Official Review: 23 Minutes Past 1 A.M. by Robert J Dornan

[Ellie Gatillo]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "23 Minutes Past 1 A.M." by Robert J Dornan.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The 26th of April of 1986 was meant to be a day of celebration for the Kharmalovs. Tania Kharmalov was set to marry Yuri Larinov that evening. However, just a few hours before the wedding, Reactor Four of Chernobyl Nuclear Plant exploded. It sent a multitude of colorful sparks in the air. That day, Tania knew their lives had changed forever.

Many years later, Aaron Byrd wrote biographies for ordinary people. When he got a call from his special friend to write a book for her aunt, he took the first flight to Ukraine. What seemed to be an uneventful visit turned out to be much darker than he thought. It seemed that Mila and Tania Kharmalov's past was full of love, hatred, loneliness, deceit, and greed. With a little luck, Aaron might just be able to write the story of a lifetime.

23 Minutes Past 1 A.M. by Robert J. Dornan is a fictional story of the Kharmalov sisters, Mila and Tania, set on the actual events of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant tragedy. Chernobyl was the worst nuclear power plant catastrophe in the history. This book made sure the readers would know exactly why. It was evident that the author took time researching and cross-checking the facts he put in the story. It was well-written with a vivid description of the events that took place during and after the explosion. Though it was fiction, it felt like the characters were real. The author was able to bring me inside the story as if I was witnessing the story unfold right before my eyes.

Additionally, Dornan created a set of distinct characters. I loved the Kharmalov sisters. Mila was fearless and proud. She fought for what she believed was right. Tania kept her sister's feet on the ground. She was the personification of a woman who had grace under pressure. Both sisters faced the challenges with their heads held up. It was no wonder why they were able to gain the admiration of the people around them. The author also wrote backstories for other characters, which was admirable. It was tedious work, for sure, but it made me understand the characters more.

Let me warn you, though: the book contains some rape scenes. They were not graphic, but it was enough for my stomach to turn upside down. There were also missing or misspelled words. For example, “carry’s” should be “carries”, and “way to astute” should be “way too astute”. Aside from that, Boris’ name kept changing to Bruno in the story. The same was true for Aaron, which changed to Adam.

Considering how thick this book was, I was able to finish it in a shorter time I could not put it down. I was so engrossed in it. It’s one of those books that would keep you on your toes until the end. Because of this, I give 23 Minutes Past 1 A.M. 4 out of 4 stars. This book is a real gem for fans of historical fiction. If you prefer a tragic plot with strong main characters, you'll want to have a copy of this book.

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23 Minutes Past 1 A.M.
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Like ellieonline03's review? Post a comment saying so!

[MarisaRose]

At first I thought this novel seemed really interesting, I love when an author is able to develop characters and events in a way that makes you feel as if you are seeing them first hand. Unfortunately, I think the grammatical errors would bother me and even more so, the error of the names would really distract me. Thanks for the review!

[Ellie Gatillo]

At first I thought this novel seemed really interesting, I love when an author is able to develop characters and events in a way that makes you feel as if you are seeing them first hand. Unfortunately, I think the grammatical errors would bother me and even more so, the error of the names would really distract me. Thanks for the review!

The error of the names is indeed bothersome. The grammatical errors, not so much. There is only a handful of them in the book, that's why I still gave it a perfect mark. You might want to give this book a try. It's too beautiful to be honest.

[Kdonegan91]

I was not sure about this book, but after reading your review, I am super interested. I love when the author develops the characters well and describes the details of the environment. Great review!

[Celticlady]

I have not read anything historical about Chernobyl at all. It must have been horrific for many years after. Thanks for sharing your honest review. Sounds like an interesting read.

[Ellie Gatillo]

I was not sure about this book, but after reading your review, I am super interested. I love when the author develops the characters well and describes the details of the environment. Great review!

Thank you! I wasn't sure about it when I first got the book, too. The other books I read on historical fiction was a bit disappointing. I was really happy after I finished reading this.

-- December 8th, 2016, 7:29 am --

I have not read anything historical about Chernobyl at all. It must have been horrific for many years after. Thanks for sharing your honest review. Sounds like an interesting read.

This book was an eye-opener for me. I only heard about Chernobyl when I was still in school. It was mentioned by our teacher in passing. When I finished reading this, it's like I had a clearer picture of how dangerous and tragic the explosion was back then.