By Kerstin Gier
Published By Henry Holt and Co.
Summary: Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era!
Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that passes the gene through its male line, and whose presence becomes, in time, less insufferable and more essential. Together, Gwyneth and Gideon journey through time to discover who, in the 18th century and in contemporary London, they can trust.
My Thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I loved it and it was definitely one of my favorite reads from this year. The author was able to blend both the present and the past without it being jarring to the senses. It didn't feel as if you were reading two different books that were then mashed together.
Loved the characters as well. Even though Gwyneth is a typical teenager, she didn't annoy me as some do in contemporary YA. It was easy to see where she was coming from, being the invisible member of the family while her cousin was showered with attention and lessons. I found her ability to see ghosts a useful twist in helping her catch up on all the years of training she missed. I'm not sure about Gideon, I liked him for the most part but at the same time he is the character that you always need to keep one eye on. The Count comes across as suitably creepy, and him and his friends work well as the bad guys if that is what they are.
Overall, while loving the book there was just something missing that stopped me from giving it a 5 star rating. The ground work and back story for the series were laid out nicely but when the book ends there were to many unanswered questions. The only definite thing we get from this book is that Gwyneth is the time traveler. Still I'm looking forward to reading the next book and unraveling the mysteries that were presented.
Rating: 4
This book has it all....fantastically complex characters and a twisted plot that promises fun and danger/darkness in spades, a (so far) light romance (or two) to keep me happy, a likeable heroine who one can't help but root for as she bumbles along when her "gift" reveals itself in the most inconvenient way. The writing is crisp and clean with lots of humor and some pathos thrown in for good measure. I sense a lot of hidden mysteries waiting to pop to the surface. Some folks said the plot is predictable...aside from the expected romance, I didn't find this in the least. There were a lot of surprises here and I cannot wait for the story to continue in the next book.
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to go into the details of the story...you can find that on the book description or read the other reviews. But I will say if you enjoy books that aren't afraid to delay gratification for a lot of detailed world building and in-depth characterization...and you like YA fantasy, romance, and time travel...please give this a try. I think you may enjoy yourself. Also, this book is perfect for tweens and teens given the lighter romance content.