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As these flashes intensify, he's drawn back to the time of ancient Rome, Vestal Virgins and the mysterious Memory Stones. Author M.J. And will Josh ever reconcile his past with his present. The flashes of past and present are so seamlessly woven yet clearly defined, that I was never jolted from the story, but swept along and taken on a ride that left me breathless by the end. Led by impulse, he finds himself at the edge of a freshly unearthed tomb and witnesses a murder.His search for answers, for the Memory Stones stolen from the tomb of the Vestal Virgin Sabina, for the truth about what happened in ancient Rome, leads him to two women¯Professor Gabriella Chase and Rachel Palmer, a young woman who is haunted by her own past life memories. Is either of these women the Sabina he once knew. After an accident in Rome, photojournalist Josh Ryder begins experiencing flashes of past memories¯from another life, another era. Her writing is detailed but not overloaded, just the right mix of fact and fiction to make me a believer and her characters are ones I'll remember for a long time.
I can't wait to watch Past Life. Rose tells a compelling story that weaves history and religion into a fateful adventure filled with intrigue, romance, murder and deception. If it is anything like M.J. I found the premise of this novel intriguing. Through the eyes of Julius, he is reunited with a powerful love for Sabina, the Vestal Virgin he has sworn to protect and would willingly die for, a woman whom would be buried alive if their secret love were ever discovered.In present day Rome, Josh assists at the Phoenix Foundation, an organization that explores and researches claims of reincarnation or incidences of memory flashes, especially in children. I highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in the theory of reincarnation or anyone who enjoys a suspenseful, thrilling journey to the past.
These are just some of the questions I found myself asking along the way. I couldn't put the book down once I started it. It would also make an exceptional read for a book club.The Reincarnationist is the inspiration for a new television series that will be airing soon. Rose's novel, it is going to be an adventure of a lifetime.~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,author of The River
This book was ok, not great. I just felt like I was reading the Davinci Code or something, and I didn't like the Divinci Code. I was bored about midway through.
The characters were less than enthralling in the end, no wrongs really righted, no thumping-good-read. A promising premise, and it kept the pages turning. But in the long run the book failed to satisfy. A little too much complication. Josh remains mystified to the end, and the quick wrap-up was a let-down.
This is my first read by MJ Rose so I cannot compare it other works by this author. The ending leaves the reader wondering if the author just got tired of writing. Did he live or did he die. The novel hangs together well up through the middle of the novel. Was the antagonist caught by the police. Shortly after the midpoint the reader is introduced to peripheral characters who seem to have no real place in the story other than an akward attempt to reslove the whereabouts of the six missing stones. The novel immediately grabs the reader's interest with Josh's flashbacks to ancient Rome and his ancient counterpart, Julius. The reader must wonder why there has been no resolution for Josh, the protagonist.
The ending is anticlimactic at best with no surprises. Just unfinished business. Where did the stones end up. Was anything resolved except the kidnapping of the child that was not even the major component of the plot.This could have been a much better read.
The concept was sound, despite what you may believe about reincarnation. But that's not the only unsatisfying thing about this book. And truth be told, I was fairly well engaged over the length of the story. From the cover blurbs it seemed to have all of the elements I was looking for: action, intrigue, a DaVinci Code style plot, etc. M.J. Who knows where that will go since the quality of a novel and the quality of a tv series/show isn't always parallel. No sense of real resolution, especially the emotional resolution that is so necessary. We did not get to experience the reactions of the other main characters at all.
It's like the elements of the plot were there but it just didn't grab me by the throat as a good adventure novel should. There was some romantic attraction with other characters and there was some cool scenes/flashbacks to ancient Rome.But the ending was unsatisfactory, to put it politely. Rose's The Reincarnationist is a fairly fast paced thriller/adventure novel that I really wanted to like. Something was missing from the entire novel that I can't quite seem to wrap my head around. I was sympathetic to the plight of the protagonist. The build up was great but the revelations at the very end were not satisfying to me at all and it was over in a heartbeat. I think the problem is more characterization than plot; I wondered what would happen to them but I wasn't emotionally connected enough to care.I see from the author's blog that a pilot is being developed from this novel. But at this point it's not one of the shows I am looking forward to in the future.
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