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Switching
Every week or two, Terry wakes up in a different time. She’s been ‘switching’ ― that’s her word for time traveling ― for the past eight months, and she has no recollection of her life before then. She doesn’t know who she is, why she’s time traveling, how to get home, or even when home is. Then Terry meets some fellow travelers and finds out she’s not alone, and that there might be a way to get home. But the others have their own agendas, and Terry needs to be careful where she places her trust. She finds herself falling for one traveler, but a terrible secret bars his way home. Another traveler is growing desperate, and he doesn’t care who he uses in his attempt to get home… even if it puts them all in danger. Can Terry find a way home before he tries something dangerous? Or will he prevent her from getting home at all?
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2012
20 people want to read
About the author
Jody Kihara
7 books35 followersI'm an author of young adult and mid-grade novels. My website is currently down, but you can find my books on Amazon.com, .ca, and .co.uk.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 20, 2013
*I got a free ARC of this book because I'm participating in a blogtour on June 4th 2013 at my own blog (un)Conventional Bookviews via Lightning Book Promotions.
Swtiching has me awed in all of its’ aspects! The characters are fantastically detailed, the world-building is amazingly well done, and the time travel plot is one of the best I’ve ever read.
Terry is a young girl, with no memory of her past, the only thing she knows is that she has been hopping through time during the past eight months – or switching as she calls it – and she’s been taking notes on the different dates and places she’s been to. Being alone for so long has taken its toll on Terry. She doesn’t know how old she is, what year she is supposed to be in, or whether she has a family or not.
Swtiching has me awed in all of its’ aspects! The characters are fantastically detailed, the world-building is amazingly well done, and the time travel plot is one of the best I’ve ever read.
Terry is a young girl, with no memory of her past, the only thing she knows is that she has been hopping through time during the past eight months – or switching as she calls it – and she’s been taking notes on the different dates and places she’s been to. Being alone for so long has taken its toll on Terry. She doesn’t know how old she is, what year she is supposed to be in, or whether she has a family or not.
November 21, 2012
This is the second book I read by Jody Kihara that I absolutely love. Her first book TheFrankincense Trail blew me away with its exotic historical setting and Switching is contemporary time travel with a twist. Both unique settings. I began to read this book with my daughter, but soon afterwards she picked it up without me and read it non-stop over a weekend. “Mom, I can't put this book down!” was her comment to me when I called her to dinner several times to no avail. I have never seen her so engrossed in a YA book before.
For the past nine months, Terry has been waking up in a different time--time travelling or switching as she calls it. It happens randomly, without her control, and the worst part is that she doesn't remember anything about herself or her life before she started switching. She's a teenager who has had to learn to fend for herself, sleeping in shelters and stealing money to survive. Alone, without being able to tell anyone about her predicament because who would believe her? She misses her parents and this pulled at my heartstrings. And then she meets other time travellers like her and an explanation is given about why they time travel and a plausible plan to return home is explored. But there are obstacles that might prevent this from happening.
This book kept me and my daughter guessing throughout. With twists and turns, characters with hidden secrets, and a play on how tricky the mind can be, we didn't know how it would all turn out. My daughter thought the way the story was told was amazing and she said the time travel theory made sense. I thought this aspect was well thought-out and unique as far as time travelling theories.
My daughter also liked Terry's character, admiring her courage and strength. I did too. There is some romance in this novel, and I liked Joshua and Woody's friendship. I wasn't always sure what David's agenda was, and I had hoped to know what happened to him in the end. My daughter, of course, didn't want the book to end.
This was a suspenseful, engaging story that brought tears to my eyes in the end. It left my daughter aching because of the bittersweet ending. I saw how powerful this book was by her reaction. Kihara has a way of pulling you into a character's world and not letting go until the last page. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
Note: This book contains a few religious expletives.
For the past nine months, Terry has been waking up in a different time--time travelling or switching as she calls it. It happens randomly, without her control, and the worst part is that she doesn't remember anything about herself or her life before she started switching. She's a teenager who has had to learn to fend for herself, sleeping in shelters and stealing money to survive. Alone, without being able to tell anyone about her predicament because who would believe her? She misses her parents and this pulled at my heartstrings. And then she meets other time travellers like her and an explanation is given about why they time travel and a plausible plan to return home is explored. But there are obstacles that might prevent this from happening.
This book kept me and my daughter guessing throughout. With twists and turns, characters with hidden secrets, and a play on how tricky the mind can be, we didn't know how it would all turn out. My daughter thought the way the story was told was amazing and she said the time travel theory made sense. I thought this aspect was well thought-out and unique as far as time travelling theories.
My daughter also liked Terry's character, admiring her courage and strength. I did too. There is some romance in this novel, and I liked Joshua and Woody's friendship. I wasn't always sure what David's agenda was, and I had hoped to know what happened to him in the end. My daughter, of course, didn't want the book to end.
