getting into this series! There's still some vagueness like what I mentioned in my first review but it's remarkably better and everything is more distinct.
1. The characters. We keep the same cast of characters as in the first book and there aren't any more significant one's added which allowed the author to really dig into the existing character's personalities. In the first book, they were just barely shaped but in this next installment, they're so much clearer. I finally began to really understand the main character, Akalya, and her frame of mind. I find it's best to get to know characters through simply immersing with them in their own story and the author did a fantastic job of doing that with her. There are passages before the start of each chapter that are in Akalya's voice (first person) which really emphasized her time traveling abilities (they are written as though it's all in the past while currently in the future if that makes any sense) and her personality and also offsets the rest of the book which is in third-person omniscient. There still remains a bit of shadow and murkiness around the two villain's, though, and their personal motivations.
2. The plot. This installment is probably my favorite so far because of much we get to know about Akalya's time shifting abilities and we get to watch her shift through time and distance repeatedly and in quick succession. The plot is mainly about neutralizing/delaying the threat that the two villain's pose for the Time Shifters (they are capturing them and experimenting on them to gain a better understanding of their abilities and whether it can be taught or transferred to other people). Once you get used to the constant shifts in time and wrap your brain around what's happening, it's really enjoyable and slightly addicting. Personally, I haven't read that many books about time or time travel and honestly, it doesn't seem like there are many out there. Suffice to say, this series is a good addition to the small subgenre.
3. The romance. This is one of my favorite parts of the whole book. Yes, there is romance, but Akalya has lived with suspicion her whole life so consequently, there is no instalove in sight. It's more of a slow burn romance; one where Akalya wants to learn more about Marcus before getting involved with him, even if she was attracted to him from the very start. This serves as such a testament to both their character's and speaks to their motivations which I really enjoyed.
The Final Verdict:
While there is still some murkiness present that transferred from the first installment, the romance, character development of the MC, and the plot are all brilliantly executed.
4 stars
August 26, 2014
Shanna Lauffey, in her episodic novel, Chronicles of the Harekaiian, has created a world in which a quiet and unobtrusive people are being targeted by a powerful organization headed by billionaire Darren Tate to take claim to their abilities—Harekaiian can travel through time and space by mere thought.
Children of the Morning re-unites readers with Akalya, a Harekaiian woman who witnessed the abduction of her people in a LA Moroccan restaurant to be used in scientific experiments and dissections. In book one, Time Shifters, we also met Marcus, a Harekaiian half-breed whose only power is the ability to prevent time shifters from shifting to another place or time. He has been recruited by the Tate to help capture his lab specimens.
In Children of the Morning, Akalya teams up with Marcus with the promise to guide him in learning how to access his dormant gifts. In exchange, Marcus will help Akalya uncover any future plots planned by Tate against the Harekaiian people.
Lauffey’s story is addictive, so plan on a fun read that would keep you absorbed for a pleasant afternoon. And when you’re done, you’ll be searching for book three, Continuum.
Children of the Morning re-unites readers with Akalya, a Harekaiian woman who witnessed the abduction of her people in a LA Moroccan restaurant to be used in scientific experiments and dissections. In book one, Time Shifters, we also met Marcus, a Harekaiian half-breed whose only power is the ability to prevent time shifters from shifting to another place or time. He has been recruited by the Tate to help capture his lab specimens.
In Children of the Morning, Akalya teams up with Marcus with the promise to guide him in learning how to access his dormant gifts. In exchange, Marcus will help Akalya uncover any future plots planned by Tate against the Harekaiian people.
Lauffey’s story is addictive, so plan on a fun read that would keep you absorbed for a pleasant afternoon. And when you’re done, you’ll be searching for book three, Continuum.
April 16, 2020
I'm definitely hooked on this series. The second book continues soon after where the first book left off. The author has said on her blog that she looks at the episodes like television episodes, and I can see that. Each episode ties up the immediate situation neatly, but there is a larger, continuing story. You don't get left on cliffhangers, but you can see there is going to be more to tell.
This one even gave hints about what the third story will be about and I'm really looking forward to it as it sounds like we're going to get to know Marcus better and get some extensive time travel information about how it all works and why there can be exceptions to some of the rules.
That's one thing that was introduced in this episode, a couple of exceptions to what had appeared to be solid rules, but they are done in a believable way. It all makes perfectly good sense.
It starts out with Akalya realizing that she's been too far in the past for too long, but she has a few things to do before she returns to her own time. Like in the first book, we get a real feel for times and places where she travels, including 1969 San Francisco. I really enjoyed that part. Some of the convolutions of time travel come up and we get to know a few characters from the first book better, as well as meeting a couple of new people. How important any of them will be over the course of the full series is hard to tell at this point, but there are a few definite main characters that I expect will keep showing up.
Most important besides Akalya herself is Marcus. I don't want to write spoilers for those who haven't read the first book yet, but Marcus is the strong, quiet type and the dynamics between him and Akalya has been a real tease. We learn why she has an Arabic name and some of the culture of the time shifters and I thought that the information about where some of the strange terms that were in the first book came from was artfully worked in.
