Reviews

Breaking Time by Sasha Alsberg

izzys_internet_bookshelf's review

4.0

4.5/5

Omg wow I can’t believe I enjoyed a time travel book. This is rare and I doubt it will happen again. I loved the characters and the plot so much and I was on the edge of my seat during the climax.

eulsie's review

2.0

DNF. I feel awful about it. I’ve been a longtime supporter of Sasha Alsberg, since around 2014– but I COULD NOT pay attention to this book and the plot was losing me page by page. The MC was too basic and bland, and the guy (sorry can’t remember names), while endearing, just wasn’t vibing with me. I’ll still give her two stars since that’s I how I felt when I called it quits.

ckinkopf's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

swiftlyreviews's review

4.0

I received an ARC of Breaking Time from NetGalley! Thank you so much! I really enjoyed reading this book. Throughout, I like how she builds up the chemistry between Callum and Klara. Although I wish we saw more romance between them, but the scenes were really cute! I liked that she incorporated some personal things from her own life into the book. I recognized those right away and thought it gave a nice touch, making Klara relatable. There were moments where I would start to tear up. Klara talking with her father and the moments we see about her mother! The ending was awesome! I was shocked. I really hope we get a sequel. What a cliffhanger!

I give this book a 4.5/5!

sleepiingbeauty's review

2.0

This feels like a rough draft. There are so many elements that needed more fleshing out, everything felt so glossed over.

Spoiler

Example: The scene where Callum needs to drive a car -- there is no explanation, no hesitation, nothing. This man is from the 1500s, there's no way he'd grip the mechanics right away, but also -- there is no description about it, no inner thoughts about it. It's just, Oh, Klara can't drive so Callum must. He's a little scare but they get there just fine Like ???

The fish out of water cliche can be a lot of fun but I feel like it was just no there. Things came way too easily.

The stakes didn't feel high, everything just meanders around. I think the bones of a fun story are there but this is just lacking. This book felt empty. There were themes touched at but never explored. There is strong potential for rich characters but we only scratch the surface level. And I hate saying that. I feel like a little more time and a bit more of a push from an editor this could have been more.

Spoiler

I know Thomas' death is the whole catalyst for this story, but I think it would have been a bit more fun if we got to see more of him and Callum's relationship. I guess I wanted something more than Klara and Callum and their bland-ness.

booklover160's review

DNF @ page 155

It's not bad but I have absolutely NO desire to read it. It's just not vibing and life's too short to read books I don't vibe with.

mrdmccampbell's review against another edition

1.0

I should probably stop reading books by Booktubers, because I have yet to read one that I like, and I always have this gnawing guilt for not liking them because I weirdly know too much about the author. This is obviously a passion project, so I’m not going to slam it, but I’m kind of annoyed that I feel like I can’t. Does that make sense??

Anyways I didn’t like this book at all. I've tried to think of a redeeming quality, but I can't. So let that speak for itself.

brysonsmommie84's review

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

5✨

Book 1 of 2

It was SOOOO good! I picked this book up, because its cover gave ‘Outlander’ vibes and I was not disappointed. 

Klara is a college student who has moved with her father to the family manor in Scotland, after the loss of her mother. 

Callum has traveled to the future from 1568. How did he get stuck in 2022? How will he get back? 

Of course there is a romance. A slow, slow burn…There is an adventure based in mythology and Scottish folklore. That left me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

And why are we left on such a cliffhanger?! I love that it’s a short sweet duology. The beauty of being left wanting more. 

Typically I post a quote first, but let me just leave you with these:

“It’s as dark as the Earl of Hell’s waistcoat.”

“I dinnae believe I’m going to Heaven,” Callum said, raising his fists once more, drawing strength from the familiar ache that radiated through his arms. “But I cannae wait to bring you to Hell with me.”

“Now that she was subject to those whims - caught up in the drama of time and gods - the fickleness of the weather didn’t seem so poetic. It seemed cruel.”

“If Helen of Troy’s beauty started a war, then Arianrhod’s powers could start a worldwide extinction.”

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent and Violence

rocio_mc's review

4.0

Highly enjoyable young adult novel. I think the comparison to Outlander is unfounded. Yes, two major components apply: Scotland and time travel (three if you count the hunky Scot from the past) but this novel is solidly a fantasy tale while Outlander reads much more like a historical novel. I appreciated the characters and this book for its own merits and look forward to reading the second book in the series. I do have a side quibble...I can't imagine that a Scot from the 1500's would be able to speak perfect english, if he could speak english at all. From the little bit of research that I did, it looks like english was not common in Scotland until the 1700's and that gaelic and other dialects prevailed even then. This did not stop me from liking the character though.

mstallard's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5