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boozeandbooksnola's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
chllybrd's review
4.0
Yes I am going to say it again. I know I sound like a broken record. I should really know better by now. Sigh .... I didn't think I was going to enjoy MARKING TIME and I ended up not being able to put it down. There I said it, review done! j/k I will tell you more.
I had absolutely zero issues getting into MARKING TIME. Time travel is not usually my thing but this was nothing like I was expecting it to be and the time travel aspect made it all the better. I found the book to be pretty fast paced with a nice flow. I was never confused at where we were in the book and it doesn't skip around like I thought it might. There was a great alternative spin on Jack the Ripper used by the author and the history was fun. There was a lot of details to learn but noting overwhelming. The characters were interesting and engaging. Saira was someone I would love to be friends with and her friends provided a great support system. I do not want to mention too much else for fear I might give away something that was important to your thought process while reading so I will leave you with that.
I can not imagine how many books I have passed up on thinking that I was not going to be able to enjoy it. I am happy that MARKING TIME was one I said yes too, I really enjoyed Saira's journey as she found out who she really was. I'm excited about the series now and hope that book 2 is just as good.
I had absolutely zero issues getting into MARKING TIME. Time travel is not usually my thing but this was nothing like I was expecting it to be and the time travel aspect made it all the better. I found the book to be pretty fast paced with a nice flow. I was never confused at where we were in the book and it doesn't skip around like I thought it might. There was a great alternative spin on Jack the Ripper used by the author and the history was fun. There was a lot of details to learn but noting overwhelming. The characters were interesting and engaging. Saira was someone I would love to be friends with and her friends provided a great support system. I do not want to mention too much else for fear I might give away something that was important to your thought process while reading so I will leave you with that.
I can not imagine how many books I have passed up on thinking that I was not going to be able to enjoy it. I am happy that MARKING TIME was one I said yes too, I really enjoyed Saira's journey as she found out who she really was. I'm excited about the series now and hope that book 2 is just as good.
bean_there_done_that's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 11%. So instead of being a normal human being and deleting the book off my Kindle, I decided to waste an hour of my life ranting to friends, angrily highlighting passages, and typing up notes. Oh, and another hour to type this review up, haha.
Maybe if you like PNR YA and love all these cliche tropes, then you'll like this novel. If you're like me, who hates idiotic MCs and plots that don't make sense, then you'll hate this novel.
Let's start off with the first major issue of the story, "Saira the Speshul Snowflake." Hooray for alliteration.
Saira (pronounced Sigh-ra) is a 17-year-old girl who lives with her mother, who mysteriously disappears every couple of years for a few days, doing God knows what. Saira's hobby is tagging. But don't be mistaken, she doesn't draw gang tags or anything lame. No, she's only interested in artistic graffiti.
I honestly thought she meant graffiti artwork that look like paintings, but no, she goes off to draw... spirals? Okay, like sure... I guess that's artistic.
Anyway, during her vandalism... activities, these three shady dudes creep up from the shadows.
And, oh, right. I shouldn't forget to mention that Saira doesn't like shadows. It's mentioned like 3 times in the span of like 10 pages.
Of course, Saira does her "free-running" and climbs up the tunnel wall and hides from sight, thankful to still have her respirator on, covering her face.
Then later, one guy called "Slick" (because Saira comes up with the best nicknames everrrrrrr), touches the spirals she spray-painted on the wall and picks up her respirator.
So at that point you might think: Wait, huh? I thought she was still wearing her respirator! Does she carry around two respirators? Is this a back-up respirator to show how resourceful Saira is?
Yeah, I didn't know either. But I did know that my confidence and expectations in the novel were dropping with every passing second.
More stuff happens and Saira meets her grandmother, who's basically super controlling and tells her not to draw the spirals anymore. Saira, like any other 7-year-old, says, "You don't tell me what I can draw. Nobody does." Oh, sorry, you're telling me she's 17? I thought she was 7 from the way she acted!
Anyway, Saira ends up escaping and running away. I'm supposed to be impressed by her ingenuity and resourcefulness, but I just ended up staring at my Kindle and wondering why she was so stupid. Like seriously, what was her plan after running away in the middle of the night, without much money or food?