The story, like Time Shifters, strikes a balance between Akalya's relaxed attitude towards crisis and some fast action when she needs to escape a situation. As she says somewhere in the book, time is her playground. Only now some limitations are being put on her movements because those who want what the time shifters have are closing in and learning from their own mistakes. It is up to the time shifters to stay a step ahead as the enemy begins to learn too much about their habits and to set traps.
I'm not going to hesitate to give this one the 5 stars I should have given the first one. As the second book in a 10 book series, it's sort of transitional, expanding on the information from book one and setting up book 3, but the writing is well done and the feeling of visiting the places and living through the time periods is mesmerizing. A fully enjoyable experience.
This one even gave hints about what the third story will be about and I'm really looking forward to it as it sounds like we're going to get to know Marcus better and get some extensive time travel information about how it all works and why there can be exceptions to some of the rules.
That's one thing that was introduced in this episode, a couple of exceptions to what had appeared to be solid rules, but they are done in a believable way. It all makes perfectly good sense.
It starts out with Akalya realizing that she's been too far in the past for too long, but she has a few things to do before she returns to her own time. Like in the first book, we get a real feel for times and places where she travels, including 1969 San Francisco. I really enjoyed that part. Some of the convolutions of time travel come up and we get to know a few characters from the first book better, as well as meeting a couple of new people. How important any of them will be over the course of the full series is hard to tell at this point, but there are a few definite main characters that I expect will keep showing up.
Most important besides Akalya herself is Marcus. I don't want to write spoilers for those who haven't read the first book yet, but Marcus is the strong, quiet type and the dynamics between him and Akalya has been a real tease. We learn why she has an Arabic name and some of the culture of the time shifters and I thought that the information about where some of the strange terms that were in the first book came from was artfully worked in.
The story, like Time Shifters, strikes a balance between Akalya's relaxed attitude towards crisis and some fast action when she needs to escape a situation. As she says somewhere in the book, time is her playground. Only now some limitations are being put on her movements because those who want what the time shifters have are closing in and learning from their own mistakes. It is up to the time shifters to stay a step ahead as the enemy begins to learn too much about their habits and to set traps.
I'm not going to hesitate to give this one the 5 stars I should have given the first one. As the second book in a 10 book series, it's sort of transitional, expanding on the information from book one and setting up book 3, but the writing is well done and the feeling of visiting the places and living through the time periods is mesmerizing. A fully enjoyable experience.
August 18, 2014
Fantastic sequel, lot's of action.
I read the first in this series, Time Shifters, a while back and said I'd love to find out what happens next. Imagine my surprise when the author sent me a copy of Children of the Morning on the day it was released. That was a couple weeks ago, but I finally got a chance to read it. Let me tell you, it was just as good as the first.
Here's what I liked. First, this installment is true to the story set up in book one. Sometimes sequels get a little sidetracked, but not this one. I think it's a sign that the author has taken the time to plan out her story ahead of time. She's also come up with a plausible set of constraints for Akayla's abilities and sticks to them. Second, action, action and more action. This story is wrought with near misses, sinister plots and danger, even more so as those targeting the main character's people become wise to her strategies. I also think it was a good move to push Akayla's ability to its limit and to put other constraints in place. Time and space are her playground, or at least they were, but as the story progresses, the playground is shrinking. Ok, third, nostalgia. As in the first story, Akayla spends a good deal of time in the past, namely Sacramento and L.A. California. As someone who has been there, I recognized many of the locations and thought their descriptions were spot on (and there are pictures!). Some of it saddened me, time passing and beautiful things lost to all but memory, but in a good way. Last, the romance. It's still a work in progress, which makes sense for a ten-part story. With eight books left, it would take some of the fun out of it if the love interest was resolved so early.
Now for the things I didn't like. Well, that's difficult, because my overall impression was very positive. I guess all I really have is there were just a few typos. Very few. Maybe five or six, tops. On the whole, though, Children of the Morning is a well-polished tale and I feel like I'm grasping at straws to find something I don't like about it.
I loved this book. It's a fantastic time travel adventure with a lot less down time than in the first book and a good deal more danger, and the romance is just right for this stage in the story. I think those who enjoy modern historical adventures, like the twists that time travel introduces, and enjoy a little clean romance will enjoy this story. Those who have lived in or visited the places described may find that adds a certain element of nostalgia. I highly recommend this book.
I read the first in this series, Time Shifters, a while back and said I'd love to find out what happens next. Imagine my surprise when the author sent me a copy of Children of the Morning on the day it was released. That was a couple weeks ago, but I finally got a chance to read it. Let me tell you, it was just as good as the first.
