Timeless By ALEXANDRA MONIR
(description taken from Goodreads)
When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.
Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.
I picked this book up because I love time travel and because of its fabulous reviews (and of course the cover is so pretty!). Two days later all I can say is that it has potential.
My main problem with this book is that the author did not know how to write feelings. I felt absolutely nothing for the characters, except for maybe Lily who had the most personality. It isn't only the characters who need tweaking, the emotions between the characters are so...flat. I never felt that Michele had a close relationship with her friends, the relationship with the housekeeper was awkward, and I don't know what to say about the awkward semi-distant relationship with her grandparents. Even her love story was boring. Philip was a two dimensional hottie who lived pretty much only for her. I would have loved to SEE more about his life, not just his life with her.
One detail that Monir does not skimp on is all things related to music. Seeing how she is a musician first and foremost I understand, but I wish she would have put the same interest in her writing. I wish someone would have told her that this novel is about her writing, not her music. There are a lot of things I wish Monir would have done.
Also the book jumped around way too much. Towards the end I felt like she was going back in time every day. It would have been great if she balanced the time travel with Michele's modern day adventures. More about her life with her distant grandparents, her school life, anything! The book also could have used some more balance in the past. There wasn't enough time to get to know the people she was visiting because of all of her ridiculous time traveling.
But like I said, the book has potential. The story is a good idea it's just that the delivery fell flat. Monir needs to hone her skill. I'm sure I'll read the second book though, just out of curiosity.
So after all of that, 2 STARS.
Labels: 2 stars, Alexandra Monir, August Reads, review, romance, time travel, Timeless, young adult
