Return Once More

The Historians #1

by Trisha Leigh, Casey Turner (narrator)

If you could learn the identity of your one true love—even though you will never meet— would you?

Years have passed since refugees from a ruined earth took to space, eventually settling a new system of planets. Science has not only made the leaps necessary to allow time travel, but the process engineered a strange side effect—predicting your one true love.

If you could save your one true love from an untimely death, would you be able to resist?

Sixteen-year-old Kaia Vespasian is an apprentice to the Historians—a group charged with using time travel to document the triumphs and failures of the past—and she can’t resist a peek at her long-dead soul mate in Ancient Egypt. Before she knows it, she’s broken every rule in the book, and the consequences of getting caught could destroy more than just her new romance.

Or would you have the strength to watch him die?

But when Kaia notices a fellow classmate snooping around in a time where he doesn’t belong, she suspects he has a secret of his own—and the conspiracy she uncovers could threaten the entire universe. If her experience has taught her anything, to changing history means facing the consequences. The Historians trained her to observe and record the past, but Kaia never guessed she might have to protect it— in a race across time to save her only chance at a future.

Genres: Time Travel, Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Dystopia

372 pages, ebook

First published October 20, 2015

About the author

Trisha Leigh is a product of the Midwest, which means it’s pop, not soda, garage sales, not tag sales, and you guys as opposed to y’all. Most of the time. She’s been writing seriously for five years now, and has published 4 young adult novels and 4 new adult novels (under her pen name Lyla Payne). Her favorite things, in no particular order, include: reading, Game of Thrones, Hershey’s kisses, reading, her dogs (Yoda and Jilly), summer, movies, reading, Jude Law, coffee, and rewatching WB series from the 90’s-00’s.

Her family is made up of farmers and/or almost rock stars from Iowa, people who numerous, loud, full of love, and the kind of people that make the world better. Trisha tries her best to honor them, and the lessons they’ve taught, through characters and stories—made up, of course, but true enough in their way.

Trisha is the author of THE LAST YEAR series and the WHITMAN UNIVERSITY books. She’s represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Reviews

[Bonnie Shores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Return Once More is different from other time travel books I've read. In a good way. The story is set in the future, in a colony called Genesis that was terraformed after Earth became uninhabitable. The author does a great job of explaining the science behind a lot of tech stuff which adds to the believablity of the plot.



Kaia is just trying to get through her final year of apprenticeship before becoming a Historian. She lives where she trains, with two roommates that she's known most of her life. For the most part, things are going well. Except that her older brother is an outlaw in a society that is all about following the rules set in place for the greater good. And, alas, Kaia has the same rebel spirit in her, although she battles it constantly, wanting to do well in her chosen field. Not only for herself, but for her parents who have been shamed by her brother's actions.

On her 17th birthday, as is the custom, Kaia's given a card with the name of her True Love written on it. The catch... her "true" lived and died in Egypt (on Earth Before) about 3,000 years ago. Most of the kids consider it a game, akin to having your fortune told, and just crumple up their card (because most "trues" are not from the current period in time) and never give it another thought. But not Kaia. Despite knowing that doing anything more than observing the past could have far-reaching and disastrous consequences, she nevertheless sneaks off to ancient Egypt to meet her "true".



So, Kaia is doing her best to spend time with Caesarion (her "true" as well as the son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar) while not messing up history. She attemps to keep her adventures from her best friends, although they know something is up. All the while, a mystery is unfolding and Kaia becomes an unwitting participant in a plot that will alter the lives of all the inhabitants of Genesis. The Elders are obviously keeping secrets... but so are her friends.



In spite of the two barf-worthy pieces of dialogue I mentioned in my updates, I loved this book! It was cool to envision the Genesis colonies and what it might be like to live in a manufactured place like that. Again, the author did a really good job of adding bits of information here and there that made you think, "Oh, yeah. They wouldn't know what fresh air smelled like." (unless they travelled to the past). Or, "That was smart to let us know that their bodies, as well as their clothes, needed to be decontaminated prior to being allowed back in their self-contained system."

The only thing that was absolutely absurd was the way it ended. Or, rather, the way it didn't end. AT. ALL. I'm pretty sure this is the biggest cliffhanger I've ever encountered. And I was like... 😱

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to author Trisha Leigh.)

“Maybe rebellion ran in my blood.”



This was a really good YA sci-fi story, and there were so many twists I didn’t see coming!

I loved Kaia in a ‘OMG what are you doing girl?’ sort of way! She had some crazy ideas, and took some really risky chances, but her heart was usually in the right place, even if her motivation was maybe a little misplaced.

“What was Oz doing observing the Mongol invasions instead of watching the Japanese drop bombs on Pearl Harbor?”



The storyline in this was really good, and I loved the twists that we got thrown! The world building was good, and I liked the rules that the historian’s lived by, and the dangers of breaking those rules.

“You’re only in trouble if you get caught.”



There was some romance in this story, and boy did it get complicated as the story went along! I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers though.

“I never should have met him, because now, nothing in my life could ever live up to the sense of balance and completion offered by his presence.”



The ending to this left us with an absolute bombshell of a revelation! I cannot wait to find out what happens in the next book in the series! Highly recommended!



9 out of 10

“Return once more, Kaia.”


********************************************************************


Thanks so much to Trisha Leigh for an ARC of this!


I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have such a soft spot for the Young Adult genre.. However I find YA is also a genre that can go very wrong and when the concept isn’t pulled off, it can be a total disaster! I tend to be quite picky with my YA reads. When I read the description of Return Once More, I admit I was apprehensive. I don’t normally like books about your “one true love” and time travel can be so hit and miss. But the beautiful cover along with the interesting description pushed me to give it a go. And I am SO glad that I did! One of my favourite YA books of the year! And definitely in my top 5 books this year!

Return Once More is set in the distant future, where Earth as it was is no longer habitable and humans live on a group of terraformed planets, 16 year old Kaia is training to be a “Historian”. Historians are a group of people who go back in time and record important events in Earth’s history. It is extremely important that the historians do not disturb the past, only record. But when Kaia’s 17th birthday arrives, she gets to learn the name of her one true love (yes I know, I know… A scientific calculation based on genetics gives every person the name of their one true love – The person they are most compatible with throughout all of time, I don’t know quite how the author made it work, it just does). And Kaia learns her one true love is a pivotal character in Earth’s history. So obviously she can’t resist going back in time and meeting him. And thus begins an exciting tale of adventure, betrayal, and *shucks*… Love.

This book was REALLY well written. Trisha Leigh has done a fantastic job writing a far-fetched concept and making it exciting and interesting without too much of the corniness that tends to come through in a lot of these sorts of novels. I really enjoyed the world that she created. I LOVED the technology such as the time travel system and the different ways to talk to other people through these futuristic tattoos that link to the persons nervous system. I thought all of these concepts were really creative and clever.

The best thing about this book was the time travel aspect. What a FABULOUS concept! Going back to all different times to witness events of the past! Leigh takes us from the Roman era to the early 20th century and back to Egyptian Pharaoh times, back to 2001… And then swings us back again. I found it thoroughly entertaining!

The characters were fantastic! The main character Kaia wasn’t too annoying for a YA lead. Generally I find that the young female main characters of YA novels extremely irritating, but even though she made some stupid decisions, I found Kaia to be quite likeable. I am really excited to watch her grow both in age and maturity in future novels.

I LOVED that there wasn’t technically a love triangle. That’s probably my number one pet hate of YA books. But this wasn’t like that. Even though there was more than one potential love interest (sort of), the storyline was so complex that it didn’t bother me in the slightest, and I really enjoyed the romance aspect!

