Assessment:
Plot: This well-plotted, book starts with a bang and doesn't slow down until the very end. This keeps things exciting, but some down time might allow the characters—and readers—a little time to reflect.
Prose: The writing here is excellent. The different accents of characters are represented well in dialogue, and the descriptions are on point.
Originality: This novel blends the historical and the modern very well, and introduces time travel in an effective and fresh way. Saira's journey has plenty of twists that keep things interesting.
Character Development: Saira is a skillfully developed character, and the other main characters have enough depth, too. But the nonstop pace—as well as rather large cast of characters—leaves many of the secondary players underdeveloped and sometimes difficult to remember.
Date Submitted: August 06, 2017
Review:
Time travel, adventure, mystery, suspense, and a love that transcend time. Yup. This book has everything.
This was an EPIC adventure of a book that was written so well as to create a thriving and vivid world that I was completely and utterly immersed into. The supporting characters were well-developed and played key roles in the advancement of the story and I didn’t want to stop reading once I started. So much is going on, drama, back history, history, tidbits of mystery that you wish you could figure out. Then there is the love. . .oh my heart. It is so sweet and endearing and just compels you forward wanting to know what will happen with them.
I almost get a feel for A Discovery of Witches with this book only written with a younger protagonist who is very, very, strong. I would not call Saira weak at all. She takes care of herself and has for a long time so it is hard for her to let others help. I couldn’t help but love her. I Loved the whole book and was quickly enthralled with the story which was so well written. Time travel can be a tricky thing to write and April White has done it beautifully, explaining the process as it occurs for this book and also making sure that as you read you aren’t left going “wait. . .but how. . ? wouldn’t that. . that makes no sense.” I tend to do that if time travel isn’t written well enough and it bugs me. I hate reading a story and having to stop and wonder if what the author states is even probable or if one part contradicts another. With this there was none of that for me.
Okay, time travel aside let me talk character. The protagonist is a 17 year-old female tagger named Saira who quite accidently finds out she is descended from an ancient line of immortals who have special talents, hers being time travel. She is a loner and grew up into being very self-sufficient so her personality as I stated above does not leave room for a weak character, her weakness at most would be in her inability to trust others and let them help her.
I’m loving this series and am so excited that it was recommended to me. I feel like I am not even doing it justice.
Make time for Marking Time, you will not regret it and most likely you will recommend it to a friend.
http://backoffmybooks.blogspot.com/2014/08/marking-time-immortal-descendants-book.html
