Shadow Games (Time Jumper Series Book 1)

☆☆☆ Overall rating 3.5 stars ☆☆☆

The phrase 'Never judge a book by it's cover' definitely applied to me on this one. I'm not intending to sound mean, but the cover of this book was unappealing to me. Fortunately I looked beyond the cover and found the book's contents far more interesting.

15 year old Emily Heart once lived a normal and mundane life. That was until two years ago when she was abducted and genetically alerted. Now she's living on the streets homeless, and trying desperately to keep a handle on her emotions. Every time her emotions get away from her she time jumps, arriving naked somewhere in the future.

First off, while some of my review may sound a bit negative, I do not mean it to. This is in no way a negative book or review. This is a good book. The book starts off into the action very quickly. From there the action continues throughout the book. It's well paced with a pretty concise plot, although it does take a little bit of time to get the back story on how  things came to be the way they are for Emily via flashbacks. A few have mentioned that the book seemingly jumps around a bit.... a word of advice, it's a book on time travel, there may be some jumping around.

Emily herself is a strong character with a good heart who is trying to do the best she can in an impossibly situation. One thing I did find lacking was her overall character development. Or should I say the overall character development of any of the characters. I personally just found it very hard to really connect with any of the characters in a personable way.

Still, I did find this to be a quick, easy and enjoyable read. I especially liked how the author explained some questions you inevitably have when reading time travel books. For example: what happens to a persons clothes? Well in this case the clothes burn up and the person arrives naked. So much better thought out than many time travel books I've read prior. Bravo for that!

What impresses me about this book is that for the most part the dialog, whether it was internal or external, was fairly smooth and believable. I've been finding most authors, who self-publish and are just starting out - have a stilted dialog writing style. Add the badly edited grammar and spelling, and it makes for a rough read, even if the book/plot is really excellent. In this case, not so. I might have winced once or twice but I did find myself constantly stumbling over the words.

His style of writing, in this book, was to put the reader in the middle of the action, and then through flashbacks, explain how the reader and heroine got to the point of this story. I saw a couple of reviews that said this book was confusing, I assume they had a problem with that style. I have to admit - when I first started reading it - I did go back and check the cover to be sure I had book 1 and not book 2 or 3 - but really it made the book all that much more interesting. As a reader, I was kept very engaged wondering what happened to her in the past to put her where she is now (in the story).

The storyline itself is time jumping and I really enjoyed that. The audience could be YA but I had no problem with it (I'm 55). Ironically, I felt the author did a so-so job of developing the character of Jim Miller and was not at all engaged by this character - yet I know Jim Miller is integral to the story.

The only issue I took with the story was the same one I take with stories about girls written by men - perhaps the author had a woman or girl edit it - or not - but there were a few times - that I thought the authors handling of an issue for Emily was very understated for a girl and showed that a man really doesn't always understand what goes on in a females mind. As an example, "She always felt a little out of sorts until she found some clothes and enjoyed a good nights rest." She always felt a _little_ out of sorts??? Are you kidding? This is a 13-15 year old girl (the story starts when she is 13 and two years have passed) - this girl is not going to be a little out of sorts - she is going to be completely HUMILIATED and TERRIFIED until she gets some clothes on. The author, or any other reviewer who wants to defend this can talk all day long about how strong a character Emily is, and how she has had to adapt - but I was a teenage girl, and I have raised 2 teenage girls - I'm telling you - the budding body is a thing of complete embarrassment and terror. Once or twice, she was groped by a cop or bad guy, perhaps, and again, her reaction seemed very subdued. The groping on a scale of utterly abhorrent to pervertedly shameful, may have been closer to shameful, it's true, but her reactions was almost no reaction at all. No. She is going to be humiliated and scared by this, even if all the cop did was pat her bottom. Otherwise, I was very pleasantly surprised at how well he managed to capture a teenage girls' personality.

It was a good, action packed read and as soon as I completed it - I immediately downloaded the 2nd book. I wish the star system had 1/2 stars. I more than liked the book (4 stars) but the book is not perfect (5 Stars = Loved it).

