Blurb:
Alex once walked away from a rare
ability to warp time, thinking it was only a young man’s trick to play
basketball better. Now, as a father and teacher, he needs to relearn the skill
before the past begins to destroy his own future. To protect his daughter and
his most promising student, he must stop the school at which he teaches from
turning the clock back to an era of intolerance. He wants desperately to use
his unique gifts to help an old high school friend solve an ancient Maya
mystery offering a rare chance to bridge the past and the future. Both are
possible, but only if Alex can learn to control his temporal talents before he
runs out of time.
Excerpt:
Alex and Xuha continued their
tennis workouts into the summer, with Xuha growing stronger each week, as his
left-handed playing improved. After two and a half months, he felt confident
enough to try his right hand.
"I think I'll always
practice left-handed, too. It could be an asset, giving my right arm a rest or
even using my left to throw off an opponent."
Alex agreed. "I'd focus on
serving with both hands. That's where you'll get the most impact." The two
of them worked on serves, until the June sun rose high enough for the summer
heat to take over the morning.
"That day you got attacked.
You still have no idea who they were or why they picked you?" Alex
wondered aloud as they both gulped water and gathered up their gear.
Xuha shook his head. "I
mean, I can guess. It's pretty obvious around school who'd be inclined to do
that. But they didn't say anything to me and no one has threatened me
since"
"Given the way you fought
the first two attackers off, I'd guess you've been in a fight or two. I have to
admit, I had no idea you could move that fast, and I coach you."
Xuha grinned. "I don't like
to fight, but I can if I have to. I know this will sound odd, but if it's a
situation where I really have to make my body do something, it's like
everything slows down for me, so I can do it. Does that make any sense?"
Alex felt his own heart loose a
beat.
"I tried to tell this to a
boy I played soccer with. He was like scary good and was trying to give me tips
and stuff, and I was afraid he'd think I was crazy, you know?" Xuha made a
crazy face. By now Alex had gotten used to the boy's odd facial humor and he
ignored it.
"But this soccer player
didn't think I was crazy. He said that's exactly what happened to him sometimes
on the soccer field."
Now Xuha really had Alex's
attention.
"He told me he wished he could
control it, like make a kiss with a pretty girl last longer, but it didn't work
that way. It happened when it needed to. He thought maybe all great athletes
could do this when they played, even if they didn't realize they were doing
it."
"That's interesting. Do you
think maybe some people become good at a sport because they can do that? Or
maybe they get good first and the technique follows?"
Xuha shrugged. "I've heard
people describe something like it during a car crash, too. You said you used to
be a good basketball player, Mr. Z? Did you ever have this happen to you?"
"Yeah. I think I know what
it is you're talking about."
"Okay. So, that's what happened
to me during the fight you saw. Like I didn't ask for it or anything, but these
guys started moving slower, you know, slower to me and it made it easier to
defend myself."
"I wish it could have
protected you from the idiot behind you who you couldn't see."
"Me too. For that kind of
protection, I have to go to my alternate plan."
"What's that?"
"Stay out of fights."
My Review:
4 stars
4 stars
Since I’ve
reviewed numerous books in this series, I’m going to recap the thoughts from my
previous reviews that still apply for book 3 of the series in addition to my
thoughts on this individual book.
To start,
research, research, research. The author puts an incredible amount of research
into her books. I learn something new in every book, whether it be regarding
quantum physics or ancient Mayan history. Seeing these real-life elements help
ground the story’s more fantastical elements, and creates a nice balance while
reading.
Pacing
is still a problem. There’s a lot going on, including numerous time jumps, which
made it hard to focus at times. However, from reading the earlier versions of
some of these books, the pacing has improved, and honestly, once you get used
to S.R.’s writing style, you can forgive some of the pacing issues because you’re
drawn into the story. However, it’s still annoying, and something to be aware
of if you’re going to get into this series.
The characters
are enjoyable and interesting. I liked getting to learn more about old
characters from the previous books I’d read while meeting some wonderful new
ones (or kinda new…time travel).
Finally,
the plot. This time around, S.R. tackled the hard-hitting issues of racism and
immigration as part of the characters’ struggles. The way this was handled,
while a bit heavy-handed and preachy at times, was still enjoyable, and I kept
cheering Xuha on the entire time, as I loved how he handled both. In addition,
the Mayan treasure hunt brought in some action and mystery to the sci-fi mix,
which is always fun.
All in
all, I’m still enjoying this series, and recommend it to anyone looking for a fun
sci-fi/fantasy adventure.
Don’t forget to visit the other stops
on the tour.
Author Bio and Links:
She published her first science
fiction short story long ago, and then waited a lot of tables while she looked
for inspiration for the next story. When it finally came, it declared to her it had to be a whole book,
nothing less. One night, while digesting this disturbing piece of news, she
drank way too many shots of ouzo with her boyfriend. She woke up thirty-one
years later demanding to know what was going on.
The boyfriend, who she had apparently
long since married, asked her to calm down and explained how, in a fit of
practicality, she had gone back to school and gotten a degree in geophysics and
spent the last 28 years interpreting seismic data in the oil industry. The good
news, according to Mr. Cronin, was that she had found it to be entertaining and
ridiculously well-paying. The bad news was the two of them had still managed to
spend almost all of the money.
She was now Mrs. Cronin, and
further good news was that they had produced three wonderful children whom they
loved, even though, to be honest, that was where a lot of the money had gone.
Even better news was that Mr. Cronin turned out to be a warm-hearted,
encouraging sort who was happy to see her awake and ready to write. "It's
about time," were his exact words.
Sherrie Cronin discovered that
over the ensuing decades Sally Ride had already managed to become the first
woman in space and apparently had done a fine job of it. No one, however, had
written the book that had been in Sherrie's head for decades. The only problem
was, the book informed her it had now grown into a six book collection. Sherrie
decided she better start writing it before it got any longer. She's been wide
awake ever since, and writing away.
Email me at lola.zeitman@gmail.com
Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog, and for the review!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteDid you help design the cover?
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading the excerpt and great review. The cover looks amazing! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat is your favorite scene from the book?
ReplyDeleteSounds like an awesome read!
ReplyDeleteIf you could write in another genre, what would you try?
ReplyDelete