A desperate girl
A faulty time machine
A rising body count
Seventeen year old Laken may want to get revenge on the girls who have bullied her, but she also wants to help them. Honest. Secretly using the time machine in her father's science lab, she sends them one by one into the last century. Poof, problems solved.
Except they're not.
Now the disappearances are being linked to unmarked graves. Parents are lying about their missing kids' whereabouts. The police want to search the lab. And Laken is running out of time to retrieve the last girl she sent to 1994.
Excerpt
WHAT DID WE (two nervous, frantic girls) do with a dead body while a storm brewed outside, the lights actually flickered, and the minutes ticked closer to the moment when my car would drive up—with me driving? You would have thought we’d discussed the subject before. Because in less than five minutes of rational, scientific debate we settled on burying Megan, time machine style, in the hill out back. It sounded cold and callous, but really it was the best thing for everyone.
Mack made agitated chimpanzee howls when we dragged Megan down the hall, past his cell. The steps were the worst. Her toes smacked every stair tread with a dull thump. It was heart-breaking.
Professional Reviews
A well written and unique time travel YA story
This book has such an original story in the time travel genre, I was riveted from the opening line and spellbound all the way through to the incredible conclusion.
Laken is the lead character in the story and she is very likeable. She is believable and relatable, and had her flaws. Laken thinks she is “helping” or “saving” girls from her school that have been suffering abuse by sending them back in time using her scientist parents time travel machine. But then she realises she has made a very terrible mistake with one of the girls she sent back in time, and with the help of her best friend Skylar, she tries to go back in time and bring the girl back to the present, hoping to amend for what she did, and all the while trying to avoid a fatal paradox. Additionally, there is a tragic mystery in the town where Laken lives and she is fearful that she may inadvertently have something to do with it.
The intricacies of time travel and the numerous possible issues it presents is woven well into the storyline. The toggling between past and present throughout the story was skillfully done and the unexpected plot twists and turns took me by surprise again and again. I really loved how this book was written in a narrative format and that an underlying theme of “things aren’t always what they seem” popped up throughout the novel.
This book is wonderfully written and the uniqueness of the tale sets it apart from other time travel stories. This is a must read if you like a bit of science fiction merged with an intriguing mystery and are looking for something fresh to read. I highly recommend it.
I absolutely lovedt it!
I was provided an ARC of The Girl in the Time Machine in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Debra Chapoton for the opportunity.
I have a weakness for the time travel theory and always enjoyed the movies and the books. But this book was different from the others I have read. The Girl in the Time Machine was a unique, captivating, edge of your seat read from the very first page. I was impressed!
Laken is a normal young girl at first but when she learns her parents have a time machine, she begins to help other girls around her "disappear" by sending them back in time. These girls all needed saving in Laken’s mind because each one had really horrible home life. Of all the girls she helped she found fault in one story. That's when she decides she has to save the girl from the past and bring her home. Laken and her best friend Sky then begin a series of time travel events that change their lives forever.
The story was phenomenal! It wasn't anything like I've ever read before involving time travel. It kept me deeply enthralled from the beginning. It was one big thrill ride with action, humor, and mystery. A superb all around book.
Sometimes, you read books and think wow, that would make a great movie. Well, The Girl in the Time Machine had that effect on me. I think this story would be great if made into a movie. The ending absolutely wraps up most things in the book. It’s like wow, how did I not realize that!
I absolutely loved this story!...Stormi
Scary cool
Did I enjoy it: It's scary cool.
The Girl in the Time Machine is a dark, creepy, sleep-with-the-light-on kind of fun. I loved it.
I've read several of Chapoton's books, and I love how different they all are. This one, though, is fast becoming my favorite. It gave me goosebumps. I'm pretty sure readers are going to figure things out way before Laken does, but the time traveling thing will keep you wondering how the heck it happened. You know how in horror movies the stars of the show always run right into the graveyard at night? Yeah, it's like that, only with a time machine. I love that Chapoton left some things unexplained, and I can't wait to see what she'll think up next.
Would I recommend it: YEAH. But keep a few bricks handy.
As reviewed by Melissa at Every Free Chance Books.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own, and I was not compensated in any other way for this review.
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