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Tangled in Time #2
Tangled in Time 2: The Burning Queen: The Burning Queen
For fans of the Royal Diaries series and of Gail Carson Levine, here is the second adventure in a middle grade time travel series from Newbery Honor-winning Kathryn Lasky!
In book 2, newly orphaned Rose finds herself time-traveling between present day and the court of the two most memorable English princesses in history.
When Princess Mary ascends the throne in sixteenth-century England, Rose is forced to leave Princess Elizabeth and serve Mary. Mary's coronation is coming, and Rose will be put to work making elaborate gowns. But the religiously devout queen's next plan is to begin her attack on Protestants--burning them at the stake!
Rose's dad, master spy and goldsmith for the court, urges Rose to escape to her home century, present day Indiana, where Rose befriends a young immigrant named Marisol. Rose must protect Marisol from both middle school mean girls and the threat of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Relishing her newfound family, Rose is determined to rescue her father and best friend Franny from the dangers of Queen Mary's reign. Is she willing to risk everything to save the people closest to her?
In book 2, newly orphaned Rose finds herself time-traveling between present day and the court of the two most memorable English princesses in history.
When Princess Mary ascends the throne in sixteenth-century England, Rose is forced to leave Princess Elizabeth and serve Mary. Mary's coronation is coming, and Rose will be put to work making elaborate gowns. But the religiously devout queen's next plan is to begin her attack on Protestants--burning them at the stake!
Rose's dad, master spy and goldsmith for the court, urges Rose to escape to her home century, present day Indiana, where Rose befriends a young immigrant named Marisol. Rose must protect Marisol from both middle school mean girls and the threat of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Relishing her newfound family, Rose is determined to rescue her father and best friend Franny from the dangers of Queen Mary's reign. Is she willing to risk everything to save the people closest to her?
1 pages, MP3 CD
First published October 29, 2019
44 people are currently reading
888 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Lasky
266 books2,276 followersKathryn Lasky, also known as Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann, is an award-winning American author of over one hundred books for children and adults. Best known for the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, her work has been translated into 19 languages and includes historical fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
August 13, 2020
Of course, this one is even more anachronistic than the previous installment. Still, I like the concept of time travels nicely fit with intermediating periods of 'shadow' and actual travel time.
Q:
It was more of a meditative experience. One had to train one’s mind. It was actually an art. And one grew increasingly agile with experience. She called it Mastering the Art of the Rose. (c)
Q:
A fragile light seemed to envelop Rose and then she merely dissolved like a dewdrop in the morning sun—except there was no dew and no sun. It was pitch black outside. (c)
Q:
The service went on and on. She was kneeling, rising, lying facedown, then up again. A sort of coronation aerobics class. (c)
Q:
“Ours not to question why, ours but to do or die.” (c)
Q:
Some people had slipped off their shoes and some were playing footsie with their neighbor. All of their feet stank. (c)
Q:
“It takes a fool to know a mad queen.” (c)
Q:
Maybe she was like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland who periodically faded away, leaving only its grin. (c)
Q:
She was, Rose thought, a weaver of time and seasons. Rosalinda was an artist. (c)
Q:
“Imagine that—a woman ten years younger than me, ne’er married, ne’er given birth to anything beyond this dress, telling me how to bear a child and where!” (c)
Q:
Does this seer know my secret—my secret double life? For that is how I now think of my strange experience. It is as if I am living two lives in the space of one. (c)
Q:
It was more of a meditative experience. One had to train one’s mind. It was actually an art. And one grew increasingly agile with experience. She called it Mastering the Art of the Rose. (c)
Q:
A fragile light seemed to envelop Rose and then she merely dissolved like a dewdrop in the morning sun—except there was no dew and no sun. It was pitch black outside. (c)
Q:
The service went on and on. She was kneeling, rising, lying facedown, then up again. A sort of coronation aerobics class. (c)
Q:
“Ours not to question why, ours but to do or die.” (c)
Q:
Some people had slipped off their shoes and some were playing footsie with their neighbor. All of their feet stank. (c)
Q:
“It takes a fool to know a mad queen.” (c)
Q:
Maybe she was like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland who periodically faded away, leaving only its grin. (c)
Q:
She was, Rose thought, a weaver of time and seasons. Rosalinda was an artist. (c)
Q:
“Imagine that—a woman ten years younger than me, ne’er married, ne’er given birth to anything beyond this dress, telling me how to bear a child and where!” (c)
Q:
Does this seer know my secret—my secret double life? For that is how I now think of my strange experience. It is as if I am living two lives in the space of one. (c)
May 29, 2020
I think this book is a 3.5. I just wasn’t in love with it like I was in love with the first book. I thought the writing was sloppy and there were a few spelling and grammatical errors I spotted. Half way through the book I just wanted to finish and be over it. I didn’t know what to think with all the Marisol story. Not to spoil it, but it’s a big stretch for Rose to says she’s a time migrant, like how Marisol is a Migrant. And she just tells her she can time travel?! And how many times do we have to be told that time moves differently? I just wanted Rose to get her necklace back in this book and it was just...all over the place. And now I guess I’ll wait for a third book where Rose has to get the necklace back from Elizabeth again!
July 20, 2025
also finished this ages ago 4.5!
March 9, 2020
Rose, daughter of Rosemary, granddaughter of Rosalinda, has inherited the ability to travel in time, specifically to 16th century England in the midst of major royal power plays. In this second book of the Tangled in Time series, Rose is seamstress to Queen Mary who forced Catholicism on her people and burned Protestant “heretics” at the stake, hence the title. Besides the court dramas, Rose is also pursuing her father, whose own time is the 1500s, and trying to help a friend, Franny who is a likely target for Queen Mary’s religious persecution. Back in the 21st century, Rose is dealing with bullies, The Mean Queens, in middle school. She lives with her grandmother who is developing dementia, but who is with it enough to serve as a sponsor for a undocumented refugee teen from Bolivia, Marisol, who becomes Rose’s bestie. Rose’s other good friend, Susan, is Jewish, and Susan’s father is the lawyer who’s going to champion for Marisol. Basically this is a more sophisticated Magic Tree House story, but Rose uses a greenhouse for her travels. Time travel books are notoriously difficult to pull off, and this one does not ultimately succeed. There are so many different female names in the past and present that it is difficult to keep track of all of them, plus Rose slips so swiftly from century to century that it takes careful reading to know all the whos AND the whens. The inclusion of 21st century issues and diversity feels arbitrary, and the too-quick time and perspective shifts are confusing. If a reader liked the first one, get this sequel, otherwise it’s skippable.
