Disheartened

"A.L. Waddington’s Disheartened, the second book in the Spirit Quest Series, follows Sidney as she lives two parallel lives 160 years apart. In 2020 Boston, she and Landon face medical school, hospital work, the COVID-19 pandemic, political unrest, and a painful family loss. In 1860, she is married to physician Keifer, gives birth to their son, visits his family in Savannah, and travels to Chicago as the nation moves toward civil war. Through the inherited gift of E.V.E., Sidney remembers both worlds and struggles with the desire to protect people whose futures she already knows. I liked the alternating chronology because the two periods reflect each other without feeling identical. Both are marked by fear, social division, and families trying to preserve ordinary life while larger events close in. The domestic scenes give the novel much of its texture: shared meals, hospital shifts, childbirth, letters, road trips, and quiet conversations between couples. Sidney’s grief over Nicholas is especially effective because he connects her two lives, and his death leaves her emotionally unmoored. The novel is also strongly political. Its characters debate COVID restrictions, race, elections, slavery, taxation, secession, and Lincoln’s role in the coming war. These views are presented from a distinctly conservative perspective, and readers will need to be comfortable with that approach. At times, the political dialogue slows the story and makes several characters sound alike. The book is strongest when those beliefs produce personal consequences, especially in Keifer’s divided loyalties and Sidney’s confrontation with the father who abandoned her. I’d recommend Disheartened to readers of historical fiction, time-slip fantasy, family saga, political fiction, and romance. Its divided-life premise recalls Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, though Waddington focuses more on parallel families and foreknowledge. Disheartened is ultimately about having two homes and knowing neither can ever be safely left behind."

— Literary Titan

"The second book in “The Spirit Quest Series,” Disheartened, continues the story of Sidney, a medical student in 2020 who is also a wife and mother in 1860. This series delves into the EVE phenomenon, the inherited ability to live two lives simultaneously. EVE stands for Essence Voyager Era. Sidney is not the only one in her family “gifted” with this. Those with EVE understand that they live in two centuries at the same time, and that their relationships to each other are different in each time period. The two time periods in this book are similar in many aspects. In the 2020 time period, Covid, ala The China Virus, is just appearing, social unrest is rocking the country, Washington, D.C. is experiencing a major chasm between the two political parties, and lifestyles and ideas are being put to the test. In 1860 the Civil War is about to begin, but only those with EVE truly understand what is about to happen. The southern states are going to secede, families will be forced to take sides, and the fabric of the country will be torn, much like it is being torn in 2020. “I hate feeling like a helpless witness to the destruction of our country,”* the 1860 Sidney says. But that statement is the same in 2020. Readers who have read the previous book (check out our review of Transcendence) will understand how EVE works and that those with it actually live their lives in the two different times. They know that they are living two lives, which sometimes makes it frustrating for them, but that is their “gift.” To help with what could be confusing, the author has included an Appendix at the end of the book listing the characters and their relationships. There are many people mentioned in the book and being able to refer to the Appendix is helpful. A.L. Waddington has a grasp of history that comes through in the pages. She is able to tell two stories combined in one while shifting back and forth. Each chapter is titled with the date to keep readers on track. Disheartened makes a statement about how the country has experienced and is experiencing a tumultuous time when upheaval runs rampant. In that sense 1860 and 2020 (and the current year in the story) are very much the same. Seeing the similarities between the two times is, as the book refers to, is troubling and disheartening, with the book aptly titled Disheartened. This is an interesting story that will capture the attention of readers. It is an entertaining fantasy book with some very interesting characters and situations, in both time frames."

— Family Choice Awards