Zwischen den Zeiten

Dark Stars #1

by Danielle Rollins, Charlotte Lungstraß-Kapfer (Translator)

Sie kommt aus dem Jahr 1913. Er aus dem Jahr 2077. Gemeinsam können sie die Zukunft retten – oder zerstören!
Seattle, 1913: Auf der Flucht vor einer arrangierten Ehe läuft die 16-jährige Dorothy dem Piloten Ash in die Arme und schleicht sich kurzerhand an Bord seines Flugzeuges. Was Dorothy nicht weiß: Ash ist ein Zeitreisender aus dem Jahr 2077 und kommt aus einer Zukunft, die durch Erdbeben und Flutkatastrophen vollkommen zerstört wurde. Eine kleine Gruppe von Zeitreisenden stellt sich dem Verfall entgegen und versucht, die Welt wieder in Ordnung zu bringen. Doch dafür müssen sie den Mann finden, der das Geheimnis des Zeitreisens gelüftet hat und nun verschwunden ist. Keiner ahnt, dass Dorothy der Schlüssel zur Lösung aller Probleme sein könnte – und dass ihre Ankunft Ashs Todesurteil bedeutet.

Der atemberaubende Auftakt zu einer packenden Zeitreise-Trilogie mit jeder Menge Romantik!

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

464 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2019

About the author

Also writes under pseudonyms Danielle Vega and Ellie Rollins.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stolen Time by Danielle Rollins is the first book of the new young adult science fiction fantasy Dark Stars series. This series is a time travel tale with a bit of romance and plenty of action that alternates the point of view between the two main characters, Dorothy and Ash. 

Dorothy is from Seattle in the year 1913, she and her mother are grifters, or con artists. Being raised by a single mother that only knows how to scam men out of all of their wants and needs Dorothy has never known anything different. When the con goes to far however with Dorothy's hand in marriage promised to a wealthy doctor Dorothy can only think of escape. 

Ash is a pilot from New Seattle in the year 2077 who makes the jump from his time back to 1913 only to run into a strange girl in a wedding dress. Ash doesn't think much of the encounter and focuses only on fixing her ship to return to his own time. However, as Ash is preoccupied Dorothy spots an opening in the ship and decides this would be her way out of the marriage that she dreads. 

Stolen Time was a fun start to this new scifi series in which the author has taken a lot of time travel elements and worked them into her novel in her own way. I have to say I did like Ash a bit more than Dorothy in the story but Dorothy grew on me as it went along. The romance side is really light in this opener, perhaps there will be more in the future but for now this was heavier on the action. With this one ending on a cliffhanger to set up the next installment of the story I was already ready for the next book. 

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Edelweiss.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you HarperTeen for the free (gifted) review copy in exchange for an honest review!

I don't usually read books that involve time travel. In fact, I don't think I've read a science fiction book in a long while. I was pretty intrigued by the synopsis, and I really wanted to see how the story would play out.

I was invested from the first chapter of the book. The writing was easy to follow and even though talk about time travel tends to need a bit of concentration I had no problem following up. The story was told from two points of view, Dorothy and Ash. Dorothy is from the year 1913, while Ash was a WWI pilot who ended up in 2077. You can already see how interesting this book is.

If you like slow burn romance and lots of friendships, then this is the book for you. I love both those tropes and I loved the way Danielle Rollins wove them into the story. The book was pretty exciting from the start, and only become more so towards the end. There's talk about time machines and looking for the researcher who created it. I knew something was going on but I just couldn't put my finger on it. I flew through the remaining 100 pages super fast, and the ending of the book shocked me even though I had a slight feeling that it would happen. It just makes you think about where the story will go from there.

This was a great first experience reading something by Danielle Rollins. I'm looking forward to her coming books too!

[Ashley Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just reread this and it’s just as good as the first time! ❤️


Wow!!!

I honestly don’t know exactly what I expected from this book but I definitely didn’t expect to become so obsessed! I read A LOT! That being said I can usually sense a plot twist but this one hit me so hard and in all the best ways! I NEED the next book pronto.

[Katerina Kondrenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

7 out of 10

At first, I had a lot of complaints and i'mtiredofYAs, but the ending smoothed them all. Finally, I have the very feeling I used to have when really big cliffhangers happen. Goosebumps, shivers, excitement. I'm alive, people! I'm still bookishly alive! And now I'm sure as hell I need to read the sequel. Maybe even review to come. Yep, I have no time, but maybe I'd steal a little)

[Christie«SHBBblogger» · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Stolen Time
Series: Dark Stars #1
Author: Danielle Rollins
Release date: February 5, 2019
Cliffhanger: Yes
Genre:YA, fantasy



“My darling, Alice. When you followed the white rabbit down the rabbit hole, you fell into a world where time was a circle instead of a line.”

I'm a huge fan of the time travel trope, so when I saw this book it was calling my name. First of all: GORGEOUS cover. It's so stunning and eye catching, but most importantly, the art represents the story perfectly. If you love time travel stories with some action and mystery, and/or a dystopian setting this will be the perfect read for you.

Dorothy and her mother are con artists running schemes in 1913 Seattle. She never had a choice in the matter, it was just how she was raised and the way she had to survive. Now her mother has forced her into what she thinks is the ultimate con: marrying her off to a wealthy surgeon looking for a trophy wife. She didn't have a problem attracting men with her captivating looks, but she wasn't interested in the kind of life he had to offer. She wasn't particularly fond of swindling people out of their money either, so on her wedding day she chooses to make her escape and get as far away as possible before she's caught by her mother. She had no idea how far she was about to go.

After stumbling upon Ash and his modified A-10 Warthog plane, he becomes her plan B. Despite his bizarre story of a destroyed city and and a flesh eating assassin terrorizing people back home, she's not swayed. He's going to pilot her to freedom whether he likes it or not. His destination: New Seattle, 164 years into the future. When they arrive, she discovers that the city is now submerged under water. Those who survived the great earthquake are now abandoned by the US government and their lives revolve around survival. This is one point about the book that took me a little by surprise. I wasn't really expecting a dystopian theme to the plot, but it wasn't an unwelcome surprise. It was a really original setting and concept that had some solid depth and complexity to it.

In the city, it's every man for themselves. But Dorothy is quickly introduced to the trusted few in Ash's inner circle. Not only are Zora, Willis, and Chandra all part of a team, they're best friends. Chandra, Willis, and Ash were all recruited by Professor Walker to be part of his Chronology Protection Agency for their specialized skills. He needed help in order to research the effects and possible consequences of traveling through history.

“Scientists spent centuries studying concepts and coming up with ideas, but they were never tested, because they couldn’t be. Until the Professor came along.”

His journal entries describe his musings on paradoxes, possibilities of changing things in the past and future, and the events that led up to his sudden disappearance. These are interjected intermittently between chapters, and while it did slow down the pace for me in the middle a bit, it gave a lot of much needed information. The timeline of past and present are not linear, leaving some things a mystery for a good portion of the book. Why did one of their own betray them and join the Black Cirkus, a gang that terrorizes the streets at night? Where did the professor disappear to, and why? Is it possible for Ash to change the looming betrayal that he's seen in his persistent premonition?

Dorothy was an intriguing character with a backbone of steel. I never disliked her despite her morally questionable activities, because I could see that she never really had the option to explore another way of life until then. Being around Ash and his friends has given her an example of what it's like to be part of a supportive unit that looks out for each other's backs. It's obvious that she wants to be accepted by them and have a chance at becoming someone new. Proving her abilities, strength, and worth in this new world she stumbled upon. Used to being valued for her surface looks and how they can cheat people from their hard earned money, it's more than a little disconcerting when Ash sees beyond her physical appearance. It's more important to her that she's treated as an equal and not as if she's weak. The romance development wasn't heavy in this one, but there were hints here that things could have led in that direction.

I can't even begin to guess where the story will go next. This is one of those cases where I didn't have even the slightest inkling of the twist up until the last second. NONE! I appreciated the fact that the story was unpredictable and well thought out. There could have easily been plot holes galore with time travel in the mix, but it was obvious Rollins did her research on the scientific theories involved and plotted accordingly. I think book two has the rare potential to be even better than the first. After reading this twisted, jaw-dropper ending, there's no way I'm not reading the next installment as soon as I can get my hands on a copy.

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[Patry Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo acabo de terminar y ¡Me ha encantado! Viajes en el tiempo, diferentes épocas, misterios y mucha intriga por ver como se desarrolla la historia de los protagonistas. Una visión de un futuro que quieren evitar y que solo volviendo al pasado puede ser posible.
Buuuaaa ¿Y ese final? 😱😱😱

[Ashlee » libraryinthecountry]

This looks amazing 😍

[Sandra Uv · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5

¡Me ha gustado muchísimo! Y aunque he adivinado el final, me ha parecido un giro genial.
Deseando leer la segunda parte.
Pronto, reseña

[Nadine Schrott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spannende Zeitreise Story für fantsiebegabte Menschen ab 14 Jahren....mit einigen Ungereimtheiten im Verlauf....Trotzdem hat mir die Lektüre wirklich sehr viel Spaß gemacht...

Dorethy lebt im Jahr 1913 ein von ihrer Mutter bestimmtes Leben....und steht kurz vor der Hochzeit mit einem ungeliebten Mann. Doch ihr nach außen so gutbürgerliches Leben ist ein Betrug...denn sie ist eine Heiratsschwindlerin...
Im Jahr 2077 ist die Erde von Naturkatastrophen zerstört. In der überschwemmen USA stemmt sich eine Gruppe junger Menschen gegen den u
Untergang....denn sie können durch die Zeit reisen....