February 9, 2020
There is something very endearing about Kathryn Lasky’s new YA time travel novel, “Tangled in Time 2: The Burning Queen.” Our protagonist, Rose, has found a time portal in her grandmother’s conservatory: she slips from her home in present-day Indianapolis to 16th-century England, where she works as a seamstress to the infamously bloody queen, Mary Tudor, returning from time to time to Indianapolis to study vocabulary, check on her grandmother, and research the history coming her way in her 16th century life. Rose is determinedly good and honest: in each of her lives she forms friendships with people who are brave in the face of adversity, and kind and loyal to each other, playing in both worlds the part of a true friend. In Mary’s court the perils are plain: Mary was determined to bring newly-Protestant England back to the Catholic Church, burning “heretics,” as she saw them, and perceiving plots everywhere. But in 21st century Indianapolis, perils exist as well: Rose becomes friends with young Marisol, an undocumented immigrant working long hours to reimburse the “coyote” who brought her across the border; hungry and cold though she is in the Indianapolis winter, Marisol is determined to go to school, to make a new life on this side of the border. Lasky weaves some tough-minded parallels between the religious fanaticism of Mary Tudor’s realm, and the harsh treatment of immigrants in our own world, encouraging her young readers to see the appeal of kindness and loyalty, of honesty and hard work, and also gently depicting the dismaying implications of middle-school meanness and cruelty, with some incisive insights into the fine distinctions between jerks and bullies. There are all sorts of charmingly whimsical vignettes into the oddities of Tudor customs, the strange intertwining of splendor and squalor, but the true focus of this book is on character: the young reader will be charmed, as I was, by the celebration of goodness, and the real sweetness in young Rose’s loyal friendships.
May 2, 2024
Wasn’t as good as the first one…! But still a high rating for sure! I will be reading the series again! 4/5 recommend!
June 23, 2023
I wish it focused more on Queen Mary I and all the terrible things she did
February 1, 2024
A little darker than the first.
December 10, 2019
I utterly loved the first book in this series and have been waiting on pins and needles for months to read the second installment. The first story left the reader on a cliffhanger, with the death of young Edward VI and the rise of his bitter, older half-sister Mary, all witnessed by the time-traveling protagonist, Rose.
Overall, this book, while decent, didn't quite have the same jolt of excitement that the first installment inspired. Still, I'm very curious to see where the series will ultimately end up and look forward to seeing what comes next.
Overall, this book, while decent, didn't quite have the same jolt of excitement that the first installment inspired. Still, I'm very curious to see where the series will ultimately end up and look forward to seeing what comes next.
October 25, 2020
I've loved Kathryn Lasky's work since reading her Guardians of Ga'Hoole series as a kid, so I was really excited to pick this book up and give it a try. While I really enjoyed the premise, characters, and story, I could see a reluctant or struggling reader becoming easily frustrated with this book. While this doesn't necessarily make it a bad book, it does take away some of the accessibility for readers who might not be as advanced as I was as a middle grade reader. That being said, I still think there is an audience for this book, and I'm more than happy to rave about it here.
Tangled in Time: The Burning Queen follows a young time-traveler named Rose Ashley. When she isn't attending middle school in the present day, Rose often finds herself whisked back to sixteenth century England, where she attends to Princess Elizabeth and her sister Queen Mary. Sixteenth century England is also the home of her father, Nicholas Oliver, goldsmith and spy for the royal court. While Rose desperately wants her father and close friend Franny to return with her to the present day, both urge her to leave the sixteenth century for fear of what "Bloody Mary" might do to her. Things aren't going much better in the present, however, as Rose desperately tries to rescue her new friend Marisol (a Bolivian immigrant) from ICE and deportation.
What I love most about this book is how it combines historical tragedies with relevant struggles from the present day. I'll admit that I didn't know much about Bloody Mary's reign, but it was very interesting to see it juxtaposed with the immigration issues of today. Throughout the book, Rose worries for two of her friends in different times. She worries that Franny will be discovered and burned at the stake for being Protestant, while worrying that Marisol will be caught and deported back to Bolivia with no family to help her. In both time periods, Rose encounters cruel people who will use the plights of others for their own gain, and must learn how to stand up for herself and others. I think these are extremely good messages for young readers, and I think this book does well to shine a light on current issues facing real kids.
Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the diversity amongst the supporting cast. Among Rose's many friends in the modern world are Middle Eastern students, a Bolivian immigrant, and a boy with cerebral palsy. In the past, she is friends with someone who has dwarfism and an older woman (named Jane the Bald) who might have a form of autism. None of these characters ever feel out of place, and none exist solely to push a message or agenda. The cast is simply diverse, and each character helps Rose on her journey in some way. This casual representation is incredibly important, and helps young readers to see the value in humans who look and act differently than they do.
Unlike the sci-fi time traveling I read about in Twisted Fates, Rose's time traveling is a hereditary ability passed down from mother to daughter. After losing her mother in the last book, Rose supposedly discovered her ability to time travel using the special damask roses in her grandmother's greenhouse. While I enjoy sci-fi, I liked this take on time travel much better, as it happens at random and Rose never quite knows exactly how long she will remain in the past. This makes time traveling seem much more like a thrilling adventure, and the stakes are raised because Rose hasn't yet learned how to control it. I loved getting the little snippets of history alongside modern day life, as I think it's a fun way for kids to read about history without being bored to tears by an old textbook.
