David C. Cook, 2011
388 pages
YA; Time-Travel
3.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the author
My reviews of the previous books: Waterfall and Cascade
SPOILERS-SERIOUSLY SPOILERS!
I did end up preferring Cascade to Waterfall except for the ending which found Gabi, Lia, and their mom going back in time to rescue their father/husband from an early death. I was appalled at their continued meddling in the timeline. It wasn't enough that they were diverting Marcello from marrying that woman, extending Fortino's life, and creating the legend of the She-Wolves of Siena. Now they are adding a fourth modern person to medieval Italy and erasing him from the contemporary timeline.
Additionally I'm kind of over all of them being so fluent in the language and having the fighting skills necessary to survive. It just made it seem too easy. And I was not thrilled with Gabi getting married and the rest of her family deciding to stay in the past with her; so uncomfortable that she was making such a huge change largely for a guy. But that wasn't her only reason; her other reason was...
That life is lived more fuller there-wtf? If you're not living life to the fullest in modern times, that's your fault. It's not because of what life is like here. However to be perfectly honest, I think it really depends on what you prize. While I love my family and my God (and would no matter what time period), I also love modern conveniences such as electricity, indoor plumbing, penicillin and other pharmaceuticals, automobiles and planes, and computers (and more). I also love being literate (I don't know that time period well but I do know that only a tiny percentage of all people were literate and that went double for women) and our improvements in communication (even as I wrote this in California, you are reading it anywhere). I guess what I'm saying is that I thought Gabi's decision was stupid and the author didn't sufficiently convince me otherwise. Thus the book became far too fantastical for me (even beyond the whole time travel thing).
Overall: This book just conflicted too much with my personal opinions about time travel and what I would do in such a situation. I was intensely invested in the characters and their decisions, such that I had a bit of a pain in my stomach while reading some parts. However the conclusion pissed me off. I wish all the best as the series is continued but I will not be reading them.
Cover: He is so gross looking; I want to give him a bath, a shave, and a haircut. I much preferred the girls from the other book covers.
"He is so gross looking; I want to give him a bath, a shave, and a haircut." <-- LOL! That just made my day! x) But despite all that, I think the whole time traveling idea sounds pretty cool! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad that this book frustrated you with some things, but I know what you mean when endings can sometimes ruin a book! It's a sort of make it or break it kind of thing.
Still, awesome review, B! :)
Aw, I'm sorry you didn't like it, but after your Cascade review I figured you wouldn't like the time travel meddling that went on in this one. :) I didn't mind that they all decided to stay in the past because it's romantic and what I wanted to happen in the story. But if it were me there's NO WAY I would give up modern conveniences and medicine to stay in the plague-ridden dark ages! And I get seriously grossed out by the bugs and dirtiness of it all.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of, yes, this cover really could have been done much better. He's wearing a wig, and I haven't heard anyone (the author included, apparently) who thinks that was a good choice.
@Smalls-Yeah, I just couldn't let myself get swept away in the writing and details despite their general excellence.
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