Shadows Fall Away

by Kit Forbes

Mark Stewart is one incident away from becoming a juvenile delinquent, and his parents have had enough. They ship Mark off to London, England, to stay with his eccentric aunt Agatha who is obsessed with all things Jack the Ripper. After a strange twist of luck, Mark is struck by lightning, and he wakes to find himself in 1888 Victorian London. His interest in a string of murders Scotland Yard has yet to solve make him a likely suspect. After all, why would a young boy like Mark know so much about the murders? Could he be the ripper they've been searching for? Convinced the only way to get back home is to solve the murders, Mark dives headfirst into uncovering the truth. Mark's only distraction comes in the form of the beautiful Genie Trembly, a girl who is totally out of his league and who may have already caught the attention of the infamous ripper. To save her, he'll endanger both their lives, and risk being trapped in the past forever.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Time Travel, Fiction

300 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2014

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was younger I watched a tv series, Jack the Ripper with Michael Caine (yes you are doing his accent aren't you!?) I was gripped, the dirty and quite frankly eerie streets of Whitechapel in London along with the scary true story of this monster was gripping viewing for my teenage self.

So when the chance to review Shadows Fall Away came up I very excitedly signed up, the story of a young man out of time makes for a really good read.

This is going to be a quick review as books like this need to be read and experienced first hand, I always feel I can never do them justice in tell you about them but the story is about Mark an American teen sent to live with his Ripper obsessed Aunt Agatha in London.

Literally struck by lightening, he wakes up to discover he isn't where he started off, in fact he isn't even in the same year or century for that matter!

He has been taken back to Victorian times, the London of Jack the Ripper's reign, finding himself meeting a relative and becoming the source of suspicion as he knows so much about the Ripper murders, Mark has no option but to try and get on with his new life in London and try and get to the bottom of the murders but he is also distracted by Genie Trembly a young girl who is the total opposite of him, he finds himself becoming extremely interested in her but so does Jack!

Will Mark be able to save her, will he be able to get home? Well I'm not telling you'll have to read this gripping tale for yourself!

Excellent young adult thriller - awarded 4 out of 5

[Kimber Wheaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

It's no secret-- I love reading about serial killers, especially Jack the Ripper. I love the conspiracy shows that try to figure out the murderer using modern forensics. They are all intriguing, yet I have to say, I think I like Ms. Forbes' take the best. Can't tell you, read it for yourself.

The story is told in first person from several different POVs. While I liked having the different viewpoints, it was a tad overdone in this story. There were times when it made the story so fragmented that it didn't flow smoothly. I really liked Genie and Agatha quite a bit... still on the fence about Mark. There were lots of things I liked about him, yet he grated on my nerves at times.

The plot is fun and interesting, well I mean the time-travel aspect is fun-- not the murders. Modern day Mark is struck by lightning and winds up in Victorian England right as the Ripper murders start. I loved the scenes from Genie's point of view. She is a spitfire in a time when women were seen and not heard. A sweet romance of sorts develops between Mark and Genie who actually make a very cute couple.

The ending was abrupt, so abrupt in fact that I wondered if my ARC was complete. Overall, I enjoyed this story, following along as Mark tried to solve the murders and Genie tried to help the prostitutes of Whitechapel. If you enjoy YA time-travel mysteries, I think you'll like this fast-paced novel.

[Stephanie Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Shadows Fall Away' is a gripping and imaginative young adult novel that mixes time travel, historical fiction, and mystery to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Our main character, Mark, isn't making the best decisions in life and keeps getting in trouble. With no other options, his parents send him to live with his weird aunt in London. Mark's aunt has a strange obsession with all things Jack the Ripper, so he gets a crash course on the infamous murderer. When Mark gets struck by lightning in a freak accident, he finds himself transported back in time to the year 1888 in Victorian London - where a series of horrible murders have everyone scared and the police have no suspects. Mark remembers all the stuff he read and learned at his aunt's house about the Ripper, so he tries to help the police with the case. Naturally, they find his knowledge of the crimes suspicious and he becomes a prime suspect in the case. Mark is convinced that he must solve the case and catch the Ripper in order to return to his life in the future. He gets a bit sidetracked when he meets the beautiful Genie Trembly - and it seems she has caught the killer's attention as well. Mark has a limited amount of time to crack the case, catch the murderer, and save Genie - before being able to go home. Will he be able to solve one of the most infamous murder cases in history? Will he make it back home or end up stuck in the past?