But, of course, before Saira can taste the first breath of freedom, "Slick" and his crew find her!
Seriously, what the fuck? Do these people have a tracking device on her or some magical radar powers? How the hell did they find her, and why are they so incompetent at kidnapping someone?
It's okay, though. The male lead of the story comes swooping in to save Saira like a white knight on a white horse (or in this case, a magnificent silver Aston Martin).
It turns out, he'll be doing a lot of "swooping in" throughout this entire novel.
I won't bash Archer or "Wolf," as Saira calls him. Did I mention she's greaaaaat with nicknames? Anyway, Archer is actually a cool dude, and I liked him.
Saira is once again on the run. Oh, and she gets hit by a taxi.
But don't worry, she's fine. It's not like she flew into the air and bounced off the taxi's hood or anything. She's totally unhurt and maybe will just suffer slight bruising the next day.
I'm thinking maybe I should change my name to Saira, so if I ever get hit by a taxi, I'll walk it off and only have a few bruises to show for it.
And a little bit more running later... Saira ends up time-traveling to the 1880s after drawing those spirals on a pillar, right before "Slick," who's in front of her, can capture her. (I mean, what's the worry, though? Dude's incompetent as hell. Saira will get away somehow.)
Saira still has no clue that it's 1888, even though she mentions how it's weird that the lights aren't electrical lights, but actually lit with flames. Real perceptive of you, Saira. She exits the underground train station like that and makes her away down the street without any wiser.
Like at this point, suspension of belief could only get me this far. Are you telling me that Saira really hasn't even noticed clues that show she's no longer in modern times? Buildings should look somewhat different, if not the structure of them, and that goes for the pavement on the ground and such. And don't tell me it's due to the darkness. Our girl Saira here has mentioned that she's got "great night-vision." She also sees people dressed in Victorian clothing and decides to pass them off as people wearing costumes. How logical of her!
Whatever, I guess. At that point I was invested in the story enough to continue. Invested in roasting as much of it as possible, I mean.
Saira hears a woman scream, and lo and behold... she runs towards it.
Not because she's a hero! It's because she hates bullies!
Kill me now, please. Or let me draw spirals so I can go back in time and forget I ever wanted to read this book.
When she reaches the dead lady, she finds Archer! Oh, my sweet man, Archer. I'm sorry. You really didn't deserve this at all. I feel so bad that Saira came into your life.
Anyway, before the authorities can come and find them standing in front of a dead body, Archer (who is still called Wolf by Saira) tells Saira to hide with him. Saira acts like a belligerent child again, but Archer has enough patience to explain shit to her, and finally Saira goes along with him.
Then Saira notices other people wearing working men's clothing and the fact that Archer is dressed in a suit and even has a cape. More costumes, duh.
Saira the Speshul Snowflake should be renamed to "Saira the Queen of Denial." But that would ruin the alliteration effect, sadly.
Also, Saira has been dropping slang in her conversations with Archer, but he has no trouble understanding what she's saying. I'm not a historian, but I'm pretty sure that "nuts" was not a synonym used for "crazy" back in the 1880s. I don't even know how accurate Archer's speech is, according to the times. I didn't care enough to check.
Saira wows Archer with more of her "future" knowledge and doesn't forget to show the reader how smart she is, because apparently history is her thing. Okay, Saira the Walking History Textbook, we get it.
At this point, Archer, who is the smarter of the two, finally realizes that there's a problem with Saira. He shows her proof (and a lot of it) that she somehow traveled to 1888, but Saira remains firmly in denial.
She's so deep in denial that she does what she does best...
FREE-RUNNINGGGGGGGGG!!!
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Run from your problems, Saira! It's totally fine, it's not like you run into trouble all the time or anything!
She runs into trouble.
Some conveniently placed random dudes/gangsters decide that a lone person running like an idiot in the middle of the night is easy pickings.
Saira continues running and comments on how "strange" the buildings and walls seem to be. (She's so deep in denial, I'm surprised she hasn't run into a whole new dimension.)