But again, the time travel was the star of the show… Couldn’t get enough of it! I think this would make an absolutely fantastic movie (or group of movies) or even a TV show! It has the potential to be BIG.

And what a twist at the end! I totally didn’t see that one coming and I am usually very good at picking it! Can’t wait for the next one!

So many thanks to author Trisha Leigh and YA Bound Book Tours for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

For this and more reviews visit my blog at
www.booksbabiesbeing.com
Find me on Twitter
www.twitter.com/BBB_Mel

[Norah Una Sumner · Rating 5 out of 5]

THAT ENDING!



I FREAKING KNEW IT!
Oh.My.God.This book is so,so,so good! The story is captivating,the characters are interesting and unique and the shock-factor is real.And so is my struggle because I need the next book.NOW.
I loved reading about Kaia and her adventures,she is such a cool and lovely character.She definitely makes some questionable choices but I’m not so sure that I wouldn’t do the same thing if I were her.The romance is,of course,breath-taking and wonderfully written.Also,I loved the world-building-I could picture everything so clearly from the very beginning.I seriously don’t want to spoil anything for any of the future readers so just pick this book up and read it.NOW.DO IT NOW.You won’t regret it.A story like this comes once in a lifetime.
Trisha,HURRY UP WITH THE SEQUEL OR I’LL LOSE MY MIND.



You can read this review on BookishFever

[Arielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Book two is out AND I AM SO EXCITED* If you haven't checked this series out yet, DO IT NOW.

Wowwww. Going into this book I had mixed thoughts. I had read a lot of really great reviews and the premise looked great but I was worried about the time travel aspect. Ever since I started watching Doctor Who I have standards on what I think does and doesn't work when it comes to time travel--I feel like it mostly can be messed up pretty easily. I was very presently surprised that what Leigh did in this book worked out immensely.

But I wanted to live moments, not just record them.

The main character, Kaia, is training to be a Historian. She lives in different solar system, Earth having been abandoned at least a generation before due to a depletion of resources. In her lifetime they have perfected things like time travel to the past, calculating who a person's "True One" is, and how to life in a peaceful society with next to no weapons. As a Historian, Kaia and her classmates are charged with traveling to the past to observe and record certain moments in the past to reflect back on and decide how things could have been different in society.

Kaia is mostly an average teenage girl who mostly follows by the rules. After her brother runs off their planet and joins with a band of space pirates, she and her family are more closely watched. Her first bout of trouble comes when she turns seventeen and finds out who her "True One" is. A True One is essentially the person who is the most compatible to you in every way. The tricky part is that they could have lived in the present, could live in the present, or could be born in the future. Kaia's is Caesarion, son of Cleopatra and Caesar. She decides that she wants to meet him--just once, just to see. When she does it's like nothing she has ever experienced before and she in instantly enamored with this young man. She leaves thinking that she will not return, satisfied to at least meet him once.

Meanwhile, she discovers that a classmate of hers and "True One" of her roommate, Oz, is also going along to other time periods and feels that something is not right about it. She begins to realize that something big is going on that the Elders have been keeping them all in the dark about. Something that could terribly impact all of their lives.

“Tell me a story about the sky.”

Okay feelings time and probably some spoilers so continue on at your own risk!

I LOVEDDD this book. Like I said, this was a good example of time travel that makes sense. They can only travel to the past, and they have to make sure to be extremely careful because even bumping or talking to one person could have terrible consequences (WHICH MAKES SENSE!!!). The romantic parts between Kaia and Caesarion were very swoon worthy. Yes there might have been an insta love connection BUTTTT because they were paired as being the most compatible people for each other of all time, you can forgive that. Plus, even though Kaia would like to bring him back with her, both of them realize that that is impossible and accept that. They take the short time that they have together and enjoy it, which I love.

Kaia in general is also a character that I felt like I could easily relate to. She loves her family and friends and wants to do things by the book but also wants to live her own life and take her own risks. I wouldn't say she is foolish with all of her decisions (even though she should have known better with returning back to her True Love) because I would have made those same decisions too.

Oz and the whole plot about a return to Earth grabbed my attention right away. Leigh gave us just enough to be hooked on the plot and to ensure we come back for the rest of the series. I really hope we get a lot more back story in book two. I was fine with not having it in this one because I felt like we needed to find out about jumping back in time can cause such consequences and because we had to find out who the characters were. By the end, Oz was no less a mystery. ESP AFTER HIS TRUE ONE CARD, WTF?! Overall I was very impressed and I can't wait until book two.


It was something we’d lost along the way—the ability to be awed by the unknown, to create myths that made sense of the inexplicable, instead of boiling mysteries down to their basest components.

For more of my reviews, please visit:

[Lily (Night Owl Book Cafe) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Return Once More had caught me by surprised. A story about Kaia, a Historian in training who on her 17th birthday discovers the identity of her True Companion and the lengths she goes in order to spend what little time she has with him. Meanwhile, trying to unfold a huge mystery that is being kept secret back in her own home that can change an outcome of their entire society.

Wow, this book truly blew me away. It was amazing, it was well crafted, with likable characters, and a wonderful world building. It was new, it was refreshing and it left me wanting more. Once I started this, I had the hardest time of putting it down, it was nearly impossible. Everything flowed so well, I didn't even find one dull moment as I eagerly flipped through my kindle pages. Everything felt like it had an outcome which only pushed me to go on, to continue reading. Kaia as a character grew on me. Her story felt emotionally charged. She had so much going on, not only in training and her struggles there, but knowing that her True Companion had died a long time ago, and the whole mess with her brother.

It is also a love story with a love that transcends time. Yes, there is a sort of instance love, but the author kind of prepares you for it and it needed to be done for the sake of the story. It's a bit more complicated than a simple case of annoying instant-love. I did NOT find it annoying. It was handled delicately and I found it so well done, I do applaud the author. Because it's not simple and it left my head reeling by the end of the book.

The writing is absolutely beautiful and descriptive in a way that pulls you in and refuses to let you know. The author is immensely talented and it shows through the crafted word. The mystery, the excitement, the well fleshed out characters that jump out from the pages, Return Once More is well worth the read - especially for the lovers of Time Travel books. The plot was exciting, fast paced and packed full of twist and turns that will keep you wondering and going. I myself cannot wait for the next book in this wonderful series. The writing alone is worth it!

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This review was originally posted on Night Owl Book Café

[Shannon Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
So time travel books, in my experience, have usually gone two ways: Lots of rules,  science and techno-speak that I didn't understand; or none of that and a huge lack of answers to the basic questions of how time travel is even possible. This book? Neither. Stunningly, happily, remarkably neither. It was some magical happy medium, where I understood what was happening and there was legitimate technology to back it up.

Anyway, let's move along. Kaia is living on a planet that is not Earth, because basically everyone has made a hot mess of Earth and Kaia has learned all the stories about her ancestors who, several generations ago, fled the planet. They now have a new system and do everything they can to ensure that the same mistakes that brought Earth to its demise don't happen again.

One way they do this is via the Historians, who basically travel back to record specific events so that whatever happened during these life-altering times do not repeat. And since science has evolved a ton, not only can people travel back in time, but there is some kind of scientific analysis that allows people to find out who their "true" match is. Incidentally, this was the one part of the story I found a bit beyond the realm of believability, but it really only stuck with me briefly- it didn't impact my overall enjoyment of the story.

And of course, since Kaia is 17, she doesn't always make the logical choice. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe it isn't, but she just had to meet her True. Only... he's from ancient Egypt. Clearly, this takes forbidden romance to a new level. But while Kaia has a lot of romance concerns, there is something amiss at the school.

