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kate_and_books's review
3.0
Five families from five Immortals are the descendants of Time (the Clockers), Fate (the Seers), Nature (Shifters), War (Mongers) and Death (Suckers). For Saira Elian the last Clocker things are going to get even more complicated.
I’m a sucker for a prophecy and here we are now getting down to the nitty gritty of everything.
“Fated for one, born to another
The child must seek to claim the Mother
The stream shall split and branches will fight
Death will divide, and lovers unite
The child of opposites will be the one
To heal the Dream that War’s undone”
Saira was enjoying her summer with Archer until something with time went wrong and things started to change. Where mixed bloods are going missing but the answer lies in the past they are still hunting for Wilder they have come to the conclusion that 1429 is the year to go back to. He is trying to pimp his already existing skills but he has made a mistake and well his life shall be forfeit.
But with all that going there is much more at stake. Ms. White has once again done a fantastic job with her story weaving. It is engaging and entertaining and the perfect package even my cynical YA vein isn’t bothered by it either. I love this series and I love Ringo is this book makes me feel like a cougar.
But why 3 stars? That the author took artistic license with what was used in 1429 and what didn’t happen in 1429 doesn’t matter to me. The fact that I am just not that interested in French history even if it is Joan of Arc. Saira was a bit of a queen bee here so that is also why I was convinced.
On to read book 4 now.
I’m a sucker for a prophecy and here we are now getting down to the nitty gritty of everything.
“Fated for one, born to another
The child must seek to claim the Mother
The stream shall split and branches will fight
Death will divide, and lovers unite
The child of opposites will be the one
To heal the Dream that War’s undone”
Saira was enjoying her summer with Archer until something with time went wrong and things started to change. Where mixed bloods are going missing but the answer lies in the past they are still hunting for Wilder they have come to the conclusion that 1429 is the year to go back to. He is trying to pimp his already existing skills but he has made a mistake and well his life shall be forfeit.
But with all that going there is much more at stake. Ms. White has once again done a fantastic job with her story weaving. It is engaging and entertaining and the perfect package even my cynical YA vein isn’t bothered by it either. I love this series and I love Ringo is this book makes me feel like a cougar.
But why 3 stars? That the author took artistic license with what was used in 1429 and what didn’t happen in 1429 doesn’t matter to me. The fact that I am just not that interested in French history even if it is Joan of Arc. Saira was a bit of a queen bee here so that is also why I was convinced.
On to read book 4 now.
becky_from_kansas's review
5.0
I have really been enjoying this series. There's a little bit of romance wrapped up in it, but just as part of the characters developing. The romance between Saihra and Archer isn't even close to the main story. The characters are interesting, the plot compelling. The author does take a lot of liberties with the history, but this is why it's fiction and when you mix in time travel, it can get a little blurry. I am getting ready to start the last book in the series (there are 4) and I wish that it wasn't the last.
jen286's review
4.0
When I started reading Changing Nature my very first thought was "wow, Saira really did grow up." The writing and story, her character, felt much more adult and less teenager. There is a bit of time between this book and the last one and it was surprising how much I could tell that her character had changed just from how she was written. I loved it. Saira was finally who I knew she would be by the end of the story. In book one she started off as a bit...whiny teenager, was still a bit of that in the last one, but now she is on it. She is with her family, the people she has collected who she cares for deeply, and she does what she needs to do, but with their help. She is no longer that kid that only thinks of herself. I loved it and I can't wait to see where she goes from here.
In this installment we have a lot going on. Descendents are being captured, including Mr. Shaw, and Saira is on the list. Why half-bloods are being taken by Mongers they don't know, but they do know it needs to stop. Besides that they also have to look out for Wilder and see if they can find where he clocked to at the end of the last book. Now the one small thing that bugged me in this story - Tom went through the spiral with Wilder at the end of the last book and so everyone assumes Tom is dead. Though when I saw that I thought oh no! Now Wilder will drain his blood from him and try and get Tom's skills. But no one else thought of this possibility for some reason. Every time it came up I found it odd, but not that big of a deal. So between being hunted and looking for Wilder in 1429 things are a bit complicated.
