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purghy's review
4.0
The idea of traversing parallel time streams - paradoxical ones, that is - is fascinating, although I got quite lost halfway on the physics of fractal time. An interesting and fun read, especially if you like time travelling books.
"In a universe full of variables you can still find yourself some constants. The rest is trial and error." :)
"In a universe full of variables you can still find yourself some constants. The rest is trial and error." :)
ryanpfw's review
4.0
I'm a sucker for time travel stories, especially those in a series. I found the rules of this universe incredibly complex and cumbersome for the characters, and narratively that complexity keeps the characters and storyline restrained in a good way. The characters can't do anything and everything at the touch of the button. (And as for plot complexity, I found myself tied into a few more knots by Rysa Walker's Chronos series, so this one was very manageable.)
I did have one plot issue. At one point, Ben and Quickly are chatting and when Quickly mentions 1996, Ben asks if this is when Quickly went missing. There was no reference to Quickly disappearing prior to this point. Was something cut or did I miss something?
Writing style wise, we're first introduced to a group of five characters, four of them male jocks, and it took a while for personalities to emerge. It was a bit overwhelming. While this is first-person from Ben's perspective, we don't know a lot about him until the 80% mark or so and don't get much in the way of monologue from him.
Character-wise, it's a bit hit or miss, but we're still on the first installment so I'm looking forward to seeing how that progresses. Mr. Cameron and Robbie's story is touching and that setting was wonderful. When it's noted the lack of life in the house, it's a palpable description of how the scene feels.
Francesca had moments to shine.
Mallory was a saint. They left the wrong Blake at the yogurt shop for twelve, thirteen chapters.
Stenger came directly from central casting. I'm sensing he's the series-wise villain and I hope his dialogue improves next time.
I think everyone in their life knows a Mym. She was a Mary Sue here, but looking forward to her progression in Book 2.
Cowboy Bob and Connie were great! They stole from the former and left the latter making them lunch. I hope they eventually make it back!
Recommended!
I did have one plot issue. At one point, Ben and Quickly are chatting and when Quickly mentions 1996, Ben asks if this is when Quickly went missing. There was no reference to Quickly disappearing prior to this point. Was something cut or did I miss something?
Writing style wise, we're first introduced to a group of five characters, four of them male jocks, and it took a while for personalities to emerge. It was a bit overwhelming. While this is first-person from Ben's perspective, we don't know a lot about him until the 80% mark or so and don't get much in the way of monologue from him.
Character-wise, it's a bit hit or miss, but we're still on the first installment so I'm looking forward to seeing how that progresses. Mr. Cameron and Robbie's story is touching and that setting was wonderful. When it's noted the lack of life in the house, it's a palpable description of how the scene feels.
Francesca had moments to shine.
Mallory was a saint. They left the wrong Blake at the yogurt shop for twelve, thirteen chapters.
Stenger came directly from central casting. I'm sensing he's the series-wise villain and I hope his dialogue improves next time.
I think everyone in their life knows a Mym. She was a Mary Sue here, but looking forward to her progression in Book 2.
Cowboy Bob and Connie were great! They stole from the former and left the latter making them lunch. I hope they eventually make it back!
Recommended!
danlewisfw's review
4.0
Fun book that sets the stage for an even better book later in the series. This was great though it did start a little rough. I had a hard time getting into the book for the first 100 pages, once I did though I read the rest of the book quickly and picked up the next and the next and the next. So stick with the world building in the first 100 pages, its worth it and the later books get even better.
