"So we turn the pages... We are anticipating, predicting, beginning to formulate questions in our minds that will enhance our enjoyment of reading this book..."

A wonderful 5-star review by Professor Thomas Baker for Dark Shadows of the Past:

Reviewed by Thomas Jerome Baker

Author of Pecha Kucha & English Language Teaching

This book, Dark Shadows Of The Past, by Angel Sefer, has garnered high praise from those who have read this book and others in Sefer’s Greek Isles Series. The series is extremely well crafted, with an interdisciplinary team that has come together to produce a superior product. Below you will find a visual example of the universal, across the board, great cover artwork that Sefer’s team has tastefully created for her books. Each cover stands on its own merits as a genuine work of art.

But what about the book? Is what you find between the covers any good? To answer that question, let’s take a look at the opening to Dark Shadows Of The Past. The key question here is whether or not you are enticed, drawn in, unable to resist turning the pages:

(Quote) CHRISTINA OPENED HER EYES and looked around, startled. Where am I? She was lying on a freezing, hard surface, surrounded by spine-chilling darkness… A frosty wave of fear washed over her, making her shudder. She peered through the eerie shadows while trying to track any noise, but nothing… Dead silence. Her senses worked overtime. Oh, my God! What happened to me? She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot right through her head. A moan escaped her lips, and she instinctively shut her eyes. I need to move… I need to get up, she thought, but her body wouldn’t respond. Shivering, cold, and immobilized, she screamed with all the strength she could muster, but the sound that came out of her mouth was no louder than a whisper. She drew a deep breath, trying to calm down the thundering of her heart. Think, girl! Think! What happened? Where am I? How long have I been here? Creepy thoughts and questions bombarded her mind, but it had gone completely blank. I’m going to die… Tears welled up in her eyes, as she lay there helpless and defeated. (end of quote)

Firstly, I like the silent scream. Horror, we are told by behavioural psychologists, sometimes produces that effect. It’s a disconnect between the organs of speech and the brain, indicative of great psychological shock. Basically, we are beginning to withdraw into ourselves in order to process the horror we are exposed to. And what can be more horrifying, than waking up, and not knowing where you are? Christina doesn’t have a clue, and moreover, she seems to have suffered some form of paralysis.

So, yes, any reader who has opened this book, must now begin to turn the pages. There is no other alternative, unless of course, you really don’t care to find out what has happened to Christina. But if that were the case, why did you even bother to pick this book up in the first place?

Not only are we curious, but we already have begun to bond with Christina, our protagonist. Our minds race as we consider a multitude of possibilities that may have already happened to this poor woman. The male reader has begun to feel protective towards her. The female reader is beginning to think about how this might play out going forward. How can we explain Christina’s plight?

So we turn the pages. We go forward. Forward. We are anticipating, predicting, beginning to formulate questions in our minds that will enhance our enjoyment of reading this book. The author’s choice to use an omniscient narrative style will keep us close, intimately close, to our protagonist throughout the book. Whatever happens to her, will also happen to us. Author Sefer has successfully drawn us in to this story. Therefore, we can fairly describe this book, literally and metaphorically, as a “Page Turner.” Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Thomas Jerome Baker

Author of Pecha Kucha & English Language Teaching

Read the review on profesorbaker.wordpress.com