So basically, here's what we have:

History, and lots of different parts of it, which I adore. From ancient Rome to the twentieth century, Kaia takes us all over history, and it is so amazing (and quite well researched, especially the specific events in question).  There's also a lot of discussion about the age-old questions of  the ramifications of changing history. How far would you have to go (or how little would it it take) to change it?
Fabulous, complex characters. Kaia, I adored. She's smart, but she's feisty, and she isn't a superfan of the rules. She has a tendency to want to see all the things, even when an assignment demands her to pay attention to one specific event. It isn't that Kaia is rebellious, she's just curious. And a teenager, who sometimes makes some impulsive choices without thinking out the consequences. She has two fabulous best friends, Analeigh who is level-headed and the general voice of reason, and Sarah who has shockingly found her True right in their very school. Oz, Sarah's True, is an enigma throughout the book, and intrigued me to no end. Kaia's brother Jonah is a fugitive, running from planet to planet evading secrets that Kaia has yet to uncover. And her True... well, I love her True.
FEELS. I had lots of feels. Lots. From the horrific nature of some of the places in history they'd gone to, to shock at some of the revelations, to happiness and laughter, to absolutely inconsolable sobbing, I had every emotion possible. And that, for me, is the surest sign that a book is quality.

Bottom Line: Can I have the second book yet? Because the ending was intense, and I need to know so, so many more things. This world is very clearly just beginning, but there was absolutely nothing lacking in this first book of the series. Return Once More is unequivocally my favorite time travel book to date.

**Copy provided from author for review

[Kara-karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5
What a fantastic story, you guys! Get it in any format, it's worth it, and it's especially lovely on audio. This is exactly the type of YA I adore - fast-paced, serious, merciless and with no-nonsense attitude. I got teary-eyed a couple of times because of the love story, and believe me, - it was tragic...


So what it's all about? Kaia is a student of The Historians, a group of people who observe history, clarify the historical events and make them available for the society, so it would learn not to make the same mistakes again. This society exists on a variety of planets far away from Earth which was abandoned couple of generations ago. Everything is tightly regulated, resources are limited, and religious, gender or racial prejudice is completely eradicated.


One of the fun things the teenagers get to do on their 17th birthday is receiving a computerized prediction of their soulmate throughout history based on their genetic compatibility. Most laugh it off because chances are your soulmate is already dead or hasn't been born yet, but Kaia's friend, Sara, won a soulmate history and got a partner in one of fellow students, Oz, while Kaia's prediction is no other than Cesarian, Julius Cesar and Cleopatra's son.


What a restless teen does, you can guess. She manages to find a way to travel back in time to see Cesarian, but accident happens and they start interacting, breaking a major rule of non-involvement while time travelling. While these two fall head over heels for each other while knowing they only have a matter of weeks before Cesarian dies as it happened in written history, Kaia manages to discover a major conspiracy within The Historians which can destroy everyone and everything she holds dear and which involves her friend's boyfriend, Oz.


This book has layers upon layers of plot, a few very compelling twists, and as I said already, a tragic love story. Kaia, Oz, Cesarian, Sara and Ellie(?) - sorry can't remember her name well, are engaging characters, and the ending on top of it all left me reeling. Basically, throw all your predictions out of the window, Return Once More will surprise you! I was madly scrambling trying to find any news of the sequel, but I don't think it's been written yet. *sad face*


Read it, it's very, very good.


* * *

Какая фантастическая вещь - эта книга, ребята! Найдите её в любом формате, она того стоит, но она особенно хороша на аудио. Это прямо-таки подростковый фикшн каким я его люблю - быстрый, взрывной, безапелляционный и беспощадный. Я даже прослезилась пару раз, так как любовная история здесь очень трагичная.


Ну так о чём эта книга? Кайя - студентка Историков, группы учёных, которые путешествуют во времени наблюдая и кларифицируя исторические моменты, чтобы общество могло их изучать и не совершать те же самые ошибки. Земля была покинута людьми пару поколений назад, и теперь они живут на нескольких планетах с жёсткой регламентацией, лимитированными ресурсами и эрадицированными гендерной, религиозной и расовой предвзятостью.


Одно из интересных событий в жизни подростков - это вычисление их идеальных половинок с помощью калькуляции генетической совместимости. Большинство людей над этом только посмеиваются, так как вероятность того, что их половинка уже прожила жизнь и умерла - чрезвычайно высока, однако Сара, друг Кайи, выигрывает генетическую лоторею и получает в партнёры их однокурсника, Оза, а самой Кайе достаётся в партнёры умерший две тысячи лет назад, Цезарион, сын Клеопатры и Юлия Цезаря.


Ну в принципе понятно, что мятежный подросток не удерживается и нелегально путешествует в Древний Египет, чтобы на свою половинку посмотреть. Совершенно случайно, Кайя и Цезарион входят в контакт, что запрещено правилами путешествия во времени, и вот уже Кайя ломает всё больше правил, пока она и Цезарион влюбляются друг в друга по уши в течений нескольких недель перед тем, как он погибнет от руки Октавиана.


В то же время, Кайя наталкивается на огромный заговор среди Историков, который потенциально глобально изменит историю и постепенно раскрывает его детали с помощью замешанного в него Оза. Книга полна неожиданных поворотов сюжета, сюрпризов и классных характеров. Здесь нет никакого сюсюканья, и хотя отношения между Цезарианом и Кайей трагичны по своей сущности, в них нет мелодрамы, и я испытывала к ним обоим огромную симпатию.


Читайте, эта книга будет держать вас в напряжении до самого конца, да и повороты сюжета предсказать будет очень нелегко из-за многослойного построения мира. Очень рекомендую!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars ★★★★★!!

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

AHHHH Trisha what are you doing to meeeee. I could NOT put this book down until I was finished omg. This book was amazing! I recommend whole heartedly!

General Comments

Okay So trying to organize my thoughts on this book, I love time travel books but sometimes they can toe the line into just being plain bad. Not Return Once More though I don't normally love books that are set in an far away future as well as being set in space. (the thought of space freaks me out a bit) but this was pulled off really nicely with with living on new planets and not some weird space station, It felt relatable in a way.

Finding out about your true love is just suppose to be an interesting fact you can find out on your 17th birthday. For most people it's someone who's been long dead because of the chances of having your true soul mate alive in the same era as you is slim to none. So when Kaia finds out who her long dead soul mate is she can't resist.

This leads to so many questions for Kaia about who to trust and if her Elders have the good of her people in mind. So many things are happening that this book keeps you on your toes. Theres love and intrigue and questioning authority figures, trying to find out who she can trust. It turns into more then just visiting a past unrequited love and I think thats why I really loved this book. As much as romance is a focal point there are points about how the earth failed and why they needed to move to space. So we get a chance to read about these real world problems that are actually happening right now and destroying the world. I think thats a great message for my generation and younger to read about, and hopefully take away the message that we need to treat our world and each other better.

A quote I really liked was this one, I think it gives a little glimpse at what is past researching for them, but also a good insight for us that things are not necessarily evil its what you do with them that can be. (speaking about guns)

“Though I believe my ancestor, Richard Gatling, did not create something inherently evil, humanity is constantly challenged to fight the evil inside of us. We cannot trust ourselves or others with machinery that can take a life in a matter of seconds.
“In conclusion, I do not agree with previous reflections that deem the men who created killing machines partially responsible for the collapse of society on Earth Before. As with all of our assignments that revolve around understanding the reason for our exile to Genesis, I believe the nature of humanity responsible for our greatest losses”

Excerpt From: Trisha Leigh. “Return Once More.” iBooks.

