Pub Day Review: The Other Valley

Thank you @atriabooks and @scottalexanderhoward for sending this thoughtful novel my way!

The Other Valley is a truly unique coming of age story. It’s filled with heartbreak and hope…and time travel.  Didn’t see that coming, did you?

The basis of the book surrounds the actions and choices of a young girl named Odile. She is working hard to become part of The Conseil in her town. The Conseil regulates travel between towns.  What makes Odile’s story magnificent and traveling between towns difficult is that she lives in the present…but the town to the west is exactly twenty years behind and the town to the east is twenty years in the future. 

The Conseil regulates who is allowed to come and go between the two, often only allowed for special bereavement purposes and only for a short time, as they have to ensure timelines aren’t disrupted.   When Odile sees something she isn’t supposed to see, she realizes what may come to pass and finds herself trying desperately not to interfere with the timeline.  But the harder she tries and the longer life goes on, it seems no matter how she uses her free will or tries to follow what she believes is the order of the timeline, things always work out the way they were supposed to. 

I loved this story so much!! It was so creative and such a fresh take on this time travel trope and the tension between fate and free will.  I loved Odile’s character growth, which help us understand her choices.  I want everyone to read it so I can finally talk about that ending!

? If you could, would you rather travel to the past or the future? 

Next Steps:

TO ORDER:  On Amazon

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