Title: Waterfall (River of Time Series #1)
Author: Lisa T. Bergren
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Paperback: 384 pages
Reading Level: YA
My Copy: Amazon Vine
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 wicked hearts
Blurb (from Amazon.com):
Gabriella has never spent a summer in Italy like this one.
Remaining means giving up all she’s known and loved…
and leaving means forfeiting what she’s come to know…and love itself.
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives with their parents, famed Etruscan scholars, among the romantic hills. Stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in rural Tuscany on yet another hot, dusty archeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds… until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.
And thus does she come to be rescued by the knight-prince Marcello Falassi, who takes her back to his father’s castle—a castle Gabi has seen in ruins in another life. Suddenly Gabi’s summer in Italy is much, much more interesting. But what do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world?
My Wicked Thoughts....
I have to say that this book was surprisingly fun to read. It combines two of my faves...paranormal (in the way of time travel) and historical fiction! Gabriella is a likable character with determined will to things as she sees fit..and you know that always gets people into trouble! The book starts off in present day when Gabi and her sister wander into a forbidden archeological dig site and find hand prints in the wall...when both sisters press their hands there...the world changes..big-time - to the degree of 700 years. When Gabi comes to her senses she is in the same site, alone...and in the middle of battle! She is saved by Marcello, the 2nd son of the Lord of Castello Forelli.
Their attraction in undeniable but doesn't come at the best time, since he has been betrothed since birth to Lady Rossi, who of course is a jealous shrew. So they deny it for as long as they can...all the while constantly in search of Gabi's sister...who didn't come thru the portal when she did. Marcello is in the dark as far as the time travel situation, he just believes she has been separated from her sister and mother and is determined to help her find them.
I gave this book 4.5 stars because it was a little too convenient that Gabi knew how to do so many things out the norm...like how to use a sword, speaking Italian and some Latin and some of the plot was fairly predictable. That aside, I enjoyed the book and finished it fairly quickly. It is YA and honestly a little "cleaner" than average, but that doesn't take away from the story and the drama. The characters are well developed and engaging, you really want to know how things work out in the end. The ending is a bit open with lots of loose ends. I look forward to reading the next book in the series, Cascade, due out in June 2011.
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