Characters

I wanted to be annoyed with Kaia's decisions and that fact that she was being hypocritical I hate when characters just do dumb things. But I have to admit if I was in her situation I would definitely being tempted to break the rules to visit the past for personal reasons. The fact that she also knows she's being hypocritical criticizing a classmate for doing the same thing as her makes it a bit more bearable she's acknowledging her stupidness. The characters are also 16 -17 and damn that makes me feel old now, I was able to just pretend for the most part that they weren't that young because they seemed to speak older and hold more responsibility. There was insta-love with the true soul mates and everything but it didn't bug me as it normally would, It was well written and wasn't even based off of looks Kaia talked about why she loved her guy and the feels that came with it and it was believable to me.

I saw another review mention reincarnation and that made me think about how good that might be and throwing that into the mix might change up some things or cause some problems/would be an interesting thing to play out and maybe more people would get to be with soul mates. So maybe that gets introduced next book or maybe not, but I think that would be a really cool way to go. especially if you could recognize who the reincarnation was but then maybe thats getting side-tracked from the rest of the story, I guess thats why Im not a writer!


World Building

Excellent world building! for a time travel book especially one set in the far future to start I think has the possibility to be overwhelming and super Sci-Fi techy. This did not it gave us an insight to an imaged future that is believable and fairly easy to comprehend right away. We got to read about historical moments and live in the past at times with the characters and that was fun and interesting to be there with them because it was well written to feel real.


Overall a great read! I could probably go on more about this but I don't want to give anything away. I think this was an A+, 5 Star read. You for sure should pick this up once its out!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my stars, Return Once More was an amazing read! It had everything I love about YA fiction, and still managed to be unique. In this historical/sci-fi/time traveling dystopian the fate of the future rests in the hands of a few.

Kaia is a historian apprentice. Her job basically involved using technology to go back into the past, with her peers and a mentor, to observe history as it happened. This sounds like the coolest job ever! Yea, there is some boring sounding reflection that needs to take place, but to actually go back in history and see things as they happen, that just seems like such a gift. Of course, with every gift, there is a price. Kaia not only goes back and witnesses history, she take a vow to protect it as well. Since there are an infinite number of things that could change if just one thing is changed in the past, historians must make sure they don’t disturb the past while they learn from it.

Not only do these people in Genesis have cool time travel, but they can also find out the identity of their “true”. The true is basically a soul mate. A true could be anyone, living in any timeline, but the temptation to find them is still there. For Kaia this temptation is greatly magnified when her roommate discovers her true is someone living in the same time, and is in the same class as they are. I know for me, that would be enough to make me find out for myself. That is exactly what Kaia does, except her true is long dead. Kaia’s true was an Egyptian king names Caesarion.

The problem comes in when Kaia discovers a class mate going back and making changes. Maybe she could take a risk and meet Caesarion before he dies? Maybe she could save him from a short life and a murderous fate? I doubt I would have the self control to NOT find out who my true was if I lived in Genesis. I don’t blame Kaia. OF COURSE, I would try to find him as well. Who could resist the temptation of finding out what true love feels like?

Kaia was a such a great character. She is only 16 at the beginning of this story, so everything is SO new to her. She just hasn’t experienced much. Also, I loved that she wasn’t an expert at anything. I don’t see too many stories with this kind of character, so I really loved that she was normal.

This story does use insta-love to get people together, but only in the case of a “true”, so I could totally forgive that aspect. Even though there is some insta-love, I still felt the connection between Kaia and Caesarion. The romance in this book really worked because Kaia was such a relateable character.

The pacing in this story was so good. In first person POV, we get a good look at Kaia’s life. We see her indecision, her friends, her studies, the technology, Caesarion himself, and a mostly bad guy names Oz. I loved learning about the world of Genesis and what the Historians do, but I loved the time travel scenes the most. Kaia spends a good bit of time in Ancient Egypt getting to know Caesarion. In these scenes we get so much detail, it is like being right there. The historians must look the part when they go back in time, so there is special attention on wardrobe and customs. This carries right back to Genesis with people dressing in period garb throughout the story.

Also, I have to mention that I don’t usually enjoy historical fiction so much. This book is a rare exception. The history in this book was a major factor, but the time travel aspect made it awesome.

I am finding it VERY difficult to describe how much I enjoyed the reading of Return Once More. This book is friggin fantastic! It had adventure, I swooned, I cried, and then it ended. Now I want MORE. I am so delighted that this is just the first book, because I want more of this story. I highly recommend this book!

[Nicole M. Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 Stars

This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction

Return Once More is a YA time traveling sci-fi adventure book of the best kind! This book will get your heart beating faster and bring tears to your eyes. It’s the type of book that will get you thinking about all of the moral and practical implications of time travel (without making your head spin).

What fed my addiction:

Time travel!
I’m a sucker for time travel stories when they’re done right. Sometimes they can get confusing or unbelievable, but that wasn’t the case here. Kaia is an apprentice Historian – tasked with searching the past to help ensure that her own society does not repeat history’s mistakes. The biggest rule of all is that they can observe but never interact. Any slight change in history could affect the world in unpredictable ways. So when Kaia discovers that someone is altering the past – and that the Historians she learns from may not be telling the complete truth about time travel.

Kaia.
It was easy for me to connect with Kaia – she’s an average girl – not a typical save the world type – but she’s willing to dig in and even get herself in trouble in order to find the truth about what’s going on with her people. She has a sense of loyalty toward her people, but also toward her brother, who has broken away from them and insists that they aren’t telling her the whole truth.

The romance.
And then there’s Kaia’s True – the one person in history who matches up with her perfectly and who is meant for her. Kaia can’t resist finding out more about her true love, and once she meets him, she struggles to let history play out the way it’s supposed to – with her true love’s untimely death. Now, I will say that there’s definite instalove involved here, but the whole true love thing made it okay for me, and I definitely felt a real connection between the couple. Usually instalove turns me off, but Leigh made it really work and I was completely behind the romance!

The moral implications.
I loved Kaia’s struggles with the moral implications of all of her decisions in the past and in the present. She knows that her meddling with the past could be disastrous, but she struggles to overcome her emotions once she meets her true love. At the same time she realizes that someone else is meddling with the past and she’s rightfully concerned – but also knows that her own guilt in this area makes it kind of hard for her to judge!

The ending.
There’s a reveal that definitely took me by surprise, but I won’t say anything more!

What left me wanting more:

True love?
Okay, so I did have a slightly hard time swallowing the idea that a computer could find your one true love in all of history – and understanding why anyone would want to know that in the first place. There was a message there about how your “Chosen” love could be almost as good as your True, but then Kaia didn’t really seem to believe that, and the strength of the connection between Kaia and her True did make that hard to swallow.

I absolutely can’t wait to see where Leigh goes with this series. So many exciting things happened toward the end of the book that were completely game changing! Actually, this reminds me that I started another of Leigh’s series (a self-pubbed one) that I really enjoyed and I need to pick that one up again too! Overall, I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

[rin · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know, I'm a sucker for time travels things, so this part of the book made me go gaga over it.
It's very nice thought out and executed. A little too stretched maybe but overall it's really really good.

Of course some things like finding yours True Love scientifically didn't make sense, but it's science fiction, so everything can happen.

This book made me look up some of historical moments, it's very interesting and exciting. I'm not sure if I liked Kaia (aka the MC) but I definitely enjoyed the book.

P.S. Trisha Leigh seems like a good author, I totally want to try another books written by her.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. First off it was very well written and well researched. The world building was pretty stellar. The time travel element was believably done. The book was written in first person POV and that was also well done. Sometimes that POV can be very clunky and obtrusive. Here it was pretty seamless. I liked the heroine and I loved her True. The one person in all of history who is your perfect match. The book ended on a extremely big cliffhanger and while I can't wait for the next one, I am apprehensive about where it is going. Still, hurry up and bring it on.