paperbacksandpaws's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
5/5 🌟
"We broke something. How do you break time? Can something so bad happen that you fracture the world?" ⏳
Another 5🌟 read! If you love time travel books/movies, you'll LOVE this book, too. Ben and his friends, in their mid-to-late twenties, unintentionally get sent from 2009 to 1985 and it gets more and more interesting from there! Add in a lot of time travel technical terminology & devices (theoretical, obviously), a serial killer, a little romance, some humor, plot twists, and a lot of adventure... It makes for a great read. Perfect to get out mind off current events and news. 👏
To sum up my thoughts...I loved this book! And I'm so excited it's a series so I get to read more about their lives and adventures! (& don't have to wait for more books to come out!) 🙌
"We broke something. How do you break time? Can something so bad happen that you fracture the world?" ⏳
Another 5🌟 read! If you love time travel books/movies, you'll LOVE this book, too. Ben and his friends, in their mid-to-late twenties, unintentionally get sent from 2009 to 1985 and it gets more and more interesting from there! Add in a lot of time travel technical terminology & devices (theoretical, obviously), a serial killer, a little romance, some humor, plot twists, and a lot of adventure... It makes for a great read. Perfect to get out mind off current events and news. 👏
To sum up my thoughts...I loved this book! And I'm so excited it's a series so I get to read more about their lives and adventures! (& don't have to wait for more books to come out!) 🙌
sashe0163's review
2.0
First of all, I really enjoy time travel books and movies. Upon reading the plot summary of this title, I thought it would be enjoyable. I can say, yes, some parts were definitely fun and enjoyable and some parts were just long and flat. The problem with this book is that even though out characters are from the year 2009, they act like they are from the 1960's or 70's in regards to their exposure to time travel concepts and movies. Come on, you can't time me that not 1 of our 5 characters never saw the movie Terminator. You don't have to be an actual time traveler to think about different timelines, parallel timelines, or alternative timelines. However, our characters never ask questions about these very obvious possibilities when learning how to navigate time "blinking". As a result, I found the characters very frustrating on more than one level. It was challenging to finish the book, but I toughed it out. I won't be continuing this series but I can't say that this book will not be for other readers. Give it a try.
gretel7's review
3.0
Five people get thrown back in time caused by a weird time warp accident. I enjoyed the story. Quick easy read. This book and the next in series are free on Kindle Unlimited.
jackbaty's review
2.0
I don't understand how so many people read this book and were able to get past the actual sentences. This may be a great book for lovers of time travel stories, but for lovers of _writing_ it falls short.
abetterjulie's review
3.0
It's clear that a lot of effort went into the science and timelines of this book. I felt like more could have been done with the characters. Even at the end, I was confusing them sometimes. I never felt connected to them beyond the wish to see them home. The dialogue was often dull and didn't drive the story or develop attachment. The book was mostly fun, though. I got bored through some of the explanations, but others might not mind that bit. There were odd places where the author went to a lot of trouble to show detail, but those details didn't add to the story or drive the plot (like taking his juice with him, why did that matter? But then not mentioning how wonderful Russian Olive trees smell that time of year). Having said all of that, I'd still read the sequel.
vailynst's review
3.0
Mini-Review:
3.5 Stars for Narration by Neil Hellegers (He has an odd cadence to his narration that speeds up & down.)
4 Stars for Concepts
3.5 Stars for Characters
3 Stars for Plot & Uneven Pacing
Rambling Thoughts:
- If you ever watched Sliders, you would probably enjoy this book. It's kind of like Sliders but the main character/s are normal people who get sucked into a crazy event.
- Is the story realistic? Naaaaaaaaaah! But the author did a good job of portraying what may happen if a group of friends were caught up in a strange phenomenon. Lots of fun "what if" scenarios are tossed into the pot and tried out.
- A lot of blatant foreshadowing happens in the story and that makes it easy to guess where the story will go. I was right for about 95% and thought it was fun when I was wrong. =D
- Overall, an interesting time travel story.
3.5 Stars for Narration by Neil Hellegers (He has an odd cadence to his narration that speeds up & down.)
4 Stars for Concepts
3.5 Stars for Characters
3 Stars for Plot & Uneven Pacing
Rambling Thoughts:
- If you ever watched Sliders, you would probably enjoy this book. It's kind of like Sliders but the main character/s are normal people who get sucked into a crazy event.
- Is the story realistic? Naaaaaaaaaah! But the author did a good job of portraying what may happen if a group of friends were caught up in a strange phenomenon. Lots of fun "what if" scenarios are tossed into the pot and tried out.
- A lot of blatant foreshadowing happens in the story and that makes it easy to guess where the story will go. I was right for about 95% and thought it was fun when I was wrong. =D
- Overall, an interesting time travel story.
saccalai's review
5.0
Ben and his friends inadvertently become time travellers in this thrilling story. There are twists and turns and as soon as you think everything is working out, something else happens until you start to think they might never make it back home. I haven't really read anything involving time travel before so wasn't sure what to expect but I really enjoyed this and I'm already looking forward to book 2 in the series.