Insgesamt ein wirklich lesenswertes Buch....auch wenn manche Handlungsverläufe nicht durchgängig logisch waren....

Lesenswert!

[Sandra Uv · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 (8/10)

“Es curioso que, a pesar de ser alguien que se ha pasado la vida entera estudiando el tiempo, me cueste tanto calcular cómo transcurre. Parece que haga mucho más tiempo y, a la vez, es como si el tiempo transcurriera mucho, mucho más despacio.”

Estrella Oscura es un inicio de trilogía muy prometedor lleno de viajes en el tiempo, acción, amistad y amor. Me ha encantado y tiene un giro final brillante. Deseando leer ya la segunda parte.

-Reseña completa: http://addicionaloslibros.blogspot.co...

[Nuria · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5🌟

Me ha gustado mucho . Al principio tardó en engancharme pero luego fue gustándome cada vez mas. Me ha parecido interesante todo lo relacionado con los viajes en él tiempo y creo que la autora lo describe y explica todo muy bien lo cual se entiende todo y no te lías como al principio puede parecer, ya que a veces en este tipo de libros se puede uno perder con tanto cambio de tiempo.
Si me tengo que quedar con algo de este libro es con él final , la manera en la que encaja todo y te explota la cabeza, digno de una buena historia sobre viajes en él tiempo.

[Nastassja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real rating: 3.5 stars

Opening scene: A big high tech design lobby. A huge LED screen on the wall. Music blares from the commercial, sounding throughout the lobby.

"Welcome to New Seattle, the year 2077. After the tsunami destroyed half of our city, leaving all lower level buildings under water, we were left almost homeless. Now is the time to come together in the wake of that tragedy and help to create a better world. Join our Time Travellers' Troops of the Western Territories (TTTWT), former USA, learn how to drive a time machine and be a part of our mission 'Past is Our Future'. Be a hero, help us save humanity"

Music stops. The screen goes blank.

Day: December 17.
Interviewer: NASA specialist Agent Smith.

Agent Smith: *clears his throat* Name yourself, please.

Nastassja: Nastassja, TTWT, second in command.

Agent Smith: What do you think about that commercial?

Nastassja: Well, it sure does not express all of the fun, the time travel is.

Agent Smith: What do you mean?

Nastassja: I mean when they were recruiting us, nobody told us that we might see our death inside of the anil.

Agent Smith: Anil?

Nastassja: Yeah, pudget sound anil- a kind of wormhole that enables us to travel through time. It's a hell of a ride to put it mildly.

Agent Smith: Why would you say that?

Nastassja: Because you can explode when you are inside the tunnel, or you can get a pre-memory, which is not fun at all.

Agent Smith: What is pre-memory?

Nastassja: It's hard to explain... When you are inside the anil, all time exists at once: past, future and present. So if you are really unlucky you can get a memory of your death, which has not happened yet, but, as I said, time doesn't care about your sensitivities. You pass out and have these vivid images of your death in all glorified horror, and every time you will get it more and more detailed until it finally happens.

Agent Smith: But what about changing the future? Or past?

Nastassja: Well, good luck with that. You think we haven't tried it? We went to the past many times, tried to save people, but no matter how well prepared we are, reality bends in a way that prevents us from changing anything.

Agent Smith: Clarify.

Nastassja: For example, there's a building, and you know there's a person inside who is going to die soon. You want to get to that person, warn them and save them. But when you try to enter that building something always happens: somebody walks out and knocks you unconscious with the door. Or a brick falls on your head and knocks you out. Or sometimes you can't even get to the building, because you are stuck in the traffic jam. *Shrugs* figure.

Agent Smith: You can't save somebody, but what about killing someone?

Nastassja: Same. Have you heard of the Grandfather paradox? It's a theory if you kill someone's grandpa that person will not be born, thus it makes time travel quite a dangerous trip, right? Turns out, not so much. No matter how hard you try, reality will bend in a way to prevent you from killing anyone.

Agent Smith: So you are saying...

Nastassja: Yes, you cannot change the past.

Agent Smith: But then what is the purpose of time travel?

Nastassja: Well, we cannot change time, yet.

Agent Smith: Clarify.

Nastassja: You know that theory when you go to the past to do stuff, and then you come back and find out that the other you have actually made you do that stuff in the past. It's classic. You are the reason and the consequence. A snake eating its own tale.

Agent Smith: That sounds confusing.

Nastassja: It is quite confusing, let alone dangerous. It might actually lead to the destruction of all time and matter.

Agent Smith: Are you serious?

Nastassja: How the heck would I know? Nobody knows because nobody had done that before. Right?

Agent Smith: Um, right?

Nastassja: *smiles into the camera lens* Welcome to the underwater cities, disappearing old ladies and cannibal girls.

Agent Smith: Huh?

