I will keep my eye on other books from this author. No lulls.įor All Time is classified as young adult (YA), but I recommend it for anyone who used to be a young adult too! I know there are many folks out there who would gobble up this novel in a weekend, though. They were enough for me to take in, feeling I accomplished reading for the evening, and they left me excited to continue on. During these pandemic years, I have had difficulty concentrating on reading, so I truly appreciated the short chapters. Without a doubt, Miles understands how to pace a story. Until one moment when they discover it’s not just dreams they have of each other-they’re remembering.Īnd the ending is *chef’s kiss*. These time cycles keep happening for Tamar and Fayard, sometimes with only a faint awareness that they might have known each other before. Miles reveals her skill with weaving her lead characters into fully-formed backdrops where you are immersed in these settings, even the speculative futuristic ones. No matter where they pop up, even within a space-opera future, these teens always find each other, and their stories draw one in. Throughout these episodes, the reader follows Tamar and Fayard throughout different points of history, in other moments in time. Wait, what? We’re now in Maryland in 1924?Īnd this is when it hit me how cool this book is.

But it’s the 1300s and it’s still Tamar speaking? Okay, I’m taken back to present day. I was hooked and wanted to know where this was going. The chapters read like mini-episodes, some by Tamar’s point of view, others by Fayard’s. Except for Fayard, it’s probably more about college and their relationship, and for Tamar, who is terminally ill, it’s something else entirely. We meet protagonists Tamar and Fayard, two teens in Columbia, South Carolina (present day) who are finishing high school and thinking about next steps.

And the storytelling in For All Time is fantastic.

I typically want to experience the story without any preconceived ideas about it. I hadn’t heard of the book before, which was great because I love going into books cold. Miles’ novel, For All Time, drew me in with the first few lines. I’m buying your book.” And I did.Īm I ever glad too. This happened to me when I saw a tweet from author Shanna Miles about her debut novel that was so witty and confident, I had to reply with, “That does it. (How many times do we say that, eh?) However, it is possible to come across really awesome people.

For All Time by Shanna Miles