But instead of running into a new dimension, she runs into a dead woman and meets Jack the Ripper. Yes, Jack the Ripper. No, I don't know what the fuck is going on either.
... Is her power time-traveling? Or is it magically attracting trouble? Because that seems more likely.
And cue more free-running. Oh, and somehow Archer finds her because apparently her free-running wasn't as sneaky or quick as she thought it was.
Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Archer, bless this man, asks if Saira is okay and tries to help her out.
Saira the Speshul Snowflake and Queen of Denial says, "I can take care of myself."
I can't... I really can't. I was kind of just wheezing at this point, because wow, just wow...
Archer, King of Sick Burns, raises his eyebrows and says: "Perhaps in the time you come from, Miss Elian, but it's clear you're not used to this era's criminal element."
Nah, Archer, even in her own era she isn't used to "criminal element." You put too much faith in her abilities.
Anyway, Saira decides she has to prove him wrong (even though he saw her running away from gangsters and basically almost becoming the Ripper's new victim), and goes...
YOU GUESSED IT, FREE-RUNNING AGAIN!
Fucking hell. This novel should be renamed to "Free-Running" instead.
I don't know how she thinks she can prove him wrong by free-running, when he's already seen her free-running, but okay. YA logic, I guess.
Archer is just way too good for Saira, because he actually offers to help her (after an unnecessary chase around town). Personally, if I met such an annoying girl, the last thing I would do is help her. Instead, I'd stay far, far away and hope she never free-runs into me.
By this point, I decided to skim a few pages ahead because Saira goes back to present time, and I knew I'd miss Archer.
But then I found out that later on, apparently Archer says that he fell for Saira, which changed his life and ruined any chances of peace he'd ever find.
To which I asked, "Por qué?????"
Archer, honey, why on earth would you fall for Saira? I LIKED YOU BEFORE YOU HAD TO SAY THAT. Also, dude. You only knew her for a few hours, maybe even less. Did hanging out with Saira fry your gorgeous brain? Because that is the only reasonable answer I will accept.
Yeah, so now my reason for continuing is ruined, and I had to stop before I gave myself permanent brain damage. Or hit the character limit on this review.
It's a shame, really. This novel had a lot of potential. Time-traveling and history, boarding school and new allies, and a love story that spans several eras, yet it all just fell so flat.
I was really hoping this series would be good, because I was planning on reading the sequel series, Baker Street, with Ringo... who is apparently a side character in this novel. Though I didn't even get far enough in this book to even catch a glimpse of him.
Maybe later I'll check out the Baker Street series and hope that White's writing improved. And that Ringo is a way better narrator than Saira. And that context isn't needed, because there's no chance I'm going to continue this series.
----------------
Before reading:
Okay, let's see how this goes, because I usually avoid PNR YA like the plague. If it weren't for the really high reviews, I'd avoid this novel just based on the summary.
A protagonist who's a minor, a stranger who "stalks" her, the fact that she's the descendant of some immortal being (AKA speshul snowflake), a "complicated" love... Yeah, it's a summary that's filled with all the cliche YA tropes.
Prove me wrong, White! I'm really hoping I'll enjoy this.
Maybe if you like PNR YA and love all these cliche tropes, then you'll like this novel. If you're like me, who hates idiotic MCs and plots that don't make sense, then you'll hate this novel.
Let's start off with the first major issue of the story, "Saira the Speshul Snowflake." Hooray for alliteration.
Saira (pronounced Sigh-ra) is a 17-year-old girl who lives with her mother, who mysteriously disappears every couple of years for a few days, doing God knows what. Saira's hobby is tagging. But don't be mistaken, she doesn't draw gang tags or anything lame. No, she's only interested in artistic graffiti.
I honestly thought she meant graffiti artwork that look like paintings, but no, she goes off to draw... spirals? Okay, like sure... I guess that's artistic.
Anyway, during her vandalism... activities, these three shady dudes creep up from the shadows.
And, oh, right. I shouldn't forget to mention that Saira doesn't like shadows. It's mentioned like 3 times in the span of like 10 pages.
Of course, Saira does her "free-running" and climbs up the tunnel wall and hides from sight, thankful to still have her respirator on, covering her face.