We are not entirely sure what happened next was real. Nastassja ran to the window, broke the glass and jumped out. In a few seconds, she reappeared on top of a flying ship with an inscription on its side: Second Star. Before climbing inside the ship she, again, looked into the camera lens and said, "Join our Stolen Time team and we'll have fun you've never known before. Think fast, it's a limited offer that will expire on February 5th." Then she disappeared inside the door and the ship took off into the sky.

--End of tape--

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A gun was still a gun, no matter how casually it was held. The men who treated their weapons like toys were the ones who really needed to be watched."

Danielle Rollins is one of those authors that never disappoints. And this book is one of the many reasons why she’s one of my favorite authors. When you think something is over, she throws you a curveball that blows your mind. The end of this book is something you won’t ever seem coming and I’m still freaking out about it.

A con artist from 1917 finds herself in a time machine that's headed towards the future where an entire city she thought she knew now resides underwater.

Dorothy pulls cons on people with her Mother. It's always been herself and her Mom, until the day her Mom made her get engaged to a prestigious Doctor. On her wedding day, Dorothy escapes and meets Ash. She finds Ash broken down in a wooded area and strikes up a conversation with him. But her luck falls out when Ash turns down her requests for companionship. But people like Dorothy aren't lucky, they make their own luck. She sneaks onto his plane and travels in secret. But what she doesn't know is that he's going back to the Future. A Future that is 2077.

Ash keeps seeing his demise. He blacks out and witnesses him falling for a woman with white hair and then she does the unthinkable. She stabs him, ending his life. He’s cut off women from his life for good, well that is until he meets Dorothy. She’s in the back of his thoughts but he can’t travel down that road.

Ash and his friends are on a mission to travel back in time to find his friend, the Professor. He disappeared one evening and they’ve been picking up clues ever since. They all decide to go back in time with Dorothy to find him and bring him back to 2077. But going back could spell trouble for New Seattle and Ash’s life.

With the Black Cirkus on the same mission but with a darker purpose, will Ash and his friends find the Professor? Or will the Black Cirkus find him and cause destruction to the new world?

Reading this again was just as amazing as reading it the first time, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the twists to overtake my life.

Stolen Time was epic as f**k. Everything about this was unique and extremely twisted. It was also super entertaining. Dorothy will instantly win you over and you won’t be able to wait to see what kind of trouble she gets into next.

[Shannon Miz · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

This was a fun and fast-paced time travel! I read it quite quickly, and enjoyed watching Dorothy adapt to the future! Let's break it down, shall we?

The Things I Liked:

•The characters worked so well together! I love when a group dynamic just works, and this one does. Even though most of the characters could not possibly be more different from one another, they were an incredible team working toward a common goal. And, they seemed to have grown to genuinely care about each other, which is an added plus. In addition, there's quite a bit of character growth that takes place.

•The atmosphere was on point. The author did a great job at distinguishing the feelings of the different time periods. No two seemed the same, which is huge, as I want to not just know I've changed times, but to feel as though I have too. The bleakness of 2077 was certainly necessary too, to understand the desperation of the characters.

•It was an action-filled story that moved quickly. The chapters are shorter, and interspersed with letters left behind from another traveler (whose importance you'll learn all about!) and it makes for a great flow during the book. I was eager to hop back in to the story every time, as it was just plain entertaining.

The Things I Didn't:

•It was fairly easy for me to predict most of the things. Now, it was still entertaining and enjoyable, so this wasn't a complete dealbreaker, but I guessed one of the biggest twists from almost the start. So that was a bit of a bummer. And I guessed a few more minor details. But again, not a dealbreaker.

Bottom Line: I'll definitely be reading the sequel to see what happens to these (hopeful) saviors of the future!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twisty and fun time travel adventure. The author clearly thought through the biggest holes in time travel scifi (closed loops, grandfather paradox) and added in some super interesting elements.

My biggest beef is with the ending - it made sense in a really impressive way but the motivations weren't there, in my opinion.

I so enjoyed this book - it's well-paced, exciting and romantic. I always felt compelled to keep reading, and I think the storyline was very cleverly unraveled.

[Jane ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

why WHY did I wait so long to read this???

Not only does it have excellent plot twists, it also features an amazing cast of characters who create their own little found family situation while traveling through time. The mystery was wonderfully unraveled, and there are so many plot points and unanswered questions left for the sequels - I'm super excited to explore this even further.

The time travel aspect is hard to do right but Danielle Rollins did it perfectly. She did it in an original way while also keeping the core principles that make the science sound.

I loved all of the characters, which is rare for me. Dorothy and Ash were simply amazing with their scheming. Chandra and Willis are my precious babies, and Zora is such a badass ♥

[Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothy ist verzweifelt und versteckt sich an Bord eines Flugzeugs, das sich dann aber als Zeitmaschine entpuppt und sie von 1913 nach 2077 bringt. Sie ist immer noch in Seattle, aber nicht nur der technische Fortschritt hat die Stadt verändert. Nach Erdbeben und Flutkatastrophen ist die Stadt zerstört und tausende Menschen sind gestorben. Eine kriminelle Bande fordert, Zeitreisen zu nutzen, um all ihre Leben zu retten, aber so funktioniert das alles nicht ...