This was a suspenseful, engaging story that brought tears to my eyes in the end. It left my daughter aching because of the bittersweet ending. I saw how powerful this book was by her reaction. Kihara has a way of pulling you into a character's world and not letting go until the last page. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
Note: This book contains a few religious expletives.
September 17, 2012
I love YA but not usually time travel, as any time travel book I'd ever read has involved a female character going back to medieval, victorian, or corset-times (why do they all do that?) However, this book is different from all those! The main character, Terry, is stuck bouncing around in time... but she only travels within a 3-decade span, from 1975 to 2005. Not only that, but she has no idea why this is happening, and can't remember anything before the time travel started 8 months ago. Her sole focus is on finding her way home... but she doesn't know WHEN home is, or how to get there! Terry's got a lot working against her... headaches, memory loss, "switching" (that's her word for time traveling) every couple weeks or even every few days, and no way of finding out what's going on. Then finally... she meets another time traveler.
The plot kept me hooked from the get-go, because unlike other YA books, I had absolutely NO idea where this one was going! But I don't want to talk much about the plot because I don't want to give away any spoilers!
Terry is a GREAT character. She is one tough cookie, very wry and sarcastic, and totally relatable. I loved how the main focus of the book wasn't the time travel itself, but Terry's REALITY, which is survival. Imagine if this was happening to you... would your focus really be on the bigger issue of 'what is time travel all about?' or would it be: where to sleep, how to get food, how to stay warm? Terry is of course homeless, and the author really nails how miserable this would be. Terry is hungry all the time, she's learned how to steal (but hates doing it), and is desperately lonely.
I don't want to give away the actual plot, so let me just say... it will keep you turning the pages! A very bittersweet ending, too, which continued to keep the book very 'real'. This is the 'realest' time travel book I ever read; the author even has a plausible explanation for Terry's switching! And there are laugh-out-loud funny parts too... I love, love, LOVED Terry and will re-read this soon.
Oh, and the e-book has some cool extras too... a neat article about how the author "found" her character, and some cool photos too!
The plot kept me hooked from the get-go, because unlike other YA books, I had absolutely NO idea where this one was going! But I don't want to talk much about the plot because I don't want to give away any spoilers!
Terry is a GREAT character. She is one tough cookie, very wry and sarcastic, and totally relatable. I loved how the main focus of the book wasn't the time travel itself, but Terry's REALITY, which is survival. Imagine if this was happening to you... would your focus really be on the bigger issue of 'what is time travel all about?' or would it be: where to sleep, how to get food, how to stay warm? Terry is of course homeless, and the author really nails how miserable this would be. Terry is hungry all the time, she's learned how to steal (but hates doing it), and is desperately lonely.
I don't want to give away the actual plot, so let me just say... it will keep you turning the pages! A very bittersweet ending, too, which continued to keep the book very 'real'. This is the 'realest' time travel book I ever read; the author even has a plausible explanation for Terry's switching! And there are laugh-out-loud funny parts too... I love, love, LOVED Terry and will re-read this soon.
Oh, and the e-book has some cool extras too... a neat article about how the author "found" her character, and some cool photos too!
October 2, 2012
Switching is a gritty, realistic, urban fantasy/sci-fi, and a fascinating exploration of time travel (or ‘switching’ as the main character Terry calls it).
What I like most about the novel is that Kihara gives the reader a scientific explanation for the time travel, and doesn’t just leave it to some mysterious flashing machine. In fact, the switching doesn’t involve any sort of machine, and Terry has no control over it. At any moment, she might be yanked through time to wake up in another year, which is a terrifying and dangerous activity familiar to those who have read Time Traveller’s Wife. Terry doesn’t, at least, wake up naked, though she has woken in a range of inconvenient places: jail cells, other people’s houses and even on a park bench.
Add into the mix that Terry can’t remember anything about her past life before the switching began about eight months ago and you have some idea of the struggles facing her throughout the book. She’s trying to find home, and yet doesn’t even know if she has a home at all. And even when she meets fellow time travellers, she quickly realises that she can’t simply trust them to help her out.
It’s probably Kihara’s most complex, subtle work. It is a compelling novel with a strong, interesting protagonist (though perhaps she spends a little too much of the novel eating...don't read on an empty tummy!). The twist around the middle will really have you on the edge of your seats, wondering whether anything is what it seems. And as you grow close to the characters, you’ll find it hard not to be in tears by the end of the novel.
What I like most about the novel is that Kihara gives the reader a scientific explanation for the time travel, and doesn’t just leave it to some mysterious flashing machine. In fact, the switching doesn’t involve any sort of machine, and Terry has no control over it. At any moment, she might be yanked through time to wake up in another year, which is a terrifying and dangerous activity familiar to those who have read Time Traveller’s Wife. Terry doesn’t, at least, wake up naked, though she has woken in a range of inconvenient places: jail cells, other people’s houses and even on a park bench.
