The Reading Bud

Book Blog by Heena Rathore-Pardeshi

Book Review: The Mine (Northwest Passage #1)

The Mine

Author: John A. Heldt

Release Date: December 6, 2013

Series: Northwest Passage #1

Genre: Science-Fiction > Time-Travel | Historical-Fiction | Fantasy | Adventure | Romance | NA 

Edition: mobi

Pages: 316

Publisher: Not known

Interest: Requested by author

Source: Author (Thanks a lot John!)

Buy it here: Amazon

Blurb

In May 2000, Joel Smith is a cocky, adventurous young man who sees the world as his playground. But when the college senior, days from graduation, enters an abandoned Montana mine, he discovers the price of reckless curiosity. He emerges in May 1941 with a cell phone he can’t use, money he can’t spend, and little but his wits to guide his way. Stuck in the age of swing dancing and a peacetime draft, Joel begins a new life as the nation drifts toward war. With the help of his 21-year-old trailblazing grandmother and her friends, he finds his place in a world he knew only from movies and books. But when an opportunity comes to return to the present, Joel must decide whether to leave his new love in the past or choose a course that will alter their lives forever. THE MINE follows a humbled man through a critical time in history as he adjusts to new surroundings and wrestles with the knowledge of things to come.

Review

5-Stars

Positives

The Mine is the best time-travel book I’ve read in a really, really long time! It’s a brilliantly written book and the strong and realistic characterization will definitely blow your mind. Joel Smith, the lead, is such a gentleman and is just so adorable that I really can’t praise enough. You can feel the connection, with Joel, develop over quite a few pages but once he time-travels and starts his new life, you’ll start understanding him better and better with every page you turn. Joel is my new favourite time-travelling character. He is everything a stud, time-travelling brilliant and smart guy should be. He handles the fact, that he has indeed walked into a time-machine and come 59 years before his time, pretty well and starts acting accordingly.

Among the other characters, Ginny really stands out. She is this amazing women whom you really idealize and start respecting instantly. John has left a lot of big authors far behind in the race when it comes to character building (atleast for me!)

The plot is amazing and develops slowly in a very subtle way. It ends beautifully and leaves you craving for more and more. From the historical point of view, as far as I know, John has paid very close attention to the details which is highly commendable.

Negatives

None!

Conclusion

The Mine is a beautifully written book and definitely a must read. I’d recommend it to everyone, particularly the fans of Time-Travel, Science-Fiction, Adventure and Historical-Romance. Trust me, you really don’t wanna miss out on a wonderful book like this one!

You can also read this review at Goodreads.

Other Stuff

Opening Line: “Joel eyed the remains and laughed at the animal that had caused the carnage.”

Highlights: Excellent writing and perfect characterization.

Low-lights: None.

Memorable Quote:

“Beneath that delicate exterior is a strong, resolute woman who does nothing halfway. Never take her for granted and never underestimate her. She will amaze.”

Final Thoughts: The best time-travel book I’ve read till date!

12 responses to “Book Review: The Mine (Northwest Passage #1)”

  1. weight2lose2013 Avatar
    weight2lose2013

    To have no negatives is quite an endorsement! I do like stories of time travel, too. Thank you for the review!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar

      Thanks Rob 🙂
      This one is really, really good! Try and read this one, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  2. romeorites Avatar

    If you like this sort of thing then I think Connie Willis would be right up your street. Time Travel/ Historical Fic. SF Time travel stories are usually fun reads that one can return to anytime. Oh the irony.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar

      Thanks for the recommendation Romeo 🙂
      And yea, I feel the same!

      Like

      1. romeorites Avatar

        Doomsday by Connie Willis is really good and also 11/22/63 by Stephen King is fantastic.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar

          Ohh… both of these sound great! I’m adding them to my TBR list and will try to get my hands on them asap 🙂
          Thanks a lot 😀

          Like

  3. erikakind Avatar

    Your review of the book sounds amazing and full of insights through the different way Joel experiences life. I am not a romance reader – anyway what topic – but this sounds very worth reading. There might be a lot to discover.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar

      Thanks Erika 🙂
      You’ll enjoy it even more because Joel is a very positive character. I’m very sure you’ll like this book 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Indah Susanti Avatar

    Thanks for the review! I like the quote and it sounds a really great book to read. Will take a look..

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Heena Rathore P. Avatar

      Thanks a lot Indah! I’ glad you liked the quote.
      Lemme know if you happen to read it 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Book Review: The Journey (Northwest Passage #2) | The Reading Bud Avatar

    […] loved the first book in this series, The Mine, and so obviously I was expecting a lot from this one. The Journey met all my expectations and even […]

    Liked by 1 person

I love reading your comments, so please go ahead…

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

I’m Heena

Welcome to The Reading Bud, my cosy corner of the internet dedicated to all things books and authors. Here, I invite you to join me on a journey of discovering under-represented books, independent and small press authors, and all things book with a touch of love and loud purrs. Let’s get Reading!

Book of the Month

Read this captivating story on the adventures and hardships of Frank Knightlite, a man who strives to illuminate darkness with his lantern in search of answers to life’s questions.
You can get it here.
October 2014
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  

Reading is like breathing to me.

Recent Posts

  • Character Interview: Kimiko Chou from Kimiko Chou, Girl Samurai by Con Chapman

    Welcome to TRB Lounge! Today, we are featuring Kimiko Chou, the lead character from Kimiko Chou, Girl Samurai by Con Chapman, for our Character Interview feature. About The Author Con Chapman Con Chapman is the author most…

  • Author Interview: Con Chapman

    Welcome to TRB Lounge! Today, we are featuring Con Chapman, author of Kimiko Chou, Girl Samurai, for our Author Interview feature. About The Author Con Chapman Con Chapman is the author most recently of Rabbit’s Blues: The Life…

  • ARC Review: Dead Fish And What the Blue Jays Know by Debbie Ann Ice

    Author: Debbie Ann Ice Release Date: 22nd April 2021Genre: Women’s Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, SatireSeries: Format: E-book Pages: 272 pagesPublisher: Bedazzled Ink Publisher, LLCBlurb:It’s the year 20-something—a changed yet still complacent America—and Lorraine Mulderon is mad. She’s mad that dying fish litter the…

  • Book Excerpt: Kimiko Chou, Girl Samurai by Con Chapman

    Welcome to TRB Lounge. Today, I’d like to welcome author Con Chapman for sharing an excerpt from his latest release Kimiko Chou, Girl Samurai. About The Book KIMIKO CHOU is a girl on a mission. Her mother…

  • Graphic Novel Review: Mr. Flopsy, Whispers from God: A Lesson on Being Still by Christi Eley

    Author: Christi EleyIllustrator: Aries CheungRelease Date: 8th January 2021Genre: Children’s Fiction, Christian FictionSeries: Mr. Flopsy, Whispers From GodFormat: E-book Pages: 40 pagesPublisher: Cottontail PublishingBlurb: Mr. Flopsy, Whispers from God is an early reader storybook that shares the simple message and guidance from a…