Minutes Before Sunset
The Timely Death Trilogy, no. 1
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4.5 • 80 Ratings
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Publisher Description
Two destines. One death.
"Her kiss could kill us, and my consent signed our death certificates."
Eric Welborn isn't completely human, but he isn't the only shade in the small Midwest town of Hayworth. With one year left before his eighteenth birthday, Eric is destined to win a long-raging war for his kind. But then she happens. In the middle of the night, Eric meets a nameless shade, and she's powerful—too powerful—and his beliefs are altered. The Dark has lied to him, and he's determined to figure out exactly what lies were told, even if the secrets protect his survival.
Jessica Taylor moves to Hayworth, and her only goal is to find more information on her deceased biological family. Her adoptive parents agree to help on one condition: perfect grades. And Jessica is distraught when she's assigned as Eric's class partner. He won't help, let alone talk to her, but she's determined to change him—even if it means revealing everything he's strived to hide.
Minutes Before Sunset is the first book in The Timely Death Trilogy.
Customer Reviews
5303150568
Sandeep sheepa
A clean and unique read!
Minutes Before Sunset is a paranormal YA novel in which Eric and Jessica are both struggling to reconcile their identities. Eric is grappling with the fact that he will face The Light on the battlefield on his next birthday while Jessica tries to find out who her biological parents are. Needless to say, there is a certain amount of teenage angst and rebellion going on in the plot that is reminiscent of Twilight.
The dark and magical setting is pretty detailed, and the two protagonists are well developed; more so than what I was expecting from the first novel in the series. I was expecting a vampire novel, so I was pleasantly surprised when Thompson created a plot about shades and a battle between The Light and The Dark. At first glance, there are some parallels between Twilight and Minutes Before Sunset; however, the dynamic between the protagonists, the mood, and Thompson's writing style differentiate it from Twilight. For example, the mood in this novel is more dark and magical than dark and goth. I also thought that the angst and rebellion were less dramatic and more realistic than Twilight.
I personally would have liked a longer discussion of the prophecy and how The Dark and The Light became two separate factions. It may be that this will be revealed in later books, or it may be something that is not discussed in detail since the book was written for young adult readers and not adult readers.
I enjoyed it and I would definitely be willing to read the next books in the series. It is clean, cleaner than Twilight, so it would make a great gift for a teen who enjoyed that particular series. Adults who enjoyed Twilight will likely enjoy this book too. However, if you enjoy a more in-depth history of two clashing factions, this may not be a good match for you.