Speaking of Rose, she is the tiny feminist icon we all need. The book opens with a fake news article talking about the bow ties she and her friends are selling for charity, titled "Bow Ties Not Just for Guys?" In the opening chapters of the book, Rose snaps back at her male teacher for calling her a "young lady," using his own vocabulary words to call him patronizing and demeaning. The teacher apologizes and acknowledges his mistake, teaching young readers that it's okay to advocate for yourself and stand up to adults when they're wrong. This attitude permeates throughout the book, as Rose is an incredibly strong, intelligent heroine who stands up for the vulnerable around her. I think she's an excellent role model for middle grade readers, and I fell in love with her wit and sass from the very first page.
The only downside to this book, as I've mentioned before, is that it's a little confusing and might be hard for reluctant readers to enjoy. Not only does the book use very advanced vocabulary (incorporating many words from Rose's fictional Language Arts class), but it jumps between the past and present sometimes several times throughout a single chapter. The book will also occasionally shift points of view, going from Rose to her grandmother and even to other characters in the past (such as Franny and Jane the Bald). While it was easy for me to keep up with what was going on, I'm an adult with years of reading experience under my belt. I can only imagine a middle grade reader (especially one who struggles with reading) getting really frustrated by the way this book is written, so I would only be able to comfortably recommend it to a very advanced reader. I would hate for someone to pick it up and then decide they aren't cut out for reading based on the difficulty of this novel.
Other than that minor issue, however, I found myself really enjoying this book, and I hope Lasky plans to write more of this series in the future. The characters are diverse and well written, the plot and premise are incredibly fun, and the book itself is peppered with great messages about standing up for what's right and being brave in the face of injustice. It conveys these messages without ever feeling preachy, and would be a great tool for discussing both historical events and modern day issues. I've loved Kathryn Lasky's work since I was a child, and I'm happy to say that her work very much still holds up for me as an adult. I look forward to seeing what she writes in the future.
Tangled in Time: The Burning Queen follows a young time-traveler named Rose Ashley. When she isn't attending middle school in the present day, Rose often finds herself whisked back to sixteenth century England, where she attends to Princess Elizabeth and her sister Queen Mary. Sixteenth century England is also the home of her father, Nicholas Oliver, goldsmith and spy for the royal court. While Rose desperately wants her father and close friend Franny to return with her to the present day, both urge her to leave the sixteenth century for fear of what "Bloody Mary" might do to her. Things aren't going much better in the present, however, as Rose desperately tries to rescue her new friend Marisol (a Bolivian immigrant) from ICE and deportation.
What I love most about this book is how it combines historical tragedies with relevant struggles from the present day. I'll admit that I didn't know much about Bloody Mary's reign, but it was very interesting to see it juxtaposed with the immigration issues of today. Throughout the book, Rose worries for two of her friends in different times. She worries that Franny will be discovered and burned at the stake for being Protestant, while worrying that Marisol will be caught and deported back to Bolivia with no family to help her. In both time periods, Rose encounters cruel people who will use the plights of others for their own gain, and must learn how to stand up for herself and others. I think these are extremely good messages for young readers, and I think this book does well to shine a light on current issues facing real kids.
Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the diversity amongst the supporting cast. Among Rose's many friends in the modern world are Middle Eastern students, a Bolivian immigrant, and a boy with cerebral palsy. In the past, she is friends with someone who has dwarfism and an older woman (named Jane the Bald) who might have a form of autism. None of these characters ever feel out of place, and none exist solely to push a message or agenda. The cast is simply diverse, and each character helps Rose on her journey in some way. This casual representation is incredibly important, and helps young readers to see the value in humans who look and act differently than they do.
Unlike the sci-fi time traveling I read about in Twisted Fates, Rose's time traveling is a hereditary ability passed down from mother to daughter. After losing her mother in the last book, Rose supposedly discovered her ability to time travel using the special damask roses in her grandmother's greenhouse. While I enjoy sci-fi, I liked this take on time travel much better, as it happens at random and Rose never quite knows exactly how long she will remain in the past. This makes time traveling seem much more like a thrilling adventure, and the stakes are raised because Rose hasn't yet learned how to control it. I loved getting the little snippets of history alongside modern day life, as I think it's a fun way for kids to read about history without being bored to tears by an old textbook.
Speaking of Rose, she is the tiny feminist icon we all need. The book opens with a fake news article talking about the bow ties she and her friends are selling for charity, titled "Bow Ties Not Just for Guys?" In the opening chapters of the book, Rose snaps back at her male teacher for calling her a "young lady," using his own vocabulary words to call him patronizing and demeaning. The teacher apologizes and acknowledges his mistake, teaching young readers that it's okay to advocate for yourself and stand up to adults when they're wrong. This attitude permeates throughout the book, as Rose is an incredibly strong, intelligent heroine who stands up for the vulnerable around her. I think she's an excellent role model for middle grade readers, and I fell in love with her wit and sass from the very first page.
The only downside to this book, as I've mentioned before, is that it's a little confusing and might be hard for reluctant readers to enjoy. Not only does the book use very advanced vocabulary (incorporating many words from Rose's fictional Language Arts class), but it jumps between the past and present sometimes several times throughout a single chapter. The book will also occasionally shift points of view, going from Rose to her grandmother and even to other characters in the past (such as Franny and Jane the Bald). While it was easy for me to keep up with what was going on, I'm an adult with years of reading experience under my belt. I can only imagine a middle grade reader (especially one who struggles with reading) getting really frustrated by the way this book is written, so I would only be able to comfortably recommend it to a very advanced reader. I would hate for someone to pick it up and then decide they aren't cut out for reading based on the difficulty of this novel.
