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alicewgomide's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Wonderful, striking book! Stunning story, achingly beautiful prose and an amazing, although mind blowing, way to explore time, history and identity.
Epic book!
Epic book!
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I have adored every one of Ryan Graudin’s books, so when I saw that she had a new one coming out the choice of whether or not to pick it up for review was a no-brainer. All of Graudin’s books are so completely different that I never know what to expect with her. This newest book is a time-traveling sci-fi adventure!
What Fed My Addiction:
Time-traveling adventures.
This book handles time travel incredibly well. It doesn’t gloss over the science of how it would work, but it doesn’t go into overwhelming detail either. Plus, there are exciting trips to historical events like the sinking of the Titanic! (And I kind of loved Graudin’s explanation of how stealing from the past makes sense—under very specific circumstances.) Add to that all of the complexities of the characters having to make sure they don’t change history and you get some pretty intense time-traveling!
No secondary characters.
While it might seem like Farway is the star of the show (and he is in some ways), we get POV’s of all of the major characters—Farway, Imogen, Gram, Priya and Eliot. Instead of feeling overwhelming, I appreciated getting to know all of the secondary characters better. (Plus, we got to learn things from Eliot that we wouldn’t have known otherwise!) I felt connected to all of the characters in the book this way.
The romance.
We had one romance that started up before the book started and another that we got to hope for as the book went on. And no triangles! I adored Priya and Far together.
The twists—and that ending! Once you find out what’s actually going on in this book, things start to get truly exciting! I won’t say anything more than that.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Bit of a slow start?
While there was definitely some mystery being built up in the first half of the book over who Eliot is and why she’s interested in Farway, I’ll admit that I wasn’t completely engaged until we started to get a few answers. (I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was bored, but I was… waiting for something more.) About halfway through the book we discover something major is happening that affects absolutely everyone in the book, and that kicked the plot into high gear and majorly raised the stakes, though, and from there on out the story was phenomenal.
Doesn’t exactly feel like YA.
The characters are 17, but they didn’t really feel 17 to me. They were all a little too expert at their fields and their personalities felt older as well (with the possible exception of Imogen, who seems a little younger in her insecurities—though I think she’s actually the oldest). They are out of school, so maybe you could consider it New Adult sci-fi? (But New Adult has a lot of connotations that don’t really fit this book.)
This book delivers intense time travel adventures that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I give it an easy 4/5 Stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
I have adored every one of Ryan Graudin’s books, so when I saw that she had a new one coming out the choice of whether or not to pick it up for review was a no-brainer. All of Graudin’s books are so completely different that I never know what to expect with her. This newest book is a time-traveling sci-fi adventure!
What Fed My Addiction:
Time-traveling adventures.
This book handles time travel incredibly well. It doesn’t gloss over the science of how it would work, but it doesn’t go into overwhelming detail either. Plus, there are exciting trips to historical events like the sinking of the Titanic! (And I kind of loved Graudin’s explanation of how stealing from the past makes sense—under very specific circumstances.) Add to that all of the complexities of the characters having to make sure they don’t change history and you get some pretty intense time-traveling!
No secondary characters.
While it might seem like Farway is the star of the show (and he is in some ways), we get POV’s of all of the major characters—Farway, Imogen, Gram, Priya and Eliot. Instead of feeling overwhelming, I appreciated getting to know all of the secondary characters better. (Plus, we got to learn things from Eliot that we wouldn’t have known otherwise!) I felt connected to all of the characters in the book this way.
The romance.
We had one romance that started up before the book started and another that we got to hope for as the book went on. And no triangles! I adored Priya and Far together.
The twists—and that ending! Once you find out what’s actually going on in this book, things start to get truly exciting! I won’t say anything more than that.
What Left Me Hungry for More:
Bit of a slow start?
While there was definitely some mystery being built up in the first half of the book over who Eliot is and why she’s interested in Farway, I’ll admit that I wasn’t completely engaged until we started to get a few answers. (I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was bored, but I was… waiting for something more.) About halfway through the book we discover something major is happening that affects absolutely everyone in the book, and that kicked the plot into high gear and majorly raised the stakes, though, and from there on out the story was phenomenal.
Doesn’t exactly feel like YA.
The characters are 17, but they didn’t really feel 17 to me. They were all a little too expert at their fields and their personalities felt older as well (with the possible exception of Imogen, who seems a little younger in her insecurities—though I think she’s actually the oldest). They are out of school, so maybe you could consider it New Adult sci-fi? (But New Adult has a lot of connotations that don’t really fit this book.)
This book delivers intense time travel adventures that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I give it an easy 4/5 Stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
lostinagoodbook's review
5.0
Disclaimer: I received this book free from Netgalley in return for an un-biased review.
The right book at the right time can be such a gift. I really needed a book just like this just now. After my recent looong journey through a very deep and emotional fantasy series, I felt like I needed something bright and shiny to chase the shadows out of my brain. This book was perfect.
A young man, Far Gaius McCarthy, is a promising time travel cadet whose final exam is derailed by a rogue Marie Antoinette. Things only get more complicated from there.
How to describe this book? Would you like a book about time traveling bff’s skipping through history heisting rare artifacts? Heck yes you would! This book is as fun as it sounds. It grabs you right from the get go and you’re swept along until the very last page.
Thankfully, the time travel aspect is well handled. Books about time travel can quickly get bogged down in complex paradoxes if an author is not careful. Ms. Graudin does a terrific job maneuvering the terrain without losing her sense of fun and adventure.
Far McCarthy, is an excellent character. Cocky and headstrong as he should be in this role, but with a wonderful group of friends keeping him safe and facilitating both his work in the black market, and the search for his missing mother. The ensemble cast of this book is really endearing. They are a terrific group of friends who are genuinely fond of each other and quirky as all get out. I’d love about 4 more books please. If we could have one focusing on each character that would be just great! The author has said this is a standalone book, so I guess I’m not going to get my wish, but hey YOU still have a chance to read this book for the first time! Get to Netgalley quick my book blogging friends, they still have review copies. If you’re reading this review after the book releases, then what are you waiting for, buy it. You won’t be sorry. A fantastic journey awaits!
The right book at the right time can be such a gift. I really needed a book just like this just now. After my recent looong journey through a very deep and emotional fantasy series, I felt like I needed something bright and shiny to chase the shadows out of my brain. This book was perfect.
A young man, Far Gaius McCarthy, is a promising time travel cadet whose final exam is derailed by a rogue Marie Antoinette. Things only get more complicated from there.
How to describe this book? Would you like a book about time traveling bff’s skipping through history heisting rare artifacts? Heck yes you would! This book is as fun as it sounds. It grabs you right from the get go and you’re swept along until the very last page.
Thankfully, the time travel aspect is well handled. Books about time travel can quickly get bogged down in complex paradoxes if an author is not careful. Ms. Graudin does a terrific job maneuvering the terrain without losing her sense of fun and adventure.
Far McCarthy, is an excellent character. Cocky and headstrong as he should be in this role, but with a wonderful group of friends keeping him safe and facilitating both his work in the black market, and the search for his missing mother. The ensemble cast of this book is really endearing. They are a terrific group of friends who are genuinely fond of each other and quirky as all get out. I’d love about 4 more books please. If we could have one focusing on each character that would be just great! The author has said this is a standalone book, so I guess I’m not going to get my wish, but hey YOU still have a chance to read this book for the first time! Get to Netgalley quick my book blogging friends, they still have review copies. If you’re reading this review after the book releases, then what are you waiting for, buy it. You won’t be sorry. A fantastic journey awaits!
beccabooplp's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
whatthehelliknow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
matiel72's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book! I cannot wait to write a full review!
ravenclawkate's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Although the premise was kind of interesting, the book was a little boring for me. The first half of the book was too long and spent too much time setting up exposition. Some events that occured seemed to exist solely because the author wanted to write it rather than actually serve the plot and characters (looking at you, the whole trip to Las Vegas that the characters took just because they wanted to take a break). However, once the plot finally passed that first half of exposition, the book became more interesting and I was able to connect to the characters more. This half was good, but the first half unfortunately brought the book down a little for me.
kazzified29's review against another edition
5.0
Any fan of DC's Legends of Tomorrow will adore this book!
caralinejohnston's review
5.0
Time travel is not typically my genre. But this is creative, original, and thoroughly developed. I couldn't put it down and I would love for there to be a sequel!