Pretty Little Indies: Shay West

  I'll admit; I'm not very experienced with time traveling novels. That's the basis of Shay West's Dangerous Reflections. I had absolutely no idea what to expect whenever I went into this book, but I was rewarded with a wonderful and realistic tale. Keep scrolling for a review and fun interview with Shay West!

Dangerous Reflections by Shay West

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Alexis Davenport wants to go home. She hates her
new school, her mother for moving her away from
her friends, and her father for walking out.

To make matters worse, Alex is haunted by images of strange girls reflected in her mirror. It’s bad enough juggling homework, a relentless bully, boys, and a deadbeat dad; now, she must save the world from an evil presence hell-bent on changing the past – and our futures. Who knew her A+ in history was going to be this important?

The Good

• Historical aspects
• Flow
• Character development

The Bad

• I had a few moments that I wanted to shake Alex!

  When I was in high school, we had to write an essay on which historical figure we would talk to if we had the chance. I was never able to pick one, and my essay was a rambling list of people that I'd want to talk to. (Tolkien, Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Tesla to name a few.) What does this have to do with Dangerous Reflections you ask? I'm so insanely jealous of Alex. I would love to go back in time and witness history as it was made. But I would not want to face the rest of Alex's story.

  Dangerous Reflections is a haunting tale that swept me along with it's beautiful prose and amazing cast of characters. Alex was a good main character, and I felt like she was a perfect match for the story. A lot of growth is shown by her in this book, and I loved following her journey. There were times that I wanted to show her what was in front of her, though. The secondary characters also shine as individuals with their own developed voices.

  There is enough drama to keep your attention without invoking eye rolls left and right. That was so much appreciated. The flow works really well, and I didn't experience any drag in the story. The story comes to a satisfying close, and I was so glad that I had the pleasure of reading Dangerous Reflections when I finished it. Fans of fantasy and time travel will be drawn to this book!

**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review with no compensation.

1. Describe Dangerous Reflections in one word.
Enigma

2. If you could choose any TV show to promote your book on, which would you choose?
Doctor Who!

3. Which chapter of Dangerous Reflections was your favorite to write?
The one where Alex goes back to Civil War era in the body of a slave of Jefferson Davis. It’s a very tense part of the book!

4. What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Make sure to do your research when it comes to content. I spent more time researching the time periods than I did writing the book. I took some creative license with some of the people but I think that’s what makes it a fun read: historical truth mixed with fiction.

5. Choose one character from Dangerous Reflections that you get to have dinner with. Who and why?
I’d have to say Drifter just to see if I could get into his head to see what makes him tick

6. You can only read one book (that isn’t one of yours) for the rest of your life. Which is it?
Can I say the Lord of the Rings trilogy? It’s possible to buy it as one volume! :D

7. If you wrote a book about your own life, what would the title be?
Lessons Learned

8. Lastly, what’s up next for you? Any projects we should be looking out for?
There will be two other books in the Alexis series (Twisted Reflections and Desperate Reflections) that will be launching this year. I am also in the process of writing an urban fantasy/murder mystery book called The Harvesters. I’m really excited about this one to hit the shelves!

***

Bookish Favorites:

Favorite book?
Lord of the Rings

Favorite author?
Tolkien

Favorite book cover?
A Spell for Chameleon. It’s the book that first got me interested in reading fantasy novels

Favorite character?
The mordsith from Sword of Truth series

Favorite ending to a book and/or series?
The ending to Return of the King was one of the most satisfying I’ve ever read

Shay West was born in Longmont, CO and earned a doctorate degree in Human Medical Genetics from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical. Dr. West currently lives in Grand Junction, CO with her two cats. When not writing novels, she plays with plushie microbes and teaches biology classes at Colorado Mesa University. She is the author of the Portals of Destiny series and the Adventures of Alexis Davenport series. She has also been published in several anthologies: Battlespace (military scifi), Orange Karen: Tribute to a Warrior (fundraiser), and Ancient New (steampunk/fantasy).

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