Add into the mix that Terry can’t remember anything about her past life before the switching began about eight months ago and you have some idea of the struggles facing her throughout the book. She’s trying to find home, and yet doesn’t even know if she has a home at all. And even when she meets fellow time travellers, she quickly realises that she can’t simply trust them to help her out.
It’s probably Kihara’s most complex, subtle work. It is a compelling novel with a strong, interesting protagonist (though perhaps she spends a little too much of the novel eating...don't read on an empty tummy!). The twist around the middle will really have you on the edge of your seats, wondering whether anything is what it seems. And as you grow close to the characters, you’ll find it hard not to be in tears by the end of the novel.
July 20, 2013
Another great read from author Jody Kihara. I fell in love with this author's writing when I read The Frankincense Trail. In Switching, the author has shown how diverse her writing can be. This is The Time Travelers Wife for YA. The main character Terry is strong, feisty and resourceful. Everything I like in a female protagonist. She does what she needs to do to survive but still remains a caring person. The range of emotions is handled well as Terry tries to get back to her own time and her home. The other characters are also well developed and keep you guessing right to the end. At times I felt a bit bogged down by scientific detail but others would like that I realize. Things are explained well and the ending is surprising and satisfying. I couldn't put this book down as I needed to know the outcome.
March 3, 2013
Time Travel in a wonderful new light. Amazing characters kept me intrigued with this book till the end. Thanks Jody for a great Novel!!
July 8, 2013
4 STARS! Switching by Jody Kihara pulls you into the life of a girl who's lost everything, possibly even her mind. She can't remember her former life. She can't see the faces of her parents when she closes her eyes. She can't find her way home, not just because she's forgotten her address and her name, but because she can't get back to her timeline. With absolutely nothing, she has only her genuine soul and gritty determination to survive. Is that enough to finally land herself in the correct year and find her way home?
After reading a wonderful review by Lexxie at Un[Conventional] Book Views, I commented that I was going to request my library to purchase this book. Jody Kihara contacted me and sent me the book. How awesome is that? Super awesome. And even better than that, I love Switching. The MC named herself Terry because it had a nice ring to it, plus how can anyone truly exist without a name? From page one I was hooked. I felt Terry's fear, her good heart, her exhaustion, all in the first few minutes. My first time travel book and I loved it. This isn't a futuristic story, or some historical romance in disguise. We stick to the chunk of time between the awful clothes of the 70's and now. We meet characters I craved to have more story time with. My mind shot in all directions with speculations. I figured time travel, anything is possible. Yeah, none of my guesses were right. For many other readers, this wonderful book would be 5 STARS, it's that good. But in the worst way, I wanted more at the end. Switching is YA sci-fi I consider a great read for all ages with its brave female lead and engaging story. Terry's painful wish to get home becomes your wish for her too.
After reading a wonderful review by Lexxie at Un[Conventional] Book Views, I commented that I was going to request my library to purchase this book. Jody Kihara contacted me and sent me the book. How awesome is that? Super awesome. And even better than that, I love Switching. The MC named herself Terry because it had a nice ring to it, plus how can anyone truly exist without a name? From page one I was hooked. I felt Terry's fear, her good heart, her exhaustion, all in the first few minutes. My first time travel book and I loved it. This isn't a futuristic story, or some historical romance in disguise. We stick to the chunk of time between the awful clothes of the 70's and now. We meet characters I craved to have more story time with. My mind shot in all directions with speculations. I figured time travel, anything is possible. Yeah, none of my guesses were right. For many other readers, this wonderful book would be 5 STARS, it's that good. But in the worst way, I wanted more at the end. Switching is YA sci-fi I consider a great read for all ages with its brave female lead and engaging story. Terry's painful wish to get home becomes your wish for her too.
October 3, 2012
Okay this is my first time travel book ever read. I actually want to give it a 3.5 stars rating rather than 3 or 4 stars. Don't get me wrong but the ending was a bit something I hadn't expected at ALL! But no spoilers. So the book is totally good. The characters completely believable. I liked Joshua's character more than Terry's. Her behavior was just constantly changing. In all I would recommend this book to those who love time travel books because it's got all the components (drama, mystery, romance etc)
June 17, 2013
Maybe 4.5 stars. An interesting concept, this story about a girl who wakes up in an earlier decade, and then keeps switching times, but doesn't get back 'home'. To make matters worse, she has no memory of her family or life before the switching started. The science explaining what happened to her is plausible.
August 4, 2013
A great take on time travel fiction with a strong protagonist and bittersweet but perfect ending.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews