The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare

Alex Wayfare #1

by M.G. Buehrlen

For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last.

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

324 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2014

About the author

MG Buehrlen is the author of the ALEX WAYFARE series. She is a retired programmer, social media director, and tech junkie who co-developed YABooksCentral.com, the largest social network for young adult book lovers. After too many years in the computer world, she now tries to live off-grid as much as possible, writing novels instead of PHP code and exploring the unbeaten paths with her husband and son.

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 2 out of 5]

“I thought we were supposed to use time travel to help people,” I say. “I thought that’s what I did.”

He wheels around and aims a finger at me. “That’s not what you did. You played dress-up while you chased after some ridiculous teenage fantasy. You can’t make that much of an impact on the past. You can’t fall in love.”

I guess this is what you would call speculative fiction, because try as I might, I can't really make much sense of this book. There is plenty of time-hopping, as well as a supposedly compelling reason behind it. I couldn't see it. For me, the book's time-traveling premise felt more like a tool to showcase different time periods (and clothes! and parties!), and not the danger-packed events they should have been.

Plot aside, the main character is not a girl I admire. Alex Wayfare is selfish, she is truculent, she is thoughtless. She grew up somewhat during the length of the book, but by then, I had ceased to care.

The Summary: Alex Wayfare uses her "visions" as an excuse to be a horrible person. Ever since she was a child, she has had these "visions," in which she blacks out in real life, then sees herself transported through time to another reality in the past. Like one time, she blacks out and gets visions of herself in the Puritan Jamestown colony, during a long, hard winter.

The Jamestown settlers had to turn to cannibalism. It's not in the class textbook, but Alex saw it. Therefore it must be true. She writes an essay on the Jamestown cannibalism, surprise, surprise, she gets an F because IT WASN'T IN THE FUCKING TEXTBOOK. In revenge for her F, Alex humiliates her teacher in front of the entire school. Sounds totally fair, right?

His phone rings in his pocket. The vibrator motor stings his thigh, and he shrieks into the microphone. He actually shrieks. The ringtone peels thrtough the gym, the rapper rhyming about beating up his cheating girlfriend “because she deserved it” and dropping he F-bomb every other word. The entire student body bursts into howls of laughter.

And that's just one of the many bullshit acts she pulls because, you know, she has visions and all. Life is so fucking hard because it's not like everyone thinks she has epilepsy and pities her. Oh wait, they do.

During one of these "blackouts," Alex gets transported to the Roaring Twenties. She looks just like herself, only, you know, hotter, thinner.

Soft, wavy tendrils framed my face, gently brushing my red cheeks in the crisp autumn air. Everything else was the same – my nose, my lips, my chin – only I looked thinner, possibly two sizes smaller beneath that long wool coat.

Unlike other visions, Alex actually gets to STAY in this one. And boy, is it worth staying, cause there's "Blue." "Blue's" name's Nick, and he may be a gangster, but he's hot, so you know, who the fuck cares, lol. They nearly get shot. Yeah, you heard me.

It felt like ages before the gunfire stopped and the roadster sped away, but as soon as it did, Blue Eyes pulled me to my feet.

Before you know it, she's falling for Blue, because getting nearly shot together is such a "meet cute" moment. It's so sweet, they encounter gangsters together. Pshaw, who's worried about a bunch of Tommy-gun-wielding gangsters, anyway. Certainly not Alex!

Back home, I would’ve run for my life if I’d come face-to-face with a guy like him in an alley. But in this body, I wasn’t scared.

So yeah, FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Six to one. I didn’t know a damn thing about fighting, but I knew those weren’t good odds.
My feet were planted. And my fists craved contact. I was hungry for a fight, and somehow I knew I could hold my own.

Uh huh.

Thankfully, she is saved by an act known as deus ex fucking machina in which she blacks out JUST IN TIME to be saved from a gunshot.

Back in the present, Alex receives a cryptic message from an unknown man.

I’m not sure what I’m doing, following a cryptic flyer to meet some old guy I don’t know. I know a hundred different ways this meeting could take a turn for the worse.

You don't say? Surprise, surprise, Alex goes to meet him anyway. Thankfully, Alex doesn't end up being the victim of a serial killer, and she actually learns something about her time-traveling condition from a man, Porter.

As it turns out, Alex is rare. Different. Special.

“You’re the only one of your kind,” Porter says, making it sound like an honor. “The only reincarnated Descender. A Transcender."

She can travel through lives and past lives. Alex has had 56 previous lives. Before Porter could completely explain the concept of time travel to her, Alex is like lol, fuck it, I'm going to the past to see Blue. She travels back to the Roaring 20s to see her new squeeze.

You know that thing about not making an impact on the past, because it could affect the present? Alex says to that concept: FUCK YOU.

Using her past body, Alex does such compelling, important things as: get dolled up.

When Helena finished my makeup, I looked in her mirror and turned my chin to the left and right. A movie starlet stared back at me.

Porter yells at her to come back. She doesn't listen.

Porter’s voice elbowed its way inside my head, just as startling and unsettling as the first time.

Forget Porter's warnings, there are more important things to do. Like go to the Chicago Theater!

We stood outside the Chicago Theater, waiting in line under a huge, glittering marquee that read The Jazz Singer. My jaw dropped when I first saw it.

Not to mention spending a moonlit night on the rooftops of Chicago!

He helped me onto the roof, and we gazed out at the city, breathing in the night and listening to the distant street sounds. The stars seemed close enough to fog with your breath.

And Porter's voice yelling at her in her head? Fuck that shit, IGNORE HIM.

You need to come back now. I didn’t tell you the rules. You have to come back before you–
His words resonated inside my skull like the gong of a bell. I fought harder.
I struggled longer.
Porter was gone. Equal parts relief and guilt twisted inside me.

And she would have gone on partying like that until she got forcefully pulled back to the present. And Alex pouted like a little girl when she's told that she has to repair the damage of her presence in the past.

I stare at him like there are marbles spilling from his ears. “You can’t be serious. Everything I went through, everything that happened...You want me to erase it?”

He lifts his chin, daring me to defy him. “Yes.”

“But...” I grasp at straws, trying to delay the inevitable. “I didn’t sleep in until lunchtime. I landed at lunchtime.”

Now do you realize why I don't like Alex?

It turns out that there's a bigger plot at hand. There is an evil man out to kill Alex. Will she stop being a belligerent little bitch in time to save her own ass?

The Plot: Rambling. All over the damn place. That whole "Blue" arc was completely irrelevant and useless, and it took up almost half the fucking book. Alex gets to travel through her other past lives, several of them, and those events barely take up any notice in the book because they happen so quickly. This book is not so much the 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare, but more like the 3.25 lives of Alex Wayfare.

There is no danger, because the "past" seems more designed to be presented as a cool setting than anything relevant to the plot. We get to see her looking like "Marilyn Monroe" when she travels back to the 1960s. We get to see her on a cool train robbery in the 1870s. These time-traveling events do not feel like they made much impact on the plot, despite the fact that they are supposed to be crucial.