This was a really original story that mixed a lot of different genres together to make a fast paced and fascinating book. I loved how the author wove together various types of fiction to create a book that will appeal to fans of all genres. There's something for everyone - contemporary teen issues, time travel, mystery, murder, historical fiction and even some romance. The book really does transcend genre labels to stand alone. Mark was a great main character - he's smart, determined, and excellent at problem solving under pressure. He has his flaws like all of us - getting into trouble to the point where his parents send him to stay with his weird aunt in London. He's realistic and easy to identify with, which made it easy for me to slip inside the story alongside him. I loved all the vivid details and descriptions the author used for Victorian London - it was so well done that I could close my eyes and see everything like I was right there. The murder/mystery part of the story that deals with Jack the Ripper was utterly fascinating to me. I loved reading all about the case and any other details that the author put into the book. I have always found the case of Jack the Ripper to be intriguing, so feeling like I was trying to solve the case in Victorian London was fantastic. The writing was very well done with a fast pace and a natural flow that made it a quick read for me. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of multiple genres - YA, fantasy, mystery, science fiction, time travel, romance, thrillers - as I said earlier, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review:
The story of Jack the Ripper has been one that always intrigued me. I have read all the reports and seen all the movies on it. I am not sure why I find it so interesting but when I saw the synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it. I think Kit did an amazing job, you really felt how life was in 1888 London and she kept with the real story just added her own spin to it. I didn't mind the POV that were told by Mark, Genie and Aunt Agatha but sometimes it got me a bit confused but I was easily able to figure it out.

I love the idea of this story, Mark gets struck by lightning and travels back in time to 1888 London just when Jack the Ripper started his murder spree. Mark becomes friends with a very independent Genie but can he find his way home and help Genie not be Jacks next victim and sacrifice his way home.

Mark is a bit of a pain in the neck but I actually enjoyed him and Genie was very independent but sometimes she got on my nerves, I know she wanted to help but i don't think she really understand the women's situations. The chemistry between Mark and Genie was cute seeing two people from didn't times and how different they both were, he offended her often it was rather funny.  It has a few slow spots but I think that helped build the story better.  I don't want to give a lot away and would really love for you to experience this book first hand like I did, Kit Forbes did a fantastic job and she has such great details. I look forward to reading more from her.

recommend: Yes, this is a great read for YA and adults.

(Please ignore any typing issues I broke my finger and I was having a hard time writing this, I also may add a few more details when it heals plus I will come back to fix it, thank you)
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[Ashley Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review and more can be found at The A P Book Club!

*I received this book from Month9Books in exchange for an honest review*

I never used to like historical fiction because I never used to care much about history. But as I've gotten older, I've really started to enjoy it more. Especially when it's centered around something like the Jack the Ripper murders. I mean, there are so many takes on Jack the Ripper. Like The Last Sherlock Holmes Story. But I've never read one quite like Shadows Fall Away.

For one, there's a little bit of time travel. Mark Stewart is this bad boy who keeps getting himself into trouble and now has to spend time in London with his aunt who spends her time with all things Jack the Ripper. And then he gets struck by lightning and time travels back to Victorian London in the midst of the murders. I loved how he's grown up around Jack the Ripper for basically all his life (between his aunt and his mother's book), and now all of a sudden he's living it.

While Mark is trying to solve the murders without getting himself arrested as the top suspect, there's also this side plot with a little bit of romance between him and Genie. Genie is just trying to help the women and wants to be a doctor someday, but is held back by her oppressive society and especially her father. Mark treats her like a person instead of putting her down like the other men in her life, and it's really nice to watch their relationship grow and change and to have Genie be able to be herself around someone. The romance is important to the story, but it isn't the most important thing and doesn't take precedence when other things are happening that should be more important.

I also enjoyed how everything is tied together and how things are resolved. Mark meets people in Victorian London that have what his aunt needs to find him, even if nobody knows it right away. He's also got enough information to possibly find out who Jack the Ripper is, but things don't always go according to plan. Watching Mark try to learn to be a proper gentleman and solve the murders and try to find his way back home made for a really great plot and had me hooked until the very end.

If you're looking for a fun, mysterious retelling of the Jack the Ripper stories and enjoy books with a little bit of romance and time travel, you'll definitely want to check out Shadows Fall Away! Kit's writing is excellent and will make you want even more. I'd give this book a 4/5, and can't wait to read more of Kit's books!

[Michelle (Scarborg) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this review and more at Classy Cat Books.

I received an ARC of this book on behalf of Month9Books. This book will be released on September 23rd, 2014.

Rating: 4/5

This was a terribly interesting read. I love Mark, and quite enjoyed getting to know Genie as well. And the concept of unexpectedly time-traveling back to the middle of Jack the Ripper’s murder spree was quite a bit of fun.

Before I started reading, I was concerned that this would present itself as a classic example of a plot that needs to be forced to work with very patchy fills for the plot gaps. I’ll be fair and say that there definitely still was one (a rather rushed explanation of the time-travel, but this is fantasy, and that clearly wasn’t really the point of reading this), but some of the big ones I expected weren’t there. Example: I was concerned that the “Convinced the only way to get back home is to solve the murders” bit from the description would prove troublesome. However, even though Mark is angling in that direction, he still leaves plenty of room for doubt. And, quite frankly, he did what any rational person might: make a halfway decent assumption and roll with it. Would I have made the same choice? Maybe, maybe not. But I’m not a borderline delinquent teenage male whose mother is more or less an expert on Jack the Ripper.

Some of the writing could be more polished, but that may very well have been caught between the printing of the ARC e-book I was given and the actual publication date. Otherwise, the only negative thing I can say is that the ending was a bit rushed. Since I’d already mostly pieced everything together by then, I didn’t feel that I missed out on any needed explanation.

Something I don’t often talk about in my posts is the idea of mis-direction. I allude to ways to do and to not do foreshadowing, but rarely tackle mis-direction. Forbes does a solid job at creating a cast of characters who could all be suspects while Mark is trying to find the infamous Ripper. There’s some pretty delicate foreshadowing in there too that I have to applaud—obviously, I won’t be sharing the comment I’m specifically recalling here.

All in all, I was quite pleased with this read.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of Shadows Fall Away.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was different from any I had read before and I will admit, I was a little worried at the beginning, but this book quickly eased my worries and I found it very hard to put down. The writing was good, although my copy was uncorrected and I found a few grammatical errors that I'm sure will be fixed when the book goes to print. I was a little bored at the beginning, but only through the first 15% or so and perhaps that was just the mood I was in. After that, I pretty much read the entire thing through in one day. I loved the alternating perspectives of Mark and Genie (with a couple of small sections from Agatha's perspective). Hearing the events from both perspectives made the story more interesting and added a lot of depth to the storyline.

The only complaint I have about this book, is the ending. Not the ending itself, but the lack of answers. Did the events in this book change history? Were things different in regards to Jack the Ripper when Mark returned to the present? Who knows, but otherwise, I adored this book. I will definitely be recommending it to everyone of my YA novel loving friends.

[Kasey Cocoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy quick read with good writing and a fair editing job. I like the premis and how it was handled. The delivery is well done but the pacing is a bit slow at the start. There is a rushed feel to certain elements and unanswered bits at the conclusion. The characters are nicely fleshed out which is a big plus in my book. Overall this is a good read with potential from the author. I received an evaluation copy through Chapter by Chapter in exchange for my honest opinion

[Rebekah Purdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to read an early draft of this book and all I can say is WOW! Kit's writing easily lets you fall into the time period and I LOVE both her MCs (Mark is kind of snarky and you'll fall for him and Genie is ahead of her time). There is action, adventure, romance, all the goods for a great story.