Review: YA Time Travel Mystery with Appealing Characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 11, 2013
"BRB" is the second in the "CUL8R" time travel series by Bob Kat, and the first installment, "OMG," had Kelly, Austin, Scott, and Zoey time traveling back to 1966 to save a teenager from murder at the hands of the predatory school coach. They return to their own time battered but not disheartened--it's not very long before they're again trying to channel spirit voices on the Telephone to the Dead they discovered in the first book.The voice they hear is a young girl's--Luisa--and she is pleading with them in Spanish, asking for help--and saying that everyone was dead. After a little research, the four teens pinpoint the year as 1980 and travel back to one of the Florida Keys to try to save Luisa and the others who were murdered--though they aren't sure from what, or from who.As I mentioned in review for OMG, I was originally put off by the title of the books--but then found the series is really a delight. The teenage protagonists are realistic, the dialogue is sharp and well-done, and the mix of danger and mystery with everyday life (for instance, in this book Kelly goes on a date with Scott, but is actually more attracted to Austin) makes for a very enjoyable read. Another thing I liked about "BRB" is its mix of history--I liked that the storyline involved refugees from Cuba after Castro allowed Cubans to freely leave the country, and that the teens became immersed in that period and saw life from another culture's perspective.In sum, this is a great YA novel and a great read overall. In a sea of YA novels about paranormal romance, with weak-willed clinging heroines and brooding, overbearing love interests, the "CUL8R" series stands out and shines as something unique that manages to mix fantasy with realistic characters and situations.