About the Author: “Lisa T. Bergren is
the best-selling, award-winning author of more than thirty books that have sold
1.5 million copies. A former publishing executive, she is currently a freelance
editor and mother. She lives in Colorado Springs.”
Blurb
of Waterfall:
“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
Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives with their parents,
famed Etruscan scholars, among the romantic hills. In Book One of the River of
Time series, Gabi and Lia are stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in
rural Tuscany on yet another hot, boring, and dusty archeological site … 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 she comes to be rescued by the knight-prince
Marcello Forelli, 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?”
Genre:
YA historical romance, packed with adventure and action
Title:
At first the titles of the books were confusing—as hard as I searched, for
example, I could not discover a waterfall in the first book. However the titles
are purely allegorical. They are explained in Torrent as a metaphor of the twists, turns, and currents of life.
Cover:
As evident from the pictures, these covers are purely gorgeous. They really
helped to enhance the setting, and I enjoyed flipping to the front again and
again to remind myself what the characters looked like.
My Thoughts: I was pulled into this story from the
first page. Gabi’s narrating voice is so unique from anything I’ve ever read.
She’s sarcastic, descriptive, and genuine, a combination of which made the
story seem so real. Even in the midst of her fight for independence, her
values are clear—family, teamwork, love and sacrifice.
Ms. Bergren also
did a fabulous job portraying Gabi’s co-leads as very real people with their
own problems, dreams, and goals. Marcello struggles to balance an acceptance of
Gabi’s modern mindset with his desire to keep her safe, all the while battling to retain his own property. Lia finds herself
confronted with a life very different from the one she’s always counted on
living. And numerous other friends and foes fight to thrive in spite of the
life and death situations that confront them daily.
As for spirituality, I found the series somewhat lacking.
Gabi freely confesses that she is not a Christian, nor does she become one in
the course of the story, yet she continues to pray again and again, believing
God will answer her. While I have no problem reading about a non-Christian
character, I did expect more from a Christian publishing house. Also, Gabi’s
character development seems to be missing something. Time and again her thoughts
about God come so close to the truth. In the end however, she misses the whole
purpose of our lives here on earth.
Normally I enjoy a good mix of adventure and romance, and
for the most part I loved Gabi’s as well. Her guy, Marcello, is the gentleman
of gentlemen, and their love for each other develops nicely. However, they do
kiss—a lot—and mainly for that reason I would not want any of my younger siblings
reading these books. Not to mention how much more powerful the series might
have been had they saved their first kiss.
All three books could be described as nothing if not action
packed. Gabi and crew scale walls, engage in sword fights, infiltrate enemy
camps, and encounter traps. These scenes play out with just the right touch of
description, dialogue, and introspection to make for a well-rounded tale.
All in all, The River
of Time Series was a fabulous, thought-provoking, buckle-your-seatbelt
read. I’d highly recommend it to mature teens and up. If you have questions
while reading, don’t hesitate to ask your parents or other wise adults in your
life. Maybe you can even talk them into reading the series with you!
PS. Waterfall, Cascade, and Torrent are not the end! Keep an eye out for my review of the
novellas Bourne and Tributary—as soon as I can get my hands
off of schoolwork and onto a copy!
Have you read The River of Time Series? If so, what
were your thoughts?