Dorothy ist Tochter einer Trickbetrügerin und Diebin und wurde von dieser auch so erzogen. Sie hat gelernt, niemandem zu vertrauen und weiß, wie man Menschen manipulieren kann. Ihre Art zu denken und ihre vielen Erfahrungen darin, aus ausweglosen Situationen wieder herauszukommen, helfen ihr auch, als sie in einer komplett anderen Welt landet.

Ash ist Teil der "Organisation zum Schutz der Chronologie", die der Professor, der die Zeitreisen entdeckt hat, zusammengestellt hat. Dafür wurden junge Talente aus verschiedenen Zeiten rekrutiert und sollten gemeinsam weiter an den Möglichkeiten von Zeitreisen forschen, bis die Katastrophen ihnen letztendlich einen Strich durch die Rechnung machten. Eine Nebenwirkung der Reisen sind Visionen aus der Zukunft und Ash träumt nun schon lange von seinem Tod und von seiner Mörderin, daher kann er sich auf keine romantischen Beziehungen einlassen.

Als Dorothy nun in Ashs Team landet, wundert sie sich über den Zusammenhalt der Mannschaft und dass sich diese Leute auch um sie zu kümmern scheinen. Obwohl sie schon eine Außenseiterin ist und ihr Leben sie hat hart werden lassen, kann man fühlen, dass sie sich nach einer Familie sehnt, aber es ist schwer an ihren hohen Mauern vorbeizukommen. Ash fühlt sich schon zu Dorothy hingezogen, aber neben der Mission, seinen eigenen Tod irgendwie zu verhindern, gerät bei ihm schon vieles in den Hintergrund.

Ich fand auch das Setting sehr spannend. Die bisherige Forschung des Professors fand ich schon sehr vielversprechend, freue mich schon auf mehr und hoffe, dass es nicht zu paradox wird. Auch die Antagonisten und ihre Motivation konnte ich verstehen, auch wenn mich deren Sturheit auch frustriert hat. Besonders Roman, der mal Teil des Teams war, bevor er alle verraten hat, ist ein komplizierter Charakter, der manchmal offensichtlich böse ist, aber über den man auch gern mehr erfahren möchte.

[Marta the Booktrovert · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC but.... I am screaming MIRACLE!! this book was MIND BLOWING!! sooooo goood!! I have to get the second book now!!!


Here we go:

This book became one of my all time favourite reads. It also made me think about how the cover is so vital for the success of a book. When I bought this book during YALC 2019, I bought it just because it was part of a good bargain, but also because my friend was buying it so, I joined the shopping spree. I honestly put the book away in my pile of TBR, because the cover was not so attractive. After reading it, I came to the conclusion that it’s so completely misleading. If my friend didn’t call me and say “remember that book? It’s pretty good” – THANK YOU, MY DEAR - probably I never would have read it.

Dorothy was raised by his mum with the notion that men are all liars, you can count only on yourself. To survive in this world, she will need to learn how to use her beauty to her advantage, a wink here and there, and steal everything she can. When she is forced to get married just for financial safety, she decides to run away and find her luck in another town. While trying to be as away as possible from the church, she sees an airplane crashing. She meets the pilot, Ash, who refuses to help her escape. Dorothy decides to secretly stove away in the back of the airplane. Once at destination, she finds out that it was not an airplane but… a time machine and she is one hundred years in the future.

This is one of the most gripping plots I have ever encountered. It’s really fast-paced, there is always something going on, you can’t catch a break. I swear there were moments I was so anxious about what was happening I may have skipped a few lines. It has really well developed characters, hilarious references to 90s TV shows, the right amount of romance and a messed up future. Yet, I feel this book is so underrated and it deserves more audience. I can’t wait to read the second book to find out what will happen now after that shocking ending, and luckily for me, it has been already published!

[Milena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Stolen Time is an interesting take on time travel and dystopian future that I mostly enjoyed. I liked the way the time travel was explained, it was easy to understand and it made a lot of sense, the author's time travel concept worked really well. I found the pacing of the book a little off. The main story takes place over a few days but it's jam packed with time travel, kidnappings, break-ins and characters, Ash and Dorothy, falling in love with each other by the end of the book. It was too quick for my taste, with not a lot of build-up. I prefer to see relationships grow and develop over time. Also these characters never ate, never slept, never washed. I found it strange. The ending was probably my favorite part of the book, it was twisty and clever. I didn’t guess the twist until the last couple of chapters. I am definitely looking forward to the next book, the ending hooked me!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss

[Kal ★ Reader Voracious · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM SCREAMING OMG WTF??? I guess the one good thing about reading this arc literally 5 years late is the trilogy is finished so I don’t have to wait because THAT ENDING. Actual review to come because ya girl needs to process.

