The Time Quake is the final book in Linda Buckley Archer's series the Gideon Trilogy. Joined together once again, young Peter Shock and Kate Dyer find themselves back in 1763 after the Tar Man steals both anti-gravity machines and forces the kids to travel back to the past with him. Upon arrival, Lord Luxon steals one of the machines and jumps to the future. Stuck once again, the children must reunite with their friends of 1763 to track down the Tar Man and the other machine in the hopes that they will finally be able to return home and fix the mantel of time. However, their problems only seem to get worse as time quakes begin to rip through the centuries and Kate begins fast forwarding through time. In the end, help comes from the most unlikely of places.
I was glad to have young Peter and Kate back together again in this book and it was nice to see the return of Gideon as well. Unfortunately, for me, the story spiraled a bit out of control. I thought following Lord Luxon was quite interesting since we all wonder what would happen to the present/future if we went back and changed the past. However, the train of thought following the idea of parallel worlds vs. the "main" branch of time was really difficult to wrap my head around. Even after a lot of discussion, Clay and I couldn't come to an agreement on how it all worked out. Between that, and what I felt was a very abrupt ending I just couldn't feel satisfied with the final book.
Perhaps a brighter mind than my own would be able to follow the complicated web the author weaves. If that's your thing, follow this series through to its end. If not, enjoy the first book and leave it be.
The Time Thief is the second book in Linda Buckley Archer's series the Gideon Trilogy. When we last saw our characters, Kate had made it back to the 21st century, but Peter was left behind in 1763. Although she is happy to be home, Kate learns that her father and Dr. Piretti may not rescue Peter from the past. Determined to keep her promise, Kate sets out to save her friend with the help of Peter's father. Unfortunately their good intentions start to unravel when they travel back to the wrong year and the consequences begin to effect the very nature of time itself.
While Kate struggles to understand what has happened, the Tar Man is making himself at home in the 21st century. Hungry for a life of luxury, he becomes a thief unlike anyone the future has ever seen. Aided by both new and old friends, he reeks havoc on modern-day London while a more sinister plot begins to form.
Admittedly, I have mixed feelings about this book. I appreciated getting a more in depth look at the character of the Tar Man. He is undoubted a really unique, so it was fun to see how he developed. However, his story takes the place of characters we have already grown attached to and I can't help but lament the characters that are missing from this book.
Furthermore, the author's explanation of the consequences of time travel became more difficult to wrap my head around as the story went on. Of course, when time travel is involved no story can remain simple. There is certainly a lot to consider! However, the complicated nature of the subject made it more difficult to engage with the characters because of the way it was written. The story changed enough that it lost the simple idea that I loved about this first book - new friends on an adventure together.
I will certainly read the third book in this series, The Time Quake, to see where our friends end up. However, I fear that if the story continues on like the later portion of this book, I won't fully understand how it all works out. Perhaps time traveling is just too complicated!
Continuing on my Cassandra Clare kick, Clockwork Prince finally came in at the library the other day. Released in December 2011, it is the second book in the Infernal Devices series.
In this book, Tessa continues to search for answers to her past as outsiders attempt to take control of the institute where she is currently sheltered. If they have their way, Tessa will be out on the street with no protection from the Magistrar and his demonic clockwork army. Along the way Tessa gets help from Jem who is quickly becoming more than a friend, and Will whom she drawn to despite his moody behavior. Together, they must follow the trail of the mysterious Magistrar to save the institute and discover what they can about who Tessa really is.
While the first book in this series had a sinister feeling that blanketed this story, this book follows more along the lines of the Mortal Instruments series. Clare took more time developing the background of her characters in this story, leaving me with a better sense of why I should care about them in the first place. The tension that she writes between the Tessa-Jem-Will love triangle is spot on and you can equally see why Tessa would want to be with either boy.
I am enjoying these stories and I'm looking forward to the next book Clockwork Princess which is due out in December. However, I do think that the story line in these books needed to be flushed out a bit more. I find that I am not as attached to the characters in these books despite it being a pretty interesting idea. For me, the Mortal Instrument series is better.
What do you think?
Thank goodness it's spring vacation because I've had more than one late night reading session recently. And I have to say that I just couldn't help myself. I picked up City of Bones by Cassandra Clare just over a week ago and since then I have been on a mission to consume every single word she has written. Not an easy task since her books are very popular and can't always be picked up quickly from the local library. But I digress... Having read Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, I had a pretty good idea what I was getting myself into when I started this series. What I didn't realize is how captivating her tale would be.
Set in modern-day New York the story follows 15-year-old Clary Frey as she discovers something truly amazing about herself. She can see demons...and vampires...and werewolves...and all the other mystical creatures that make up your everyday fairy tale. But discovering the truth about herself holds consequences for her and the people that she loves. Cast into a world of chaos, she must put her trust into a group of Shadowhunters, the warriors that hunt demons, including a brooding and alluring boy named Jace to find the truth and save all that she holds dear.
I loved the first three books of this series (City of Bones, City of Ashes, & City of Glass), and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Cassandra Clare's writing keeps me turning pages late into the night and I'm excited to read the fourth book, City of Fallen Angels when it finally comes in at the library. Plus, I'm already on the waiting list for the fifth installment of the series, City of Lost Souls, due out in May.
If you're looking for a happy distraction these days that is fast paced and gripping with demons, angels and a bit of romance, check this series out. You can find plenty of info about it out there on the web since all of the books have been on the best seller list.
The Time Travelers is the first book in the Gideon Trilogy written by Linda Buckley-Archer. Several weeks ago, I picked it up at the library while browsing the used book sale and decided I would put it on my "to read" list. Well, I finally got around to checking it out from the library. Set in present day London, the story follows the story of Peter Schock and Kate Dyer as they find themselves hurled back in time to the year 1763 as a result of an accident with an antigravity machine. Upon waking from the accident, Peter comes face-to-face with the villainous Tar Man who steals the machine and leaves the children to fend for themselves. Lost, alone, and confused Peter and Kate are befriended by a man named Gideon who witnessed the children's arrival and has vowed to help them return to their own time.
Along the way they meet footpads, highway men, the King of England and many other memorable characters that make this a fun story to read. It lacks a bit of the nail-biting qualities that made Harry Potter so compelling but overall a good solid story comes through. The characters are well-developed and the environment is thoroughly created. This book delivers on exactly what it promises to be, an adventure story for kids.
If you're looking for a fast-paced page turner that offers many twists and turns, then this book probably isn't for you. Personally, I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Time Thief, to see how their adventure continues.
Crossed is the 2nd book in the Matched series by Ally Condie. It continues the story of Cassia and Ky as they search for each other after being torn apart by the society. Along the way they have to put their faith into some unlikely friends in order to find their way through the harsh climate of the outer provinces.
I spent much of my free time last weekend consuming this book and much of my time since then thinking about it. On a whole, I enjoyed the continuation of the story though at times I found it a bit slow. It's hard to root for Cassia and Ky when Xander is such a good person as well and I can't help thinking that Cassia has been manipulated into her interest in Ky, no matter who was behind it.
The menace of the society is not as strong in this book, so the story lacks a little bit with no villain to be running from. On the same note, I can't decide how to feel about the Rising either. Condie gives you the sense that the Rising doesn't care about people, they care about the cause. And while I acknowledge that mentality is needed when fighting for the greater good, I can't help but wonder where the humanity lies in all of this. What does it look like in the light of day?
These ideas make Crossed a thought provoking book that I will continue to think about during my free time and I'm very excited to see how Condie deals with these ideas in the third installment of the series set to be released in November of this year.
The cover of Incarceron by Catherine Fisher caught my eye while I was wondering in the teen fiction area at our local library. The iridescent glow of the key called to me as I reached out and took it off the shelf. I read the inside blurb and was instantly intrigued. Catherine Fisher is a seasoned English author who has written many novels. Incarceron was published in 2007, winning the Mythopoeic Society of America's Children's Fiction Award. It was also selected by the Times, London as its Children's Book of the Year.
The premise of Incarceron is promising. The story follows two main characters. The first is a teenage boy named Finn who is trapped within Incarceron, a living prison. A prison that thinks and feels and changes in order to rule over its prisoners. The other character is a teenage girl named Claudia, the daughter of the Warden who oversees Incarceron. Each is looking for an opportunity to escape the life they live and their best chance seems to lie within the other.
I enjoyed the rich descriptions of the world inside Incarceron and I was intrigued by the world that existed outside of it. However, I kept finding myself waiting for something more to happen and a better explanation of the things that did happen. The story as is didn't lack for action or adventure, but I couldn't help but feel like there was something missing as though the plot line hadn't been fully flushed out. In the end I felt like bones of the story were solid but the meat wasn't there to sustain me. It's a story that I wish could be written again. This time with some more potatoes.
Interestingly, Catherine Fisher wrote a sequel that was published in 2008. And though I'm curious to see where the author took the story, I just don't know if I can bring myself to read it. Do I give it another try? Or do I spend my time on other things?
I read this book at the recommendation of my scientist husband. He read a EW review of it years ago and picked it up for fun. To this day, it is one of the only books I've ever heard him laugh out loud over, so I admit I was pretty intrigued.
As far as I can tell, this is the first book published by Gideon Defoe. However, there are three more books chronicling other pirate adventures.
The story follows a pirate captain and his misfit crew as they attempt to pillage, plunder, and act out in other piratical ways. Fate brings them together with a couple of famous scientists and a wacky adventure ensues. Gideon has created characters that are quirky and fun to read. I particularly enjoy with the pirate captain's love of ham. This was a fun little book that was quick to read and truly enjoy. Unfortunately, my local library doesn't carry any of his other adventures. However, I will go to great lengths to find and read The Pirates! in an Adventure with Communists.*The Pirates will soon be on the big screen in Pirates! Band of Misfits
I picked up Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare on a whim after reading the cover in our local Indigo bookstore. Now, I'm usually not much into monster fiction. In fact, the sad truth is that the first stories I ever read with vampires and werewolves were the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer.
I apologize.
Anyway, I decided to give Cassandra Clare a chance to win me over to the Urban-Fantasy genre so I went to my local library and found myself a copy. Clockwork Angel is Book #1 in her Infernal Devices series, a prequel installment for her best-selling series the Mortal Instruments. Set in Victorian-era London, the story follows the life of 16-year old Tessa, as she sails to England in order to live with her older brother after her aunt dies. The moment she sets foot on dry land her world is turned upside down as she encounters warlocks, demons, vampires, and other supernatural creatures who want to to possess the secrets that lie within her. With the aid of the shadowhunters, peacekeepers of the supernatural world, Tessa searches to find her brother and discover who she really is.
Cassandra Clare mixes a potent blend of darkness and desire that kept me turning the pages late into the night. The characters are written with a fine edginess that makes them compelling to read, while the dark scenes play out like an elegant ballet of love and betrayal.
I will definitely be continuing with this series. Book #2 Clockwork Prince is already available and I look forward to when my turn comes up at the library...if I can wait that long.
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