The Clay Lion (The Clay Lion Series Book 1)

'The Clay Lion' by Amalie Jahn was a thrilling, suspenseful read. The suspense was palpable, especially as someone who tends to be partial to time-travel scenarios. Making everything work out is the ultimate goal, but when that doesn't seem entirely possible, life – past, present, and potentially future – can become chaotic, and with that chaos comes the likelihood for worry and fear.Brooke Wallace loves her brother Branson more than anything, and as a result of this love, she has decided to use the one trip that everyone in her society is allotted for time travel to go back to the time just before his death. Her goal: try to prevent it from ever occurring. The tension is quite evident, based on a variety of factors, but especially the heartache that Amalie Jahn so perfectly captures through Brooke's first-person narration of life without Branson, as well as what life was like when he was still alive.Her trip doesn't go quite as planned, and the difficulty of coping with losing Branson all over again is too much for her to bear. So, she sets out to re-live and alter the timeline yet again to save him, but this time she takes more liberties than she knows she should, engaging with those she didn't engage with either of the first two times (the “real” first time and the first trip to the past), and changing their future timelines as well. This mainly goes for her relationship with Charlie Johnson, a cute boy she meets and can't help but befriend. Needless to say, the trip changes things more than Brooke had planned, and she must set out yet again to try to change the past, or at least salvage what she can of the future. I couldn't help but think as I was reading how even though she wasn't trying to change anyone else's timelines, she was doing her best to remain ignorant of the fact that others could be affected second-hand. Eventually, she does learn that this is true, during one of the times she returns to the present.Adeptly written with a hearty helping of character development and specificity in staying as true as possible to the original timeline, while still attempting to re-write history, Jahn has me hooked and eager to read more of her series. I look forward to checking out the next two novels, 'Tin Men' and 'A Straw Man.' From Brooke to Branson to Charlie, on to Brooke's parents and a cast of supporting characters who help keep the storyline moving from past to present back to past again and eventually into the future, 'The Clay Lion' captures the angst of loss, the beauty of love, and the compassion that stems from both.Beth Rodgers, Author of 'Freshman Fourteen,' A Young Adult Novel

The Clay Lion by Amalie Jahn is a beautiful, heartwarming tale of one sister’s love for her brother. After the death of her brother, Brooke Wallace travels back in time in order to discover what caused his illness and ultimately, to save his life. While time travel exists, it is strictly regulated by the government and not a common occurrence. The most important rule is to avoid changing the past, which is exactly what Brooke does after she travels back in time not once, not twice, but three times in desperate attempts to save Branson. With each trip into the past, Brooke learns more about herself, her family, the consequences of meddling with time, and the importance of healing.One of the aspects I found most interesting were the relationships Brooke would return to after each trip to the past. Her family dynamics as well as the lives of her friends and people in her community would vary greatly depending on her frame of mind and how much she meddled in the past. I think this responsibility – understanding how much you can alter someone’s future by changing their past – was an important realization for Brooke and helped heal her grief over losing Branson.Jahn writes from the heart and her characters encompass a wide range of emotions: love, loss, grief, despair, hope, trust. The Clay Lion will grab you from the beginning and have you thinking about its outcome long after the final page. A story about love and sacrifice, Brooke Wallace’s personal growth highlights lessons we can all learn from. Highly recommended! I look forward to reading more of Jahn’s work.

The rules are simple. If you want to travel back in time, you need to be at least eighteen years old. You can only travel within your own lifespan for a maximum of six months. And above all else, you must never, ever change the past. - from The Clay LionBrooke Wallace is a girl on a mission. Losing her beloved brother to a tragic decease has brought her own life to wrenching stand-still, and nearly destroyed her family. To rectify this, she decides to use her one ticket to go back and save his life, but Brooke's single-minded determination has far-reaching and devastating consequences, not only for her and her family, but also for the people around her.The Clay Lion (the a first in a series of young adult novels) reads like a the Twilight Zone episode: it isn't so much sci-fi as it is a thoughtful coming-of-age story and Jahn keeps a good pace. The book's themes of love, loss, responsibility, trust, and learning when to let go are tough subjects to handle without slipping into melodrama, but Jahn's clear writing style and crisp pace treats the heavy emotional load with grace and ease.Brooke emerges as a wounded, but ultimately well-rounded character that you can really cheer for, and the relationship she has with her brother is heartfelt, never cloying. With a good cast of supporting characters, an intriguing premise, and a strong, satisfying ending, The Clay Lion is one Indie book you'll want on your shelf.

One of the most stunning starts to a novel! Brooke's brother is dying, but the problem is that he has already died once... You see, Brooke has already been able to use her trip voucher to time-travel back to save her brother's life. Travellers travelling back start to find, when returning to the present, that their lives, and the lives of others, have been altered. Such a tale, set in a parallel universe, has from its outset created both a personal, gut-wrenching drama and an imaginative, compelling setting for it. We set forth on a journey that expertly links together drama, suspense, moral dilemmas and pure, unadulterated family love and sacrifice. A drama fit for all ages!

I was intrigued by the storyline of this book but I was a bit wary of the subject matter leaving me feeling depressed. Well I'm pleased to report that it didn't, and I absolutely loved it! It is an incredibly satisfying read that I really did not want to put down, and I don't think it will be long before I will be starting on the sequels. It did make me cry a little but it also made me laugh, and it left me with a feeling of peace. A beautifully crafted novel with a healthy helping of wisdom, and characters that you will want to meet again.

I like time travel books. I've just finished an amazing time travel story written by Amalie Jahn called 'The Clay Lion'. It's not a technical book in any way. It deals with personal relationships where the time traveller has three attempts at fixing a personal tragedy, the death of her brother, before she eventually comes to terms with it.Get this one. There's a sequel too called 'Tin Men' (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tin-Men-Clay-Lion-Book-ebook/dp/B00M99TX94/)

The Clay Lion is a delightful time travel story of love, friendship and hope. Although I think it's more aimed to reach young adults, I found it very compelling and engaging also for adults.It's the first book I read of Ms Jahn and I loved her writing style, very natural and emotional.Recommended if you like heartwarming story and take a break from your 'normal' reading genres.

My work is based in the clinical setting and, because of this, I was not sure how medically correct the pulmonary fibrosis symptoms were with such a young boy. But, that apart, I thought it was a very enjoyable book.