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Travelers
Sienna Crenshaw knows the rules: 1) no time traveling beyond your natural lifetime, 2) no screwing with death, and 3) no changing the past. Ever. Sienna doesn’t love being stuck in the present, but she’s not the type to to break the rules. That is, she wasn’t the type until her best friend broke every one of those rules to keep Henry, her twin brother and Sienna’s ex-boyfriend, alive.
Suddenly, Sienna is caught in an unfamiliar reality. The upside? Henry is still alive. The downside? Sienna’s old life, including the people in it, has been erased. Now, Sienna and Henry must untangle the giant knot in time, or her parents and all the rest of the Travelers, will be lost forever. One problem: the only way to be successful is for Henry to die...
Suddenly, Sienna is caught in an unfamiliar reality. The upside? Henry is still alive. The downside? Sienna’s old life, including the people in it, has been erased. Now, Sienna and Henry must untangle the giant knot in time, or her parents and all the rest of the Travelers, will be lost forever. One problem: the only way to be successful is for Henry to die...
- GenresYoung AdultTime Travel
ebook
First published August 1, 2015
45 people want to read
About the author
Meradeth Houston
16 books276 followersMeradeth Houston lives in Montana where she’s an anthropology professor and scientist. If you let her, she’ll tell you more than you ever wanted to know about getting DNA out of dead stuff. She enjoys escaping the snow by imagining herself back in her favorite places in her home state of California, with a little drama or supernatural flare added in.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 8, 2015
Originally posted on Beauty, Books and Babble
Sienna comes from a family of Travelers who have the incredible ability to jump through time, providing they stick to a set of rules that ensure history remains as it should be, deaths take their natural course, and the future isn't altered.
Sienna has always stuck to the rules, even when her heart was torn apart by the death of her boyfriend, Henry. But when her best friend and his sister, Joan, bends the rules of Travelers in order to bring him back to life, Sienna's past and everyone involved in it is erased, and Joan seems to stop at nothing to ensure Henry remains alive.
"Sienna Crenshaw knows the rules: 1) no time traveling beyond your natural lifetime, 2) no screwing with death, and 3) no changing the past. Ever."
To start with, I'm just going to say how beautiful I think the cover of this book is. I know we are all told to never judge a book by it's cover, but this one is certainly pleasing to the eye, and the inside doesn't disappoint either!
I was hooked from the first chapter as soon as I was introduced to the idea of 'Traveling', and the book kept a firm grasp on me page after page with a smooth writing style and fast paced story. There was not one single boring point in this book. Each and every page was exciting and action packed. My only disappointment was the ending, which although I necessarily dislike, I just didn't feel an impact from it.
For me, time travel is such an intriguing concept, and Meradeth Houston executed the concept brilliantly. Whilst taking us through different storylines and various life paths in different timeframes and dimensions, she manages to keep our confusion at bay, creating a world of branched realities that grips the reader and allows them to follow the story with ease.
"Travelers had repaired these kinds of mistakes for ages. I just had to know what Joan changed. Then, I had to stop her."
The story is told through the eyes of our main character, Sienna, who was far from perfect in terms of her time travel and grades, but an extremely fun and likeable character. The love between her and Henry could be felt with every interaction, and despite being "the bad guy", the love Joan also had for Henry throughout the book was clear. She was an antagonist that was hard to hate, doing bad things because of the love for her brother.
All of this made for a thought-provoking read... What would you take from someone else in order to save your family ? If you're looking for a fast paced, exciting story with a dash of romance thrown in there, then you should definitely pick up Travelers!
March 17, 2016
One of the most complicated things about writing a time travel book is making the travel vehicle believable. In Travelers, the author gets that out of the way by creating characters who are travelers. It's just how they were born. Their way of life comes with very strict rules, including that they can never travel outside of their lifetime. When something happens that breaks all the rules, the main character is forced to try to make things right again. This book combines time travel with action and a little romance...once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down.
August 27, 2015
This is a hard review to write. Although I finished Travelers some time ago, I haven’t been able to write my review. There are a few reasons for this, mainly, however, I think it is because I’m struggling with how to classify the story. It’s a young adult romance…
Sienna and Henry are so in love throughout the story. Their love takes many differing paths, however. Which brings me to my second thought… it centers on time travel.
Well, yes and no. Like I mentioned, it’s a romance. But is it mostly romance? Or is it mostly time travel? Well, I’m not sure. I don’t think it can be one or the other. It’s both sides of the coin—romance and time travel, combined. Without one element, there wouldn’t be a need for the other. So I have to classify it as both. But, there’s also the action/adventure, betrayal, mystery...
There are so many components to Travelers, it makes writing a comprehensive review difficult. But there is one part of my review that remains the same regardless of how I classify the book… I liked it! No, I really liked it. Which is no real surprise. It was written by one of my favorite authors. I read the book in two sittings. It would have been one, but I was running low on caffeine and couldn’t keep my eyes open. Of course, the fact it was after 3 am might have something to do with that.
Travelers has one of the most unique plots I’ve read in a long while. Since it is a time travel, there were so many story arcs, running over different time frames, intersecting, involving various characters at different times in their life… over different realities. In one scene a character might be alive and well. In the next scene, that very same character’s life, situation, reality—whatever—could be entirely different. Meradeth Houston showed a deft hand in how she wrote across time, taking in the many shifting realities, and keeping the story from becoming a tangled, muddled mess.
I enjoyed all the jaunts through time the protagonist, Sienna, had to make on her quest to right the wrongs created in history. Meradeth managed to have her characters cycling through time over and over, without her writing becoming redundant, or too confusing, which speaks to her gift of storytelling.
But the travels weren’t the only thing that needed finessing. Meradeth had to create characters that were strong enough to stand against the changes in time, place, and reality. Weak character building would have ruined a story like Travelers. And while some authors write weak characters, hiding them under clichés and gratuitous sex, that type of sloppy character building would have been magnified in a story like Travelers.
I loved Sienna. She had a special mix of independence and strength that made me root for her. And when I thought someone was jerking her around? I squeezed my Kindle a little too hard and mumbled obscenities at them. And my heart hurt for her. Because she loved Henry. She really did. And she had to live through losing him once, but through circumstances created by Henry’s sister, Sienna had to relive that pain over, and over, and over. And although she was a strong girl, the reader also sees her pain and anger. Her confusion over why things have to be that way.
Henry is just… Henry. I can’t say much about him without giving too much away, but he’s great. He loved Sienna as much as she loved him. And when faced with his own mortality, he still stood up for what he knew to be right.
Joan is the antagonist in the book. She’s Henry’s sister and Sienna’s best friend. She breaks “Travelers Law” and changes the past, creating a world to her liking. But, oddly, I couldn’t hate her. She had reasons for what she did. Real reasons—it made my heart go soft. Not for the atrocities she caused—and she was naughty, to put it mildly—but what happen to cause her to lose her grip on reality (ha-ha. Pun intended).
Joan’s motives will cause you to question what you would do… what price you would pay… for family.
In the end, I couldn’t help but wonder if Joan was the true villain, or if death, or even time itself, was the true dark force.
Bottom line: Travelers is a rich, unique story. The amount of thought and planning the author put into her work is evident. One cannot sit and just write a book with so many intersecting characters, situations, timeframes, dynamics. It’s a true statement to the author’s talent that so many variables were pulled together seamlessly.
My opinion? Read it. Now. You’ll have fun, be amazed at the story telling ability of Meradeth Houston (if you don’t know her already), cuss some, cry some, and get butterflies… then you’ll start chapter two and it’ll all start again.
Sienna and Henry are so in love throughout the story. Their love takes many differing paths, however. Which brings me to my second thought… it centers on time travel.
Well, yes and no. Like I mentioned, it’s a romance. But is it mostly romance? Or is it mostly time travel? Well, I’m not sure. I don’t think it can be one or the other. It’s both sides of the coin—romance and time travel, combined. Without one element, there wouldn’t be a need for the other. So I have to classify it as both. But, there’s also the action/adventure, betrayal, mystery...
There are so many components to Travelers, it makes writing a comprehensive review difficult. But there is one part of my review that remains the same regardless of how I classify the book… I liked it! No, I really liked it. Which is no real surprise. It was written by one of my favorite authors. I read the book in two sittings. It would have been one, but I was running low on caffeine and couldn’t keep my eyes open. Of course, the fact it was after 3 am might have something to do with that.
Travelers has one of the most unique plots I’ve read in a long while. Since it is a time travel, there were so many story arcs, running over different time frames, intersecting, involving various characters at different times in their life… over different realities. In one scene a character might be alive and well. In the next scene, that very same character’s life, situation, reality—whatever—could be entirely different. Meradeth Houston showed a deft hand in how she wrote across time, taking in the many shifting realities, and keeping the story from becoming a tangled, muddled mess.
I enjoyed all the jaunts through time the protagonist, Sienna, had to make on her quest to right the wrongs created in history. Meradeth managed to have her characters cycling through time over and over, without her writing becoming redundant, or too confusing, which speaks to her gift of storytelling.
But the travels weren’t the only thing that needed finessing. Meradeth had to create characters that were strong enough to stand against the changes in time, place, and reality. Weak character building would have ruined a story like Travelers. And while some authors write weak characters, hiding them under clichés and gratuitous sex, that type of sloppy character building would have been magnified in a story like Travelers.
I loved Sienna. She had a special mix of independence and strength that made me root for her. And when I thought someone was jerking her around? I squeezed my Kindle a little too hard and mumbled obscenities at them. And my heart hurt for her. Because she loved Henry. She really did. And she had to live through losing him once, but through circumstances created by Henry’s sister, Sienna had to relive that pain over, and over, and over. And although she was a strong girl, the reader also sees her pain and anger. Her confusion over why things have to be that way.
Henry is just… Henry. I can’t say much about him without giving too much away, but he’s great. He loved Sienna as much as she loved him. And when faced with his own mortality, he still stood up for what he knew to be right.
Joan is the antagonist in the book. She’s Henry’s sister and Sienna’s best friend. She breaks “Travelers Law” and changes the past, creating a world to her liking. But, oddly, I couldn’t hate her. She had reasons for what she did. Real reasons—it made my heart go soft. Not for the atrocities she caused—and she was naughty, to put it mildly—but what happen to cause her to lose her grip on reality (ha-ha. Pun intended).
Joan’s motives will cause you to question what you would do… what price you would pay… for family.
In the end, I couldn’t help but wonder if Joan was the true villain, or if death, or even time itself, was the true dark force.
Bottom line: Travelers is a rich, unique story. The amount of thought and planning the author put into her work is evident. One cannot sit and just write a book with so many intersecting characters, situations, timeframes, dynamics. It’s a true statement to the author’s talent that so many variables were pulled together seamlessly.
My opinion? Read it. Now. You’ll have fun, be amazed at the story telling ability of Meradeth Houston (if you don’t know her already), cuss some, cry some, and get butterflies… then you’ll start chapter two and it’ll all start again.
September 14, 2015
Ever since Henry died Sienna has had to rebuild her life. Not only because she lost the love of her life, but because his twin sister/her best friend, Joan, has been withdrawn and won't talk to her. Sienna would love to travel back in time and change what happened, but “the rules” don't allow you to go back and change things like that. Besides, her parents had her cuffed so that she can’t travel at all without their knowledge. It really makes it difficult to do well on tests when you can't go back in time and change your answers! Finally Joan starts talking to her again and Sienna has hope that their friendship will get back on track. When she ends up in a different reality she realizes things may never go back to the way they were before. In this world Henry is alive and although there are many things that are better in the new reality, there are some very important things that are worse. Sienna fears for her whole family and their fate. To make matters worse this Henry, who is very similar to the Henry she knew, isn't quite the same person and the memories he has are with a different Sienna- not her. With her limited time travel skills is there a way for Sienna to fix things and put the world back on track? Is it the right thing to do when doing so means she will lose Henry again? Can Sienna bear the pain to change things and can she handle it if she doesn't? Read this exciting story to find out!
I have read all of Meradeth Houston's books and I haven’t been disappointed yet! Travelers is different from her other books in that it's a time travel adventure. I was very intrigued by the characters and enjoyed learning how the rules of time travel work in this book. Close attention was paid to details and the effects that changes would have on other events. I always thought it would be fun to travel back in time or possibly to the future, but when you realize all the things that could go wrong or be changed from the slightest thing it makes you realize it's nothing to play with. I liked the way the characters were developed and I was able to connect to Sienna. I loved Henry, he seems like he was a great guy in any of the realities. Joan kept me on the edge of my seat and made me angry at the way she solved problems that arose. A book that made me think, and I have still been thinking about it since I turned the last page. I recommend this book to fans of YA or time travel.
I have read all of Meradeth Houston's books and I haven’t been disappointed yet! Travelers is different from her other books in that it's a time travel adventure. I was very intrigued by the characters and enjoyed learning how the rules of time travel work in this book. Close attention was paid to details and the effects that changes would have on other events. I always thought it would be fun to travel back in time or possibly to the future, but when you realize all the things that could go wrong or be changed from the slightest thing it makes you realize it's nothing to play with. I liked the way the characters were developed and I was able to connect to Sienna. I loved Henry, he seems like he was a great guy in any of the realities. Joan kept me on the edge of my seat and made me angry at the way she solved problems that arose. A book that made me think, and I have still been thinking about it since I turned the last page. I recommend this book to fans of YA or time travel.
August 4, 2015
Ms. Houston's new book, Travelers, is a great beach read. Thought-provoking, romantic,very suspenseful light science fiction, it'll keep you guessing at the outcome until the end. Ms. Houston's crafted a great heroine in Sienna, strong and determined. I'm a fan of Ms. Houston's books and she just gets better each outing! Take a trip with these travelers. Recommended!
August 21, 2015
I really wanted to love you, book, but I just wasn't in love with you, you know?
I think we really need to see other people/books right now. We just grew in opposite directions.
It's not you, it's me.
I think we really need to see other people/books right now. We just grew in opposite directions.
It's not you, it's me.
August 4, 2015
Love this book! The action never stops, if you like time travel books this is a must read!
August 15, 2015
Meradeth hoodwinked me with her Absence of Light book. I love her writing style, I love her voice. I'm sort of iffy on time-travel books because they have the tendency to confuse me, but I was ready for Meradeth to wow me.
And she did. Walking-down-the-halls-with-my-Kindle-wowed me. But there were a couple things that dropped it to a three stars for me. But first, let's start with the good.
I liked how Sienna was not perfect, and she was not the best at traveling, but she made up for it in character. She knew what was the Right Thing To Do and she tried her damndest to do it even when she had to use Henry's skills vs her own. I also loved Joan--grief is a powerful motivator. She was an excellent contrast to Sienna. Joan didn't care what the Right Thing To Do was, she wanted her twin back, dammit. And screw you and everyone else. And let's make sure electric cars and the environment is saved (reminded me a bit of the Family Guy episode that had the same thing happen).
But there were some iffy things. In the first chapter, the repetition was really noticeable. We got not one, but two explanations of how the travelers worked. And at the end . If you don't want to read the spoiler: The end was not satisfying to me.
And honestly, it's because the middle was SUCH a page-turner that the ending (or lack thereof) was so dissatisfying. I wanted to love this book more than anything. And I did, but the ending just...ERG!
And she did. Walking-down-the-halls-with-my-Kindle-wowed me. But there were a couple things that dropped it to a three stars for me. But first, let's start with the good.
I liked how Sienna was not perfect, and she was not the best at traveling, but she made up for it in character. She knew what was the Right Thing To Do and she tried her damndest to do it even when she had to use Henry's skills vs her own. I also loved Joan--grief is a powerful motivator. She was an excellent contrast to Sienna. Joan didn't care what the Right Thing To Do was, she wanted her twin back, dammit. And screw you and everyone else. And let's make sure electric cars and the environment is saved (reminded me a bit of the Family Guy episode that had the same thing happen).
But there were some iffy things. In the first chapter, the repetition was really noticeable. We got not one, but two explanations of how the travelers worked. And at the end . If you don't want to read the spoiler: The end was not satisfying to me.
And honestly, it's because the middle was SUCH a page-turner that the ending (or lack thereof) was so dissatisfying. I wanted to love this book more than anything. And I did, but the ending just...ERG!
January 19, 2016
Sienna Crenshaw isn't happy about the rules. What fun is it to be a time traveler if you can't go beyond your natural lifetime or change your own death? She especially hates the rules because she couldn't change the fact her boyfriend, Henry died. Yet Sienna's best friend, Joan who is also Henry's twin sister dares to break all the rules and creates what she believes to be a better reality with Henry still alive. And this might be good with Sienna except the fact all her family is gone. Will Sienna be able to right the timeline even if that means going against her best friend and losing the love of her life again?
What a wonderful fast-paced and action packed YA read. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was happily surprised by the twists and turns and the complexity of time traveling in this story. Every action echoes over time. It certainly did make me think what I'd do if I were in Sienna's position with my heart pulled in several directions.
Sienna transformed from a typical complaining teen into a brave heroine who must make immensely tough choices. I sympathized with her, and hurt with her when I guessed what she might have to do. I also really liked she wasn't perfect. I can see how she fell for Henry. And oh how I fretted over wondering who he was really helping!
4.5 stars for Travelers. Highly recommended YA time travel romance.
What a wonderful fast-paced and action packed YA read. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was happily surprised by the twists and turns and the complexity of time traveling in this story. Every action echoes over time. It certainly did make me think what I'd do if I were in Sienna's position with my heart pulled in several directions.
Sienna transformed from a typical complaining teen into a brave heroine who must make immensely tough choices. I sympathized with her, and hurt with her when I guessed what she might have to do. I also really liked she wasn't perfect. I can see how she fell for Henry. And oh how I fretted over wondering who he was really helping!
4.5 stars for Travelers. Highly recommended YA time travel romance.
September 21, 2015
This writer has once again proven her ability to weave a captivating tale. While I'd characterize her earlier books as fantasies, this one falls more into the realm of science fiction, and is about a subset of humans... called travelers... with the ability to transport themselves from one place to another, as well as through time.
It's absolutely imperative that those travelers abide by certain rules; otherwise, the consequences may be disastrous.
However, one talented teen traveler is willing to break any rule, no matter how great the risk or how dire the consequences, if it means bringing her dead twin brother back. Her best friend, her brother's girlfriend, has been mourning for him for the past year, too, and would love to have him back again, but is the cost others must pay... the cost SHE must pay... too high and terrible? Can she accept this new reality, in which her boyfriend is no longer dead, or will she do whatever she has to do to set things right, even if means losing him again?
Bottom line, a quick-reading, entertaining tale. The ending didn't have quite the resolution I expected, but maybe that's a good thing. My only real complaint is that I wish the book had gotten a wee bit more editing to get rid of the typos.
It's absolutely imperative that those travelers abide by certain rules; otherwise, the consequences may be disastrous.
However, one talented teen traveler is willing to break any rule, no matter how great the risk or how dire the consequences, if it means bringing her dead twin brother back. Her best friend, her brother's girlfriend, has been mourning for him for the past year, too, and would love to have him back again, but is the cost others must pay... the cost SHE must pay... too high and terrible? Can she accept this new reality, in which her boyfriend is no longer dead, or will she do whatever she has to do to set things right, even if means losing him again?
Bottom line, a quick-reading, entertaining tale. The ending didn't have quite the resolution I expected, but maybe that's a good thing. My only real complaint is that I wish the book had gotten a wee bit more editing to get rid of the typos.
November 7, 2015
Time travel boggles my mind. It's one of those things that makes me feel dizzy the moment I start thinking about it and all the sciency rules and what-ifs, yet I still feel incredibly intrigued by the idea.
TRAVELERS introduces an interesting concept. If you were to travel to a different dimension (or timeline) would you feel like an imposter taking over a life with a past that didn't belong to you? People would expect you to be the "other you" but the "real you" may not have the same memories etc.
The main character in TRAVELERS experiences this, and I have to admit, I had never even considered that kind of a dilemma when thinking about time travel. It made for an interesting conflict.
TRAVELERS proposes yet another interesting theoretical question: Does eliminating someone's existence save them from tragedy? Or in other words, is it better to exist and experience great tragedy or pain than to not exist at all?
Don't get me wrong, this is a YA book. The main character is very much a teenager, but the idea is quite complex. Meradeth Houston did a great job developing a storyline with a heart-wrenching conflict.
TRAVELERS introduces an interesting concept. If you were to travel to a different dimension (or timeline) would you feel like an imposter taking over a life with a past that didn't belong to you? People would expect you to be the "other you" but the "real you" may not have the same memories etc.
The main character in TRAVELERS experiences this, and I have to admit, I had never even considered that kind of a dilemma when thinking about time travel. It made for an interesting conflict.
TRAVELERS proposes yet another interesting theoretical question: Does eliminating someone's existence save them from tragedy? Or in other words, is it better to exist and experience great tragedy or pain than to not exist at all?
Don't get me wrong, this is a YA book. The main character is very much a teenager, but the idea is quite complex. Meradeth Houston did a great job developing a storyline with a heart-wrenching conflict.
August 17, 2015
Sienna Crenshaw is a time traveler who comes from a family of travelers. Within her travelling community, there are set rules that should not be broken. These rules exist to protect everyone, so that history isn’t altered, but someone in Sienna’s life is up to no good.
She’s torn when her boyfriend Henry dies. Joan, his sister and her best friend, believes she has the solution to bring Henry to life, which means bending all sorts of travelling rules. In order to regain Henry, Joan has to erase Sienna’s former existence. Sienna is now out to undo Joan’s damage and get her family and the rest of her life back.
This is a unique problem, one that I haven’t seen in other time travel stories. Joan had good intentions, but she was rotten to the core. My heart raced for Sienna as she attempted to make her current time normal again. This is an action- and emotion-packed YA page turner.
She’s torn when her boyfriend Henry dies. Joan, his sister and her best friend, believes she has the solution to bring Henry to life, which means bending all sorts of travelling rules. In order to regain Henry, Joan has to erase Sienna’s former existence. Sienna is now out to undo Joan’s damage and get her family and the rest of her life back.
This is a unique problem, one that I haven’t seen in other time travel stories. Joan had good intentions, but she was rotten to the core. My heart raced for Sienna as she attempted to make her current time normal again. This is an action- and emotion-packed YA page turner.
November 25, 2015
"I think I would love you in any universe, any reality, anywhere." -Sienna Crenshaw, Travelers
There are a lot of rules in time traveling. At least in my mind. I easily get confused and have way too many questions to ask about how things work and why some things simply can't. Author Meradeth Houston has thrown us for a wild ride with Travelers. Sienna Crenshaw finds herself in the middle of the toughest choice she'll have to make: Stay in her new peaceful reality with the boy she loves, or go back to the one where her family is still alive, but her love is not.
The predicament had me racing through this book to find the answers! Check it out. You will not be disappointed. Bravo, Meradeth!
There are a lot of rules in time traveling. At least in my mind. I easily get confused and have way too many questions to ask about how things work and why some things simply can't. Author Meradeth Houston has thrown us for a wild ride with Travelers. Sienna Crenshaw finds herself in the middle of the toughest choice she'll have to make: Stay in her new peaceful reality with the boy she loves, or go back to the one where her family is still alive, but her love is not.
The predicament had me racing through this book to find the answers! Check it out. You will not be disappointed. Bravo, Meradeth!
September 6, 2015
I enjoyed this story. I didn't find it strictly engrossing or riveting, but it was definitely interesting with just a touch of excitement. I liked the characters too, especially Henry, and even Joan was fascinating and complex in her own way. A good, quick read.
If you'd like to know more of my thoughts on this book, you can find the full review on Verbosity Book Reviews.
If you'd like to know more of my thoughts on this book, you can find the full review on Verbosity Book Reviews.
February 20, 2016
I received Travelers from a Read and Review Challenge and didn't know what to expect from the author. Meradeth Houston did a really great job of creating a rich world with time-travel. I really enjoyed her take on friendship and love in teenage years and how grief can change someone's life--literally! If you are looking for a fun, fast-paced, easy read, I recommend this.
August 16, 2015
Oh my word!! If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. It had everything you want in a book action, adventure, time travel, love, & a really bad villain. Lol!!! Maybe just maybe Meradeth will write me a sequel. Please!!
November 6, 2015
I read this as part of Jessica Therrien's R & R challenge. This was a great, fast read. I was engaged by the characters and intrigued by the plot twists that kept me guessing. She handles the time traveling subject well without too much confusion. A great young adult book.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews