Gwyneth now has to deal with this sudden change in her life, with Gideon, another time traveler who comes from a well respected family. She must figure out why her mother lied about her date of birth to keep her from being suspected of having the gene and she needs to brush up on her history. Traveling into the past was very dangerous. Together Gideon and Gwyneth travel through time to discover who's telling the truth and who is using them for their own gain.
I did like this book, I read it within a day or two didn't I? It was funny, it was interesting and the characters were loveable. I hated Gideon at first, he was such an arrogant bastard and had no right to be rude to Gwen. The concept of traveling through time was so interesting, I loved the costume's they got to wear, and having a book partly set in 18th century London is my definition of perfect! I loved the ghosts in the book, at first I thought it was rather odd, but now I think it's simply cool that she has the incredible gift. I reckon it means something, maybe we'll find out in the next book which I'm currently reading the second book to see where this is all going!
I didn't like a lot about the book, and although these things didn't put me off it completely, I was able to look past it because the pacing was so fast and things kept changing! The way that Gwen and Lesley (her friend) spoke when they were in school was SO unrealistic. I've said this countless of times, but dear Authors, if you're going to set your book in London, please make sure that you don't have your modern teenage characters speaking like 80year old women from the early 19th century. It's not realistic at all, I was recently down Oxford Street and not one person spoke to me like they'd just walked out of the Titanic. Yes, when they traveled back in time, the posh language fit the era, but in modern day Britain, not even Kate Middleton is THAT posh.
Another thing was that I felt like the story wasn't going anywhere, of course there were loads of problems that will obviously kick off and be fixed in the next books, but nothing spectacular happened in this book. The beginning was about her coming to terms with her time traveling ability, and the rest of the book was them wondering around the 18th century, for small irrelevant reasons.
I know the next books will be a bit darker and will have more action so that's why I'll be reading them, and because I'd love to know what happens and who they can trust! I thought for sure she could trust her mother, but now I'm just not sure! Everyone seems like a giant liar in this book!
I loved Lesley, I think she was the perfect bestfriend, always googling things and helping Gwen find out about the people she met when she went back in time! Many friendships would have fallen apart if this situation ever happened, but this one seems like it's gotten stronger!
Aside from the writing style, I did like this book! I just hope the next book picks up a little with a bit more danger and action. I am aware that this book was firstly written in German and then translated, but people need to research more about how Londoners actually speak, rich or not!
That with the writing style: I guess it's the translators fault. I read this series in german and it was wonderfully written. Kerstin Gier is one of the most famous german YA and Children's-books authors. She actually has a dazzling writing style.
ReplyDeletei agree, somehow i have a feeling the writing got a bit muddled and twisted during the translation, so some parts of the book doesn't feel as smooth as it should be
DeleteI loved the characters! However I would like to see somebody deal with Charlotte! She was such a terror yet no one ever checks her. The whole series is awesome and soo worth reading
ReplyDeleteKeshia