Other than that minor issue, however, I found myself really enjoying this book, and I hope Lasky plans to write more of this series in the future. The characters are diverse and well written, the plot and premise are incredibly fun, and the book itself is peppered with great messages about standing up for what's right and being brave in the face of injustice. It conveys these messages without ever feeling preachy, and would be a great tool for discussing both historical events and modern day issues. I've loved Kathryn Lasky's work since I was a child, and I'm happy to say that her work very much still holds up for me as an adult. I look forward to seeing what she writes in the future.
March 22, 2020
This book is so all over the place. I read the first one, which was sort of a mess but fun enough I wanted to know what happens next. However, I have been trying for weeks to find my footing and get into the second story. I just can't bring myself to pick up anymore. I leave Rose forever lost in time... But now I can spend my time with a better book.
February 4, 2020
This is decent follow up to the first book. It kinda feels like there is too much going, as there are multiple plotlines and stakes. While those are good things, they aren't balanced well. In the end, I enjoyed this book and will continue to read this series.
January 4, 2021
I had high hopes, but it fell flat.
January 3, 2021
My recent interest in Tudor history with The Spanish Princess and Six the Musical inspired me to read the second book in Kathryn Lasky's Tangled in Time duology. If you forgot or missed my previous review, this limited series is about a middle school girl named Rose Ashley who copes with the death of her mother by traveling back in time through a magical rose in her grandmother's greenhouse to the era of a young Queen Elizabeth. The first book, The Portal, was satisfying enough that I didn't feel obligated to read the next one. However, there were a few loose ends that I was curious about, so I decided to complete the series with The Burning Queen. I was disappointed to learn that this book was very similar to the first one and offered almost no progression in Rose's quest to rebuild her family. This post will contain some spoilers for Tangled in Time: The Portal, so please read my review for that instead if you don't want to be spoiled.
The Burning Queen picks up where The Portal left off, when Mary Tudor, the daughter of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, is crowned queen for her short-lived reign. Renowned in history as Bloody Mary, the new queen spares no time in sentencing everyone who does not follow her religion to burn at the stake. On a personal note, I never understood the division between Catholics and Protestants. While there are different levels of Judaism like reform, conservative, orthodox, and Hasidic, we would never accuse someone else of having the wrong type of Jewish beliefs. I find it weird and confusing that some Christians think that their Christian beliefs are superior to other Christian beliefs. Anyway, this new regime means trouble for Rose, who is not particularly religious in any respect. Her father urges her to return to her own time, where she will be safe. Rose can't bring herself to stay away from him forever after the tragic loss of her mother, so she disobeys his order and continues to travel back and forth between the past and the present time periods just like in the first book.
My biggest disappointment with The Burning Queen is the complete lack of effort that Rose puts into her goal of getting her father, Nicholas, to come back to her own time with her. In The Portal, Nicholas agrees to try to find a way to return to Rose's time period with her so she would no longer have to be an orphan in the present day being raised by a senile grandmother. Yet, every time she brings it up in The Burning Queen, he comes up with some sort of excuse as to why he wouldn't be able to make it in our time as though living with the benefits of technology without the fear of being burned at the stake if you say the wrong thing is so unappealing. Rose even suggests in the previous book that he could continue his profession as a goldsmith in modern times and that she would do everything she can to help him acclimate. Yet, this discussion gets glazed over time and again in the sequel until it ends with a feeling of complete dissatisfaction.
This book is a rare case where it would be more enjoyable if you have not read the prequel first. It reintroduces the same creative concept of a modern girl traveling back in time and blogging about historical fashions. It gives a peek at what it would be like for someone from this time period to live as a servant to royalty during the Renassiance. It also continues the message of helping those in need when Rose convinces her grandmother to sponsor a girl at her school who falls upon trouble due to her immigration status. What it does not do is expand upon any of the unanswered questions from the other book. Rose finds that people from the 16th century mysteriously remember her being there during multiple year-long absences when she returns to her own time period. This might be more believable if she wasn't given such an important profession. Sometimes, characters reference dresses she made or tailored for Mary or Elizabeth during her absences. If she wasn't present during these time periods, where did those dresses come from, and how did they get fixed? I had hoped that the author would have had more time to think about this in the sequel, but it seems I was wrong.
Overall, The Burning Queen feels like nothing more than a rewrite of The Portal. If this was the route the author was planning to take all along, Tangled in Time should have been a single book, whether it was about Princess Elizabeth or Queen Mary. I appreciate that Kathryn Lasky wanted multiple books to show off her wealth of historical knowledge to children, but she seemed to forget about her protagonist in the process. Rose Ashley is a lonely girl who just wants a capable parent to take care of her. It isn't right to string her along for an entire sequel without at least having her try to fulfill that goal. I would only recommend this book if you have not read the first one and think the concept sounds intriguing. For anyone who wants closure to The Portal, The Burning Queen is a burning disappointment.
The Burning Queen picks up where The Portal left off, when Mary Tudor, the daughter of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, is crowned queen for her short-lived reign. Renowned in history as Bloody Mary, the new queen spares no time in sentencing everyone who does not follow her religion to burn at the stake. On a personal note, I never understood the division between Catholics and Protestants. While there are different levels of Judaism like reform, conservative, orthodox, and Hasidic, we would never accuse someone else of having the wrong type of Jewish beliefs. I find it weird and confusing that some Christians think that their Christian beliefs are superior to other Christian beliefs. Anyway, this new regime means trouble for Rose, who is not particularly religious in any respect. Her father urges her to return to her own time, where she will be safe. Rose can't bring herself to stay away from him forever after the tragic loss of her mother, so she disobeys his order and continues to travel back and forth between the past and the present time periods just like in the first book.
