Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this, but I love the history, the asides of snark and the long digressions of snowballing sass. Cliffhangers are no fun, of course, but if there was a newspaper that printed just a paragraph a day of this book I would still love it. I would read it every morning and think about it all day to tide me over to the next morning. Even the paragraphs of Cal being his adorably dysfunctional self and Niko being so perfect I can forgive even the veganism. So while the wait for the next book will be difficult, I have no doubt in my mind that it will be 150% worth it. ( )

Its not over

No really. This book has a big 'To be continued' at the end.

I can't recommend anyone read it until part two is at least close to being published. ( )

Its not over

No really. This book has a big 'To be continued' at the end.

I can't recommend anyone read it until part two is at least close to being published. ( )

I’m not surprised to see some low reviews for this installment. It does not have as much action as most of the previous books, and it has a lot of introspection. And it has a lot of what I love best – character development for Cal. He’s come a long way in 10 books, and that has never been more apparent to readers (or to him) than when he comes face to face with his 18-year-old self.

The book opens with the death of the two most important people in his life. This results in Cal traveling back in time to not only stop an assassin from killing his younger self, but to change the future. When he finds Cal and Niko (and Robin finds him), he must wrestle with how different they are from what he knows in his present and what he remembers. On top of this, he has to keep from changing events that must happen, such as the genocide of the Auphe. He spends a lot of time arguing with himself (literally – a lot of humor is mined here), and all of his time trying to come to terms with the trauma of the event that has necessitated the time travel.

What I loved about this story was seeing just how powerful Cal has become, and yet he is more vulnerable than ever. The scene where Robin drugs him with a cocktail of Vicodin, Rohypnol and other drugs was so poignant I very nearly had tears in my eyes. There are more than a few trips down memory lane, which may frustrate some readers but which I enjoyed. But this means the confrontation with Lazarus, who is naturally way more than a simple assassin, doesn’t come until near the end.

I don’t think anyone likes cliffhangers, but I don’t mind them if they’re earned. Some authors can’t seem to end a book without one (I’m looking at you, Karen Chance) but if the story really needs more time I’d rather have a cliffhanger than a rushed ending. This is one of those cases. I think the resolution of this story needed a big emotional build-up, hence the cliffhanger.

Overall, I thought this was a strong entry to the series. Highly recommended. ( )