Then later, one guy called "Slick" (because Saira comes up with the best nicknames everrrrrrr), touches the spirals she spray-painted on the wall and picks up her respirator.
So at that point you might think: Wait, huh? I thought she was still wearing her respirator! Does she carry around two respirators? Is this a back-up respirator to show how resourceful Saira is?
Yeah, I didn't know either. But I did know that my confidence and expectations in the novel were dropping with every passing second.
More stuff happens and Saira meets her grandmother, who's basically super controlling and tells her not to draw the spirals anymore. Saira, like any other 7-year-old, says, "You don't tell me what I can draw. Nobody does." Oh, sorry, you're telling me she's 17? I thought she was 7 from the way she acted!
Anyway, Saira ends up escaping and running away. I'm supposed to be impressed by her ingenuity and resourcefulness, but I just ended up staring at my Kindle and wondering why she was so stupid. Like seriously, what was her plan after running away in the middle of the night, without much money or food?
But, of course, before Saira can taste the first breath of freedom, "Slick" and his crew find her!
Seriously, what the fuck? Do these people have a tracking device on her or some magical radar powers? How the hell did they find her, and why are they so incompetent at kidnapping someone?
It's okay, though. The male lead of the story comes swooping in to save Saira like a white knight on a white horse (or in this case, a magnificent silver Aston Martin).
It turns out, he'll be doing a lot of "swooping in" throughout this entire novel.
I won't bash Archer or "Wolf," as Saira calls him. Did I mention she's greaaaaat with nicknames? Anyway, Archer is actually a cool dude, and I liked him.
Saira is once again on the run. Oh, and she gets hit by a taxi.
But don't worry, she's fine. It's not like she flew into the air and bounced off the taxi's hood or anything. She's totally unhurt and maybe will just suffer slight bruising the next day.
I'm thinking maybe I should change my name to Saira, so if I ever get hit by a taxi, I'll walk it off and only have a few bruises to show for it.
And a little bit more running later... Saira ends up time-traveling to the 1880s after drawing those spirals on a pillar, right before "Slick," who's in front of her, can capture her. (I mean, what's the worry, though? Dude's incompetent as hell. Saira will get away somehow.)
Saira still has no clue that it's 1888, even though she mentions how it's weird that the lights aren't electrical lights, but actually lit with flames. Real perceptive of you, Saira. She exits the underground train station like that and makes her away down the street without any wiser.
Like at this point, suspension of belief could only get me this far. Are you telling me that Saira really hasn't even noticed clues that show she's no longer in modern times? Buildings should look somewhat different, if not the structure of them, and that goes for the pavement on the ground and such. And don't tell me it's due to the darkness. Our girl Saira here has mentioned that she's got "great night-vision." She also sees people dressed in Victorian clothing and decides to pass them off as people wearing costumes. How logical of her!
Whatever, I guess. At that point I was invested in the story enough to continue. Invested in roasting as much of it as possible, I mean.
Saira hears a woman scream, and lo and behold... she runs towards it.
Not because she's a hero! It's because she hates bullies!
Kill me now, please. Or let me draw spirals so I can go back in time and forget I ever wanted to read this book.
When she reaches the dead lady, she finds Archer! Oh, my sweet man, Archer. I'm sorry. You really didn't deserve this at all. I feel so bad that Saira came into your life.
Anyway, before the authorities can come and find them standing in front of a dead body, Archer (who is still called Wolf by Saira) tells Saira to hide with him. Saira acts like a belligerent child again, but Archer has enough patience to explain shit to her, and finally Saira goes along with him.
Then Saira notices other people wearing working men's clothing and the fact that Archer is dressed in a suit and even has a cape. More costumes, duh.
Saira the Speshul Snowflake should be renamed to "Saira the Queen of Denial." But that would ruin the alliteration effect, sadly.
Also, Saira has been dropping slang in her conversations with Archer, but he has no trouble understanding what she's saying. I'm not a historian, but I'm pretty sure that "nuts" was not a synonym used for "crazy" back in the 1880s. I don't even know how accurate Archer's speech is, according to the times. I didn't care enough to check.