Here's what I liked. First, this installment is true to the story set up in book one. Sometimes sequels get a little sidetracked, but not this one. I think it's a sign that the author has taken the time to plan out her story ahead of time. She's also come up with a plausible set of constraints for Akayla's abilities and sticks to them. Second, action, action and more action. This story is wrought with near misses, sinister plots and danger, even more so as those targeting the main character's people become wise to her strategies. I also think it was a good move to push Akayla's ability to its limit and to put other constraints in place. Time and space are her playground, or at least they were, but as the story progresses, the playground is shrinking. Ok, third, nostalgia. As in the first story, Akayla spends a good deal of time in the past, namely Sacramento and L.A. California. As someone who has been there, I recognized many of the locations and thought their descriptions were spot on (and there are pictures!). Some of it saddened me, time passing and beautiful things lost to all but memory, but in a good way. Last, the romance. It's still a work in progress, which makes sense for a ten-part story. With eight books left, it would take some of the fun out of it if the love interest was resolved so early.
Now for the things I didn't like. Well, that's difficult, because my overall impression was very positive. I guess all I really have is there were just a few typos. Very few. Maybe five or six, tops. On the whole, though, Children of the Morning is a well-polished tale and I feel like I'm grasping at straws to find something I don't like about it.
I loved this book. It's a fantastic time travel adventure with a lot less down time than in the first book and a good deal more danger, and the romance is just right for this stage in the story. I think those who enjoy modern historical adventures, like the twists that time travel introduces, and enjoy a little clean romance will enjoy this story. Those who have lived in or visited the places described may find that adds a certain element of nostalgia. I highly recommend this book.
December 13, 2014
Children of the Morning is the second book in a series of 10 of the Chronicles of the Harehaiian. I really enjoyed the first book. I enjoyed the style and the build up for the world in Lauffey's book. The science behind it all works well, making it fun and kept me wanting more. This book continues where the first book left us. I enjoyed the time travel back to the 60's and to our main character Akalya. It was quite funny. It was nice to see Marcus involved in this book too. There was more back story of Akalya and how she learned her Harekaiia ways. I did like that about the book. The problem I had with this book was the lack of connection I have with the characters. I wasn't able to feel the way I did with the first book and it left me feeling like I was lacking in this book. There was a difference from book one to book two. Perhaps it was the relationship with Marcus that made me feel this way. I'm not sure, it's just I didn't connect as well in book 2. I feel a little let down because of it. This will not stop me from reading the rest of the series but I'm hoping it will pick up.
August 2, 2014
Bell, Book & Candle | Children of the Morning Review
Thankfully this book was longer than its predecessor, so we get to see more of the characters and story. The writing is pretty good as well, however I wish there was more dialogue between the characters.
The story progresses very nicely, and we get to see more of the antagonists and their true intentions. I was glad to see more of Marcus and learn a little more about him. The introduction of new characters was well done, and kind of cool. I envy Akalya's ability to time travel.
Speaking of which, the further explanation of this story's time travel is becoming intriguing; I'm looking forward to learning more. The story is seriously demonstrating how people would condemn and defile those who have abilities. On another note, this novella series reminds me of The Tomorrow People and Jumper. And as a native to the Bay Area, the scenes in SF were cool.
Thankfully this book was longer than its predecessor, so we get to see more of the characters and story. The writing is pretty good as well, however I wish there was more dialogue between the characters.
The story progresses very nicely, and we get to see more of the antagonists and their true intentions. I was glad to see more of Marcus and learn a little more about him. The introduction of new characters was well done, and kind of cool. I envy Akalya's ability to time travel.
Speaking of which, the further explanation of this story's time travel is becoming intriguing; I'm looking forward to learning more. The story is seriously demonstrating how people would condemn and defile those who have abilities. On another note, this novella series reminds me of The Tomorrow People and Jumper. And as a native to the Bay Area, the scenes in SF were cool.
August 9, 2014
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This time shifters book begins where the other one left off. Marcus and "Kalli" are trying to discover more of the kidnappers' plots, how much information they have, and what their next move is. The plot was not well defined- it didn't seem like they had a specific goal that was met by the end, other than continuing the saga. I was surprised when I realized it had ended.
Again, the idea of time shifters is fascinating and I enjoyed learning more of the "tricks" that they use, such as in the casino. I would still like more background on Kalli and Marcus and a little more personality from the former. It's hard to see her as a human being because she doesn't have a lot of emotions and is just laser focused on her task. I hope she feels more like a "real" character in the next book.
This time shifters book begins where the other one left off. Marcus and "Kalli" are trying to discover more of the kidnappers' plots, how much information they have, and what their next move is. The plot was not well defined- it didn't seem like they had a specific goal that was met by the end, other than continuing the saga. I was surprised when I realized it had ended.
Again, the idea of time shifters is fascinating and I enjoyed learning more of the "tricks" that they use, such as in the casino. I would still like more background on Kalli and Marcus and a little more personality from the former. It's hard to see her as a human being because she doesn't have a lot of emotions and is just laser focused on her task. I hope she feels more like a "real" character in the next book.
September 28, 2014
Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews