Review: Intriguing plot, beautiful writing, and dogs! What more could you want?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 28, 2013
Blending classics, science and a modern teen voice with the mystery of a poetry-quoting dog and a quest to save the world, C. S. Lakin has created a story that will refuse to let you go, and characters that will keep you enthralled. The time-traveling dogs sniff out rifts and holes in the universe, while an interesting teen protagonist sets out to save her mother and ends up rescuing the multiverse. With well-told touches of science and speculation, and plenty of scares, this book should keep young teens happily reading for many hours--or long travels in time.Time eddies are beautifully imagined and cleverly portrayed as Bria and her friends navigate shifting streams between the explosion in her mother's laboratory and a strange shadow world of curious allies and dangerous foe. Contemporary cultural references abound, from Star Wars to American football, with chapter headings cleverly built onto beautifully chosen quotations. Neat metaphors lead the reader quickly into the protagonist's point of view. And touches of future history, with convincing science and scarily plausible technology, make both Bria and her world very real. A touch of teen romance distracts me, mostly I suspect because I'm not a teen. But the distraction couldn't stop me reading and the story kept me eager for more--I really hope there will be more... A standalone novel filled with imagination and fun... and dogs... what more could I ask for?Disclosure: I "bought" an ecopy when it was free because I couldn't resist it.