Alex: Frustratingly childish. She is so self-centered. She has no survival skills. In her everyday life, she uses her "I have visions" excuse to basically fail at life. And by that, I mean, she is failing 11th grade. She is intelligent, brilliant, but she uses her skills for petty revenge instead of anything noble.

“I may have posted a few of Tabitha’s personal text messages on the cafeteria’s scrolling message board...”

She is a disappointment to her family, and her family has enough hardships on their plate, like her sister, who is dying of leukemia.

Alex is the type who thinks that all adults are stupid, terrible people.

“Sadly, I haven’t met too many elders worthy of respect outside my family. Adults seem pissed off because of their life choices and take it out on us kids because, unlike them, we still have time; or they’re blind and forgot what it was like to be a kid so they try to put us in a glass box; or they’re jackasses just for the fun of it; or they’re blissfully ignorant of, like, everything."

SHe flaunts the rules, and is shocked and angry when she gets caught. She violates the very backbone of time-traveling rules. All for the sake of romance.

We don’t make an impact. But you?” His short laugh is dry and hollow. “You broke just about every rule we have – short of killing someone – on your first run. I think that must be some kind of record.”

The Premise: Honestly, it doesn't make much sense. The premise of time travel in this book is half fantasy, half sci-fi. We're just expected to believe that time travel is possible, and two scientists came to achieve it. No explanations given.

"And they were geniuses. But there was more to it than that. They had an upper hand. A secret weapon no one else knew about. They could travel back in time.”

...that's it. There are people who can travel back in time. Accept it, because no further explanations are given.

There's a lot of terminology thrown at us: Limbo, Transcenders, Descenders, Newlife, Base Life. It doesn't really make any sense, because there is no credible basis and explanation for the time travel except that, well, some people have it. It's a "maybe she's born it it, maybe it's Maybelline"-type of bullshittery. How did they manage it? Oh. Limbo.

“How did they travel?”
“By accessing Limbo.”
“Limbo? Like Dante’s Limbo?”
“Exactly, yes. Everyone passes through Limbo on their way to Afterlife when they die, but only a few can access Limbo while still alive."

...What? Um, ok.

Not recommended. Fuzzy logic, fuzzy concepts, an annoying character who is so self-centered that it takes away from the story.

[Rashika (is tired) · Rating 4 out of 5]

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato

The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare was an interesting book to say the least. There were some things that nagged on me but in the end, I couldn’t help but enjoy it. I suppose I am being generous with my rating but I cannot bring myself to lower it because most of the things that bothered me didn’t have a major effect on my reading experience.

“I liked being me. I liked being invisible. Nerd glasses and all.”

Alex is not a wowza female lead. I spent huge chunks of the book wanting to bang her head on a wall and cringing at her stupidity but as the book progressed I started to see that the author did this on purpose. I am not sure whether we’re meant to like her (I for one wasn’t her biggest fan). She seems to be this girl who would change herself to be popular, does not think twice about the consequences before doing something and can be rather self-centered but as the book progresses she changes. She start’s growing. A little taste of popularity shows her it’s probably not for her and she stops not listening to Porter. She realizes the importance of what he has to say. So I feel like perhaps this was done on purpose, this whole book is about her getting use to the idea of being a Transcender, it’s a learning process where mistakes are made (albeit HUGE ASS ONES). I only hope that she has learned from her mistakes and will improve a whole lot in the sequel.

What I really did not like about Alex was this:

“Jensen, if you haven’t figured out by now that most girls are shallow, shallow creatures, then there’s no hope for you. They hate other girls for far less than that. Trust me.”

Excuse me? Thankfully that only happened once and was right near the end so even my riled upness due to the offensive quote couldn’t really change how I felt but I really hope that she doesn’t repeat her mistake in the sequel. I fucking hate the whole speshul snowflake MC thing. Yeah NO. Most females I KNOW LIKE EACH OTHER AND ARE NOT FUCKING SHALLOW. We are all human beings and should be treated equally and I don‘t understand what gives this MC the right to judge other girls when she herself made certain mistakes all because of a guy. Then there was also the weird text talk. Do the teenagers of the world really need to show everyone how we communicate? Again, this was a rare occurrence and so it didn’t grate on me too much.

One of the things I really enjoyed was the whole past life aspect. Alex was a different person in each of her lives. She loved different people, had different personalities, different skills, different social status’ and to a certain degree different appearances. I really enjoyed how there wasn’t some one guy she’s been in love with her whole 57 lives. While she was those people in her past lives, she is no longer that person. She doesn’t have the memories. Her past selves are individuals and not one huge identity that is her.

This leads us to the world building, which it pains me to say, sucks. It was a former science geek’s worst nightmare. It lacks substance. Hell the details were explained away by them ‘flying over’ the MC’s head. Wonderful aien’t it? And I was so confused by some of the explanations; it took me almost until the end of the book to kind of figure out what was going on. With that said, the time travel bits were very enjoyable. They were well written and they worked, which was why I didn’t dismiss this book due to poor world building.

The same goes for the plot. If you were to stand back and ‘view’ the book, you would notice that nothing major really happened. It’s a pity but I think we’re going to get a show down in the next book (unless it turns out to be a trilogy). It’s not that the plot is particularly weak; it’s just that the focus is on the time travel bits. Her performing missions and her realizing the huge mistake she has made. The whole book is about character development with its and bits of plot mixed in. And even though it shouldn’t, it works.

We did get some peaks of the antagonist. Sneak peeks being we are told why he is evil but have yet to see him in his evil glory. I am not sure how I feel about his story (the usual, started off as a good guy got carried away and is now evil) but we’ll see how things play out in the sequel.

The relationships with her family aren’t important in this book. At all. They don’t play a major role in the scheme of things but I liked how the author didn’t throw in the absent parent syndrome or bad siblings or anything of the sort. Her family loves her (although Claire, her younger sister, can be a huge pain) and she loves them. What was really interesting was her relationship with Porter. Porter is an old guy and NOT a potential love interest and I did like watching their relationship develop. It’s obvious he cares for Alex but it takes Alex a shit load of time to realize that he isn’t trying to ruin her life and it’s kind of sweet when they get past all that misunderstanding.

The book ended on a very high note, it’s a good way to prolong the suspense but I am not sure how it would work out for the sequel. Is she planning to reveal things in the beginning or is she going to make us wait until the end? If she does the latter, I SHANT BE HAPPY.

You have to be very open minded before going into this book, I know a couple of people didn’t enjoy it and it’s easy to see why. I’d recommend this book to those who are willing to take risks to enjoy a book (risks include poor world building, lack of substantial plot, annoying characters). It seems a lot to put up with and had I known all about this before diving in, I probably would have avoided the book but I didn’t and had a great time.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 I guess, because I'm feeling generous.

I was trying to place at which point the plot of this book begins and it occurred to me that it's at about 80%. Literally nothing of actual importance or any plot advancement happens until then.

Large portions of this book are spent infodumping the very confusing past lives/time travel gimmick. For the amount of time spent trying to explain what this is and how it works, you'd be amazed how confused you still are when all is said and done. It's all very boring.

Alex may have had 56 past lives but we really only see 3 of them. The first is a foolish mission Alex goes on to try and reconnect with a cute boy she'd met briefly the last time she visited that incarnation. Her mentor tells her not to do this and keeps trying to call her back. She ignores him. She know it's a bad idea to ignore her mentor and go back and mess with the past just so she can go on a date with a boy she barely knows. She does it anyway. It has unintended and awful consequences she then has to fix. Is her lesson learned? No. Not until the very end of this book, when she has messed things up so hideously and unforgivably, does Alex ask herself why she continually ignored her mentor.


In addition to her very poor decision making, Alex is really not a fan of her fellow girls. A totally healthy message to send to a teen audience. Some of her thoughts:

"Not that I was one of those girls who spent their time agonizing over things like kissing and dating. I had better things to do."

Those girls with their kissing and their dating...so very silly!

"I could never enjoy being a Barbie girl like Tabitha that men gawked at. I liked being me. I liked being invisible. Nerd glasses and all."

Darling, dirtbag men will gawk at women no matter what they look like, "Barbie girl" or "nerd glasses" alike. I guess what really matters here is that we cast dispersions at girly girls and feel superior about ourselves. Also, this is hilarious that she's saying she likes being invisible because she hates being invisible. The synopsis tells you how eager she is to get rid of her "visions" problem so she's no longer stuck at the bottom of the "social hierarchy."

This one's my favorite:

"Jensen, if you haven't figured out by now that most girls are shallow, shallow creatures, then there's no hope for you.

Cool, thanks! *eternal side eye*

This could have been a sweet story but it suffers from being too long and for meandering in its plot. Also, the MC repeatedly makes hideously bad decisions. Really, really bad decisions. Throw in a few dashes of internalized misogyny and yeah...this was not for me.

An advance copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for this review. All quotes are from an uncorrected edition.

[Milo · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I never expected The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare to be as good as it was. It took me completely by surprise and turned out to be quite possibly one of the best novels from Strange Chemistry books to date. Forget popular books like The Hunger Games & Twilight, M.G. Buehrlen’s debut novel is something that every young adult fan should read.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields


"For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last."

Time travel has been a great part of science fiction and fantasy culture primarily due to the 50-year old British Science Fiction TV series Doctor Who and the Back to the Future trilogy. The subject genre has also given us novels like Stephen King’s 11.22.63, and of course the classic H.G. Wells novel The Time Machine. With such a vast subject to cover it’s amazing that beyond the aforementioned titles you’ll probably struggle to recall and really exceptional time travel material in both novels and film that has been really, truly brilliant. Despite the fact that M.G. Buehrlen’s The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare may not look like much on the blurb, sounding like another time-travel romance story, but despite the fact that romance does play an important part in this book the main focus is on the time travel, and the plot actually moves forward rather than just being about two characters falling in love. It’s compelling, page-turning and a really quick read – something that will appeal to fans of both young adult and adult fiction alike.

The57LivesofAlexWayfareThe main character is 17 year old Alex Wayfare, who’s a sort of time traveller. She lacks a TARDIS and a DeLorean, but what she does have the ability to do is move through fifty seven different lifetimes, in various bodies and actually live history rather than read about it in paper. The catch? When she time travels, she transports herself into different people’s bodies and it’s not always clear whose bodies she’s going to end up in. And then of course, there are rules – you cannot fall in love, or kill a person, because this may end up changing the future altogether. It’s clear that the writer has actually put some thought process into the idea of time travel and doesn’t make up new rules as she goes along. It’s good to see a sense of direction as well, because the plot rapidly advances and as a result allows for a really compelling read.

Alex Wayfare is a likable, rootable and engaging character. She’s the outsider at school – nicknamed “Wayspaz” by her peers, with little friends and a good ability to fix things. It’s not often that you get a well rounded character in young adult fiction nowadays – particularly female characters tend to be underdeveloped often, but Alex is one that certainly has been fleshed out and over the course of the book really grows as a character. And more importantly, Alex actually gets stuff done. You’d be amazed at how many young adult novels (and not just YA novels) there are where the female protagonist doesn’t actually do a lot of stuff other than fall in love with the man. When a book is written entirely through a first person perspective it’s important that you can connect to and root for the main character and that’s what Buehrlen does. Alex isn’t off-putting and never feels like a Mary-Sue.

The storyline is fantastic. It explores time travel in a way that most novels don’t – what if you ended up in other people’s bodies rather than time travel by yourself? Marty McFly didn’t have to deal with this situation, and neither does The Doctor. Buehrlen’s take on time travel is inventive and imaginative – and it’ll be interesting to see what direction she takes the book if there is a sequel. She does include a romance element which will normally throw people off but it actually works here, not bogging down the story and still creating a really compelling read. There isn’t a love triangle that most books seem to be so full of nowadays and it’s all the better because of that. If anything, The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare shows that you can write a good young adult novel with a female character that doesn’t have to deal with two separate love interests. It’s a refreshing break and makes Alex feel more realistic and less of an author’s wish-fulfillment.

Despite being a lot of fun, The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare does have two minor issues that could have been developed more. They don’t really detract from the overall enjoyment of the book but it would have been nice to see the secondary characters developed a bit more, especially when Alex herself was so well fleshed out. The other complaint is nothing to do with the writing of the book at all, it’s the fact that the cover is not as great as it could have been. A time travel novel has a potential for a great cover but the opportunity was really wasted here as it feels bland and generic, much like the “Man with hood” covers that epic fantasy seems to be full of nowadays.

On the whole, The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare is an excellent book that can be recommended to all lovers of young adult fiction, with something that readers of almost every genre will find something to enjoy here. It’s compelling, page-turning and something that everybody should check out upon its release. It’s one of the best Strange Chemistry novels yet and that’s no easy award to win – the publisher has given the reader some excellent books in the form of titles like Laura Lam’s Pantomime, Kim Curran’s Shift and Rosie Best’s Skulk. Hopefully, this novel will get a sequel – because Alex Wayfare’s world is something that should be very interesting to return to.

VERDICT: 4.75/5

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get to read the unedited draft of this, and it was already a delightful read. Science fiction, humor, pop culture references, action, and a smidge of romance. What more can a girl want?

Obviously, there could be quite a lot of changes, but I only envision this getting better! Very excited about this series and getting to check out the finalized version. :-D

Update on reading of the finished copy:

In the interest of full disclosure, you should all know that the author of The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare is a dear friend of mine. We’ve met in real life and everything. However, as ever, I stand fully behind my opinion of the book itself and don’t consider the author of the book when I’m reading. Can I just say how glad I am when I legitimately enjoy the books of author friends? I always end up wanting to throw a party in honor of awkwardness averted. Right, focus! M.G. Buehrlen’s debut novel is a strongly-plotted, intricate time travel novel which takes the reader on epic journeys to the past.

Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions.

[SpookySoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating:I enjoyed it a lot 🤗
2019’s Around the year in 52 book challenge: #22, has a number on it’s title.
Random pick for April 2019

This book isn’t perfect, it has its problems it’s biggest one being it’s lack of world building, but it was exactly what I’ve been looking for in a time travel story, so I enjoyed it a lot.

This is the story of Alex, a girl that has been suffering from some sort of déjà vu since she can remember. Because of this, she doesn’t socialize, afraid of anything that might trigger her “visions”. She has a loving family, her parents, two sisters and her grandparents. Her middle sister is sick, she has leukemia.

I was very intrigued by the time travel and once I learned a bit more I was even more invested. I wish it was better explained and fleshed out, we are pushed into this world with very little explanations of how everything works. I was entertained and the pacing was fast enough that it didn’t bothered me that much, but I have to recognize this is the weakest point of the novel.

Alex is a descender. Two guys found out how to tap into Limbo, a space between our reality and the afterlife, where souls that haven’t past to the afterlife reside. This guys, Gesh and Flemming, figured out how to use those souls to travel back in time, to hop into the bodies of those souls. They created an organization, AIDA, that researches every area of science and technology in order to help humanity: cure cancer, etc. But in reality Gesh uses this to enrich himself, being powerful, becoming practically a God. The institution is a front for his shady business, but the world doesn’t know it and thinks he is a philanthropist. He has the government in his pocket.

They figured out how to create a soul that had the ability to reincarnate and travel several times to the same body, because once you use a soul to time travel it can’t be used again. This soul is Alex’s. With Alex they also created another, Blue’s. They’re soulmates, when one descends it pulls the other one with it (that’s why Alex had those deja vu episodes). When one dies, the other dies as well, they’re linked.

They both have “defects”, she can’t remember anything about her previous life when she travels back, and Blue can’t remember anything about his base life when he descends, that means when he travels back he remembers that previous life but no his base life and therefore he doesn’t remember the mission.
Gesh experimented on both, trying to repair them.

She can only travel to her base life age.

She meets Porter (He is Flemming, very predictable BTW), he sort of explains everything to her, but not really. He doesn’t tell her about Blue or that he is Flemming. He tells her he is fighting Gesh, that in her previous life she asked him to reincarnate her and hide her from Gesh. They plan to be one step ahead and steal historic treasures before Gesh gets to them. Alex’s previous lives were designed so she would be near every treasure Gesh wanted to learn from. Again, there’s never an explanation of how they found out about limbo, how they could create a soul or reincarnate them. The technology is never explained at all.

There are other descender, a whole bunch of them, but we don’t learn anything about how AIDA operates.

Since Porter isn’t being truthful to Alex, just because. They learn Gesh knows she is traveling again and suspects Gesh fixed Blue’s defect and that he is a traitor. Alex travels to her previous life without telling Porter, meeting Levi, her previous life’s, (Ivy) boyfriend. Then she creates a paradox (a variant) because she’s the one that lets Gesh know she’s traveling again, discovering that Blue wasn’t the traitor after all. She can’t erase this jump because she would erase her base life self. (Because if this doesn’t happens, Ivy wouldn’t ask Flemming to reincarnate and protect her).

She ask Blue to meet her in Chicago on New years eve in their base life. The books ends with her at the fountain. We don’t know if he shows up.

One thing That didn’t made sense to me was their physical appearance in the past. They are reincarnation of themselves, but they’re not genetically related, is their souls that reincarnate so it doesn’t makes sense that they look similar to their base life, unless it was how they perceived each other, but if that’s the case it’s not well explained because they are constantly mentioning their physical qualities like eyes or hair color. It also doesn’t make sense the physical improvements she brought back as residuals from her descending trips, I can accept knowledge based improvements like know how to fight or a new skill but better eyesight? That’s BS.

I don’t understand how Gesh and Porter created Alex and Blue, how they can have past lives prior to their birth, I mean, Gesh must be like 50, soo let’s say they discovered Limbo in the 80’s, so how can Alex have a past live in the 1800’s? That is never explained and doesn’t make any sense.



As the novel progress, Alex becomes more comfortable being herself, accepting her gift (or curse). She makes a friend, Jensen he is most likely Blue, but this isn’t revealed in this book, so I don’t know.

If I was going to be objective I should’ve rated this 3 stars, because the concept of time travel and reincarnation Isn’t fully developed, but I was never bored, was completely immersed in it and enjoyed a whole lot.

If you’re someone that needs everything to be explained or for everything to make sense, like in a scientific sort of way, this may not be for you.

[Viking Jam · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://koeur.wordpress.com/2014/01/22...





Publisher: Angry Robot
Publishing Date:
ISBN: 9781908844941
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.9/5.0

Publisher Description: For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

Review: Why o’ frickin’ why do publishers put bad cover-art on the best novels? Especially Angry Robot, who has the best cover art of anyone. How did AR fall down on this one. It looks like “The Ring” movie poster. That's a screaming Khanh with a blonde wig. She doesn't like the cover art either.







This one was up there with one of the best YA novels I have read since starting online reviews. Alex Wayfare is a freakin’ gem of depth and color. You feel her angst, worry, anger, love…all of it. The author does a spectacular job of letting you into her psyche. Not only are you woven into the initial pain of Alex’ existence but grow with her burgeoning self-realization. You get to experience her growth as an individual whose self-esteem begins to flourish.

The story-line is fascinating. There has been quite a few novels that look at reincarnation as a vehicle, but none that I know of that address the theory of “walk-ins”. Walk-ins are supposedly souls that can enter a person who wants to move on. In this case, Alex has had many lives, and in her current “base-reality” can enter any of those lives. There are possible history altering ramifications if she impacts that reality adversely. She walks through limbo at will and can choose which past life she wants to enter. Once she descends into her past life, she has rules or sideboards to adhere to. No sex, killing etc. She can retrieve any skills (physical or mental) acquired in past lives and apply them to her base-reality.

There is this universal “Good vs. evil” pattern that the author pulls off quite nicely. No one is perfect on the good side, and the evil is humanistic and believable. Everyone is flawed, yet strives to accomplish the best they can even in the face of failure. This author mixes inner and outer dialogue with precision, so you are never bogged down with bovine ruminations but are elevated with movement that is transposed on those emotive exchanges.

The writing is superb as is the character development. The story-line will rivet until the wee hours of the morning, and thankfully, the novel is longer than most so you can make the enjoyment last a little longer. I want more of this story and more of this author.

[Giselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Electronic Advance Reader Copy was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss for review. Quotes have been pulled from an ARC and may be subject to change.

Alex is a descender, someone who reincarnates into other lives and can move back and forth in time, traveling wherever she may please. She thinks she's a freak and her classmates bully her for being different. When she starts to see a psychiatrist and she tells her information to the places she has seen and been, she realizes that it might not be such a good idea. The moment she meets Porter, he tells her what she truly is and the danger that she's in. So begins Alex's 57th life and journey into stopping the man who wants nothing but to use her against his own criminal wishes.

As for characters, I thought Alex was a wonderful character who wasn't trying to be perfect. She knew the limits to her responsibilities and even did whatever she wanted no matter what her consequences were. In return, she learned from her lessons (as most teenagers do) and became such a reliable teen character. I love how in depth we get into her personality and her thoughts. She felt like she stepped out of the page and became a person you know and love. Even all the secondary characters were such fun to read about. I loved how close Alex was to her family. The fact that they had movie night and everyone had a say into which movie to watch was too adorable. I also liked that real issues arise, like her sister being sick and what kind of effect it had on her and her family.

This is one book that has everything in it. Teen angst, romance, action, adventure, historical fiction, mystery, time travel, science- fiction, it has it all! I pretty much devoured this, and it kicked my reading slump out of the way. I just loved the mini twists and turns and the journey that M.G. has taken me. I didn't want this book to end, and I was trying to read slower because of it. I cannot wait for the next one!!

[Annette (booknerderie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this on my TBR list since Netgalley turned me down for it *gives stink eye* but didn't buy it until this past weekend when I met MG at the RT Convention. Not only was MG hilarious but she was kind and nerdy as well. I think she and I would be good friends but I digress. Knowing her personality, I wasn't at all surprised to find that our MC, Alex, possessed the same qualities. Alex Wayfare isn't your typical YA character aside from being a teenager. She's someone you'd actually want to be friends with. I mean, she's an electronics freak who loves to fix anything with wires. She's a car girl {right up my alley} who helps her dad restore a classic Mustang. She's super funny and has some of the best retorts. She's got a great relationship with her two sisters {which I can relate to, sort of...that one sister...} and will do anything for her family. Seriously, she's awesome! PS. The secondary characters are all great too...they play their part and add to the story perfectly.

Now that I've fangirled over Alex, let me fangirl over this plot! Y'all, it is one of the most original stories I've read in a long time. I just came off of reading a pretty meh book {for me} and was hoping this one would pull me out of my slump and excite me. Boy, did this book deliver! Right from the get go you're hooked, thanks in large part to Alex's voice. Then, when you get to about page 43ish, BAM! you're hit in the brain box and are left going, "Holy fish and chips, that's awesome!!" On multiple occasions I found myself saying, "I really wish I could do that!" Totes jealous! I'm not going to go into detail but this novel really appeals to those who love history and sci-fi! *points to self* That would be me. 'Twas a great blend of the two!! Also, there was no insta-love, nor were there any love triangles. While love was a factor in this story, it wasn't the focal point and that made me happy.

Anyway, ALL THE STARS go to this book and a mega nerdy high five to MG Buehrlen. I loved this book, I loved the character and I loved the way my heart sank when I read the last word. I'm pouting big time because I have to wait for the second book to come out!! *crosses arms, kicks at the dirt, pokes out bottom lip*

So, if you're looking for a book that's thought provoking, funny, full of feels and will leave you smiling, then this is your book! Please read it. NOW. Just kidding, but really...right now. Dooo Eeeet!!!

[Jvanleer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait for all of you to READ this book! :)

[Samantha Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Originally at The Secret Life of a Bookworm

The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare was a book that I was excited for as soon as I heard about it. So, of course, when I saw a copy was available to request on Netgalley I jumped at the chance to get it. Thankfully, Strange Chemistry approved my request and I was super excited to read it.

The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare follows 17 year old Alex who has hallucinations. These hallucinations pull her in without warning and Alex finds herself strange wounds she can't explain. Alex is desperate to find out why she is having hallucinations and to try and get rid of them. And then she meets Porter. Porter tells Alex that her hallucinations aren't really hallucinations, they're glimpses of her past lives. Alex is a Descender which means she is able to travel back in time by going through Limbo (space between life and death). Alex has had fifty-six past lives that she can travel back to. While Alex is exploring her previous lives, she keeps running into the same mysterious boy with blue eyes. As Alex continues descending, she starts to realise that someone is trying to stop her from descending and also trying to stop her altogether.

All I want to do is say how much I loooooooved this book. Seriously, it's one of the best time-travel books I've read because the whole time-travel aspect really wasn't that complicated. I've read a few time-travel novels that have left me with headaches trying to wrap my head around the time-travel process (Tempest for example - but I still love that book), but I had none of that with Alex Wayfare. It was a very simple and easy method to understand and I was extremely grateful for that.

Alex is an intriguing character. She's suffered from visions ever since she was a little girl and they limit the amount of things she can do. Her visions can be triggered by anything so Alex avoids new movies, reading, cats and anything that could set off a vision because her whole family (mainly her sister) think she's slightly weird with all of her phobias. Discovering the different Alex's through her descending was brilliant and added a lot of her character. She came back from her visions with new abilities and became even more awesome that she already was.

There was a little bit of romance in this book, but it definitely worked. First, we had Blue. Oh, Blue was definitely my favourite of the guys. Alex met him for the first time in Chicago 1927 and my heart melted. And then he popped up in a few of her other lives so I'm extremely intrigued by him.
And then we had Jensen. I really liked Jensen too. He's from Alex's current life and he's the popular guy at school. Nearly everyone else in Alex's class calls her 'Wayspaz', but Jensen doesn't. He's a genuinely nice and sweet character and I did really like him.
There were also a few other love interests from Alex's previous lives like Judd and Levi, and I enjoyed discovering about them too.

The storyline was so interesting and never had a single dull moment. Honestly? As soon as I picked this book up I just didn't want to put it down. It pulled me in straight away and I was so desperate to find out about Alex's glimpses of her past life and what was going to happen. Alex descending was definitely my favourite part of the book. I adored seeing her different lives and seeing how different she was in each of them. I really loved learning about Alex's past and finding out who was trying to stop her.

And then the ending happened. It was building up to something that I'd been dying to find out for so long, and then it just ended! I may have screamed in frustration because I'd been so desperate to find out this information, but I wasn't getting to. It's definitely a slight cliffhanger and obviously left me desperate for the next book so I can find out what happened!

Overall, The Fifty Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare is a fantastic debut. It's an enthralling, fast-paced, unputdownable read and I recommend it to everyone.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this one. Time travel and reincarnation can be done right... or they can be done disastrously. This book fell somewhere in the middle. I think part of that boiled down to the fact that there are still a lot of unanswered questions... especially about the reincarnation aspect.

I liked the characters, for the most part. Alex is a bit different from the typical YA heroine, in that she's not annoyingly beautiful and perfect (while insisting that she's not with false modesty). Alex is kind of a withdrawn nerd, with no friends to speak of, who cares more about her family than her social life. At the beginning of the book, she's not doing too well at school, but it's not because she isn't smart. She's actually kind of a tech whiz. I thought that was different and refreshing. The other characters are intriguing, too. I really liked Blue (the blue-eyed boy mentioned in the synopsis), even though he was almost too perfect at times... though his adorableness does help set up the star-crossed love thing rather nicely, and the reader can fall in love with him along with Alex, leading to some painful heartstring tugging.

