Book Review: The Clay Lion by Amalie Jahn

I'd recently read 11/21/63 by Stephen King, and that led me to Time and Again by Jack Finney, as well as watching all the Back to the Future movies in one weekend.  After all that, I still wanted more time travel and so sought out books dealing with time.  I found Trapped In Time by Bree Wolf, which I read and reviewed.  And then I found The Clay Lion by Amalie Jahn.  I read it and enjoyed it thoroughly.  Following is my review:

• Setting: The story is set in a future where time travel is not only possible, but it's accessible by common, everyday people.  The story revolves around a loving family going through a tragedy,  and Brooke Wallace, the story's heroine, desires to change it.  When writing in a genre so specific as time travel, it's important to address the genre in a unique way, to bring something new to it.  Amalie Jahn succeeds in doing that with The Clay Lion.  I'll not go into it more so as not to spoil the story for you.  I will say this: with time travel, my suspension of disbelief is awfully flexible.  So I don't get bothered by the physics of it or the potential space/time conflicts that could arise within the story.  If you do, then you might not like this one.
• Character Development:  The story follows a typical American, suburban family, and relates to readers in a way that we can easily insert ourselves into the story and imagine what we would do to save a beloved family member.  Jahn does a good job of developing the relationships between these characters.  The family felt genuine, and their struggles together felt realistic.  This crosses the boundary into literary fiction, which makes the story that much better. 
• Writing Style:  Amalie Jahn writes in a friendly style that embodies the down to earth spirit of her characters.  She captures the sadness and hope of Brooke Wallace, and takes us seamlessly through her ups and downs as she fights to save her brother.  The style doesn't get in the way of the story, which moves quickly from chapter to chapter.
• Climax: The climax of The Clay Lion was a bit subdued, which actually fits the tone of the novel.  I thought the ending was one of the best aspects of the story.  I don't want to go into it so as not to upset expectations.  All I can say is that endings are important.  A writer must leave an impression on the reader, and Amalie Jahn does this with The Clay Lion.
• Book 1 of a series: This novel definitely stands on its own, so don't avoid it simply because you don't feel like committing to multiple novels.  This one is worth reading, and if you learn you like the world and the style Amalie Jahn presents, then you'll be able to find more novels in the series.

So the final word, check this novel out if your interested in a fairly confined story that centers around love, family, and of course, time travel.