I was unable to enjoy the beginning of this book.
I did give it several chapters but was not able to connect.
So sorry.

Some as above, by the time I was approved for this request, I had lost interest in reading it. I might pick it up one day, but for know I don't intend to.

Brooke loses his little brother to an illness and she wants to travel to the past to save him, but she ends up learning you can't change the past, or its main events, without altering lives and timelines. In her efforts to try and save him she ends up discovering the pain lf losing someone, the effort it takes to let go and the discovery of acceptance and wanting to move forward with life, even to honor those who are no longer here but we were lucky to met.
This is a very nice story, amazingly compelling and well-written. A nice find for me :)

Imagine how tempting it would be to save someone who means everything to you. If you could save them, you would. No matter the cost. Because that's what family, and love, is. But there is great risk involved for Brooke, a girl hellbent on saving her brother, because this will require her utilising her once in a lifetime chance to travel back to the time that she thinks might have caused her recently deceased brother Branson to have become ill. But there are rules. Whilst everyone over eighteen might be entitled to this time travelling trip (just once!), they absolutely must not meddle with the past - it is simply a chance to live six months of your life all over again. Unless you're Brooke and you couldn't care less about the rules; all that matters is saving your brother.

Brooke is a great character. She does exactly what I think anyone hurting would do. She has a believable voice, and the author wonderfully captures the familial bond between siblings, but also parents and their children. I really connected with the story, and appreciated that whilst Brooke was grieving, she was motivated by something bigger which kept the story less upsetting and more hopeful than you might expect from what is ostensibly a sad topic.

The concept of time travel alone, forgetting about Brooke and her story for now, was really cleverly done. There were lots of ideas, like the rules of time travel for example or the domino effect of simply saying something differently when you go back in time from what you said before. It's mind boggling if you think about it too hard, but really entertaining and kept my mind turning ideas over for hours.

This is a clever, fast-paced and really addictive book. It kept me up for hours wondering what I might do if I could go back, but most of all I really felt something from seeing through Brooke's eyes. The sheer determination to save someone you love, but also the helplessness of watching them suffer and being absolutely powerless is something I'm sure many people can relate to. I would be surprised if this book didn't hit almost every reader hard; this author really gets it, and I'm so pleased I read this.

Wonderful book about Time Travel, one of my favorite subjects! And of course what would you do if you were 18 and someone told you you couldn't do something.....you did it of course. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.

I am sorry to say this but, this book has been a complete waste of time. Let me just summarise the whole thing here. The Clay Lion is about Brooke who lost her brother, Branson, and is now having a very hard time coping because they were very close and all that.

Anyway, they live in an alternate universe where time travelling is not only possible, but each person gets a ticket once they turn eighteen. The catch is, you only get one chance.

Naturally, once she lost her brother, Brooke had the dumbest idea to travel back in time to save Branson from dying even if it's illegal to do such alteration. Of course, everyone agreed... smooth as butter. But then Brooke messed up during her first trip, so in the present time, Brandon is still dead!

Again, naturally, she wants another go because she's an idiot like that (but you can call her brave if that's how you see it) and she gets another chance because she's the main character right? What's new? Oh yes I'll tell you what's new, a boy named Charlie who seemed to be THE ONE within a few days of meeting. My eyes, at this point, have rolled out of their sockets. Bitch literally lived in the past for a few weeks...

Guess what? She messed up during the second trip AGAIN! This time more people died because of her selfishness and recklessness. Honestly I wouldn't mind if she died too.

The third trip, idiot Brooke decides that getting herself into a car accident would be the best solution to prevent her brother from going to the camping trip that would kill him. She nearly died in that timeline. She's so stupid??

In the end Branson is STILL DEAD in the present timeline! And to think that this is the first to a series of, I don't know, three books??? Hahahahaha

Admittedly this story has a bit of a heartbreaking premise so you might be hesitant to jump in because after all who wants to knowingly spend their time on something full of sorrow? The Clay Lion though breaks the normal rules and is the start to a wonderful series thanks to the skillful writing talents of Amalie Jahn who provides one of those stories that grabs you and won’t let go.

She has created a powerfully visual story but still manages to leave enough open to allow the reader to put something of themselves into plot and characters so you feel invested in taking this journey. Although we often hate to hear the phrase “everything happens for a reason”, somehow Jahn manages to take that idea and make it beautifully inspiring.

This is just one of those books that makes you glad you chose to put a pause on the life button so you can take time to fall head long into the world Jahn creates. You’ll smile, cry, feel your heart break, and keep picking yourself up to push through to the end as she walks you through this journey and her own interpretation of the stages of grief from hope to healing with a dash of love along the way.

Even if the time travel thing feels like it’s been done before and you may be burned out on it you should still give her a chance to show you what she’s done with the age old idea of what would we do with a second chance?