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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
bookaholic_in_wonderland's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and Blood
amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Classism, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Murder, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, and Car accident
ladykatiereads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I gave this one a chance because I’ve followed Sasha for many years of YouTube and social media and look up to her as a publishing professional. I have I read some of her past work and wanted to see how her solo writing may have improved but, unfortunately, this just didn’t do it for me. I felt the characters were lackluster and didn’t develop strongly throughout the story. The plot was also quite predictable, so for that I had to give this a pretty low rating. Not sure I will pick up the second book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Gore, and Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Cancer
Minor: Vomit, Car accident, and Panic attacks/disorders
lovelymisanthrope's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was provided a copy of this book through Net Galley, thank you! This was one of my most anticipated books of the year because I have been a follower of Sasha Alsberg for years. "Zenith" and "Nexus" where not my favorites, but I was really excited to read something different from Sasha.
This story follows Klara, a young woman in Scotland who is struggling with the grief of losing her mother to cancer. She is driving late one night when she almost hits Callum, a Scotsman from over 500 years ago who has accidentally found himself in the present. Brought together, the pair needs to battle a force in order to save the world.
I had a few problems with this book mechanically. I felt like realistically, Callum should have had more pushback or been more shocked about the world because Scotland has changed DRAMATICALLY in 500 years. There were a few moments Callum was confused by his new surroundings (seeing a cellphone, or an airplane) but I still feel like he would have been more scared, intimidated, really anything other than general acceptance. The time traveling details and how Klara's powers ultimately work also seemed kind of disjointed. Time traveling is a huge undertaking to write about because there are a lot of details and plot holes that arise around the topic, and I did not feel like this was the best representation of time travel.
Klara and Callum ultimately start to fall for each other and pursue a romantic relationship, and this is my biggest gripe with the novel. The story felt very insta-lovey, which it was, and it really threw me for a loop. I did not feel like the two characters had any chemistry beforehand, and even when they started to "fall" for each other, I just thought it was weird and completely out of left field. They were literally two people thrown together in a unique way who have to work together to save time. I also do not see how their romance propelled the story forward in a meaningful way, so it felt like an unnecessary plot point. I would have appreciated this book and enjoyed it so much more if Klara and Callum were just two people who became friends.
I did enjoy reading a book set in Scotland, and it felt to me like Sasha did research not only into present day Scotland, but also Scotland of the past. I also enjoyed seeing some Scottish lore. At its bare bones, the story was fun, and I had an okay time reading it.
Will I read from Sasha Alsberg in the future? Yes, but I still do not have the highest of expectations.
This story follows Klara, a young woman in Scotland who is struggling with the grief of losing her mother to cancer. She is driving late one night when she almost hits Callum, a Scotsman from over 500 years ago who has accidentally found himself in the present. Brought together, the pair needs to battle a force in order to save the world.
I had a few problems with this book mechanically. I felt like realistically, Callum should have had more pushback or been more shocked about the world because Scotland has changed DRAMATICALLY in 500 years. There were a few moments Callum was confused by his new surroundings (seeing a cellphone, or an airplane) but I still feel like he would have been more scared, intimidated, really anything other than general acceptance. The time traveling details and how Klara's powers ultimately work also seemed kind of disjointed. Time traveling is a huge undertaking to write about because there are a lot of details and plot holes that arise around the topic, and I did not feel like this was the best representation of time travel.
Klara and Callum ultimately start to fall for each other and pursue a romantic relationship, and this is my biggest gripe with the novel. The story felt very insta-lovey, which it was, and it really threw me for a loop. I did not feel like the two characters had any chemistry beforehand, and even when they started to "fall" for each other, I just thought it was weird and completely out of left field. They were literally two people thrown together in a unique way who have to work together to save time. I also do not see how their romance propelled the story forward in a meaningful way, so it felt like an unnecessary plot point. I would have appreciated this book and enjoyed it so much more if Klara and Callum were just two people who became friends.
I did enjoy reading a book set in Scotland, and it felt to me like Sasha did research not only into present day Scotland, but also Scotland of the past. I also enjoyed seeing some Scottish lore. At its bare bones, the story was fun, and I had an okay time reading it.
Will I read from Sasha Alsberg in the future? Yes, but I still do not have the highest of expectations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cancer, Violence, and Death of parent
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