Now Saira and crew go back to 1429 to try and stop a time split like Wilder caused in the last book. He must have done something again to change the course of history and they have to fix it. Along the way they meet Joan of Arc and oh my did I love her! Or love how she was portrayed. She was fun even if she may have caused some problems. A few other surprises along the way and this was for sure an adventure. Saira, Archer, Ringo and a few friends have a lot of heavy things happen in this story. A lot of things that could stick with them. Not to mention Tom and what happens to him (we do find out what happens once he went through the portal with Wilder). I really enjoyed this chapter of the story. The characters are really a team, really tight and I loved it. I know more people will try and take them down in the coming books, but I don't really see how they will succeed. It was awesome, but they may have to make some hard choices coming up. Do some things they might not want to do, especially Saira. She struggles more with right and wrong and hurting people who are trying to hurt her and her friends. I can't wait to see what happens next.
In this installment we have a lot going on. Descendents are being captured, including Mr. Shaw, and Saira is on the list. Why half-bloods are being taken by Mongers they don't know, but they do know it needs to stop. Besides that they also have to look out for Wilder and see if they can find where he clocked to at the end of the last book. Now the one small thing that bugged me in this story - Tom went through the spiral with Wilder at the end of the last book and so everyone assumes Tom is dead. Though when I saw that I thought oh no! Now Wilder will drain his blood from him and try and get Tom's skills. But no one else thought of this possibility for some reason. Every time it came up I found it odd, but not that big of a deal. So between being hunted and looking for Wilder in 1429 things are a bit complicated.
Now Saira and crew go back to 1429 to try and stop a time split like Wilder caused in the last book. He must have done something again to change the course of history and they have to fix it. Along the way they meet Joan of Arc and oh my did I love her! Or love how she was portrayed. She was fun even if she may have caused some problems. A few other surprises along the way and this was for sure an adventure. Saira, Archer, Ringo and a few friends have a lot of heavy things happen in this story. A lot of things that could stick with them. Not to mention Tom and what happens to him (we do find out what happens once he went through the portal with Wilder). I really enjoyed this chapter of the story. The characters are really a team, really tight and I loved it. I know more people will try and take them down in the coming books, but I don't really see how they will succeed. It was awesome, but they may have to make some hard choices coming up. Do some things they might not want to do, especially Saira. She struggles more with right and wrong and hurting people who are trying to hurt her and her friends. I can't wait to see what happens next.
queencleo's review
4.0
If you're reading this you're already deeply invested in the Immortal Descendants series so you don't need me to wax lyrical about its good and bad points
Pros: historical setting, time travel, vampires, quirky band of misfits
Cons: familiar territories (vampire teen romance, dystopian fantasy), tomatoes in 15th century France, characters speaking American 21st century English and being understood in all time "zones" suspends disbelief, Magical Mary Sue protagonist gains new superpower with each instalment of the series that is Very Convenient to the plot
3.5 stars
Pros: historical setting, time travel, vampires, quirky band of misfits
Cons: familiar territories (vampire teen romance, dystopian fantasy), tomatoes in 15th century France, characters speaking American 21st century English and being understood in all time "zones" suspends disbelief, Magical Mary Sue protagonist gains new superpower with each instalment of the series that is Very Convenient to the plot
3.5 stars
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
4.0
Changing Nature was fast paced, and I continued to truly enjoy the character developments, the overall plot, and of course, the story.
chllybrd's review
4.0
The Immortal Descendants Series continues to be enjoyable to me. Not only are the characters interesting, but the setting is always well put together. No matter what situation Saira and her friends are put in, I am always really excited to see how they will pull off their mission.
I don't want to get into the storyline because that is something you really need to experience. I will say that Paris in 1429 is full of danger and Saira, Archer, Ringo, Charlie and Connor had their work cut out for them. I am always surprised at the way the characters are able to work together and navigate a time that they are not used to. Saira has grown a lot and allows others to take the lead when needed. I really enjoyed getting to know Connor and Charlie more in CHANGING NATURE. Connor will be a force to be reckoned with when he is older and Charlie is just a really good person and deserves the best. Her and Ringo together are just too darn cute as well, I really hope they get a HEA no matter what life brings them in the rest of the series.
My only small complaint? The relationship progression between Saira and Archer. It of course progresses in each book, but i want it to progress MORE. I know Archer has known Saira a lot longer than Saira has known Archer, but I can't help but want to push them farther along than where they are. I just love them. So, not really a complaint, just me being impatient lol.
This is definitely a series you want to read. I am not a huge time travel reader, but the Immortal Descendants Series is so much more than time travel and I am so glad I gave book one, MARKING TIME, a chance when I was asked to review it. I am always super quick to jump into each installment when it hits my inbox. Do yourself a favor and start from book 1.
* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I don't want to get into the storyline because that is something you really need to experience. I will say that Paris in 1429 is full of danger and Saira, Archer, Ringo, Charlie and Connor had their work cut out for them. I am always surprised at the way the characters are able to work together and navigate a time that they are not used to. Saira has grown a lot and allows others to take the lead when needed. I really enjoyed getting to know Connor and Charlie more in CHANGING NATURE. Connor will be a force to be reckoned with when he is older and Charlie is just a really good person and deserves the best. Her and Ringo together are just too darn cute as well, I really hope they get a HEA no matter what life brings them in the rest of the series.
My only small complaint? The relationship progression between Saira and Archer. It of course progresses in each book, but i want it to progress MORE. I know Archer has known Saira a lot longer than Saira has known Archer, but I can't help but want to push them farther along than where they are. I just love them. So, not really a complaint, just me being impatient lol.
This is definitely a series you want to read. I am not a huge time travel reader, but the Immortal Descendants Series is so much more than time travel and I am so glad I gave book one, MARKING TIME, a chance when I was asked to review it. I am always super quick to jump into each installment when it hits my inbox. Do yourself a favor and start from book 1.
* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
eve_boobies's review
3.0
Enjoyable as always, I just wish there was more of an overarching plot, a goal aimed for. It just feels like a bit of a jumble at the moment, can’t really tell how things are gonna go.
secre's review
3.0
The third novel in this series was far more gripping than the second for several reasons; firstly, more characters were used here, meaning that the focus wasn't eternally on the romance sap that took over the second book. Secondly, the plot was far tighter, the pacing far more efficient and the novel seemed to know where it was going from the very beginning.
The dabbling around in different time zones is quite interesting and April White picked an interesting period of history in which to set this. Her detailed knowledge of events that I had no awareness of really do bring the time and the place to life. I have to admit, I can't quite work out what real damage this time split was to cause in the current time stream, but it made for entertaining reading regardless. The focus of the novels has very much become going back in time and fixing the bits that other Clockers have upset and whilst this is interesting, I would have enjoyed more of a focus on the present day and the Family politics. The modern day politics seem to take somewhat of a backseat in this instalment, and we don't actually see much of the interesting stuff because we're following the key characters back in time.
The writing style unfortunately periodically becomes incredibly infantile and it sticks out like a sore thumb from what is otherwise a well drawn together narrative. When they start talking about the poopy corpse for example, it forces me out of what is going on to shake my head in bewilderment. Many of the popular culture references could also easily have been left out, and would in turn ensure the book wouldn't sound out of date as quickly as it is going to. I suppose the author is trying to orientate the characters in the 'real world', however personally I would prefer it to be a fantasy world and therefore doesn't need references to Buffy, Harry Potter and the likes to make it relevant.
I do wish the author would knock it off with the overly sentimental love story sap though; it gets tedious, boring and increasingly cringe worthy as these books go on. I get it, our lead character is in love with a hundred year old vampire, now shut up and get on with the story. I don't need to read about how much she wants to rub herself over his knuckles or any other incredibly vomit worthy sections where she is mooning or horny. It's shoved in your face way too much and is the main reason for me knocking a star off here. I found this could be said for some of the other sentimental aspects of the books as well, and whilst I only really noticed it here, looking back I can see the heavy-handedness elsewhere as well. This is particularly noticeable in scenes where friends are like brothers or parent-child relationships. It's just ladled on a little bit thick.