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions)]

Chapters read: 3

I'm struggling a lot with the world building. It's just too busy for me to handle. The sci fi stuff and the time travel is very cool, but the addition of science's ability to predict your true love who could be from any time is puzzling. They can even tell you your true love from the far future or far in the past. How can they possibly have the ability to do that? It's a cool idea, but I can't quiet the part of my brain that keeps screaming HOW THOUGH.

[Valeria Andrea]

Very interesting, but this book has a glitch; Reincarnation.

It doesn't consider reincarnation as a variable & I'm seriously frowning down at that.

I Also hate that the chick is 16.
Seriously, you guys.
We are talking about one's true love, corny feeling & all.
She's way too young - too stupid.

[Erin Arkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Trisha Leigh, You just seem to get me. I mean, time travel, boys, fate and a bit of mystery all in one book. GAH! I'm going to be needing the next book real soon please. No pressure.

I had my eye on Return Once More by Trisha Leigh way back when she was calling it The Historians so OF COURSE the first moment I saw this up on NetGalley I was going to request this. Not only did I love Leigh’s First Year series so I know her writing style is right up my alley, but for real…History and time travel – it’s like she asked me what my favorite books include and decided to write this story just for me. As always, I am going to try to do this review spoiler free…don’t hate me if I don’t answer all the questions and leave you wanting to know more.

This book leads off by bringing us along to observe the death of Julius Caesar right alongside the Historians. I loved how Leigh pulled me right into this world where there is a look but don’t touch mentality. Here they are, faced with the death of a very influential leader and as Historians, they are not allowed to do anything but: “Research. Record. Reflect.” Not only can I see that as being very frustrating but if the event has something to do with you, would you be able to step back and allow something horrible to happen without a second thought? Something to think about.

Kaia is the main character and she is living on Sanchi, a planet within the solar system Genesis, because Earth Before has environmental concerns and other issues that prompted the leaders to relocate. Now the role of the Historians is to make sure the same issues that plagued Earth Before don’t happen again. Kaia is also training to be a Historian and since the age of ten, has been living at the Historian Academy with her six classmates. As her birthday comes around, one of the questions Kaia has to ask is whether she would like to know the name of her True Companion – the one person (born or unborn) who was made to love her. I mention this because this plays a fairly large role in the story but I will come back to this.

Kaia is an interesting character and I liked her. She isn’t afraid to step outside the rules to get what she wants. With that said, she never does anything with the intention of hurting someone but because of her actions, there is collateral damage. She definitely cares about her people (friends and family) but she isn’t afraid to push the envelope when it comes to the dictations of the Elders.

Kaia has some pretty supportive friends in Analeigh and Sarah. Analeigh especially supports Kaia throughout the story and really steps in to help her out whenever she is in a pinch or just plain needs a friend. In addition to them, their group of friends includes Sarah’s True Companion, Oz. The other character who plays a fairly important role is Kaia’s brother Jonah. The thing to note about Jonah is that he has been on the run for the last three years and we don’t really find out what he has going on until later on in the story. The thing we do know is that he is definitely wanted by the Elders and has some information that would definitely be useful for Kaia to know.

One thing I will mention here is that Leigh does a great job of creating this world that Kaia lives in. Not only are the descriptions of the places Kaia visits detailed, but the academy where she lives and the people and things she encounters along the way are very well done. Adding the science fiction to the story was a great way to show how Kaia and the people of Sanchi have the ability to transport to different eras as well as use tattoos to communicate, translate language, and pay for things.

So of course I am going to spend a bit of time talking about the boys in this book. Remember how I mentioned that Kaia has the option to find out who her True Companion is…well she decides she wants to know who it is and once she does, she makes the decision to learn more about him. Now…I don’t want to say too much here but Kaia’s True Companion is definitely swoony and although we only get snippets of him, I really found myself liking him more and more. He is absolutely presented with something unbelievable and he never really questions Kaia about who she is and he has to help her realize what the right decision is and I loved his integrity and ability to listen without reacting negatively.

Oz is a bit of a mystery through most of the book. I knew something was up with him and there were points of the story where it was clear he was hiding things from everyone. There were also points where I wanted to smack him and others where I was glad for his reaction and/or quick thinking. I won’t say too much more about Oz but I am definitely curious to see what happens next for him.

So it is probably pretty obvious that I really enjoyed this book but I will say it…Trisha Leigh knows how to write a fantastic story. She blends in a bit of history, some sci-fi, and wonderful world building to create something that had me turning the pages quickly just to find out what happens next for everyone. The only bad thing about reading this book so quickly is that I finished it soooo quickly. I am definitely looking forward to the next book of this series (is it too soon to ask when it comes out??) and trust me people, grab this one when you can!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!

[Katherine Paschal · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a far off future, humans have left earth due to declining resources and traveled to space. In a highly controlled environment, soon to be 17 year old Kai is in training to be a Historian. Historians have the capabilities to travel back in time to visit earth and document historic events through video for their history archives. For the most part, Kaia tries to walk the straight and narrow since her brother’s banishment, but some rules she has a hard time following. On her 17th birthday, as per protocol, she received the name of her One True, the person who is genetically compatible for her in every way. Unfortunately, her True is from Ancient Greece, long past dead. Kaia finds her brother’s abandoned time travel cuff and uses it to travel back in time just for a glimpse of him. Little does she know what actions she set into motion.

I like time travel books, and sometimes I enjoyed a star-crossed lovers story also (usually only when I know they can end up together though in the long run). Well, this was most certainly time travel and star-crossed lovers, but it was a completely angsty mess with no happy ending in sight. I found parts of the story to be very interesting, like how the future world is set up, the space pirates, the hows and whys of time travel. There were a few things that bothered me enough about the book that at times it felt like a chore to keep reading. I loved the mystery and conspiracy of the plot and wanted to dive right into it and see who was wrong and what could be gained by changing history as well as the deal with her brother and Oz, and in my opinion there could have been more of that. And the ending! I had some kind of ideas formed, but Wow what a huge twist the author threw in. The ending alone is enough for me to want to read the next book in the series, regardless of anything else.

I am sure I am the minority here, but the author’s apparent love of history at times overwhelmed me. I wanted plot and action, but instead facts about scenery, clothing and weather of the time were thrown on me until I lost interest in what was actually going on. I thought the characters were very interested and well developed but I was so distracted by the verbose descriptions of history that I would put the book down to escape it (I think history is interesting but I have never wanted to read a book of history and I still don’t). I have read other time travel books and loved them with their dash of history thrown in here and there but to be honest I was out of my element and had no interest in broadening my scope.

I would have probably liked the book better without the True concept. Yes, I know it was needed for the plot to explain why Kaia went off the grid with her actions, but still. The concept of having a perfect genetic match somewhere in time where most people will never meet was hard for me to get behind. Add in the fact that Kaia’s just so happens to be a huge historic figure that impacted the world? Why couldn’t he have been an average Joe? Kaia’s true has almost no documentation about his life, yet a blood sample is present to genetically test? Also, they had an instant love connection which I never support in books (unless there are werewolves involved and they are mates). I get the idea of being perfectly compatible (which by the way is done predominantly for the sake of the offspring yet here same sex pairing are done very often), but how did they get a sample of every person who has ever been born in the universe’s blood samples and store in some random machine to match? It just does not seem reasonable, which is probably a stupid thing to point out in a fantasy time travel book, but oh well. And do they really have these feelings for each other, or are they brainwashed into believing they are perfect mates so a feeling is created? I have so many questions and no answers that I can agree with that I doubted so much of the True’s connections in the story.

