Heather’s Bookshelf: Shimmers
Author: JP Strecker
Released: 10/18/20
Genre: Paranormal SciFi
“In July, the local newspaper, the Bellevue Gazette, ran a story titled, The Missing. Ten people had gone lost from the local area under highly suspicious circumstances. They had all disappeared between early March to late May.
Josh had been the last.”
“Shimmers” begins with a team of scientists conducting an experiment resulting in unintended consequences. Their finagling results in a mysterious silver orb appearing miles away and enticing a young boy from the safety of his family.
While Joshua’s disappearance remains unsolved, the world continues to move on. Joshua’s twin brother, Jimmy can’t fill the void his missing brother has left, but as mysterious things continue to happen, he tries to make sense of his world. He sees and hears things others don’t, but for fear of worrying his overextended parents, he keeps quiet.
When Jimmy joins forces with his best friend Bob and his brothers Matt and Mark, the boys happen upon forces much greater than anything they every thought possible. Years pass and life goes on, but the shimmers and the mystery surrounding them never leaves the boys. They must come together if they are going to save each other.
Trigger Warning: child disappearance, animal death
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The feel of the tale reminded of me of Stranger Things or The Goonies. Jimmy is such an endearing protagonist. He’s innocent and vulnerable at the start of the story. The way he sees the world is enchanting. Some terrible things happen to him and around him along the way, but he’s able to keep his hope and optimism throughout. The relationships between Jimmy, his siblings, Bob, and his parents are well developed and realistic as are their emotions with losing a family member. As the boys grow up, I loved how the author developed their personalities but still stayed true to how they were when they were young. This story has kind of a two part ending. Without giving anything away, I enjoyed the first ending immensely. If you’ve read some of my other reviews, you know I am not a fan of cliffhangers. Therefore, I did not love the second ending. A sequel seems imminent and I would absolutely be interested in listening in/reading about Jimmy and his friends again.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
(I ended up checking out this book on mixed platforms: written and audiobook. I really enjoyed the voices and the tone of the narrator, although some of the women’s versions were kind of hilarious)
OVERALL REVIEW:
A tale of family, loss, and friendship wrapped in a coming of age story with SciFi twists.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with JP Strecker
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here on Audible or on Kindle Unlimited
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
