Invictus, by Ryan Graudin ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Time Travel, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books For Young Readers for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 26th, 2017

464 Pages

Synopsis: Time flies when you’re plundering history.

Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far’s birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he’s ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.

But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with the knowledge that will bring Far’s very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.

Invictus is an interesting mix of historical fiction and science fiction which for the most part I found to be a fun read. While the first couple of chapters were a little slow, mainly because of trying to follow the introduction of all the technological aspects, it didn’t take long for the story to take off and I was completely sucked in.

I have to be honest and say I did not like the main character, Farway at first. I thought he was egotistical and arrogant and completely rubbed me the wrong way. But once his life is upended and he becomes the captain of the Imvictus, leading his friends on trips throughout history as they bring back black market artifacts for the sinister Lux, I began to warm up to him and by the end of the book I saw him in a much more positive light. 

Thankfully there’s no love triangle, but the romance between Far and Pyria is a little tepid. I think in part, this is because their relationship was already in place before the story began. There was no build-up to their feelings and we’re told rather than shown how much they love each other. Although I liked both of them, I never found their relationship believable.

I did like the rest of the characters, but I think they all could have used a bit more development except for Far’s cousin, Imogene who I loved. Her personality sparkles off the pages and she steals every scene she’s in. She changes her hair color just about every day, and is addicted to gelato (I was so hungry while reading this!) She loves Far, yet finds him exasperating at times. She’s not afraid to speak up and keeps his ego in check. She also provides some much needed humor to balance the darker tones of the story. And best of all, she has a red panda named Saffron who I instantly fell in love with!

The world-building and time traveling was imaginative and well written. There were several twists that I didn’t see coming which added some intriguing layers to the plot. As I said previously, I was initially confused by some of the technology and Far’s backstory, but these wrinkles ironed themselves out.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Invictus and I think fans of science fiction and time-travel will enjoy this. The ending ties everything up neatly, but I’m hoping there will be a sequel, maybe concentrating more on the trips back into history and the stealing of artifacts. If Ryan Graudin delved into this element more fully, I could see this becoming a successful YA series. Fingers crossed!

 

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantas, Historical Fiction, Time Travel, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

512 Pages

Synopsis: Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.

In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic–the Mageus–live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power–and often their lives.

Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order–and the Brink–before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.

But old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.

I’ve been looking forward to The Last Magician since I first heard about it several months ago, and for the most part it was everything I was hoping for. I mean, gorgeous cover, and historical fiction, mixed with magic and time travel? What’s not to love? 

Let me start with the world-building, which is simply amazing. The New York of 1902 is the same New York we know from the history books. From high society with its familiar names, to the grittiness of the streets with its roving gangs–everything remains intact, with the added element of magic. I thought the beginning was a little choppy, with the backstory being introduced from several points of view from alternate timelines. Although the multiple POVs remain, once everyone is settled in the same timeline, the story becomes much easier to follow. 

While there are quite a few characters, for me, Esta is the standout. A thief at heart, she’s just so much fun. She’s hardworking, independent, loyal, and willing to put her life on the line. And, she always has the purest of intentions, even if things don’t always work out the way they were supposed to. I also loved the brooding Harte Darrigan, who never seemed to be able to catch a break. The scenes with the two of them were my favorites. The only other issue I had was the amount of distrust that exists between the characters. Most of the tension in the book comes from people not knowing who to trust, and while in some regards, this is understandable, there were times that it went to far didn’t make sense to me. 

Overall though, I absolutely loved The Last Magician and I can’t wait for the second book in this duology! I highly recommend this imaginative and engaging fantasy to teens and adults who are fans of this genre.

 

The Door That Led To Where ~ By Sally Gardner – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Time Travel, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 8th, 2016

288 Pages

Synopsis: AJ Flynn has just failed all but one of his exams, and at almost seventeen years old, he sees a future that’s far from rosy. So when he’s offered a junior clerk position at a London law firm, he hopes his life is about to change–and it does, but he never could have imagined how much. 

While on a job, AJ finds an old key labeled with his birth date, and he’s determined to find the door it will open. When he does just that, AJ and his group of scrappy friends begin a series of amazing journeys to the past–1830, to be exact. And they quickly realize that hardship, treachery, and love haven’t changed too much in almost two hundred years.

When they discover a crime that only they can solve, the boys go from wayward youths to intrepid young men with a purpose in life. But with enemies all around, can they unravel the mysteries of the past before the past unravels them?

The Door That Led To Where is the first book I’ve read by Sally Gardner, although I’ve heard of her other books, especially Maggot Moon (2012), which received amazing reviews. After finishing this, it’s made me want to go back and read EVERYTHING she’s ever written! The story itself seamlessly blends multiple genres including: Mystery, Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel and Suspense. It’s also a touching coming-of-age story in regards to AJ and his two best mates, Leo and Slim. They’re  all characters who literally leap off the pages. They’re relatable and believable characters, whose speech and actions are pretty much what you’d expect to see from teens in their socio-economic backgrounds. None of them have had easy lives, and they’ve made mistakes which have made things worse, but that just makes them even more human. They’re extremely loyal and are always looking out for each other. While AJ is the star of the story, his friendship with Leo and Slim play a huge part. When the story opens, they’re all struggling, so it’s understandable why they’d see a way to escape their troubles by traveling into the past. What interestingly sets them apart is how each struggles with the decision about whether to stay in the past or to face the future in the here and now. The murder mystery aspect is exciting and the way the past and present chapters are woven together is beautifully done. The only reason I’m not giving this a 5 star rating is because I had some real issues with AJs mother and her behavior toward him, which for most of the book made no sense to me. Otherwise, The Door To Where is a wonderful read and I was a little sad at the end because I didn’t want to say goodbye to the characters. I highly, highly recommend this to teens as well as adults who love a well-told thrilling, multiple genre tale.