My main complaint with this book (other than the dismal Kindle edition with no italics in a book that has characters speaking in a foreign language at times) was that it had a number of historical inaccuracies. When Alex traveled back in time to 1927, she ended up hiding in a Dumpster (which wasn't invented until 1935) and watching someone use paper napkins (which also didn't come into use in the U.S. until the 1930s). When she traveled back to Ohio in 1961, she ran across a sign at a restaurant that pointed to entrances for "whites" and "coloreds" (despite the fact that the Ohio Civil Rights Act of 1959 prohibited discriminating based on race in public places). I'm not a huge history buff, so I didn't know these things off the top of my head, but they struck me as odd so I Googled them. I found it annoying that I could find these discrepancies in a few seconds, but the author couldn't make sure her facts were right.

Overall, though, I couldn't put this book down. I was sucked in by the story, so I was able to overlook some clunky (or just plain incorrect) bits of writing. It took some suspension of disbelief to get past the time travel and reincarnation aspects of the story, but I'm hoping some of those things will have more explanation in future books. And, okay, I just have to say it. That ending... seriously? Seriously? (Spoiler alert: it's a cliffhanger. I was expecting a lot more answers and resolution than what we were actually given. I wanted to see if my hunches and suspicions were right. Now I have to wait until 2015 to find out!)

http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or offered to change the contents of this review.

Honestly, I expected to like this, but I did not expect it to captivate and blow me away. I was wrong. Miss Buehrlen first captivated my heart when she took me back into Chicago 1927 and we met Blue. Oh gosh. I was hooked from there. I was as bad as Alex. I just wanted her to get back there, no matter the consequences. Then Buehrlen took a knife and twisted my heart with it multiple times and gave the final blow there are THE END. OH MY GOSH. The moment I'd been waiting for and she ended the novel BEFORE we got there.

There have been few books in my life I've awakened to thinking about. I read this while I was sick so it took me a couple of days to finish it but during that time I barely slept and when I woke up in the middle of the night, guess what was on my mind? Yup. The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare.

The plot's execution was great. The pacing was perfect. We spent just enough time in her past lives and in her Base Life. Not a single moment or word was wasted. The villain was completely despicable. I want him taken down. NOW.

First of all, the entire concept was awesome. A chick with 57 different lives? I can try something like that. Alex was a great narrator. I could totally understand her logic and why she felt the way she did. Her character development was gradual and fit her and the story perfectly. All of this development was flawlessly reflected in her Base Life.

Blue, Jensen, Levi, even Judd. How does she do it? Blue was by far my favorite of the group. He's got the everything going for him at this point. He's a gentlemen. Handsome. Kind. Sincere. Wonderful. We didn't get to spend much time with Levi but I instantly liked him. I'm so glad things came around with Jensen. That was completely awesome. Judd surprised me the most. I didn't expect to like him. Then Alex started talking to him and I was like, oh crap, he's actually not that bad of a person (all things considered).

Honestly, I was afraid my ARC had expired (turned out it hadn't) so I didn't turn my computer off until I had read the entire thing. I was prepared to buy it ASAP if for some reason I couldn't finish though. THAT is how amazing The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare is. Buy it. Read it. Love it.

[Nafiza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to a Sarah Ellis colloquium the other day and she spoke a lot about writing reviews. She talked about what was expected in a review and how the reviewer is supposed to express the flavor of the novel first before talking about the mechanics of their experience reading the novel. And the review is supposed to be short and succinct. Of course, me being who I am cannot writing short things unless it’s an academic paper in which case, I will run out of things to say after the first paragraph.

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare is a debut novel by M. G. Buehrlen and I managed to surprise myself by liking it a lot. I wasn’t expecting anything when I went into the novel because I had managed to forget the premise of the story but I was pleasantly surprised to make the acquaintance of a heroine whose issues are immense but who manages to be fun and wry and eccentric in the right amounts. Alex has been having visions, things she calls déjà vu, and this has led her to tune out the outside world as a protective mechanism. She has a lovely family who manage to both support her and drive her crazy and I like that the parents are both present and alive. There is a sick sister but the story is not about her so I can’t quibble too much.

Buehrlen has a deft touch with her storytelling and I found myself swept away by the lives Alex has led. I most appreciated that she has been so many different people with such different personalities because this gives texture to her character. I won’t lie to you, the mythology is confusing and I’m not certain if Alex was initially created in a test tube and how it is possible to give her different lives but it may not be the fault of the narrative but my brain which refuses to comprehend stuff like that. The mythology is new though and much appreciated for its freshness.

There is also love and the love stuff manages to be cute and heartwarming without taking over the story and you all know how much I like when that happens. I also like that Buehrlen throws a wrench in the love machine and I quite enjoyed the way that complicates things and sets up the potential for a deeper conflict in the next book. I enjoyed this novel and I reckon you will, if you give it a chance, enjoy it too.

[All Things Urban Fantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review Courtesy All Things Urban Fantasy

I knew going in that THE 57 LIVES OF ALEX WAYFARE was probably going to mess with my mind, and in that respect, it didn’t disappoint. Time travel is always going to make for a complex tale that’s going to have you bending your brain around to make sense of who’s where…and when.

For all her self-deprecation, I liked the main character. Alex has a biting sense of humor and just enough snark in her thoughts and dialogue to occasionally have me laughing out loud. The secondary characters fleshed out the story well, but none of them were as strong as Alex herself. Possibly Porter for all his secrecy. That secrecy, thought, is one of the serious issues I had with THE 57 LIVES OF ALEX WAYFARE.

I understand the way the world-building works in the story, the Descenders, the Transcenders, and Alex’s past lives…or at least, I understood it well enough. But when a story centers so much on such a complex level as time travel, there were times it felt like too much. Alex’s lives, the conspiracy with the bad guy, the connection with other Transcenders as well as Alex’s current life and everything going on there.

One other smaller problem is more of a pet-peeve I’ve held for a while – the all-knowing character who deliberately keeps the main character in the dark about information they need to know…and then get angry with them when their own ignorance gets them into trouble. I understand its part of the mystery of the story and going for the ah-ha moment; it still irks.

Those two things aside, I’m still very intrigued by the story itself and plan to read the next book in Alex Wayfare series. That might have something to do with a rather large cliffhanger, but I also want to know more about Alex’s life, past and current, what happens with the fight against the bad guy…and whether or not she’ll find what she expects.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will have you on the edge of your seat. I can't wait for the world to read it!

[Kirstie Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I start my review I would like to give a huge shout out to M.G. Buehrlen to thank her for a copy of this book, which I won from a First Reads competition. The book is now one of the most dear novels I have on my shelf.

