Book Review: The River of Time Series

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?