Saira wows Archer with more of her "future" knowledge and doesn't forget to show the reader how smart she is, because apparently history is her thing. Okay, Saira the Walking History Textbook, we get it.
At this point, Archer, who is the smarter of the two, finally realizes that there's a problem with Saira. He shows her proof (and a lot of it) that she somehow traveled to 1888, but Saira remains firmly in denial.
She's so deep in denial that she does what she does best...
FREE-RUNNINGGGGGGGGG!!!
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Run from your problems, Saira! It's totally fine, it's not like you run into trouble all the time or anything!
She runs into trouble.
Some conveniently placed random dudes/gangsters decide that a lone person running like an idiot in the middle of the night is easy pickings.
Saira continues running and comments on how "strange" the buildings and walls seem to be. (She's so deep in denial, I'm surprised she hasn't run into a whole new dimension.)
But instead of running into a new dimension, she runs into a dead woman and meets Jack the Ripper. Yes, Jack the Ripper. No, I don't know what the fuck is going on either.
... Is her power time-traveling? Or is it magically attracting trouble? Because that seems more likely.
And cue more free-running. Oh, and somehow Archer finds her because apparently her free-running wasn't as sneaky or quick as she thought it was.
Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Archer, bless this man, asks if Saira is okay and tries to help her out.
Saira the Speshul Snowflake and Queen of Denial says, "I can take care of myself."
I can't... I really can't. I was kind of just wheezing at this point, because wow, just wow...
Archer, King of Sick Burns, raises his eyebrows and says: "Perhaps in the time you come from, Miss Elian, but it's clear you're not used to this era's criminal element."
Nah, Archer, even in her own era she isn't used to "criminal element." You put too much faith in her abilities.
Anyway, Saira decides she has to prove him wrong (even though he saw her running away from gangsters and basically almost becoming the Ripper's new victim), and goes...
YOU GUESSED IT, FREE-RUNNING AGAIN!
Fucking hell. This novel should be renamed to "Free-Running" instead.
I don't know how she thinks she can prove him wrong by free-running, when he's already seen her free-running, but okay. YA logic, I guess.
Archer is just way too good for Saira, because he actually offers to help her (after an unnecessary chase around town). Personally, if I met such an annoying girl, the last thing I would do is help her. Instead, I'd stay far, far away and hope she never free-runs into me.
By this point, I decided to skim a few pages ahead because Saira goes back to present time, and I knew I'd miss Archer.
But then I found out that later on, apparently Archer says that he fell for Saira, which changed his life and ruined any chances of peace he'd ever find.
To which I asked, "Por qué?????"
Archer, honey, why on earth would you fall for Saira? I LIKED YOU BEFORE YOU HAD TO SAY THAT. Also, dude. You only knew her for a few hours, maybe even less. Did hanging out with Saira fry your gorgeous brain? Because that is the only reasonable answer I will accept.
Yeah, so now my reason for continuing is ruined, and I had to stop before I gave myself permanent brain damage. Or hit the character limit on this review.
It's a shame, really. This novel had a lot of potential. Time-traveling and history, boarding school and new allies, and a love story that spans several eras, yet it all just fell so flat.
I was really hoping this series would be good, because I was planning on reading the sequel series, Baker Street, with Ringo... who is apparently a side character in this novel. Though I didn't even get far enough in this book to even catch a glimpse of him.
Maybe later I'll check out the Baker Street series and hope that White's writing improved. And that Ringo is a way better narrator than Saira. And that context isn't needed, because there's no chance I'm going to continue this series.
----------------
Before reading:
Okay, let's see how this goes, because I usually avoid PNR YA like the plague. If it weren't for the really high reviews, I'd avoid this novel just based on the summary.
A protagonist who's a minor, a stranger who "stalks" her, the fact that she's the descendant of some immortal being (AKA speshul snowflake), a "complicated" love... Yeah, it's a summary that's filled with all the cliche YA tropes.