My biggest disappointment with The Burning Queen is the complete lack of effort that Rose puts into her goal of getting her father, Nicholas, to come back to her own time with her. In The Portal, Nicholas agrees to try to find a way to return to Rose's time period with her so she would no longer have to be an orphan in the present day being raised by a senile grandmother. Yet, every time she brings it up in The Burning Queen, he comes up with some sort of excuse as to why he wouldn't be able to make it in our time as though living with the benefits of technology without the fear of being burned at the stake if you say the wrong thing is so unappealing. Rose even suggests in the previous book that he could continue his profession as a goldsmith in modern times and that she would do everything she can to help him acclimate. Yet, this discussion gets glazed over time and again in the sequel until it ends with a feeling of complete dissatisfaction.
This book is a rare case where it would be more enjoyable if you have not read the prequel first. It reintroduces the same creative concept of a modern girl traveling back in time and blogging about historical fashions. It gives a peek at what it would be like for someone from this time period to live as a servant to royalty during the Renassiance. It also continues the message of helping those in need when Rose convinces her grandmother to sponsor a girl at her school who falls upon trouble due to her immigration status. What it does not do is expand upon any of the unanswered questions from the other book. Rose finds that people from the 16th century mysteriously remember her being there during multiple year-long absences when she returns to her own time period. This might be more believable if she wasn't given such an important profession. Sometimes, characters reference dresses she made or tailored for Mary or Elizabeth during her absences. If she wasn't present during these time periods, where did those dresses come from, and how did they get fixed? I had hoped that the author would have had more time to think about this in the sequel, but it seems I was wrong.
Overall, The Burning Queen feels like nothing more than a rewrite of The Portal. If this was the route the author was planning to take all along, Tangled in Time should have been a single book, whether it was about Princess Elizabeth or Queen Mary. I appreciate that Kathryn Lasky wanted multiple books to show off her wealth of historical knowledge to children, but she seemed to forget about her protagonist in the process. Rose Ashley is a lonely girl who just wants a capable parent to take care of her. It isn't right to string her along for an entire sequel without at least having her try to fulfill that goal. I would only recommend this book if you have not read the first one and think the concept sounds intriguing. For anyone who wants closure to The Portal, The Burning Queen is a burning disappointment.
March 1, 2025
DNF at 35%, otherwise known as the first book I’ve officially DNF’d. Between the barely mediocre writing, nonsensical events, cursing, and politic messages, this was a hard nope.
*likely spoilers*
I actually liked the first book; it was a solid middle grade novel. I’ve read better (Children of the Fox is a SPLENDID example of how to write middle grade well), but it wasn’t bad. This sequel, however, was absolutely abysmal.
I haven’t seen this many short sentences since reading a Who Was book, not to mention the clichéd characters and lack of sentence intrigue. Our main character, who is twelve or thirteen, is promoted to head seamstress (I believe) in the ‘past’ part of the book, which—just—no. Whether or not child labor laws existed then, twelve-year-olds don’t become heads of anything. Also, the author clearly wanted to show what she deemed the important bits of the past, because there was some strange nonsense about how our mc, Rose, like… did things in the past bc time there moved a lot quicker, but she wasn’t actually there doing those things, and just—what???
The curse words are another mater entirely. Cursing is not uncommon in media these days, and I’d be kidding myself if I said all YA and other books were free of it. However, in a *middle grade* novel, especially one of this poor quality, it is simply neither the time nor the place for language. (Also, when I say cursing, I don’t mean ‘heck’ or ‘stupid’ or whatever. I’m not that sensitive. I mean actual curse words.)
And the political element. I’m not well enough acquainted with modern politics to go deep into this, but Rose rescues a hispanic(?) girl who appears to have no family. The girl speaks little English, adds Spanish into her speech at weird times (obviously someone like that would speak in their native language frequently, but the instances that she does seem unrealistic, like the author holding a big sign saying ‘look, a bilingual character!) and is bullied at school for unknown reasons. (Racism? Is that what we’re going with? This is middle grade, people.) Also, the girl (Marisol) accidentally blurts out her home country (along the lines of ‘in fill-in-the-blank-country, we never whatever), which felt SO awkwardly placed. If I were in a foreign country and trying to hide where I was from, I sure as heck wouldn’t just say ‘well in AMERICA, yada yada’. Very unrealistic.
Once Rose rescues her from a blizzard, she brings a doctor over to help, who conveniently speaks fluent Spanish and expresses his sympathy for Marisol because ‘she is what I once was’—an illegal immigrant. Rose and her grandmother go about trying to get her paper or whatever, which, fine, is the right thing to do ig. I don’t know what happens after that because I couldn’t put up with the poor writing any longer. All I know is that politics do not belong in this story.
I would venture to say that politics are an acceptable component in books for older people, teens trying to form their own opinions (as I am) and adults who enjoy reading about politics. However, forcing that down a kid’s throat in a middle grade novel is simply ridiculous and borderline indoctrination.
The genre of middle grade is still one that I’m young enough to appreciate and enjoy. Unfortunately, this book failed on many counts and took a huge bound down from its predecessor. I do not recommend this sequel to anyone.
*likely spoilers*
I actually liked the first book; it was a solid middle grade novel. I’ve read better (Children of the Fox is a SPLENDID example of how to write middle grade well), but it wasn’t bad. This sequel, however, was absolutely abysmal.
I haven’t seen this many short sentences since reading a Who Was book, not to mention the clichéd characters and lack of sentence intrigue. Our main character, who is twelve or thirteen, is promoted to head seamstress (I believe) in the ‘past’ part of the book, which—just—no. Whether or not child labor laws existed then, twelve-year-olds don’t become heads of anything. Also, the author clearly wanted to show what she deemed the important bits of the past, because there was some strange nonsense about how our mc, Rose, like… did things in the past bc time there moved a lot quicker, but she wasn’t actually there doing those things, and just—what???
The curse words are another mater entirely. Cursing is not uncommon in media these days, and I’d be kidding myself if I said all YA and other books were free of it. However, in a *middle grade* novel, especially one of this poor quality, it is simply neither the time nor the place for language. (Also, when I say cursing, I don’t mean ‘heck’ or ‘stupid’ or whatever. I’m not that sensitive. I mean actual curse words.)