To put it simply, the 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare is a ridiculously good book. Alex is a teenager who has been plagued her entire life with visions that suck her into the past, and are usually very real, and very frightening experiences. So we begin with her trying to find answers. She's visiting a shrink - who is totally useless and constantly feels terribly about the burden she places on her family as her younger sister, Audrey, is dying from cancer. AIDA is the company her parents work for and are trying to find a cure - but AIDA is also run by an evil mastermind; Gesh - who would do anything to kill Alex. ..

Buehrlen has structured this book so beautifully well it just makes me all in awe at how much of an amazing brain she must have. We're slowly introduced to some of the past lives of Alex Wayfare until we meet Porter, a man who seems to know all the answers, and everything about Alex. One thing leads to another and after a couple of trips back to 1927 Chicago Alex has fallen in love with a boy called Blue. Well. That's her/my nickname for him anyway. But feel free to select one of his many other names. And boom, off we go into one of the most exciting and addictive books of our lives.

I did notice in some other reviews that people slagged the book off for not having much more to it than Alex stressing over the Blue situation. All I have to say to those people is that they're so wrong, and they need to chill out and learn to just enjoy a magnificent book when they're reading one. Alex is awesome. And her time-travelling, ability-collecting, language-learning super powers are amazing. Dutch is a cool language, just saying. I really, really loved the idea of the residuals that Alex collects throughout the book - the new perfect eyesight, driving abilities, athletic stealth, kick ass moves, and gun wielding perfection was so cool I actually became supremely jealous.

Being a fan of time-travelly, science-fictiony stuff I give a massive thumbs up to Buehrlen to nailing it on the head. I admire a person who understands the Time Continuum on a Doctor Who level (she even referenced a fixed point in time *squeal*). I also loved how she creates the world of limbo. Fantastic idea. I loved, loved it.

Overall the book is addictively good. I loved every second of it and couldn't put it down. All the characters are strong and I really hope that we see more of Levi in the future. Speaking of the future, bring on book two! I could quite happily read an ever lasting supply of Wayfare adventures, especially if Blue and Jensen continue to feature in them ;) Jensen? Who's Jensen you say? Dunno, guess you'll just have to read and find out. SO go get yourself a copy of this book and get reading!

[Nara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the way my story begins. Not with a bang but a whimper. Nothing more than a calm voice, a careful smile, and a pair of spectacles perched on the tip of a thin nose.
But don't let that deter you. You'll be happy to know a bang comes in the end.
Literally.

Really? Is there really a bang at the end? Because if there was I didn't really notice it. Maybe it's just that I can't remember it. In fact, I can't remember quite a few aspects of the book, least of all the ending. I can't even say that it's the book amnesia kicking in because I read the book literally only last night. I think, in this case, unfortunately, the book just isn't particularly memorable.

If we go to some positive aspects of the book, I can definitely say that I really like the narrative voice. It sounds like the narrator is speaking directly to the reader, and while it's a style that probably wouldn't work in every case, it works very well in this one. This is probably why I thought that the book was going to go quite well towards the start. Our protagonist seemed pretty interesting, our storyline engaging and the writing of fairly high quality. However, the book then took a turn into the realm of meh.

Something that maybe annoyed me a little bit was that if Alex has fifty six lifetimes to be able to explore, why are we only allowed to see two or three of them? And I have to say, while reading the first of the lifetimes (not including her "current" life), all I could think was "what is the point of this book?" Instead of action and adventure (which for some reason, was what I was expecting- something similar to All Our Yesterdays), we get our main character going on a first date with someone in a past life. An instalovey date. A, frankly, boring date. Even when she travelled into other past lives, it still wasn't too interesting to read about.

In terms of the main plot, the big twist was pretty dang obvious. Really, even the main character should have been able to see it coming, it was so ridiculously obvious. Actually, pretty much everything in the book was predictable, be it the big twists or the minor twists.

I'm not too sure whether I'll really bother continuing on with the series, to be honest. Mostly because I don't really care what happens to the characters. I don't care whether justice is served in terms of the villain and I don't give a crap what happens in terms of the romance. Make of that what you will.

Ratings
Overall: 6/10
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 3/5

[Nayab · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This is the way my story begins. Not with a bang but a whimper. Nothing more than a calm voice, a careful smile and a pair of spectacles perched on the tip of a thin nose.”







If that doesn’t scream dystopian to you then I don’t know what does.







I went in knowing full well that it was Sci-Fi but when I read those lines I hesitated for a moment & thought maybe it was Dystopian with a just a smidge of Sci-Fi thrown in. So you’d be forgiven if you thought the same because it starts off the way most dystopian books do. Not that that’s a bad thing. In fact, those exact words are what pulled me in (and didn’t let go until the very end). This book definitely starts with a bang & not a whimper ;)…







I could not get enough! I was addicted. Before I knew it, it was 7 in the morning & I had to force myself to put the book down & try to get some sleep (it’s books like these where I thank God for my insomnia ;]). I don’t know exactly what I was expecting but it definitely wasn’t this.





I loved Blue & Alex but I’m certain most people do but the one person I absolutely adored -even though he barely had a scene until the end of the book – was Levi. What can I say? I’m a goner when it comes to guys who stick by a girl no matter what ;). According to goodreads this is just book one so I hope we get to see more of him in the coming book(s).







Before Strange Chemistry publishers I had never read a Sci-Fi book, at least not cover to cover. I tried - believe me, but I just couldn’t get in to them. Strange Chemistry and their books changed that and M.G. Buehrlen just proves why I love the books they publish as much as I do.





The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare has everything I could ask for in a book – great relationships (family & friends wise), uncomplicated, simple to understand (yet still as enthralling) Sci-Fi and a wonderful, slow-burning romance.





I may just have found my favourite Sci-Fi book/series ever.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was much younger, I remember watching a movie entitled "The Reincarnation of Peter Proud" and was fascinated by the concept of reincarnation. Which then led to me reading Audrey Rose by Frank De Felitta and watching the movie adaptation starring Sir Anthony Hopkins (seeing him in anything is always a treat). I met the friendly and charming author of The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare at Bookfest this year and after reading the synopsis, you know I had to snatch up her book.

Gosh, I really liked Alex. She's awkward, nerdy, intelligent, obstinate, and comfortable in her own skin, not caught up in the typical high school cliques and drama. With her flashbacks and ailing sister, she has more than enough to worry about. She may act before she thinks sometimes, resulting in more problems than solutions, but she's a teenager. She has a caring and close family and reading about their movie nights and her grandma's baking was heartwarming. Time-travel fascinates me, so I enjoyed the glimpses of some of Alex's previous lives and learning what type of person she'd been in previous incarnations.

Don't assume that's all this book is about, though - there are unscrupulous characters looking for Alex through time and in base life, there are soul marks, Limbo and dangerous missions, and a soul mate - literally. I was completely captivated throughout the story and have my suspicions about certain people, one in particular, but am anxious for the next book in this series.

The world of descenders, Limbo, base life, Afterlife, time travel, and soul marks was well thought out, but at times the rules were a little confusing and I found myself flipping back for some information; however, that didn't lessen my enjoyment of this novel.