"My darling, Alice. When you followed the white rabbit down the rabbit hole, you fell into a world where time was a circle instead of a line."

It's been a long time since I've felt so consumed by a book; what a fantastic way to end 2023 and a slumpy reading year! Quite frankly I'm shocked that Stolen Time doesn't have more ratings and reviews because this is a fantastic YA time travel story that sci-fi fans should pick up.

"A chasm. A nothingness. You couldn't look right at the anil without your mind skipping around, trying to make sense of the thing that clearly did not make sense. Sometimes it looked like a swirling mess of mist and smoke. Sometimes it looked like a sheet of ice. Sometimes it looked exactly like what it was - a crack in time."

I love everything about this book: the characters, how time travel works, the concept of prememories, how twisty everything got and how it all snapped into focus once we have all the facts. Masterful worldbuilding and storytelling that balances beautiful writing with a breakneak pace, while allowing for character moments that endeared me even more to them all.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Dorothy and Ash with bonus journal entries from the inventor of time travel, Stolen Time is an adventure through time in the area of Seattle that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Desperate to escape her mother and the life being forced upon her, Dorothy, desperate to start a new life, unwittingly stows away on a time machine in 1913 after a chance encounter with Ash and lands herself in 2077. Only Seattle and the world is much changed by earthquakes and floods, and Ash is trying to ensure that his life doesn't end as he's premembered (pre-remembered).

"In an anil, all of time exists at once [...] this confuses our fragile brains, creating pathways in our memories where they shouldn't exist yet. As a result, you'll find yourself remembering things from days - sometimes up to a year - into the future, just as easily as you remembering what you ate for breakfast that morning."

Pre-memories is hands down the coolest time travel concept, I'm obsessed. A common theme in time travel science fiction is that everything that has happened has always happened and will always happen; "time is a circle instead of a line." I always think of this as a Tralfmadorian concept since I first encountered it in Vonnegut's Sirens of Titan , but this is the first time that I've seen something like this explored. Deja vu is the feeling you get when experiencing something that you "remember" happening but haven't experienced yet, where people instantly feel familiar but you have no frame of reference. Not only that, but it also has an element of prophecy as you can see events up to a year in the future. An underlying theme is fate and free will: if things always have happened and you seemingly have no choice in the matter, then where do we derive meaning when no choices are our own? Perhaps it's about the journey and we create our own meaning.

"Dorothy laughed, but the sound was bitter. 'What would be the point of any of this then? If our futures are already written, why bother living at all?'
'Aren't you curious about how this all ends?'"

The characters are full of life and feel real beyond the page, their lives having existed before the story began. There's a comfortable comradery with Ash's team, warm and full of gentle ribbing and banter that's juxtaposed with Dorothy's longing that oozes off the page. Also I'd be remiss not to mention the literal instant chemistry between Dorothy and Ash...

My mind is still reeling from the ending, holy crap. The breadcrumbs were all there so when the twists happen, everything slides into place... as if it's always been (time is a circle after all). It's perfect and devastating and I need to see what happens next, excuse me while I go devour the next book in the trilogy now.

The biggest irony of all is the fact that I tried reading this book in 2019 and wound up setting it aside, where it languished on my "not now" shelf for nearly five years. Further proof that some books need to be read at the right time and I'm getting better at identifying when it isn't the right time.

eARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss for consideration. This has not affected my opinions nor the contents of my review. Quotations are from an unfinished proof and are subject to change upon final publication.

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[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 25%. Lots of things made me not want to read on, including: disabled villain trope, stilted dialogue, instalust, sketchy historical/scientific worldbuilding and painfully obvious foreshadowing to the point where you can SEE the author standing in the background of every scene, waving a sign which reads "THESE CHARACTERS ARE GOING TO FALL IN LOVE, I WANT YOU TO SHIP THEM".

[Arual Gallardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estrella Oscura nos cuenta la historia de dos jóvenes, por un lado, se encuentra Dorothy que vive en el año 1913, ella ha pasado toda su vida aprendiendo el arte del engaño, su madre y ella se dedicaban a engatusar ricos con su belleza para sacarle todo el dinero posible a estos, pero hace poco todo ha cambiado para ella, ya que su madre cree que es buena oportunidad para casarla con un rico, y justamente es lo último que piensa Dorothy, no quiere casarse con alguien con quién apenas conoce, además de que ella no es la típica damisela, lo que ella desea son aventuras y viajes, descubrir mundo y sentirse realizada. El mismo día de su boda todo cambia, tras huir se encuentra con un “avión” y un piloto llamado Ash, tras hablar con él descubre que no es demasiado simpático, Dorothy ve una oportunidad para escapar de su madre y su prometido, así que se monta en el avión... lo que jamás esperaba es que no es exactamente un avión... sino una máquina del tiempo capaz de viajar a diferentes años. Tras llegar se da cuenta de que está en Nueva Seattle, concretamente en el año 2077, obviamente todo ha cambiado pero la ciudad... está devastada, tras un terrible tsunami que alcanzo en 9,0 en la escala de Richter la ciudad está completamente ahogada, solo se ha salvado los rascacielos más altos, muchísimas personas han muerto y ahora se tienen que desplazar en lanchas y puentes... Ash es el único capaz de ayudar a la ciudad, pero para ello tiene que buscar al profesor, el creador de la máquina del tiempo, no es nada fácil cuando no tienen ni una sola pista después de tantos meses... Si Ash quiere salvar a su ciudad y por encima de todo, evitar que sus sobrecogedoras visiones del futuro no se hagan realidad... deberá de viajar al pasado donde pone su vida en peligro y la de sus amigos.

Como podéis ver tiene una trama bastante extensa, el libro se separa en tres partes; la primera es la más compleja de todas, allí nos presentan a los personajes principales y a los secundarios, que tienen un papel importante durante toda la historia, también el mundo creado por la autora, tanto el viejo Seattle como el nuevo, que está devastado por el Tsunami. La segunda parte se centra un poco más en el profesor, encontraremos algunas páginas de su diario personal y gracias a esas páginas comprenderemos un poco más sobre los viajes y la máquina del tiempo, además que todo comienza a complicarse para nuestros protagonistas, ya que un bando rival intenta destruir todos sus planes. Y, por último, la tercera parte, es donde hay más acción y giros argumentales. Sinceramente, el libro tiene muy buen Ritmo, tenía miedo de perderme en una historia así, porque el autor/a debe de meter muchísimos detalles y explicaciones, pero me ha sorprendido ya que está bastante bien explicado, si es cierto que me perdí en algunos momentos, sobre todo en la tercera parte (después lo explicaré con más profundidad), había cosas que no entendía, y tras acabar me dejó con muchas dudas, que es un final bastante inesperado pero demasiado abierto para mi gusto.
Lo mejor del libro para mí ha sido la ambientación y sus personajes, nos encontramos en un mundo casi apocalíptico, donde la ciudad ha sido devastada e inundada por un tsunami, en el nuevo Seattle muy pocas personas han sobrevivido y cuesta conseguir recursos para vivir. Como sabéis me encanta esta clase de ambientaciones, ya que es bastante diferente a lo que normalmente solemos encontrar, la autora nos narra la historia a la perfección y es capaz de transportarnos a esa ciudad gracias a sus descripciones, obviamente no nos quedaremos toda la historia en Seattle, ya que viajaremos al pasado y nos encontraremos con escenarios totalmente diferentes, algo que me ha maravillado.

Los personajes también me han encantado, son muy diferentes entre ellos. Por un lado, se encuentra Dorothy, ella ha sido mi personaje favorito, no es la típica chica de la antigüedad que desea casarse y cuidar de sus hijos, lo que ella más desea es encajar en la sociedad y formar parte de algo, tiene ganas de viajar y ver mundo, y no necesita a nadie para que cuide de ella. Dorothy es valiente, independiente e inteligente, me da la sensación de que parte de su vida ha sido manipulada y utilizada por su madre, para sacarle todo el dinero posible. Por otro lado, encontramos a Ash, que también me ha maravillado, el viene de otra época, ya que el profesor eligió el mejor piloto para manejar la máquina del tiempo, su personalidad me encanta... Siempre se preocupa por su grupo de amigos, es sarcástico y valiente, lo que más quiere es viajar al pasado, a una fecha en concreta para encontrar al profesor, que es el único capaz de que Seattle vuelva a la normalidad... Los personajes secundarios están presentes durante toda la historia, y gracias a la profundidad que da la autora a sus personajes lo podremos conocer bastante bien. Willis, Zora y Chandra es el grupo que forma junto ash, el profesor eligió lo mejor para su equipo, Willis es un hombre grandullón y fuerte, Zora es la hija del profesor, ella se encarga de arreglar la nave, y Chandra es la médica más habilidosa.

