Review: Entertaining mystery with a historical backdrop
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 1, 2014
This is a very refreshing series. These days it feels like everything being published is either romance, crime, or post-apocalyptic nightmares. The time-travel aspect of the story is certainly in the sci-fi camp and using an app for it gives it a futuristic vibe, but the simple fact is this is one of the few stories that focuses on history and I really appreciate this. I actually haven’t read the first three books, but it didn’t take much to jump into the story line. Bob Kat knows how to weave the necessary information in so new readers aren’t so lost they give up. But the recaps of prior adventures are just short enough to encourage me to go back and start from the beginning.The target audience is a little younger than me, but the four teenagers you follow aren’t caught up in much interpersonal drama. Frankly it doesn’t sound substantially different from the intergroup issues that 20-somethings have. Right now it’s still summer vacation so there isn’t much coverage of school; it’s more four young adults working at growing up a little quicker than normal with a serious responsibility thrust on their shoulders. They are all good people with typical flaws—great characters to stand behind and cheer for. There are love triangles, squares, etc. that are normal for a YA book (or, let’s face it, books for any age group), but it’s not a predominant part of the story. I get the sense it was a bigger focus in book three, but here the story is almost completely alone on center stage. And the love stories themselves are sweet ones that are easy to enjoy.Since they do travel back in time (1911 this time), there is some necessary research done, both by the author and the teens who are prepping to go back in time. And the level of research is very different for both roles. It’s clear Kat did the legwork to give a good idea of what society was like then and what some of the technological advances were (cars, planes, etc.). The teens on the other hand looked into a few things and jumped right on in. It made the story fly by since the reader isn’t bogged down by research and it stays true to the adventure spirit. Yes, they could spend weeks learning about where they’re going, but that’s not the idea behind this group. These are characters that don’t hesitate because hesitation can mean failing at the mission. And the missions are always about helping someone else, so who can argue with that? But Kat is behind the scenes making sure things are accurate and a fair representation of the times. It’s not an intense historical novel, but it’s not meant to be. The 1911 characters don’t call them out on every little anachronism and they shouldn’t. Readers are there for the mystery and the thrill; learning a little about the past is a fantastic feature, but not the prime focus.The story for this one is, from my understanding, a little more out of the ordinary. Don’t worry, I won’t give anything away! But it will keep you on your toes and you’ll be guessing what’s going on until the very end. The story moves a touch slow at first (not for long) while they’re all back in the present day, particularly for someone new to the series who is eager to get to the time-travel bit. But once you’re in, it’s hard to put down and thoroughly enjoyable. The whole story takes place over just a couple days, but you see life in a historic, luxury hotel. There are a lot of personalities, a couple famous ones, to keep you entertained while you try to figure out what happened to Emma. It’s very well written and I look forward to reading more from Bob Kat.If you’re looking for a fast-paced series that, for a change, doesn’t focus on space ships and desolate post-zombie society, this is a great read. Don’t get me wrong, I love those too, but it was great to spend the day reading something set a hundred years ago. It could just be me, but it feels like we are too busy looking to the future in current literature; it is nice to look back now and then. And who doesn’t love a good mystery? I highly recommend this book and, though I haven’t read them, I suspect I would recommend any book in this series.