Overall, I was intrigued by the plot and the mystery and would love to see how the story will play out. I did have hang-ups about certain elements of the book, but it was interesting enough for me to want to pick up the second one to read sometime in the future (you know, after it is actually available to read). I read lots of other peoples reviews on the book and most people loved it so I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys an angsty romance steeped in history.

I received this title from the publisher in return for my honest review.
For more reviews visit my blog http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

[T.H. Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for time travel. Young adult time traveling romances? Yeah, that's like my trifecta right there, so I eagerly snatched up this gem from talented author, Trisha Leigh. I was sucked into her Cavey Files, and had high hopes for her take on the time travel genre. This is such a unique twist that it really stands apart from any other I've read. The book is set in the future, after Earth's destruction. Kaia is a Historian, someone who travels back through time to study historic events and learn so they can avoid making the mistakes that led to the demise of Earth.

One of the side benefits of their futuristic science and technology is they've discovered they can identify everyone's soul mate. The one person who is your perfect romantic partner, regardless of when and where they were born, even if the soul mates were never destined to meet. It's mostly just something done for fun, but when Kaia learns of her soul mate, she breaks all the rules to meet him. Just to find out what it would feel like to see the boy who is her perfect match. The love-at-first-sight aspect of this plot point requires a little faith on the part of the reader, but it's not so over the top given that they're soul mates.

I really only have two problems with the book that kept it from being a full five stars. The first is that it takes awhile to develop. I picked it up and put it down several times before I got to that point where I was thoroughly engrossed. The second is that it ends in a cliffhanger. I'm not a big fan of those, particularly when there is a long wait for the next book.

Plot
The plot is intricate and layered, with a lot going on. Since this is the first in a series, many questions are left unanswered, but everything does move forward. Some to conclusion, others not. And because of the cliffhanger ending, a huge question is raised in the very last sentence of the book. Other than a slow start, the plotting keeps up a steady pace through the middle until the end.

Characters
Kaia, her soul mate, and Oz, another historian, are well-developed and interesting. I got much less of a sense of the rest of the characters, though. But, because the plot centers on these three, it's important that they're fully fleshed out, and they are. I had a hard time connecting with Kaia in the beginning, but as the story unfolded, she becomes more likable and sympathetic and by the end, I was twisted up inside for her. Her choice is heartbreaking and I felt her pain and anguish as she struggled to find the right path.

The Ending
Aside from the cliffhanger aspect, the ending is gut-wrenching, emotional, and wraps up many of the plot lines, leaving more for the next book.

Top Five Things I Enjoyed about Return Once More:
1. Time travel. I never get tired of this genre.

2. Oz. He's a tough egg to crack and I can't wait to find out more about him.

3. Scene setting. Trisha Leigh does an incredible job of painting such a vivid picture of the scenes, it's hard not to believe you're actually there..

4. Forbidden love. In a unique twist on a common trope, this is one of the most well-done subplots in the book.

5. Impossible choices. Never knowing what was going to happen kept me turning the pages.

Bottom Line
Return Once More is an engaging time travel scifi romance with an intricate plot and intriguing characters.

Disclaimer
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher. This in no way influences my review.

[Jamie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your average time travel!

Admittedly, I’m choosy when it comes to futuristic sci-fi or time travel books. I need to feel like the story and characters are still relatable and relevant to current life. When I found out Trisha Leigh had written a book about time travel, I KNEW it would break stereotypes and be something I’d love. I WAS NOT WRONG!

What if you could find out at 17 yrs old who your one true love is - your soulmate? How many of of us would be dying of curiosity? But what if the trade off was knowing the likelihood of your one true love being in your own time was almost nil? Frankly, the curiosity would still get to me, just as it did to Kaia. She finds out her one true love is not only long dead but has to decide if it’s worth breaking every rule she’s been raised to adhere to in order to sneak a glance at him. She’ll never talk to him, of course … whoops, or maybe.

Kaia is training to be a Historian charged with recording important historical events. One of the basic rules is to never interfere in the past, and she knows that all too well. But what happens when you not only fall hard for your soulmate but you find out things that will potentially mean disaster for your own time period. Do you break all the rules to investigate and risk everything?
No matter where her body is, her heart continually returns to her one true love far in the past.

Trisha’s love of history is evident in this book as she mixes the future with the distant past with a smoothness that only a true Historian could achieve. She never disappoints, and I can’t wait to see where she takes this series. With history behind us, the future open before us, and Leigh’s imagination to bridge the gap, we are in for a wild ride!

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was FANTASTIC! I am not always a huge time travel fan because I often get caught up with the “why are you going back and forth part”, but this was executed in a wonderful way. I love the different kinds of tech that are in this one. Leigh creates a fascinating conundrum of how humanity should responsibly act if they were given the power to go back in time. I struggled with the world building initially, but after a few chapters of rolling with it, I was won over.

Kaia is an intriguing character. Initially I thought she was rash, but she has more depth than I thought originally, and Leigh slowly reveals more about her. In the epilogue you are definitely left with a cliffhanger, but it’s such a good one I think I’ll forgive it. When is the next coming out??

Warning: contains some violence

Who should read it? History and fantasy fans! This is a fantastic weaving of historical events on a deeper level without being a historical genre.

Want to read the whole series? To be determined!

Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review courtesy of YA Bound Blog Tours.

See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to thank Bloomsbury Spark for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. receiving this book for free has not altered my opinion or review in any way.

So, I'm a fan of time travel books. And I know it takes a lot to be able to write one, so much to think about. Which is why the blurb of this book totally and completely intrigued me. Not only was it time travel, which I often associate with the future (for some unknown reason) but it was time travel into the past. And when I say past, much of it takes place in ancient times, Ceaser times. And then the neatest thing about this book, it takes place in the future. And not our future, like Back to the future, but in a world after our world has been destroyed. We are talking YA Sci-fi time travel, what could be better?

Kaia is an interesting character. She's a historian, and she is dedicated to ensuring the future of her world is different from what they've seen in the past. So she jumps back into different points in time to study what went wrong and is slated to use those experiences to make sure things go right for her and the future generations. She's always pretty much walked the straight and narrow. Rarely steering from the path that's been set before her. But Kaia seems to have an itch to delve into things she shouldn't. and doesn't seem to be afraid to step outside the box. And when she's faced with the possibility of meeting her true, the one true love she will ever have, she's determined to find out about him, even if he did live B.C.E.

I really liked Kaia's curiosity. Even if it meant going against everything she had ever been taught, she is still willing to search for the truth. I will say her decisions at times were rash, and really not in her best interest. And it was way too easy for her to get away with the things she did, despite the fact that she kept saying people were trusted and not much oversight was given in her time. I found it hard to believe she would not be watched more than she was given the nature of what the elders were trying to do.

There seem to be three potential loves in this book. Two of which Kaia really never takes a romantic interest in because she's completely drawn to her true. But I did spend much of the book waiting to see if Kaia would change her mind and see things in the other boys she never did before. Thankfully, the love triangle, or quadrangle, did not come to fruition or I might have been done with the book before it ended.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters in this book. They truly complimented Kaia. The goody goody, the one who has found her true, and, of course, the male best friend who would love to be so much more. All the characters really shape who Kaia is and how she reacts to situations.

I love the idea of Kaia's brother and who he may be in the future. We learn so little about him in this book, but what we do see is important and I can tell it will intensify the plot of future books in this series.

