Eternal Flame: A Rose of Anzio Story by Alexa Kang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This story is a YA, romance, time-travel, historical fiction. And I love the premise: a soldier from 1944 and a teenage-girl from 1989 in love!
I don’t read many time-travel stories, but time travel is something that intrigues me, so I went into this novel expecting to enjoy it, and I did.
The protagonist is 16-year-old Julia Olsen, who lives in a suburb of Chicago, and is pretty much just skimming by in life, like most teenagers. Coming off a bad breakup, she’s spending her time reading teen magazines, obsessing over why Trey (her ex) dumped her, and watching her grades slip. Her family recently moved into a new old house, and among the furniture left in the residence is a New Hampshire clock in Julia’s room. She can’t wait to be rid of the clock (and the other old furniture in her room) and get some new Ikea models.
She winds the clock in her boredom, goes to sleep, and wakes to a young man in her bed–a soldier from World War II! Alarmed, she runs from her room to alert her parents, but when she returns, he’s no where in sight. When the young man returns, things get interesting. It doesn’t take long for them to realize that time travel is at play, and it involves the New Hampshire clock. The soldier tells Julia his name–Edmond Ferris, although he goes by Ed.
Before long, Julia and Ed strike up a friendship, and as the holidays approach, they fall in love. Julia not only falls in love with this handsome, brave soldier who’s putting his life on the line (Ed returns to his time and comes back to 1989 several times), but she starts feeling a confidence in herself she hadn’t in a long time.
As they grew closer, however, the stakes get higher. Julia discovers some alarming truths about the past, about time travel, and about Ed. Ed promises her that they will be together in her time after he’s done fighting in the war. He’s committed to the cause, after all, and can’t just leave the other men. But Julia worries for Ed every time he goes back to 1944.
The story is an easy read and is well-researched for both time periods. The romance is believable, and you want nothing more than for Julia and Ed to have their happily-ever-after; however, is that possible?
The end really captures the reality of what would or could happen when two people from two time periods fall in love. I cried. I won’t tell you why, but this story will stay with me for a long time.
