I’ve always been fascinated by the possibility of time travel. Probably mostly because I’m something of a history nerd, but seriously, how cool would it be to travel backwards–or forwards–in time? You could see the world as it was centuries ago, or look ahead to the future. Plenty of authors have wondered about the possibilities too, and here’s some of their takes on time travel:
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The Girl From Everywhere duology by Heidi Heilig- (5/5 stars) I loved this book soooooo much. I liked the sequel slightly less, but wow was I impressed with Heilig. There’s time travel to lands both real and mythical, and via a friendly pirate ship. Most of the action takes place in nineteenth century Honolulu, there’s quite a bit of time-travel as well, especially in book two. Beautiful writing, excellent storytelling, and absolutely worth your time!
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The Passenger duology by Alexandra Bracken- (4/5 stars) The time-travel focus for this one is much stronger, and the plot is very different. It starts slow, but the buildup strategy worked for me. The worldbuilding in this one stays impressively strong from one historical setting to the next, with an interracial romance, and lots of meta-plot about the complexities and complications of time travel. Plus, they visit ancient Carthage in book two, so how cool is that?
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The Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier- (3/5 stars) It’s been a while since I’ve read this one, but I just remember it being really fun. There’s definitely conflict and such, but the protagonist is a bit more flippant and snarky. There’s also a lot of interesting family dynamics because in this one the whole family is tied up in time travel, which is a lot of fun. If you’re looking for something cute, romantic, and somehow both modern and period piece, this is the one for you.
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The Hourglass trilogy by Myra McEntire- (3/5 stars) Each book of this trilogy focuses on a different character, but consistent worldbuilding and an overarching big bad keep all three linked together. The time-travel in these ones, from what I remember, is more about traveling closer to current time, the dangers of changing things in your or your parents’ lifetimes, not so much about the ancient past. But I remember the whole trilogy being a really quick, engaging read.
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The Dreamhouse Kings series by Robert Liparulo- (2.5/5 stars) A different world-building scheme here where the time-travel is wrapped up in a particular house more than particular people. A lot more parent-children relationships than you often see in YA, but I didn’t find the characters particularly captivating. This series is six books, and I’ve read the first four. It’s got a little more of a horror vibe, especially in the earlier books. Overall, just not something very stand-out for me.
Bonus TBR
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Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren- So, this one begins in the context of an archaeological expedition, and that’s pretty much all I need to be on board. Which is really dangerous, because then I get mad if things are too inaccurate, but that’s not the point. Fourteenth century Italy? I’m in.
If you could time-travel, where–and when–would you want to visit?