The overall plot is really interesting though I could have done with less of the romance, to be honest. I understood the need for it, since it is why Kaia chooses to travel alone when she should not. But at the same time, I just didn't feel the pull I was supposed to feel. Sure, there was perhaps an attraction to her true, but the tug she kept telling me about just didn't feel true. I feel like I could have enjoyed the story more if there had been a slow burn. And Leigh does a nice job of world building, though I'd like to see more of how Kaia's world came to being (what exactly led to the downfall of Earth as we known it).

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. The writing was good and I didn't find myself bored while reading it. I wanted to know what happened, what the mystery was and why. And, in the end, I really wanted to find out more and see the outcomes of Kaia's choices. I am looking forward to the next installment in this series.

[Just a person · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this one because I really enjoyed the idea of knowing your true love, and the appeal of the forbidden romance aspect. I have no idea what I would do when faced with a choice of saving one man that is meant for me and the huge and unknown consequences that could come from altering the course of history. I mean without that aspect even the time travel would have appealed to me. The people from the future exploring the past in order to learn from it is intriguing.

I liked Kaia, she likes her job, but she wants to do it differently. She is going back in the past to learn from the big events that shaped history. Kaia instead pays more attention to the love and hope rather than the tragic events. Even though she knows they are important, she also believes that those things are important.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about the historical aspect, but it worked okay for me since it also had the futuristic aspect and it wasn't completely rooted in the ancient times to start with, it was back and forth exploring the past then back to Kaia's present (future to us though.) It explored her friendships and her family.

I liked the twists in this one and there was always a lot to keep my attention. Kaia found out that her True was a man in ancient times, and she couldn't resist going to meet him. I loved their connections and interactions. It was cool how time didn't seem to matter to them, nor different cultural perspectives, just their connection and attraction.

The theme of friendship was good in this one, and I liked that Kaia tried to protect her friends when she was doing something that she shouldn't. But I also liked how she did decide to ask for help eventually and let people in.

Family is different on Genesis-- where they are living now. Kaia doesn't live with her parents, instead she and the other kids live in sort of boarding school aspect. They stay in dorms and the teachers and leaders of their schools help govern. But I do like that Kaia felt so close to her brother, even though he was an outlaw. The love didn't go away, and neither did the love and support with her parents even though its not a traditional family unit.

Kaia realized that another student was also in the past, and she felt responsible to figure out what he was doing. She was just going back to get to know her True, but she was still breaking laws and regulations, and could effect the future. But the other student, the things he was messing with, besides seeing him chose to change the past in ways that could make a big difference.

I liked how it ended, and I will definitely be continuing this series. It wrapped up certain plots, and then blew up some questions and I can't wait to see how the new will play out.

Source: Bloomsbury via Netgalley
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free.


Bottom Line: Great premise, and loved Kaia and the romance.

[Cynthia (Bingeing On Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was even better than I thought it would be! Trisha Leigh wrote a fantastic story that weaves historical fiction with science fiction and it kept me engrossed until the very last page.

Kaia is a historian. Her job (along with the other historians) is to travel back in time to observe specific moments in history so they can learn from the past and not make the same mistakes again. The historians are supposed to observe history, but they are never, ever supposed to alter it in any way. The author did an amazing job of weaving the past with the future. The scenery of ancient Rome led seamlessly to the technology of the future, where Kaia and everyone else resides in space after Earth was destroyed.

It did take a bit to get into the story, but after Kaia discovered her True, things moved along rather quickly. The True concept was maybe the part of the story I didn't fully get, but it moved the plot along so I went with it. Every year, when a person turns seventeen they are able to find out the identity of their true love. The problem is that this person could have lived at any point in history and it is very rare that your true is someone in the present time. Personally, I don't think I would have wanted to know, but curiosity killed the cat and all that. And do you think she can resist going back in time and observing her one true love? Of course not. I wouldn't have been able to either and that's probably why I connected with Kaia so much. I understood her motives and I just liked her. She may not always observe the "right" things in history, but she has an insatiable interest in it and she respects the rules. But she also can't help but satisfy her own curiosity. Kaia struggles with meeting her True and the rules of not altering history, but then all these other secrets come out that indicate the people in charge aren't all on the up and up.

The insta love thing between Kaia and her true could have been more annoying. I don't usually like that particular trope. But the author did a great job with this one and the way she wrote it just made sense to me. I could see the connection between them and I could feel the chemistry. I loved that the characters were not one dimensional and neither were their feelings.

The ending of this book was SO INTENSE. I really didn't see any of it coming. I really, really need this sequel. I can't wait to see what Leigh does next with these characters.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult / Science Fiction
*Rating* 3-3.5

*Thoughts*

Return Once More is the first installment in author Trisha Leigh's The Historians. The story is set in the year 2560. In 2510, irreversible destruction on Earth sent people into space. Sanchi, Amalgam of Genesis, is where we find out main protagonist Kaia Vespasian. Genesis was born out of the desire for peace and harmony. Kaia and her family are direct descendants from the Original colonizers, as well as Roman emperor Vespasian who ruled from from 69 to 79 BC. Vespasian founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empire for 27 years.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

GUYS, I'M DEAD. This book was so much freaking fun to read. I honestly loved every single second of this story - it was so entertaining and so well-written, and so obvious that the author took so much time and thought to put it all together. Hats off to Trisha Leigh, I enjoyed this book far more than I expected to.

The concept of time travel in this is so interesting. It's completely different from other time travel stories that I've read, and I've read a lot because time travel is one of my all-time favorite concepts to read in fiction, and the time traveling in this was so well-done and so well explained, I can't get over how much I loved it. The transporting cuffs were such a nice touch and I just loved that really futuristic yet modern and easy aspect of it, if that makes sense. The entire future world that the characters live on and the whole thing about them going back in time to record moments and observe them was SO GOOD - having that explained and reading about that in action was so incredible and so cool. I was hooked from the very beginning because from the very first page, the characters are on one of their little mission thingies, and it was so, so well-written and easy to understand.

I wanted to take my time reading this book because I knew from just reading the synopsis that I was going to love it, but it flew by so quickly. When I started reading, I couldn't stop, and now I have no idea if there's even going to be a sequel - I NEED THE SEQUEL. The characters were all so amazing. I loved Kaia so much. She wasn't annoying or over-the-top with theatrics and dramatics whenever something went wrong. I loved that she was so curious and went out of her way to search for answers even though she knew there would be consequences. I found her curiosity and her interest in certain aspects of history to be so relatable, and I think she's a wonderful character. The whole thing with her brother was so sad - I hate when families are split apart - but I think it was really well-done, and it left a lot of open space for potential interactions between them in the future. I'd love to read more about what Jonah, her brother, is actually doing and where he is, because I think that would make such an interesting story/subplot. I'm very, very excited because there's so much potential for the sequel (I AM PRAYING TO EVERY GOD AND HIGHER POWER THAT THERE IS ONE, I hope I'm not jinxing it).

The romance in this killed me. I am dead and gone. Kaia and Caesarion were so perfect together, they made my heart ache in the best and worst ways possible. I'm so sad because of what had to happen in the end, but I'm really glad that the author followed through with it. I kept hoping that the author wouldn't do it, but it'll be interesting to see what happens to Kaia next, even though they weren't together for too long. But they seriously made me fall in love with their love. They both cared so deeply about each other and UGH, I'M NOT OKAY. I WANT THEM TOGETHER FOREVER, REGARDLESS OF THE CONSEQUENCES. Anyways. I loved Caesarion so freaking much and I hope we somehow get to see more of him. I don't think I could handle reading about Kaia without his character.