Si algo he visto negativo del libro y por eso no le he dado todas las estrellas es porque a pesar de que la trama está explicada bastante bien, hay ciertas cosas que no me quedaron claro del todo, había veces que me perdía porque la autora tiene tendencia a meter más y más cosas a la trama principal, haciendo así la historia más larga de lo necesario, pero sobre todo lo que no me gustó fue el final... Osea, como final está bien, estoy de acuerdo de que terminé de forma abierta, y es perfecto para un segundo libro, pero lo que no me ha gustado es que el libro se cierra de forma que te deja mil dudas sobre lo ocurrido, me hubiese gustado saber un poco más, más información y ahí cerrar la historia, al cerrarlo de forma tan abierta sin saber realmente lo que ha ocurrido me da la sensación que han acortado el libro, obviamente no lo han acortado, pero a lo que me refiero es que me ha dejado con una sensación agridulce que después de casi 500 páginas no haya sabido finalmente esa curiosidad que tenía desde un principio. Si me pongo a pensar... siento que este punto negativo no es lo suficientemente grande como para no querer leer el libro, ya que vuelvo a repetir que tanto la trama como el libro en sí... me ha encantado, me parece una idea muy original y jamás pensé que un libro de esta temática me fuese a gustar tanto.

La historia está narrada por Ash y Dorothy, es lo ideal ya que no solo vemos la vida de un personaje sino los dos, y somos capaces de ver lo diferentes que son sus vidas. También hay algunos capítulos que está narrado por el profesor, digamos que es el diario personal y ha sido bastante interesante saber cómo creo la máquina del tiempo y su vida. En el libro encontraremos pinceladas de amor, aunque no es lo que predomina, disfruté de que no fuese un romance instalove, que todo surgiese de manera natural y terminando de manera inesperada.

En general el libro me ha gustado bastante, tiene el ritmo adecuado a pesar de que al final se hace un poco tedioso y lento, pero ha merecido la pena leerlo, porque llevaba varios días sin ganas de leer, pero este libro me enganchó de principio a fin y pude terminarlo sin ningún impedimento en menos de una semana.

En resumen, Estrella Oscura tiene muchos elementos atrayentes: acción, amor, amistad, traición, misterio, viajes en el tiempo... es una primera parte fantástica que sí la autora aprovecha el mundo que ha construido puede ser una buena trilogía. Solo me queda esperar a que la autora publiqué su continuación y que RBA no tardé en publicarlo en España.

RESEÑA EN MI BLOG: http://obsesionporlalectura.blogspot....

[Marta Álvarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resulta algo chocante para el lector lo rápido que la protagonista se acomoda a las gigantescas diferencias tecnológicas y sociales que existen entre 1913 y 2077. A lo margo de la historia demuestra con creces su astucia e inteligencia, pero aun así (...)

RESEÑA COMPLETA:
http://www.eltemplodelasmilpuertas.co...

[Muffinsandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai adoré ! J’ai frôlé le coup de cœur avec ce roman qui m’a happée du début à la fin !

[nia🏹 •shades0fpaper• · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find this review and others on my blog shades of paper

“You won’t die today, he thought. You might be badly maimed. Blinded. Arms and legs might be ripped from your body. But you won’t die.”

I admit I was pretty excited for this new release. The concept sounded so unique and interesting, and since I enjoyed most of the time travel books I’ve read in the past I went with such high hopes, and though there were some things that I really enjoyed about Stolen Time, there were others that I had a lot of issues with.

Like I mentioned before, the plot seemed very interesting to follow, but I found it was quite confusing. I don’t know why but every time a book tries to explain to me how they travel through time, I don’t understand anything, and this one was no different. All the explanations about time travel were told mostly from the point of view of a doctor, and his inner monologues were pretty boring, so maybe that was one of the reasons why I found all those explanations confusing. Who knows.

The characters, though overall had a nice evolution throughout the story, were all pretty dull and simple, and I didn’t connect with them as much as I wanted to. Their interactions sometimes felt quite forced and awkward, and the romance between the two characters was quite cringy and came out of nowhere, and they had no chemistry whatsoever. It’s true that I started to enjoyed the dynamics between them as I was reaching the ending, but I think they could have been much more complex.

And like it happened with the characters, I started to enjoy the plot more and more in the last 100 pages. Though the major plot twist or reveal that was made at the very end was quite predictable to me, and I saw that coming, I still think it was quite nice and interesting how it was done, and it peeked my interest as to wanting to know what was going to happen in the sequel.

Overall, though the premise sounded incredibly intriguing and unique, the characters were a bit dull and their interactions sometimes a bit forced, and though the time travel aspect of the story was super fun and the story quite fast paced, I feel the story wasn’t as remarkable as I expected it to be.

Actual rating: 2.75⭐️

[Mitali Sen · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 10%

There's someone out there who read the first draft of this and instigated the author to get this published. There's someone out there who read the final draft and approved the publishing. There's someone out there who wrote this.
I refuse to believe the ones I've mentioned above were people. No one could unleash this kind of torture onto someone else.
However, I do believe it could have been worse, I could have made it to 11%.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

THAT ENDING! WHAT THE FUCK! Ugggh I can't believe it's over.

[Vira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a promising (although expected) ending!

[Scrill · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC received via Edelweiss for a fair review.

Full RTC.

[leidi]

dnf @ 45%
nothing wrong with this, just isn’t for me. I couldn’t connect with the fmc and it didn’t picked my interest enough