This second entry in a smart YA sf series is as fast-paced and engrossing as the first. I had not read the series when offered the opportunity to review this book, but the series sounded right up my alley, so I picked it up first to get the full experience. It was well worth it. The books are intelligent, grounded in history, but strongly character-driven. Kate is a very believable girl thrown into extraordinary circumstances and doing her best to rise to be the hero she needs to be, while juggling some very real personal needs.

The stakes in this series are high, Kate not only faces real (and frequently quite grim) physical danger, but also the constant threat of losing everyone and everything she knows. There's a lot of action in these books, but they're also written to engage emotionally and intellectually, with scenes effortlessly woven in from pivotal moments in history and some thought-provoking questions about the nature of power and those who seek it. There's a carefully balanced romantic triangle as Kate is drawn to two very different young men who both have been hit hard by the time-changes impacting her life.

This is an excellent series, and I intend to follow it eagerly going forward.

Download File Size:3.26 MB

---