I'd highly recommend this book to sci-fi and YA fans, but also to readers who may not typically delve into sci-fi. Many of the reviews by readers who generally aren't fans of the genre were very positive, and they were surprised by how much they enjoyed this book. Go ahead and give it a try!

[Gongjin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time-travel is a concept that has always interested me so it's no surprise that I felt the strong need to read The Fifty-seven Lives of Alex Wayfare. My interest also doubled upon finding out that this isn't just a time-travel book but also a book that tackles reincarnation. Time-travel plus reincarnation? That equation reeks of potential; a potential to be an epic story or an epic failure.

And I 'm glad to say that it's the former.

The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare is a beautiful book, both in concept and execution.While the prose is simple,it's engaging and descriptive enough that you can't help but also be transported to whatever era Alex is in. My personal favorite of all is 1927, Chicago. Alex narrates her experience and describes that place and year in a way that the era itself comes alive with every word.

And speaking of Alex, I love her both as a main character and as a narrator. She tells her story with emotions. You can feel her happiness, her sadness, her hurt, her doubts, her insecurities. You can feel her fall in love.

The romance in this book is also something that I'm very much happy about. It doesn't overwhelm that story, the way it does in most YA novels I've read. Instead, it adds a new dimension to an already interesting tale. The love interests (yes, there are more than one. No, there's no love triangle, not in a conventional sense anyway.) are also quite adorable. I love Nick and my heart broke for Levi. And Jensen! I'm not sure if his relationship with Alex is going to develop into something more in the next book (assuming there will be more books. I HOPE there will be more books.) but for now, I love his friendship with Alex.

Overall, I think it's a standout YA novel and definitely, one of my favorite reads for this year.

But god, I wish it had a better cover.

[A Canadian Girl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by M.G. Buehrlen was a book that began with a compelling first chapter. However, as I further delved into the novel, the main character began to annoy me and the premise that the book was built upon became confusing.

Despite the mean pranks that Alex pulls, I initially liked Alex because her confusion about her visions and desire to be normal felt very realistic. Over time though, it became clear that Alex is very much ruled by her emotions, which makes her prone to not making wise choices. For example, during one of her visions, she goes against her mentor’s wishes – which she does constantly – to come back to her Base Life in order to spend more time with a guy. It drove me crazy to see how attached she becomes to a guy after knowing him for less than a day!

Another issue I had with Alex was that she made generalizations about all girls based on her experience with just one girl. This quote, for example, really irritated me: “Jensen, if you haven't figured out by now that most girls are shallow, shallow creatures, then there's no hope for you” (97% in my Kindle).

Furthermore, the meandering plot relied very much on Alex being kept in the dark. As such, when explanations were provided, they were given in info dumps and made little sense in the grand scheme of things. In spite of all the terminology thrown around, I’m still very fuzzy on how time travel works in this book and remain clueless as to how Porter, Alex’s mentor, knew in which body Alex would be reincarnated in in Base Life.

[mith · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this was one of my most wanted books for 2014. Mostly because I saw the name Alex (and was disappointed when I found out she was a girl) and because of time travel. Doctor Who really got me into time travel.
I was expecting a lot from this book. It didn't reach those expectations--all because of the main character and her ridiculous little antics.
I did not like Alex as a main character. She was impulsive and did whatever she wanted despite the consequences that would surely come afterwards.
The beginning and the end would probably be the most important parts of this book. Everything in the middle was just a huge bubble of question marks for me. I don't think it was really important.
There were a lot of things that go unexplained in this book--a bunch of weird timey-wimey phrases, which was a bad move on the author's part.
I'll keep up with the series because of that ending, but I won't be expecting much from it.
---
YESSSSSSS, just a few more weeks then I can read this.
Please don't disappoint me, every book has been disappointing me so far I don't want to be in a reading slump.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ironically, the thing I hated most about this book is also the part that had the best prose (in the book). The ending.

In summary, the ending was good but it was a hanger. I said good because I liked that the narrator was literally talking to the reader. I liked how it was delivered; but no one wants to be left hanging. I felt cheated because I liked the book and the story a lot and then I found out that I had to wait another year before knowing what's going to happen next. To be specific, who Blue is in Base Life (shallow, I know) and how they will defeat Gesh and what happened to Levi ... and the list goes on.

Now, I'm not a big scifi person. I took off one star not because of the ending, it was because I zone out every time they explain how the "Limbo" and soul travel works. I think people who are into vintage stuff might like this in a way that the author took time to describe Alex's dresses in detail. The whole time I was reading I was also thinking ... "Heh. Pinterest".

Some books are meant to be a stand-alone. Some should be in a series ... this is what I kept repeating to myself just so I don't throw my Kindle out the window.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a lot of issues with The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare but my top two were Alex and the plot.

I found Alex's voice to be incredibly juvenile. She views all adults as idiots, constantly thinks about how much she loves her family but treats them cruelly, and makes so many stupid choices that I couldn't bring myself to care about her by the end of the book. She also repeatedly talks about how stupid and vain other girls were, which really, really bugged me.

Even after finishing the book, I'm still confused about what the main plot of the story actually was. There were a lot of different elements in the story that seemed at odds with one another. The time traveling is interesting and makes for fun reading but it didn't have much to do with the main conflict.

The historical parts of the book were my favorites. They were entertaining in a very wish-fulfillment way and it was cool to learn a little more about Alex's other lives.

[Lacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Star rating: 1 - 1 1/2 Stars

I really wanted to get into this novel, but find I have absolutely no interest in getting to know Alex at all. I 'Did-Not-Finished' it, at 37% of the way through on my Kindle. At 37% of the way through a novel, you should feel like there is a clear plot and a road through which you're going to go down. With this novel there was neither. The plot was sluggish and overly complicated, which only served to make me more confused as to the purpose of Alex's powers. Maybe one day I'll bring myself back around to finish reading this book... But I highly doubt it.

[geena · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had a lot of potential. An interesting touch on reincarnation as time travel, yes please. But, this is kind of where it stopped.

I read a lot of YA fiction, but the protagonist was a lot more on the young side of the genre. As in, I wanted to shake her most of the time for being an idiot. Or all of the time.

There's a lot of hand-waving on the world building, and the ending comes on pretty quickly with a lot of nonsense that serves to tie up the plot.

PS there aren't actually 57 lives in this book. More like five.

[ariesmagic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Besides my irritation in regards to the adjective usage in this and my slight (extreme) confusion towards the end.. (but the explanations in regards to time travel never make sense to me) I really loved this one! It's definitely a new favorite and based upon how much I've liked the four Strange Chem books I've read so far I'm even more sad that the label is gone now :(

If you like modern time traveling / time travel to the past and independent female main characters, this one is for you :D

[༺Kiki༻ · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:

✱ The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
✱ Midwinterblood
✱ Every Day

[☆Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I really liked that it was a different sort of plot. I'm left wanting answers but I don't even see where there is a 2nd book being published. I really hope there is, like a bad break up I need closure!