A time traveling red-headed teen with a terrific round-house kick? That's the title character and exactly who you'd expect in Falconer's Glassford Girl, a new coming-of-age, cyberpunk-ish, time-travel series. This is not my usual genre, but it was recommended and I was attracted to the action--there is plenty--and it's fast pace.

The story is told from the point of view of a homeless teenager who possesses an amazing talent, time travel. Oh, but this is no gift; it's a burden which she has little control over, causes her much pain, and leads to embarrassing results. Let’s just say her abilities get her in as much hot water as she gets out of.

Falconer gives his main character a sensibility that seems true to life and believable. But there's very little time to rest and consider Emily's plight as the story pulses like Emily's blue light until the climax. No worries, this is just the start of the series.

Glassford Girl offers readers a wild ride for the senses and is very worthy of a test drive.

Emily Heart is a young girl living on the streets, homeless and on the run. She's on the run from many different things (most of them strange)and people. She never knows how long she's going to be in one place. And its like starting all over when it happens. When what happens? When she jumps in time. What triggers the jumps, where will she land, where will she be safe, where will she find clothes and shelter? All of these are questions that face her each time. She just has to stay low and not make any mistakes. It's the only way to stay alive and well.
Loved this story...Really had me going! Great twists and turns
Ok, so it didn't finish with all the the details all wrapped up in a pretty bow. Not something that I generally like. This time, I liked the story so much, I just want to read about the next adventure. And get more answers. I almost passed this story over. Well, actually I did pass over it several times, but I like some of the other things the author wrote so I finally said to myself, "Okay, not sure I'm going to like reading about a fairly young teenager but the the plot seems just so different, so good". Whew. I'm glad I went for it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and as much as I want to say more, I don't want to give too many comments or details that would take away from the unfolding of the story. I know it could. Its one of those stories that part of the fun is the unfolding of events to the reader. I am curious what happened to Jim, that's all I'll say about that.
Last words? Great science fiction as far as I'm concerned.
And Emily? Great, spunky gal. I know you're a fictional character, but I'm pulling for you!!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful time travel story.
In 1985 Emily Heart is 15 years old. While out walking with her Mum one night, her life changes.
Now she can time travel. Sometimes she wakes up one day later, sometimes years later. But always in Phoenix and always naked.
Spending her days and nights on the streets, Emily tries to keep out of trouble, herself calm and control her body from time jumping. But she can feel the changes that are causing more frequent jumps and more pain.
It is now 2013 and Emily wakes up after several time jumps, still a teenager. And she just can't seem to stay away from trouble. But then, waking up naked in a busy street, doesn't help her at all.

Overall, this is a decent start to a book series. I had a difficult time staying focused on the story long enough to stick with it., but I did. The book felt really short though. If I were to compare it to a tv show, we just got to the first commercial of an hour-long show. I'm fine with all the Spanish in the book, but it would be much more convenient to have a list of the phrases used and their intended meanings. It's a major distraction when I have to constantly look up words or phrases while I'm reading. Especially since I do all my reading on a wifi-only tablet and if there's no wifi available (which is more common than you'd believe), wll then, I have to flag the word or phrase so I can look it up later. The same concept goes for pronunciations of unusual names or a list of their abilities (like Emily's). When you have several characters in a book with abilities, it's much more convenient to see at a glance. Now, on to book 2 in the series. Thank you.

The first part of the series looks very promising and I could honestly say that I enjoyed reading Glassford Girl by Jay J. Falconer. I was given a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
The author constructed the opening of the book in a way that draws you in directly. The plot revolves around Emily and we are introduced to her through a clear and vivid image. The story behind her abilities unveils gradually, slowly letting the reader in. Time travel, despite the fact that it is involuntary, is a fascinating topic - who wouldn't want to jump in time to avoid danger? The book is structured well with flashbacks occurring naturally, not interrupting the flow of the present story. One will find the origins of Emily's powers a major surprise and a very unexpected twist. I am most certainly intrigued about a new development in protagonist's ability to battle difficulties that come with her powers. Emily is composed and has control over her emotions - it is nice to get inside her head and follow her ways of dealing with stressing situations, looking into her plans and projects for the nearest future, whatever it may bring.
Struggles of survival are described without pathos. The general feel of the book is that of being very readable and easy to go through - it was designed for being devoured. We learn about some of Emily's true friends along the way. Some characters, such as Derek and Master Liu are developed but not delved into - being the first part of the series,perhaps some of them will be looked into in sequels.
A great find! Hoping to see the next book very soon. Gotta love cliffhangers!

