Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 324
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co., LLC
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended--and rather eccentric--family in an exclusive London neighborhood. In spite of her ancestors' peculiar history, she's had a relatively normal life so far. The time-traveling gene that runs like a secret thread through the female half of the family is supposed to have skipped over Gwen, so she hasn't been introduced to "the mysteries," and can spend her time hanging out with her best friend, Lesley, watching movies and talking about boys. It comes as an unwelcome surprise then when she starts taking sudden, uncontrolled leaps into the past. She's totally unprepared for time travel, not to mention all that comes with it: fancy clothes, archaic manners, a mysterious secret society, and Gideon, her time-traveling counterpart. He's obnoxious, a know-it-all, and possibly the best-looking guy she's seen in any century....
The Dish: Time-travel seems to be gaining some serious momentum in the paranormal YA genre. And why shouldn't it? It's a thrilling theory to be sent back through the years to possibly some of the most exciting (if not dangerous) of time periods. Not to mention keeping with the authenticity of the period with proper and beautiful attire.
I really enjoyed how large a part Gwyneth's family played within the overall scheme of the story. So many books have the parents either not present or just playing as little a role as possible, having more cameo roles. This is Gwyneth's story, but it's nice that her family members are more than just mentioned in the novel. Granted, there are her family members that I don't really care for, but I'm hoping there will be further explanations in the next book, or if not, that these family members will fade into the background even more.
Gideon is something else, and despite his arrogance and know-it-all personality, I like him. There's a bit of an adventurer in him, and I can't wait to see where that will take both him and Gwyneth in Sapphire Blue when it comes out next year.
There are so many mysteries involved in the story with the biggest one being what will happen with the closing of the Circle of Twelve? And what is Lucy and Paul's part to play in in preventing this from happening? There's so much to learn within the next two books, and I'm definitely hooked. The release date for Sapphire Blue cannot get here sooner.
