
Conundrum is a very useful word in describing Dear Maude. It is full of conundrums and paradoxes, that make you think, make you pause and make you question what you know about physics, science and of course the paradox of time-travel.
The whole time-travel thing caught me on the hop. I hadn't read much about Dear Maude until I dived into it and my initial thought was this is classic chick-lit. Exceptionally well-written and enjoyable chick-lit, in my opinion, but chick-lit nonetheless. By the time I realised it was so, so, much more than that, I was totally hooked. Suffice it to say, this is the best book within its genre that I've read in many al long day and I would go even further to say this is one of the better books I've ever read. Definitely a contender for a coveted "Grunter" award at the end of this year. I often talk in my reviews about the joy of discovering fresh, exciting and new indie talent. Denise Liebig is definitely that. She puts many a big-5 author to shame, in my humble opinion.
Okay, so the story is pretty straightforward, to begin with. Emily (Em) needed a scholarship to go to University and the quid pro quo for the scholarship was that she had to agree to work for the Evergreen Foundation for four years after graduation. No big deal, right? What're four years, for a degree? WRONG! It doesn't take too long for Em to figure out she's sold her soul to the devil - and that's all I'm telling you about the plot. Read it yourself - you'll love it.
As a debut novel, Dear Maude was an outstanding success. That Liebig has been able to follow up Dear Maude with the remaining two books in the trilogy is a testament to her seriousness as an author and her consistency. I literally cannot wait to read Books 2 & 3 now.
If you like time-travel, with all its conundrums and paradoxes, or if you like a female protagonist with strength, character, and determination, you'll love Dear Maude. I sure did and give it the full 5-Star treatment. Kudos to the author and long may she continue to turn out fine books like this debut novel.
