Timeless by Alexandra Monir
Book stats:
Reading level: YA
Hardcover: 288 pages
Genre: Time travel romance
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release date: January 8, 2013
Series: Timeless #2
Source: Review copy from AuthorsOnTheWeb
Reviewed by: Jenn
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
This sequel to Timeless combines breathtaking romance with a tale of complex magic in a story that will have every reader believing in the transcendent power of love.
When Philip Walker appears as a new student in Michele Windsor's high school class, she is floored. He is the love she thought she lost forever when they said goodbye during her time travels last century. Overjoyed that they can resume the relationship they had a lifetime ago, Michele eagerly approaches him and discovers the unthinkable: he doesn't remember her. In fact, he doesn't seem to remember anything about the Philip Walker of 1910.
Michele then finds her father's journals, which tell stories of his time-traveling past. As she digs deeper, she learns about his entanglement with a mysterious and powerful organization called the Time Society and his dealings with a vengeful Windsor ancestor. Michele soon finds herself at the center of a rift over 120 years in the making, one whose resolution will have life-or-death consequences.
At the end of TIMELESS, Michele sees Philip at her school in the present, an unexpected surprise. But this Philip isn't her Philip: he looks and sounds like him but he doesn't remember his relationship with Michele or anything about his previous life. It's a really neat twist and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Michele deal with this situation. Modern day Philip is an enigma while past Philip was an open book by the end of TIMELESS; this adds a nice romantic conflict to the story.
My favourite part of the story, however, was learning more about the Time Society and about Michele's father, Irving Henry. The book is no longer just told from Michele's point of view -- it also contains chapters written in Irving's voice -- and I really enjoyed them. I was a little nervous the first time I saw one of these chapters since books with multiple points of view sometimes lose their punch but Alexandra Monir has done a wonderful job of giving Michele and Irving distinct and appropriate voices. I found myself looking forward to the next Irving chapter since I learned so much about the Time Society and what it means to be a Timekeeper. There's even a handbook, so we ge to see the rules that govern this hidden society. We also get some neat reveals about Michele's abilities, which are quite special since she's time-crossed.
On the whole, I really liked TIMEKEEPER but there was one aspect of the book that I wasn't fond of: Rebecca. She's one of Michele's ancestors and she's also capable of time travel. Unfortunately, she wants to kill Michele for a variety of reasons, which I won't get into here to avoid spoiling the book for you. Rebecca is consumed by jealousy and hatred and she adds some menace to the story but I didn't find that plot line very engaging.
TIMEKEEPER ups the stakes from TIMELESS, adding a twist to Michele and Philip's romance, revelations about how time travel works, and, unfortunately, a character I really didn't enjoy. While I would have preferred a Rebecca-free book, the introduction of this character does help us learn more about Michele's family and her father's relationship with the past and present Windsors. I'm not sure if there's another book in the works but I do like how TIMEKEEPER wraps up. Michele has some amazing powers and I do hope that there's another book in the works, so that we can see more of this wonderful Timekeeper world.
Oh wow. Sounds like an interesting take with this one. Glad the stacks are kept high. :)
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