Completely Enjoyed It

Any additional comments?

I'll admit, I didn't really have high expectations for this one. I hoped for a reasonably enjoyable read and not really much more. I was in for a very pleasant surprise. This story hooked me almost right from the start.

I think time-travel stories typically have elements that if thought about too hard, or considered too closely, logic problems can be found. In my opinion the trick for the author is to tell the story in such a way so that there are not only as few of these as possible, but so that those that remain don't stick out like sore thumbs. In this regard I think this story delivers admirably. If there were any logic issues I didn't want to look for them, I enjoyed being caught up in a very good story that was very well told. I quickly became a very willing and pleased participant in the suspension of disbelief.

The writing is masterful. Enough detail and description so that I felt immersed in the story, but not so much that it slowed the plot. Provided naturally and seamlessly within the telling of the story.

I found Kate to be a believable and likable teenager. Some of her choices are questionable as far as being sensible, but I thought were still genuine for her age.

I enjoyed how the story developed and how the time-travel elements were handled. I found the story unique and imaginative.

There is a bit of a not-really-but-sort-of love triangle, but it fit nicely within the plot.

There's action, danger, and enough playing with time to keep me guessing and twist my brain a bit, but not so much as to become hopelessly lost and confused. It's not easy to write a time-travel story this well, and I am highly impressed.

I listened to the audio version, and the narrator was excellent.

I'll definitely read the next in the series when it comes out.

Other reviewers have commented in more detail regarding the story, and I hate to give much away. So I will end here.

My advice to a reader: if this looks at all like your kind of story don't delay, read it!

51 people found this helpful

Nicely handled time travel book

Timebound is about a 16 year old girl that discovers that her grandmother (whom her Mother does not get along with and whom Kate barely knows) is dying of cancer. Her Grandmother (Katherine) has moved to DC to be near Kate and wants Kate to move into her home part time so they can get to know one another. Kate will inherit the house and the entire estate when Katherine dies.

What Kate soon learns is that Katherine is a time traveling researcher from the future and was stranded here when her Grandfather rebelled from the time traveling project to try and take over history. Kate’s mother’s twin sister was believed to be killed in a car accident, but actually went over to her father’s side.

The complexity of variable timelines and how the loss of one time line means the loss of a set of relationships and people is handled very well. Time travel books always introduce the problem of changes to the timeline, but for a young adult book, this one is almost maddeningly comprehensive in how changes work and what is the result of those changes. (Not that it is drawn out in its descriptions, but that everything has a consequence.)

A significant part of the book deals with the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Rysa Walker has clearly read The Devil in the White City and leans on that book to help give background. I used to live in the neighborhood of where the Chicago World’s Fair was located, and I loved The Devil in the White City, so I enjoyed that part of the book particularly.

The book is clearly set up for a future series (which doesn’t seem to to be scheduled yet). If you are the type of person that does not like cliff-hangers, you may want to wait until another book or two in the series is out. But this is a well done young adult time travel novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

(originally posted on my blog, Bookwi.se)

40 people found this helpful

Great debut novel! Minor probs w/ scifi & drag.

What did you love best about Timebound?

Complex interwining of emotional as well as sci fi issues. Obviously, I love time travel, and this was done to the hilt.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Interesting aspect was everything. The bit I didn't like was the characters repeated stupid mistakes, and the complicated sci fi. Hats off to Rysa Walker for attempting it, but explaining time travel paradoxes and how they can get resolved was never going to be easy.

What about Kate Rudd’s performance did you like?

Kate Rudd is brilliant and has done some brilliant books. Check out her other work.Obviously, she does old and young characters (particularly female) quite well.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Death of a particular character.

Any additional comments?

Good book, although Rysa would do well to cut down on circular scenarios. Clearly, this book could have been shorter, crisper and be even more wonderful.

23 people found this helpful

Great first novel!

Really fun read from a new author. I received the book for free as a Kindle First promotion which is part of the Prime membership benefits. I wasn't sure what to expect but was glad to see that there was also an Audible version available. I'm a huge fan of Whispersync and constantly go back and forth between the Audible and Kindle versions. Using the two formats, I started and finished the book in a single weekend and can't wait to read more from this author.