And the political element. I’m not well enough acquainted with modern politics to go deep into this, but Rose rescues a hispanic(?) girl who appears to have no family. The girl speaks little English, adds Spanish into her speech at weird times (obviously someone like that would speak in their native language frequently, but the instances that she does seem unrealistic, like the author holding a big sign saying ‘look, a bilingual character!) and is bullied at school for unknown reasons. (Racism? Is that what we’re going with? This is middle grade, people.) Also, the girl (Marisol) accidentally blurts out her home country (along the lines of ‘in fill-in-the-blank-country, we never whatever), which felt SO awkwardly placed. If I were in a foreign country and trying to hide where I was from, I sure as heck wouldn’t just say ‘well in AMERICA, yada yada’. Very unrealistic.
Once Rose rescues her from a blizzard, she brings a doctor over to help, who conveniently speaks fluent Spanish and expresses his sympathy for Marisol because ‘she is what I once was’—an illegal immigrant. Rose and her grandmother go about trying to get her paper or whatever, which, fine, is the right thing to do ig. I don’t know what happens after that because I couldn’t put up with the poor writing any longer. All I know is that politics do not belong in this story.
I would venture to say that politics are an acceptable component in books for older people, teens trying to form their own opinions (as I am) and adults who enjoy reading about politics. However, forcing that down a kid’s throat in a middle grade novel is simply ridiculous and borderline indoctrination.
The genre of middle grade is still one that I’m young enough to appreciate and enjoy. Unfortunately, this book failed on many counts and took a huge bound down from its predecessor. I do not recommend this sequel to anyone.
August 24, 2022
Picking up where book 1 left off, Rose now finds herself caught between Princess Elizabeth and the about-to-crowned Queen Mary; but those are not the only dueling females or persecutions she must contend with. In the present day, a new student begins attending her school, Marisol, but she seems to be hiding something. Marisol has also become the target of the mean girls at school, who have seemed to replace Brianna.
As Rose struggles with persecutions in both the past and the present, she is also trying to convince her father to join her in the present so they can be together. Will Rose be able to save everyone who is, or is becoming, important to her? Or will she lose more of those she loves?
I admit, the ending to the first book was somewhat abrupt, and I was a bit worried about how Rose was going to navigate the battles between Mary and Elizabeth in the past. This book delivered a wonderful story that not only brought in quite a bit of history, but also tied the issues in Queen Mary's court to some of the issues that are still being dealt with today through the troubles that Rose faces.
I also liked how Rose was able to continue traveling back and forth, particularly after losing her locket to the princess. I definitely enjoyed this book as much, if not more than, the first book, and I wouldn't mind reading a third book in the series that follows up on what happens at the end - which I'm not going to say because I don't want to spoil anything for you.
For this book, I was able to listen to the audiobook, which was narrated by Jorjeana Marie. Marie gave a wonderful performance, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her. If you listen to audiobooks, give this one a try.
As Rose struggles with persecutions in both the past and the present, she is also trying to convince her father to join her in the present so they can be together. Will Rose be able to save everyone who is, or is becoming, important to her? Or will she lose more of those she loves?
I admit, the ending to the first book was somewhat abrupt, and I was a bit worried about how Rose was going to navigate the battles between Mary and Elizabeth in the past. This book delivered a wonderful story that not only brought in quite a bit of history, but also tied the issues in Queen Mary's court to some of the issues that are still being dealt with today through the troubles that Rose faces.
I also liked how Rose was able to continue traveling back and forth, particularly after losing her locket to the princess. I definitely enjoyed this book as much, if not more than, the first book, and I wouldn't mind reading a third book in the series that follows up on what happens at the end - which I'm not going to say because I don't want to spoil anything for you.
For this book, I was able to listen to the audiobook, which was narrated by Jorjeana Marie. Marie gave a wonderful performance, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her. If you listen to audiobooks, give this one a try.
March 30, 2022
I liked the first book in this series, but was disappointed by this one. I started to really dislike the main character and the good/mean set up got so exaggerated.
This author is obviously a huge Queen Elizabeth Tudor fan. She sets up the books as Queen Elizabeth Tudor is super amazing and Queen Mary Tudor is evil. I really don’t find it that simple at all, and it made me uncomfortable. I know my kid already understood more nuance than this, so I think dumbing it down to good/evil is not giving the target age enough credit.
Part of this good/mean dynamic that didn’t work was that the actual actions didn’t match the identities we were supposed to believe. The main character, Rose, became a really unlikable character in this book for me. This book and the last are extremely heavy on the ‘mean queens’- they literally call the bullies in her 21st century home by that name, then of course the mean Queen and her devotees in the 1500s. In this book though, I kind of felt like many of Rose’s words and intentions are no better than the bullies’.
One of the things I hated most about this was that several times, Rose was ridiculously slut-shaming courtiers while back in time in Queen Mary’s court. She used the word hussy for someone playing footsie(!) with someone else and reported someone ‘got around’ when she only even saw them kiss one person. There were several cases of this type of slut-shaming. This wasn’t the only kind of bullying she did in this book, but I found this in particular very unsettling. Please don’t teach kids that bullying back is the righteous answer to bullying. Please don’t teach kids to slut-shame.
This author is obviously a huge Queen Elizabeth Tudor fan. She sets up the books as Queen Elizabeth Tudor is super amazing and Queen Mary Tudor is evil. I really don’t find it that simple at all, and it made me uncomfortable. I know my kid already understood more nuance than this, so I think dumbing it down to good/evil is not giving the target age enough credit.
Part of this good/mean dynamic that didn’t work was that the actual actions didn’t match the identities we were supposed to believe. The main character, Rose, became a really unlikable character in this book for me. This book and the last are extremely heavy on the ‘mean queens’- they literally call the bullies in her 21st century home by that name, then of course the mean Queen and her devotees in the 1500s. In this book though, I kind of felt like many of Rose’s words and intentions are no better than the bullies’.