“Emily Heart Time Jumper Series” have a very promising plot! It tells us about a teenage girl that has been part of an alien experiment together with her mother. After her mother disappears Emily manages to run away but ever since then she has these strange abilities she can’t seem to control most of the time. She can travel through time and she can feel people’s thoughts and desires. She’s been in this situation for about two years but for humanity it’s been about 30 years because of her constant teleporting which is triggered by an adrenaline rush and strong emotions. Em is eager to find out more about her powers and how to control them even more now because the pattern of her time traveling seems to have changed. Luckily she meets the ex marine and reporter Jim that is fascinated by the redhead who keeps showing through the years and is always the same age. Hopefully together they will be able to discover many secrets like for example why was Emily taken at all, what happened to Emily’s mother or if her father’s disappearance is due to an alien abduction as well.
In the meantime she has to stay low and not attract attention because she is wanted by the police because she is falsely believed to have relations with the Locos that also want her. So far Jim’s taken care for the Locos but I’ve got a feeling they won’t give up just yet.
I found it a bit strange that Emily was so impressed with the Locos member Derek and I’m curious to see what would happen next with them and if she will meet with the aliens again.
There was just one thing that bugged me a little bit while reading. It was the lists that Emily made in her mind if I may call them that way – the constant repeating of the lists with: “Things that you should never do; Things that you can’t control; Things that you can’t run from; Things that make you want to throw up”. I mean, yeah, it’s a good joke but when you see it a lot it loses its sparkle so I would recommend it to be just slightly reduced.
Other than that the book is a very light and interesting read and I would recommend it for sure to many people. In fact I’ve already told about it to a couple of people. So thumbs up and looking forward to the sequels!
“Emily Heart Time Jumper Series” have a very promising plot! It tells us about a teenage girl that has been part of an alien experiment together with her mother. After her mother disappears Emily manages to run away but ever since then she has these strange abilities she can’t seem to control most of the time. She can travel through time and she can feel people’s thoughts and desires. She’s been in this situation for about two years but for humanity it’s been about 30 years because of her constant teleporting which is triggered by an adrenaline rush and strong emotions. Em is eager to find out more about her powers and how to control them even more now because the pattern of her time traveling seems to have changed. Luckily she meets the ex marine and reporter Jim that is fascinated by the redhead who keeps showing through the years and is always the same age. Hopefully together they will be able to discover many secrets like for example why was Emily taken at all, what happened to Emily’s mother or if her father’s disappearance is due to an alien abduction as well.
In the meantime she has to stay low and not attract attention because she is wanted by the police because she is falsely believed to have relations with the Locos that also want her. So far Jim’s taken care for the Locos but I’ve got a feeling they won’t give up just yet.
I found it a bit strange that Emily was so impressed with the Locos member Derek and I’m curious to see what would happen next with them and if she will meet with the aliens again.
There was just one thing that bugged me a little bit while reading. It was the lists that Emily made in her mind if I may call them that way – the constant repeating of the lists with: “Things that you should never do; Things that you can’t control; Things that you can’t run from; Things that make you want to throw up”. I mean, yeah, it’s a good joke but when you see it a lot it loses its sparkle so I would recommend it to be just slightly reduced.
Other than that the book is a very light and interesting read and I would recommend it for sure to many people. In fact I’ve already told about it to a couple of people. So thumbs up and looking forward to the sequels!

I really enjoyed reading part one of these series. Looking forward to the next ones. I was given a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. The book has a pleasant layout. It's structured nicely according to days and years (present and past). Sometimes parts of the past are visited in a non intrusive way and it gives more insight on the past to the reader.

The main character is Emily Heart, a very special fifteen year old girl. You get attached to her from the start of the book. For her, time has a different meaning and feeling than it does for normal people. She has a lot of rules, which are self imposed but help keep her safe. The author introduces all these in a very funny way which makes you laugh every time some are mentioned.

The writer has a very nice way to introduce the reader to each character and also to present the surroundings.
I will try to not give out too many spoilers for the book. It's worth being discovered by reading it from start until the end.
The book is full of adventures, suspense, excitement and keeps you glued on reading until you finish.

The chapter which gives more clues as to what happened to Emily was a bit strange for me, I was expecting more of a supra natural or unexplained part, but it's more sci-fi. Nevertheless I enjoyed it equally and it left me wondering on what happens next.
It's a shame that Junie goes out of the picture quite fast, since you start caring quickly about the most likable characters. The same goes for Jim, which is quite an interesting character full of surprises.

This book is worth reading. I highly recommend it. Haven't managed to get so focused within a book, for a long time.

Emily Heart has a problem—a big problem. While she’d like to live a normal life, she has the ability to see things for brief periods through other peoples’ eyes. Moreover, when she becomes excited, she jumps through time, arriving at random places in the future, naked and alone.
Emily is now several years into her future, hunted by a reporter who wants to reveal her secret, wanted by the cops who want to question the strange naked girl who keeps showing up at crime scenes and then disappearing, and haunted by what’s happened to her.
Glassford Girl is book one in the Emily Heart Time Jumper series by Jay J. Falconer. It is a paranormal roller coaster ride with all the bells and whistles that a paranormal thriller is supposed to have. The main character is a loveable, but somewhat flawed figure, which makes her perfect, and the author actually almost manages to make us believe that time travel is possible.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.
Three cheers for Emily, and four stars for the author!

This book is absolutely amazing. I read it in one sitting. Time travel is not a new concept neither is time jumping. What is different about this book is the way the author uses these concepts. The book has all you would expect in a sci-fi, with some twists and turns along the way. Emily Heart is a teenage girl with a difference she has special abilities that enable her to jump through time; she can only jump within lifetime, and only when certain events are set in motion.

The book follows Emily's adventures from being high school and in a shelter to jumping several times over a 30 year period. We find out about Emily's friends and enemies and how she copes during each time jump period. There is some violence towards the end of the book, so I would suggest that the book is best suited to people Emily's age of the 15 years and older.

What I really like about this author is his ability to 'imerse' the reader into the story; with the details (not too many) provided, I could imagine myself there and wanting to help Emily. I look forward to the next book snd finding out more about the characters as they evolve.

Suspense. Red head. Aliens. Gang bangers. Well written. I especially like the lack of typos and bad grammar. The characters are more than wooden puppets in a play to advance a plot.
I'm not a writer and would have a tough time writing a review that didn't spoil the story. I've been reading a lot of bad space marine books lately and this was refreshing. There is a marine but he's not in space.

Time jumper books are not typically what I read. I am so glad I gave this one a chance. It is a captivating book from the start. It seemed all too soon that I reached the end. The storyline is easy to follow, even with the time jumping. I enjoyed reading about Emily and am looking forward to the next in the series. I would recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed Glassford girl. It was a different science fiction story. It had a bit of romance, heroism, time travel, fantasy, heartache, laughter and tears. I am so looking forward to part 2. Emily has been through so much. Interesting how they explain the how of her situation towards end. Leaving you waiting for the why.

I started reading this for my daughters as I like to have an idea of what they are reading and got hooked myself! Jay J. Falconer keeps the pace hopping, but not so much that you get lost between the shifts from present to past and back. My 15 year old twins might be a little beyond this, but my 11 year old will definitely enjoy it.

I loved the story and am looking forward to part #2. I really liked knowing a lot of the local references as I currently live in Glendale, AZ and grew up in Phoenix going to Metrocenter a lot in its heyday. Thank you for a great read