Whilst I have quite enjoyed these novels, I'm not sure if I'm going to go out of my way to purchase the next two however. If the romance aspects of it weren't shoved quite so forcefully down my throat, I would be far more tempted. As it stands, they aren't books that I would go out of my way to avoid, but I don't think I'll make a special effort to locate the follow ups either when all is said and done.
The dabbling around in different time zones is quite interesting and April White picked an interesting period of history in which to set this. Her detailed knowledge of events that I had no awareness of really do bring the time and the place to life. I have to admit, I can't quite work out what real damage this time split was to cause in the current time stream, but it made for entertaining reading regardless. The focus of the novels has very much become going back in time and fixing the bits that other Clockers have upset and whilst this is interesting, I would have enjoyed more of a focus on the present day and the Family politics. The modern day politics seem to take somewhat of a backseat in this instalment, and we don't actually see much of the interesting stuff because we're following the key characters back in time.
The writing style unfortunately periodically becomes incredibly infantile and it sticks out like a sore thumb from what is otherwise a well drawn together narrative. When they start talking about the poopy corpse for example, it forces me out of what is going on to shake my head in bewilderment. Many of the popular culture references could also easily have been left out, and would in turn ensure the book wouldn't sound out of date as quickly as it is going to. I suppose the author is trying to orientate the characters in the 'real world', however personally I would prefer it to be a fantasy world and therefore doesn't need references to Buffy, Harry Potter and the likes to make it relevant.
I do wish the author would knock it off with the overly sentimental love story sap though; it gets tedious, boring and increasingly cringe worthy as these books go on. I get it, our lead character is in love with a hundred year old vampire, now shut up and get on with the story. I don't need to read about how much she wants to rub herself over his knuckles or any other incredibly vomit worthy sections where she is mooning or horny. It's shoved in your face way too much and is the main reason for me knocking a star off here. I found this could be said for some of the other sentimental aspects of the books as well, and whilst I only really noticed it here, looking back I can see the heavy-handedness elsewhere as well. This is particularly noticeable in scenes where friends are like brothers or parent-child relationships. It's just ladled on a little bit thick.
Whilst I have quite enjoyed these novels, I'm not sure if I'm going to go out of my way to purchase the next two however. If the romance aspects of it weren't shoved quite so forcefully down my throat, I would be far more tempted. As it stands, they aren't books that I would go out of my way to avoid, but I don't think I'll make a special effort to locate the follow ups either when all is said and done.
onemanbookclub's review
5.0
Check out my blog, One Man Book Club
The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
#ChangingNature: Three's a Trend
In my business we say that two can be a coincidence, but three is a trend. If you ask me, The Immortal Descendants series is trending up to awesome. Book three, Changing Nature, is the best installment yet.
The story line is similar--the good guys have to travel back in time to stop the bad guy from breaking the time stream and causing mass calamity. This time we meet Joan of Arc, who turns out to be a total female dog. (No, really. She's a female dog...well, wolf if we are being technical.)
I felt like the writing was crisper and the dialogue was sharper this time, and the characters are becoming much more endearing and much less annoying.
There was one scene that made me stop reading, put the book down for a few seconds, and just smile. It was when the vampire had just made fun of Twilight and True Blood, the teenage boys were discussing Skyrim vs Call of Duty, and everyone stops what their doing to listen to the power female lead read The Name of the Wind aloud--all while riding on a river boat with Joan of Arc in 1429. It was so fun to read that--if I was a shape-shifting-time-traveling vampire, these are who my friends would be.
There were some highlight-worthy bits as well. I love this:
"It’s only when things remain in the shadows that they have the power to be used against [you]. The lesson I learned far too late is one I hope you’ll embrace - live your life as if everyone will discover what you do and who you are. If no one holds your secrets, there’s nothing to compel you to make choices that are not your own."
Now those are words to live by.
I also appreciate that the romantic relationships in these stories have all been age appropriate for the characters involved. I will recommend them to my daughter when she is 16.
Thankfully each book wraps up very nicely. No cliffhangers here. The only downer is the last two books haven't been published yet, so now the waiting game begins. Hopefully it won't be too long.
The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
#ChangingNature: Three's a Trend
In my business we say that two can be a coincidence, but three is a trend. If you ask me, The Immortal Descendants series is trending up to awesome. Book three, Changing Nature, is the best installment yet.
The story line is similar--the good guys have to travel back in time to stop the bad guy from breaking the time stream and causing mass calamity. This time we meet Joan of Arc, who turns out to be a total female dog. (No, really. She's a female dog...well, wolf if we are being technical.)
I felt like the writing was crisper and the dialogue was sharper this time, and the characters are becoming much more endearing and much less annoying.
There was one scene that made me stop reading, put the book down for a few seconds, and just smile. It was when the vampire had just made fun of Twilight and True Blood, the teenage boys were discussing Skyrim vs Call of Duty, and everyone stops what their doing to listen to the power female lead read The Name of the Wind aloud--all while riding on a river boat with Joan of Arc in 1429. It was so fun to read that--if I was a shape-shifting-time-traveling vampire, these are who my friends would be.
There were some highlight-worthy bits as well. I love this:
"It’s only when things remain in the shadows that they have the power to be used against [you]. The lesson I learned far too late is one I hope you’ll embrace - live your life as if everyone will discover what you do and who you are. If no one holds your secrets, there’s nothing to compel you to make choices that are not your own."
Now those are words to live by.
I also appreciate that the romantic relationships in these stories have all been age appropriate for the characters involved. I will recommend them to my daughter when she is 16.
Thankfully each book wraps up very nicely. No cliffhangers here. The only downer is the last two books haven't been published yet, so now the waiting game begins. Hopefully it won't be too long.
bananatricky's review
4.0
My review may be a bit incoherent as I have a stinking head cold and so I read this in fits and starts. Imagine, so poorly that you can't read for more than about 15 minutes at a time !!!
So, at the end of the last book Wilder had kidnapped Tom and they fear he is dead. In this book Saira and Archer find out from the Bishop that over 40 people have gone missing recently and because he knows about the Immortal Descendants the Bishop recognises the surnames and realises that they are all members of the immortal families. Late one night, whilst he is working at the school, Mongers come and kidnap Mr Shaw.
Saira's annoyingly mysterious 'cousin' Doran (I think) turns up makes a few cryptic comments about Clocking and then casually gives her a scrap of paper which says that Ringo has been imprisoned in Victorian times.
Reading a (very) old book Saira realises that history has been changed 125 years before Elizabeth - yes, Wilder just did the default 125 year jump backwards when he took Tom. The changes centre around Joan of Arc!
Soon Saira, Archer, Ringo, Charlie and Connor are clocking back in time to put time back to normal.
I can't really say more without giving away the plot, suffice to say that as soon I finished the book I automatically went to Amazon to buy the next. Ah, the agony, this book was only released in January. I have to wait for the next one.
So, at the end of the last book Wilder had kidnapped Tom and they fear he is dead. In this book Saira and Archer find out from the Bishop that over 40 people have gone missing recently and because he knows about the Immortal Descendants the Bishop recognises the surnames and realises that they are all members of the immortal families. Late one night, whilst he is working at the school, Mongers come and kidnap Mr Shaw.
Saira's annoyingly mysterious 'cousin' Doran (I think) turns up makes a few cryptic comments about Clocking and then casually gives her a scrap of paper which says that Ringo has been imprisoned in Victorian times.
Reading a (very) old book Saira realises that history has been changed 125 years before Elizabeth - yes, Wilder just did the default 125 year jump backwards when he took Tom. The changes centre around Joan of Arc!
Soon Saira, Archer, Ringo, Charlie and Connor are clocking back in time to put time back to normal.
I can't really say more without giving away the plot, suffice to say that as soon I finished the book I automatically went to Amazon to buy the next. Ah, the agony, this book was only released in January. I have to wait for the next one.