Timebomb by Scott K Andrews

Timebomb by Scott K Andrews
Buy Timebomb by Scott K Andrews at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Teens
Reviewer: Luke Marlowe
Summary: A twisting and thrilling adventure through time, with intriguing, relatable characters and a plot that grips, Timebomb is a great read for adults young and old.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 352	Date: June 2015
Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-1444752083
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In 2141, Yojana Patel throws herself off a skyscraper. She never hits the ground. In 1640, Dora Predennick discovers a badly burnt woman. When she reaches out to comfort her, she’s flung through time. And on a rainy day in our time, Kaz Cecka sneaks into the ruins of Sweetclover hall in search of a dry spot to sleep. Instead he finds a frightened housemaid from the time of Charles I, and an angry girl from the future. Thrown into a war that spans millennia, the three must harness powers in order to escape deadly villains, and stay one step ahead of a fanatical army…

Time travel seems to be rather popular at the moment – Dr Who is back on our screens, the Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series is more popular than ever, and Claire North’s The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August was a massive hit last year. Fiction for young adults hasn’t been following the trend as closely of late, the emphasis still remaining on novels about uprisings in futuristic dystopias. Mary Hoffman, however, had some considerable success with her Stravaganza series, which had modern day teens travel to a fictionalised renaissance Italy. Timebomb, however, is something considerably different – a fast paced adventure that jumps between time periods, and sets the stakes incredibly high.

A risky concept, it is executed perfectly, with likeable, intelligent and witty characters thrust into the mix of things. I grew to care strongly about the three main characters, and could invest heavily in them – plus the joy of having three characters so different take the lead is that any teenager will be able to find something to associate with here. The plot builds to a thrilling crescendo of a climax, and I’m genuinely excited to see where this inventive and innovative series goes next.

I would like a little more explanation about the science/concepts behind the time travel in future books, and think Jana is the one character of the main three who lacked characterisation at times, but those are very small complaints – this book is great fun. I struggle to see how young adults would not enjoy it – there is something about the turbulent chaos of time travel that seems akin to the isolation and confusion that will be familiar feelings to many teens.

Many thanks to the publishers for this – I look forward to the next in the series.

For further reading, I would recommend the Stravaganza series – perhaps slightly more romantic, but nonetheless highly readable. The fourth in the series is reviewed here: Stravaganza City of Secrets by Mary Hoffman

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You can read more book reviews or buy Timebomb by Scott K Andrews at Amazon.com.

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