REVIEW: The Loved and the Lost by Lory Kaufman

SYNOPSIS

A quest for lost love. An adventure of many lifetimes.

Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln are three 24th-century time travelers desperate to return to 14th-century Verona and reclaim their medieval family’s shattered lives. It is a mission fraught with danger and the risk of unexpected consequences for themselves and their worlds. For all three, it is a matter of the heart. For one, though, it is truly the only thing that matters, as the fate of his eternal love and the life of their unborn child is the prize to be won – or lost forever.

In this, the final book of The Verona Trilogy, our three time travelers go on the boldest adventure of their lives. They will face hardship, tragedy, and threats from sources they couldn't have imagined – all in an effort to wrestle a future from the steely grip of an unforgiving past.

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REVIEW

I didn't think there could be any more 'surprises' in "The Loved and the Lost".  After all, I've read the entire Verona Trilogy and travelled from the 14th to the 24th to the 31st centuries.  (Wow.  I feel old all of a sudden! *lol*)  Of course, the synopsis above spilled the beans about the baby so I can talk about that one even though I try not to post spoilers in reviews.  And, although I should have seen it coming, not everyone else (than Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln) in the 14th century is really from the 14th century. *shh. Don't tell*

At the end of "The Bronze and the Brimstone", they had been chased by townspeople who thought they were in league with the devil.  Lincoln (Maruccio) was gone, Hansum (Romero) was in prison amongst people dying of the Black Death, one of whom was Shamira (Carmella).

The story of Hansum and Guilietta had made them all quite famous in their home time period (the 24th century) and the years/centuries beyond that.  Thanks to the Mists of Time viewers, the public could view time travel scenes much like we watch tv series today.

In "The Loved and the Lost" we see our intrepid trio come into their own.  Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln have grown up together and become as much brothers and sister as their blood relatives could be.  Hansum formulates a plan for the three to return through time to save Guilietta and her parents from the fire that took their house.  The Hansum of "The Lens and the Looker" probably could not have done that.  Shamira falls for a young man from the 26th century, who travels with them back in time.  Lincoln learns to 'mind-delve' with the assistance of an AI, and gains some very mature insights into Ugilino's character, which he could not have understood before.

I could almost not be prouder of them than if they were my own children!  (Coincidentally, I have three children.  Two boys, one girl.  Sound familiar?)  I was also impressed that a significant amount of time is devoted to the ethics of time travel and the consequences that changing the past has on the future.

It was heart-breaking to see them return again and again to the 14th century and fail so many times to save the people who had been their family in that time period.  Almost like wanting Friar Lawrence to get to the tomb in time to prevent tragedy in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and him arriving just after the nick of time.  And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Much as "The Loved and the Lost" wraps up the Verona Trilogy, my review wraps up my feelings about the trilogy in general.  Expect to see at least one, and quite likely two or three, of these books on my year's favorite reads!  If you like YA, you will love "The Loved and the Lost."  If you like time-travel, you will love the Verona Trilogy.  If you are like me, you will LOVE hearing that there are History Camps set in other ages and locales.  I can't wait!

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

"I write Post-Dystopian fiction. After society’s collapse, which is imagined in so many great dystopian stories, humans will either fade into history, with the dinosaurs, or, if it learns the right lessons, society will go on to construct a civilization to last tens of thousands of years. The books of THE VERONA TRILOGY are the exciting adventures of young people doing the latter.” -Lory Kaufman

On the artistic side of Lory’s career, he’s written, acted and directed children’s theatre and musical theatre. He enjoys art, especially sculpture. He loves science fiction and historical fiction and he has been deeply involved in the green movement all across North America. All this shows through when you read his work. Lory has three grown children and works and lives in Kingston, Canada.

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(Disclaimer:  I received a print copy of "The Loved and the Lost" from the author via iRead Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was offered, requested or received.)