Prove me wrong, White! I'm really hoping I'll enjoy this.
berls's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I've had this for a couple years now, so I was really glad when Lenore suggested it as a buddy read! We ended up reading it together along with Linda. I think we all ended up rating it 3.5 stars, with hope that the series will continue to improve now that we know the characters and the world better. I know we all liked it enough to continue because we're already working on book 2!
What didn't work:
What didn't work:
- it starts off very fast and I felt a bit lost for a while. I didn't understand the characters or the world for longer than I would have liked
- I'm a little uneasy about the relationship between Siara and Asher - the intensity of his feelings, while they make potential sense in the long term, are hard to reconcile with his current situation (best way I can say it without spoiling things)
- Siara is a free runner, which in itself is cool. But the way it's used feels kinda like a gimmick and often inserted in moments that feel it doesn't fit. Sometimes her running is just wrong for the situation in my opinion.
- I'm a little dissatisfied with the resolution with her mother at the end -- too much is happening off the page, I think, that I want explained. Or perhaps it's coming in a future book?
- As is typical for YA -- too many dumb / absent / problematic adults with so many smart / present / brave / world-saving teens LOL
What did work:
- The world - once I came to understand it - is very cool. I like the way time traveling works and the different types of abilities people can have.
- There's something very Harry Potter-ish about the school and the way the people are separated out by their abilities. It's not the same, it just has a similar feel and I like it.
- I grew to like a lot of the characters quite a bit. World-saving teens though they may be, Siara, Ringo, and Ava became some of my favorite characters. I like Asher, particularly Asher of the past, quite a bit too. And even some of the adults are pretty likeable most the time - like Mr. Shaw. I look forward to seeing the characters develop over the series (assuming I continue to the end, which I plan to at this point).
- The mystery/plot worked for me, once the world came into clearer view. It was pretty faced past, which was a bit much at the beginning, but became really compelling as the story continued. There were several elements that Lenore, Linda and I enjoyed discussing and guessing at (some correctly, others not so much).
- There's an underlying theme that feels like it could end up being a commentary on race or maybe eugenics that I'm curious to see where it goes. It could also end up being just basic magic stuff of the world so I'm holding judgment on that, but for now it's in the works category and we'll see how it evolves.
Overall an enjoyable read that was pretty strong by the second half, when I had my bearings. I look forward to continuing (as I already am in book 2) and seeing some of the larger series questions unfold.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
One unique thing right off ... our MC assigns people she meets nicknames. She doesn't always use them out loud, but it's how she refers to them in her head. It was pretty funny, I liked it.
Time travel is always a bit mind-bending. This wasn't bad though. It didn't hurt my brain as some time-travel stories have. But time travel is just one of the things happening here, there are also seers, shifters and vampires. And Jack the Ripper.
This reminded me a bit of [b:Etiquette & Espionage|10874177|Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School, #1)|Gail Carriger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331952557l/10874177._SX50_.jpg|15789500] - with the heavy English accent, the paranormal, the school setting ... the humor. It didn't have quite as much as E&E, but there were some times I was laughing out loud. I'd provide some examples, but I was listening to audio, so I can't highlight and save like I can with a Kindle copy. I DID have the Kindle copy, picked up free at one point, but I was going with the audio (on a two-month AudibleEscape trial).
Notes on the audio - I LOVED the narration. Gemma Barrett was wonderful and I hope to hear her again. I adore English accents and while almost all of this story takes place in the UK, and our MC was born in England ... she grew up in America, and several times throughout the book, people will recognize her as American. Maybe she had an accent there in England that gave it away? While almost every other character (excluding a few at the very start/in the U.S.) does have an English accent, Saira should not. But all her speaking, all her THINKING (everything else in the book) is SO heavily British! I had to give up on another audiobook that had this same issue (except the MC did have an accent, she did when speaking, but not for the rest of the narration, she was thinking in an ol' American accent and it did NOT work for me). I can understand it was probably a really tough call - American narrator trying to do all the British accents, or British narrator trying to do so much of the book in an American accent (but nailing the British part SO well). Anyway ... that was a slight irritation throughout the audiobook.
Time travel is always a bit mind-bending. This wasn't bad though. It didn't hurt my brain as some time-travel stories have. But time travel is just one of the things happening here, there are also seers, shifters and vampires. And Jack the Ripper.