The history in the story is well researched, the time travel paradoxes are thoroughly thought out, and the characters are well developed. And who can go wrong with a book with Princess Bride references. ;)

Kate Rudd is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators. Check out her performances in the Muirwood series and The Summer Man for more good listens.

10 people found this helpful

Great beginning, then it goes down hill

Would you listen to Timebound again? Why?

No! The beginning is really great, it was promising. But then the development of the story goes too fast - I had to rewind to make sure I did not miss any details - and it reminded of an underlying tone of "sects", different versions of characters in different realms, it got confusing and was not fun to listen to. Basically it was rather chaotic - good ideas - but not well developed. I would not read this book or its sequels.

Have you listened to any of Kate Rudd’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Ms. Rudd does a great job, her irish accent is not very good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No - not enough depths and no character development.

7 people found this helpful

Wonderfully Entertaining

I don't typically enjoy time travel stories as the plot can sometimes get too convoluted. I must admit some of this book made my head spin for that very reason but overall I really did enjoy this book. I was so wrapped up in the story that it became easier for me to suspend my disabelief. This added to the overall enjoyment of the book. The writing is good and the characters are likeable. The narration by Kate Rudd is excellent as well. I can't wait to listen to the next few books in this series.

5 people found this helpful

I was spellbound by Timebound

(Couldn't resist that headline. Sorry.)

First, I enjoyed the book very much and was deeply invested in the characters.

I really don't like it when people try to pigeonhole a book for a certain age. I'm far past 13 and I liked every bit of it! Don't let age ranges for a book deter from reading a great story like this one.

The book handles time travel really well. It can be a very tricky proposition with all of its paradoxes. There is, incidentally, a paradoxes (pair of docs[es]) in the book. Nyuk, nyuk.

The reader has such a high-pitched voice that every man sounds like a 13 year old boy. It's my only beef with this otherwise great reader. She is really good at expressing the emotions of the characters, particularly a crying woman/girl.

Looking forward to a sequel.

11 people found this helpful

Did not expect to like it this much!!

Where does Timebound rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Surprisingly, among one of my favorites. I got it, thinking it would just be a decent book, but wow, I was impressed.

What other book might you compare Timebound to and why?

This is my first time travel story book so I don't have anything to compare it with.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ending.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Love has no timeline

11 people found this helpful

Time Travel Love Triangle Save The World. Awesome!

If you could sum up Timebound in three words, what would they be?

Great new fantasy with a twist! (Sorry that's more than 3 words...)

What was one of the most memorable moments of Timebound?

When Kate is interacting with an 8 year old Kiernan. Really sweet, charming, and not creepy at all. Great set up for their relationship. Very different.

Have you listened to any of Kate Rudd’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't. But she did a great job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Again, I have to say, when Kate is interacting with an 8 year old Kiernan. Just so endearing.

Any additional comments?

I usually don't like "sci-fi" I'm more of a paranormal fantasy girl. However I'm a sucker for time travel stories as long as there is romance and don't overwhelm me with futuristic robot over-kill. This is the perfect blend. Yeah, there is a lot of futuristic technology, but it is more fun. If this is Rysa Walker's first book, excellent job!

9 people found this helpful

Seems like a re-write of Gier's Precious Stones...

This is the first book in the Chronos Files series. I have had this book to read for quite some time and was excited to finally get to read it. I ended up stopping the book about 30% of the way through; I just could not stand the main protagonist and the awful decisions she kept making.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was decent; I didn’t have any issues with the audiobook quality.

This starts out as a fairly typical YA paranormal read; in this case Kate finds out she has a time-traveling gene that allows her to travel through time. Of course, only she can fix the timeline that her grandfather is messing up.

Kate makes one bad decision after another throughout the beginning of the book. She does stuff that literally makes you roll your eyes in exasperation. I was getting so frustrated with her that I started to hope that maybe something bad would happen to her or she would mysteriously die and give someone else some page space.

The storyline is also incredibly predictable and contrived; there is no originality here at all. I rarely stop listening to audiobooks, but this one was frustrating me so bad I just had to stop.

Overall this was just a bad book. The writing, the characters, the story, all of it was pretty awful. I would not recommend. If you are interested in a YA series featuring time travel check out Kerstin Gier’s Precious Stone trilogy; that is a much better series that features a young heroine with a time-traveling gene.

3 people found this helpful