The ending I DID NOT see coming at all, and I'm still sitting here like, WHAAAT. Because WHAAAT. What even was that ending and how am I supposed to cope without the sequel because I NEED to know what happens next! I thought Oz was really annoying in the beginning and I just dismissed him because I was like, oh, he's the moody and broody dude who's just kinda there. But NOPE - I really liked his role in this story, although I wish he had just been more honest with Kaia, because I feel like they could've worked around things better that way. But the ending before the big WHAAAT, kinda clarified his way of thinking, and I'm really excited to see more of Oz and Kaia working together. I don't know how I feel about them being TOGETHER TOGETHER, because that's kinda weird and a bit too soon, in my opinion, but I have no doubt that whatever Trisha Leigh is going to write, I'm going to love.

This book is easily one of my top favorites that I've read this year. It was so much fun, so intriguing, so well-written, so well-developed, and blended so many concepts that I love so seamlessly. I adored this book and I highly, highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. It's such a quick, fast-paced, and heart-pounding read, that it's impossible to not fall in love with.

[Miranda - Life Between Chapters☕ · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Originally posted on my blog @ Miranda's Book Blog

"My heart slammed into my ribs, and my mouth went dry. What felt like a million tiny little magnets came alive under my skin, tugged me toward the still form, but walking with knees made of water proved impossible.
Something deep in the core of me recognized him, even without seeing his face."

OMG the heart-pounding, smiling like an idiot feels! I'll admit that I have a soft spot for time-travel romance, add into the mix that it's a YA and I was sold when reading the summary! Now if you aren't the type who likes 'one true love' type books, have no fear! This is also for the action hungry, dystopian fans out there too! So yeah, the best of both worlds so to speak! Kaia and Caesarion's utter attraction, love and devotion for each other had me head over heels in swoon-worthy moments! Ahh it's utterly romantic and I LOVED every minute of it!

"We can't change the past without consequence. Every person, every event, affects at least one other."

Kaia makes the decision to travel back in time to see her one true love. But it's not without it's consequences. This is where the action kicks in people, one moment you are swooning, the next you'll be swimming in tons of action!

The world in which Trisha Leigh has created is phenomenal! I'm not even sure where to start. Earth has become uninhabitable, so humanity has fled into space in the year 2510. Humans were able to find a distant galaxy and terraformed them into livable planets with artificial atmospheres. The thing that makes this book just perfect is the time travel. Imagine being stuck on a planet that's been made to be artificially habitable, but being able to time travel to Earth and surround yourself with amazing environments!

This book is so well written, it's a mix of sci-fi, historical and romance all rolled into one perfect story! The historical references are wonderfully written and will keep you on your toes! It's not often that an author completely takes me by surprise with the plot. So my advice: READ. THIS. BOOK. Now the ending, I have no words. I will leave you with this.

[Shannon Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my! This book had it all. This was one of those stories that sucked me in immediately and kept me in suspense until the very end. There were so many elements I loved about this story that it's hard to know where to start.

First, there was the cast of characters. They were all so well-developed, but I loved Kaia from the very beginning. This isn't a Katiniss type girl. She' normal, with normal hangups, a normal teenage girl's faulty decision making, but with an underlying core of strength and feistiness that you just couldn't help but love. She lives in a world where time travel is possible and commonplace, where everyone has a destined "True" love that was made for them. You had to suspend disbelief a little at this point, but if you can suspend it enough to believe and go along with time travel, you shouldn't have a problem with the "True love" choosing either.

As a typical teenager, Kaia has the curiosity that has her seeking out her True. I'll admit that there is insta-love in this book, which I usually hate. Yet, because of the nature of this story, and the concept of everyone having a True, it wasn't something that stopped me from enjoying the story. In fact, in this particular case, the whole story kind of hinges on it, so it made it acceptable and even necessary.

Kaia's True was, well.... I loved him. Perfect indeed. As the summary says though, his life is threatened. If you had the ability to save your true love from danger, what would you do? I can't really blame Kaia for any of her actions. I encouraged and rooted for her.

This book had absolutely everything you could want. Great concept, amazing, well-conceived and complex characters, time travel, a romance that gave you goosebumps, suspense and intrigue, and an ending that will leave you dying for the next book. The author did an amazing job weaving all of this together, making her science believable, and making you love her characters. This was a keeper, and one I would re-read. Loved it!!

[Unabridged Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who loves History and would give up almost anything to be able to observe historical events as they unfold, Return Once More is my dream novel. Many interesting historical events are discussed or even witnessed during the course of this novel. I loved each of them, but the ones set in Ancient Egypt are my favorite as it is my favorite thing to learn about when it comes to human history. Trisha Leigh did outstanding research when it came to presenting these events in historical detail with accurate depiction even in the middle of a fictional story.

Usually with Science Fiction especially those involving time travel confuse me or they are overly scoped out with rules and depictions that the reader has to understand to fully relate it to the story. Thankfully, while there are consequences for affecting the past, there is still enough wiggle room for the reader to enjoy each of the observations back in time. Trisha Leigh concentrates more on the story of Kaia and her friends then the science behind everything.

As a character, I loved Kaia. She was full of risk taking just to see her one true companion, even if it mean the possibility of never having a proper future as an official Historian. When she discovered others are tampering with the past instead of observing, she readily jumps into action to preserve the past to preserve the future. This bravery is what I really loved about her, and I cannot wait to read more of Kaia’s story and see how the future plays out.

Trisha Leigh has started possibly my newest addiction. I love The Historian series, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next one even if this one leaves on a bit of dramatic cliffhanger (but not a cliffhanger that had me upset enough to want to throw my kindle.) I hope to see another The Historian’s novel from her very soon. This series is a great read for historical and science fiction fans alike.


**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book, in exchange for an honest review**

[Hannah L (Reviewer) · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you had the ability to go back in time and meet your soul mate, would you? How far would you go to save them? What would you risk? Sacrifice? In the world of Return Once more, Kaia Vespasian is faced with these exact questions. A sixteen-year-old apprentice to the Historians, she risks everything as she travels through time to meet her true love.
I had extremely high hopes for this novel. It's concept was riveting and had plenty of potential. When time travel comes into play, there are many many ways the story can be taken. Return Once More disappointed me to say the least. The plot was bland, slow and unsatisfying. Most of the characters seemed dry and two dimensional. The story it'self seemed to give the readers a lot more questions then answers as the story progressed. The romance in this novel was also very bland, short and undeveloped. I struggled to connect to it, and the characters themselves. The authors voice it'self was not bad in itself, and really was the difference between hating the novel, and just simply not enjoying it. I did not enjoy this novel and do not recommend it. I give Return Once More TWO OUT OF FIVE STARS!!!

Want more of me? Go to: http://thenotsopubliclibrary.blogspot...

[Emily D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started Return Once More on a whim. I forgot my kindle and in an act of desperation I started reading on my phone. This novel quickly sucked me in though and I ended up reading about half the novel in one sitting. Yes, it’s that kind of book!

Return Once More takes place in the future. The Earth has been abandoned and Kaia Vespasian is an apprentice historian. Historians travel back in time and observe the past so they can learn from it and better shape the future. A side effect from this traveling is that they are now able to tell you who your soul mate is. After Kaia learns who her soulmate is she can’t help visiting ancient Egypt to meet him. The problem is the teachers and classmates Kaia’s trusted might not be so trustworthy.

Kaia took me a little while to warm up to. I liked that she was a go getter but she rode the line between go-getter and just charging in to danger for no reason. By the end of the story though I was firmly on Kaia’s side and I couldn’t wait to learn more about her life!

One of my favorite aspects of this story is that the setting of this novel was constantly shifting. It was partially in ancient Egypt, early America, and the future. I like how Trisha Leigh seamlessly wove these settings together.

Overall, Return Once More was a really engaging and fun read. It sucked me in and the cliffhanger we were left on has me excited for the next installment in this series!