This reminded me a bit of [b:Etiquette & Espionage|10874177|Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School, #1)|Gail Carriger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331952557l/10874177._SX50_.jpg|15789500] - with the heavy English accent, the paranormal, the school setting ... the humor. It didn't have quite as much as E&E, but there were some times I was laughing out loud. I'd provide some examples, but I was listening to audio, so I can't highlight and save like I can with a Kindle copy. I DID have the Kindle copy, picked up free at one point, but I was going with the audio (on a two-month AudibleEscape trial).
Notes on the audio - I LOVED the narration. Gemma Barrett was wonderful and I hope to hear her again. I adore English accents and while almost all of this story takes place in the UK, and our MC was born in England ... she grew up in America, and several times throughout the book, people will recognize her as American. Maybe she had an accent there in England that gave it away? While almost every other character (excluding a few at the very start/in the U.S.) does have an English accent, Saira should not. But all her speaking, all her THINKING (everything else in the book) is SO heavily British! I had to give up on another audiobook that had this same issue (except the MC did have an accent, she did when speaking, but not for the rest of the narration, she was thinking in an ol' American accent and it did NOT work for me). I can understand it was probably a really tough call - American narrator trying to do all the British accents, or British narrator trying to do so much of the book in an American accent (but nailing the British part SO well). Anyway ... that was a slight irritation throughout the audiobook.
naelany's review
4.0
Had a hard time putting this down, despite some tense-issues. Enjoyed getting to know Saira, Ringo, and Archer
imzadirose's review
4.0
Reread so I can get on to the rest of the series. Still enjoyable, looking forward to more of the series.
kba76's review
4.0
Saira is not your average teen, though she’s unaware of her skills at the start of the novel.
Into tagging and free-running, Saira has a certain resourcefulness from being regularly left alone by her mother. She doesn’t question these events, but she has to once she finds herself transported back in time to Victorian London.
When Saira finds herself confronting Jack the Ripper she learns that she is part of a long line of what are called Immortals, families who have very special skills. Saira Elian is a clocker, someone who can travel through time.
Once Saira learns the truth of her family background things are revealed thick and fast. The set-up of this scenario was fascinating and I found myself quite gripped by the relationships Saira develops in both times that the story takes place in.
The story itself was well-plotted, but it was the blending of historical facts into it that really sold this novel to me.
Excited to try and read the rest of the series.
Into tagging and free-running, Saira has a certain resourcefulness from being regularly left alone by her mother. She doesn’t question these events, but she has to once she finds herself transported back in time to Victorian London.
When Saira finds herself confronting Jack the Ripper she learns that she is part of a long line of what are called Immortals, families who have very special skills. Saira Elian is a clocker, someone who can travel through time.
Once Saira learns the truth of her family background things are revealed thick and fast. The set-up of this scenario was fascinating and I found myself quite gripped by the relationships Saira develops in both times that the story takes place in.
The story itself was well-plotted, but it was the blending of historical facts into it that really sold this novel to me.
Excited to try and read the rest of the series.
kimyc's review
4.0
Cant wait to read the next book
Cant wait to read the next book in the series , I couldnt put this book down , story was so captivating
Cant wait to read the next book in the series , I couldnt put this book down , story was so captivating
naduah82's review against another edition
5.0
What happens when you have time travel, a multitude of paranormal creatures, family lineages, secrets buried for generations, romance (swoon-worthy, realistic might I add!), and plot twists galore? A completely original, fun novel that I just couldn't put down!
Oh and I must mention, the world building in this story is phenomenal! I just loved the mix of real historical figures thrown in!
This novel has so many fun and exciting elements to it that made this story pull me in would not let go! Perfect for the weirdness going on in the world right now.
Well... I'm off to read the next book in this fun series!
Oh and I must mention, the world building in this story is phenomenal! I just loved the mix of real historical figures thrown in!
This novel has so many fun and exciting elements to it that made this story pull me in would not let go! Perfect for the weirdness going on in the world right now.
Well... I'm off to read the next book in this fun series!