One of the things I hated most about this was that several times, Rose was ridiculously slut-shaming courtiers while back in time in Queen Mary’s court. She used the word hussy for someone playing footsie(!) with someone else and reported someone ‘got around’ when she only even saw them kiss one person. There were several cases of this type of slut-shaming. This wasn’t the only kind of bullying she did in this book, but I found this in particular very unsettling. Please don’t teach kids that bullying back is the righteous answer to bullying. Please don’t teach kids to slut-shame.
February 5, 2024
It really does amaze me that Lasky is considered a good author. Possibly I've been spoilt by writers like Le Guin, Pullman and Wynne-Jones.
This second book in the series about time travel back to Elizabeth the 1st's court is a repeat of book No. 1 when it comes to dullness, repetition and boring references, all so politically correct, around gender neutrality and how terrible it was that the Tudors had fools and servants and leeches. It's also patronising as hell coming from Lasky, who may know some history, but obviously has NO IDEA that only a historian wannabe would be so judgemental.
Rose goes back to the palace at the time Mary is crowned. Oh my, what a disgusting, plain, cruel woman she was. Very little was said about the brutal nature of Henry the VIII though, and he was possibly the main reason Mary was so black and white, so foolish and cruel.
Rose is constantly in danger of being exposed as a Catholic who goes through the ritual of devotion in order to avoid being burnt at the stake.
Meanwhile there is a young girl bullied at school for being Bolivian. There is Grandma and her odd memory, there is the father who won't go with Rose to start afresh in the 21st century, there is Brianna's accident, Rose's concern for Franny, and all sorts of other messy extras. Should it be called Tangled in Time or Tangled Mass of Overwriting?
Did I mention the repetition? I should've mentioned the repetition. I did mention the repetition. All I can say is SKIM. You won't be missing much.
Truly a mediocre book. Find a better children's author.
This second book in the series about time travel back to Elizabeth the 1st's court is a repeat of book No. 1 when it comes to dullness, repetition and boring references, all so politically correct, around gender neutrality and how terrible it was that the Tudors had fools and servants and leeches. It's also patronising as hell coming from Lasky, who may know some history, but obviously has NO IDEA that only a historian wannabe would be so judgemental.
Rose goes back to the palace at the time Mary is crowned. Oh my, what a disgusting, plain, cruel woman she was. Very little was said about the brutal nature of Henry the VIII though, and he was possibly the main reason Mary was so black and white, so foolish and cruel.
Rose is constantly in danger of being exposed as a Catholic who goes through the ritual of devotion in order to avoid being burnt at the stake.
Meanwhile there is a young girl bullied at school for being Bolivian. There is Grandma and her odd memory, there is the father who won't go with Rose to start afresh in the 21st century, there is Brianna's accident, Rose's concern for Franny, and all sorts of other messy extras. Should it be called Tangled in Time or Tangled Mass of Overwriting?
Did I mention the repetition? I should've mentioned the repetition. I did mention the repetition. All I can say is SKIM. You won't be missing much.
Truly a mediocre book. Find a better children's author.
May 13, 2021
T͟H͟I͟N͟G͟S͟ I͟ N͟E͟E͟D͟ T͟O͟ S͟A͟Y͟ N͟O͟W͟
❥𝚔𝚔 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒 𝚊𝚖 𝚊 𝙷𝚄𝙼𝚄𝙽𝙶𝙾 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙿𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒 𝚊𝚍𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠:
“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒-𝑤ℎ𝑜-𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡-𝑛𝑜𝑡-𝑏𝑒-𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑?“
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑡! 𝐼𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑒. 𝑁𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝐽𝑎𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑡. 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑃𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽.𝐾 𝑅𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜.“
T͟H͟I͟N͟G͟S͟ I͟ D͟I͟D͟ N͟O͟T͟ L͟I͟K͟E͟
❥𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃𝚂 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙴 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙴 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙴. 𝚒 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚒 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕.
❥𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝, 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 , 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚈 𝙾𝙼𝙶𝙶𝙶𝙶𝙶 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚜. 𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝.
❥𝚒 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚛 . 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚛 𝚆𝙰𝚈 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢.
T͟H͟I͟N͟G͟S͟ I͟ L͟I͟K͟E͟D͟
❥𝚒 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 :𝟹
❥𝙸 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙴𝙴𝙴 𝚂𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 , 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌 𝚒 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕.
❥𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 :𝙳 𝚒 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎.
❥𝚔𝚔 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒 𝚊𝚖 𝚊 𝙷𝚄𝙼𝚄𝙽𝙶𝙾 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙿𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒 𝚊𝚍𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠:
“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑠ℎ𝑒-𝑤ℎ𝑜-𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡-𝑛𝑜𝑡-𝑏𝑒-𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑?“
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑡! 𝐼𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑒. 𝑁𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝐽𝑎𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑡. 𝐻𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑃𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽.𝐾 𝑅𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜.“
T͟H͟I͟N͟G͟S͟ I͟ D͟I͟D͟ N͟O͟T͟ L͟I͟K͟E͟
❥𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃𝚂 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙴 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙴 𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙴. 𝚒 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚒 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕.
❥𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝, 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 , 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚈 𝙾𝙼𝙶𝙶𝙶𝙶𝙶 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚜. 𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝.
❥𝚒 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚛 . 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚛 𝚆𝙰𝚈 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢.
T͟H͟I͟N͟G͟S͟ I͟ L͟I͟K͟E͟D͟
❥𝚒 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 :𝟹
❥𝙸 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙴𝙴𝙴 𝚂𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 , 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌 𝚒 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕.
❥𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 :𝙳 𝚒 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎.
August 19, 2021
I think this is probably the first time in a long time that I’ve read two books consecutively in a series. They’re such quick easy reads and you keep wanting to come back for more. I’m a little scared she’s not going to continue this series since the last time she wrote for it was back in 2019 But I’ll still hold out hope seeing as how the end of book 2 was a pretty good little cliffhanger. These books are clearly middle grade but the subject matter is so interesting to me and the author does such an amazing job of seamlessly bringing Rose back-and-forth between times. The author touches on real life subject matter. But she doesn’t do it in a way that I feel is too preachy. This one covers Immigration And if you look deep enough probably sex trafficking. This being a middle grade book it kind of slightly grazes over that. I do appreciate how this book deals with hard subjects while still trying to show that the world is still full of people that want to help no matter how many bullies are beating you down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2024
Do you ever finish a book/ all the books in a series and look at the cover of the first book and go, "Goodness- Well this was not what I was expecting at all." But not in a bad way, Just like, the cover art made you think the storyline would be different? This was totally one of those times. I was going back, trying to see if this series was finished or if Kathryn Lasky was going to write another one; Long story short, There was no information about that, But I was constantly faced with the cover art and the more I looked at it, The more I was just thinking, "This.. feels so different from what I've read." It's a boat load of drama, and not cozy or sweet like I was expecting🫣 (Both books) I'm slightly upset that there isn't a 3rd book right now because quite frankly *Small spoilers* I need to see if Brianna is alive, and I need to see if Rose gets the locket back and persuades her dad to come to the 21st century.
I'm not sure what else to say other than this was a handful. (And It did not make me like mary any more😬 Not that I liked her in the first place..)
I'm not sure what else to say other than this was a handful. (And It did not make me like mary any more😬 Not that I liked her in the first place..)
October 16, 2023
I enjoyed this one a lot! Fast paced, engaging, and really fun with the multiple time periods the one character is in. She had things going on both in modern times and 16th century England where she time travels.
This book is designed for readers ages 8-12 and yeah, I felt like it was kind of young. It as an easy read though and a nice change of pace.
The ending was kind of weird. It definitely seems like it’s leading into another book, but there is no book three. This one was published four years ago, so I would have thought book three would be out by now. If it is meant to be just a two book series and this is the ending, then this was a horrible ending! If book three is in the works, okay, that’s fair.
Overall an engaging, fun, unique, and royal read!
This book is designed for readers ages 8-12 and yeah, I felt like it was kind of young. It as an easy read though and a nice change of pace.
The ending was kind of weird. It definitely seems like it’s leading into another book, but there is no book three. This one was published four years ago, so I would have thought book three would be out by now. If it is meant to be just a two book series and this is the ending, then this was a horrible ending! If book three is in the works, okay, that’s fair.
Overall an engaging, fun, unique, and royal read!
December 18, 2020
Another great book in the Tangled in Time series. I feel like I'm a shadow myself to the experiences that Rose has as she maneuvers through both centuries. The addition of Marisol (an undocumented girl from her class) into Rose's home (her grandmother is Marisol's sponsor for citizenship) and the sighting of Brianna (former Mean Girl and now a 'free agent' so to speak) on the ice back in time (does she have the gift of traveling too? Will she and Rose team up in the past?) leaves this book at a great stopping point. Oh yeah, also, the (Burning)Queen is dead, long live Queen Elizabeth.
April 20, 2024
I did enjoy this book. I read the first about 4 years ago and I don't know if I just have a different mindset or what, but this one seemed a bit more disjointed and more shallow in parts. But I liked enough if there were a sequel I would read it and I plan to check out the author's
other books, so the faults won't keep me from reading more. I'm older than the target audience and wonder if some recent eye problems are giving me less patience in my reading, because it's harder to concentrate now and I have to work harder than normal to read recently.
other books, so the faults won't keep me from reading more. I'm older than the target audience and wonder if some recent eye problems are giving me less patience in my reading, because it's harder to concentrate now and I have to work harder than normal to read recently.
June 7, 2025
The first book was really fun, this one had a lot of repetition and ended so suddenly with some major cliff hangers. The main character also suddenly swore several times out of the blue which didn’t make sense as she didn’t do that once in the first book. I thought there was a third in the series and apparently there isn’t. Not sure if she’s working on one as this book was published in 2019… A very abrupt ending! I was hoping to read all the spoilers and find out what happened in the third book but there is nothing to be found as I was not going to spend the time reading the third. Bummer!
February 20, 2022
Another fun middle grade romp through time in the time of Bloody Mary and the future Queen Elizabeth. I don't think I was as into this book as I was into the first, but I still enjoyed my time. However, I just noticed that it was written in 2019.... So I'm guessing the series has been discontinued since I don't see another? That's a bummer. Hopefully the author is just taking a long hiatus from this one because I'd like some closure.
September 9, 2022
Started skimming a little after halfway. Nothing happened in this book.... The first book was so good, this was extremely disappointing. When rose said she also felt like an immigrant, an immigrant of time omg. I wanted to slap her. Stupid. It's like the author had a recently developed hyperfixation on immigration injustice and had to add it in a book but this was not the book. Completely out of place side plot. Also I'm not into botany.
May 12, 2023
I'm not sure why I struggled so much with this one, when I rather enjoyed the first one. I think maybe she added too many stakes to the story or something. I also think the logistics of the time travel seem a little less likely in this one? And then the ending to this one seemed really rushed in most aspects. (And what was up with the Brianna storyline? Why was that necessary at the end?)
Regardless, I don't think I'll read another if she continues it.
Regardless, I don't think I'll read another if she continues it.
November 22, 2023
This book was all over. The whole thing with Marisol was out of place and the ending was horrible. What happens to Brianna? She isn't even writing another book? The first one was good but I didn't like to whole immigrant thing and there are so many loose ends that dont even sound like are going to be tied up. I am still VERY disappointed. The fact that there is no ending and there is no third book is unbelievable. Don't waste your time and hopes.
May 3, 2024
Not quite as engaging as the first book in the series. Author had to do a bit too much rehash for new readers and the book seemed to be trying to weave too many different threads together to make it enjoyable. While I appreciate that the issue of undocumented immigrants is a very important one- threading it well into a plot about a girl seeking her father in 1500 was a tad awkward in terms of the storyline and its initial focus on bullying and self discovery.
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