Rysa Walker

Oh no! Pru is now a sympathetic character?! Will wonders never cease? This novella was so much better than the previous one ([b:Time's Echo|22009372|Time's Echo (The Chronos Files, #1.5)|Rysa Walker|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398370326s/22009372.jpg|41321705]), mostly because Pru is a much more interesting character than Kiernan. I'm torn that a significant issue brought up (Did Pru ever find out that Saul was the bomber, not Katherine?) was not resolved within this novella - I can only show more assume that it'll be addressed in the final book.

I also liked that the YA Romance angle was only a minimal part of the story. show less

I was pleasantly surprised by how awesome this book was to read. It is immediately addicting. Now, I absolutely have to, most definitely, with no delay, read the second, Time's Edge, and the third, Time's Divide.

Creating a YA story about time-travel set in our actual world seems pretty difficult. Right off, time travel itself is quite difficult to write about, with all of the confusion of time sequences criss-crossing and glaringly obvious endings being apparent early on. Timebound show more successfully jumps between time settings without losing the flow of the plot, while still being surprising.

Kate has recently been re-acquainted with her Grandmother. Grandmother, after an initial period of disbelief, convinces Kate that she is from the far future, and that they both have the ability to time travel. She has no option but to believe her Grandmother when her own timeline is abruptly altered due to changes made in the past by malicious other time travelers.

Along the way, she encounters the gorgeous Kieran, with whom she has a past that she cannot remember, and the adorable Trey, with whom a future seems to be impossible. While her existence is erased in the timelines of her parents and friends, she rushes to figure out how her abilities can be used to save herself, the people she loves, and the world. Kate's relationships with Trey and Kieran are tangled because of all that time traveling, and that just makes you want to know how everything is going to turn out.

Overall a very compelling read. Caution: towards the end, it turned terrifying, even more so because the terrifying situation was based on people, places, and (horrifying) things that actually happened. To be fair, I am not a fan of the horror genre, and probably most people would not be as scared. My bedroom light was on all night.

**eARC netgalley** show less

Combined review of all three.
A brief review of my reading timeline shows that I'm a sucker for time travel stories so I was already predisposed to like this. And this mostly delivers. Well plotted and paced and well worth the read. My only complaint and this is not really a spoiler but...the young adult trope of a strong female protagonist having to choose between two boyfriends is getting really old.

Both my 13-year old daughter and I LOVED the first book in this series. It ended with a huge cliffhanger – so when I saw book 2 was out – I had to get it right away. (And read it as fast as possible so I could pass it to my daughter.)

Reading it quickly wasn’t a problem - I enjoyed “Time’s Edge” almost as much as the first book. Second books in great series play a very tough role. The novelty of the first book has worn off and expectations are probably higher. With a book about show more time travel – there is also some catchup to play on the reader’s part – remembering what has happened in the past AND in the future. That being said, when I read the following paragraph near the beginning, I knew I was all the way in again:

"I rinse away the shampoo , and a small leaf that must have been caught in my hair slides down my leg toward the drain. It's red, dappled with gold, and I realize that I must have carried it back from Dealey Plaza." Kate (like so many other time travelers) ventured back to Dallas in November of 1963 – and this sentence just reminded me all over again what I love about these “What If?” type books. There are so many possibilities – so many chances to imagine alternate realities.

Kate has so much on her shoulders in this book. She knows what the future holds if she is unable to accomplish her mission and prevent the deaths of half of the world’s population. As a character, she balances that incredible knowledge and responsibility well – while also worrying about whether her boyfriend, Trey, will be able to love her again despite the fact that he doesn’t remember even meeting her.

At times the book is a bit of a brain twister as Kate travels to multiple times/places – and some places multiple times. Keeping track of who did what in which timeline can be tough – but after a while – it’s easier to just put that aside and just flow along with the action in the book. Rysa Walker does a good job of keeping things on track – and of balancing the elements of teen romance/time travel/social commentary.

This is just a very enjoyable book – one that both my daughter and I were very excited to read. The last 50 pages or so kept me up late last night – and sure enough – there’s another cliff hanger to end the book – making me that much more anxious for more! show less