Sparks of Light

June 15, 2017
Two modern time-traveling groups vie for control of their shared time machine. Into the Dim (2016) introduced white, 16-year-old Hope to the Viators, her family's time-traveling group. While they attempt to minimize the influence of their travels on current events, a splinter group, the Timeslippers, more recklessly pursues its quest for power. The Timeslippers' newest plan involves gaining control of the time machine through a meeting with Nikolas Tesla in 1895. When the Timeslippers' leader's son, Bran (who acts as a spy for the Viators thanks to his crush on Hope) alerts the rival group, they also travel to 1895 for a countermission. The New York City settings vividly expose America's long history of socio-economic class divides, contrasting the luxury of the Waldorf Hotel against the horrific conditions of a mental hospital. But considering that the mission must be completed in 72 hours (or all travelers risk being trapped in 1895), an inordinate amount of time is spent on such frivolous activities as having fancy dresses made. These interludes derail the frantic pace readers expect from a time-sensitive adventure story. And though the Tesla storyline concludes, the Viators-Timeslippers conflict remains unresolved, leaving room for another installment. Most characters read as white, though one minor character is mixed-race (black/white). Fans of the first book may overlook the uneven pacing, especially if they are engaged by Hope and Bran's romantic tension and surprising back story. (Science fiction. 13-18)

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June 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-The follow-up to Into the Dim finds Hope, her mother, her baby sister, and the rest of the Viators safe and sound in 21st-century Scotland, but there's a new problem on the horizon. The Viators learn that their nemesis is looking for a device that allows Timeslippers to increase the length of time they spend in the past. To prevent this dangerous device from landing in the wrong hands, the Viators travel to 1895 New York City to find Nikola Tesla and destroy the device. Along the way, Hope and the Viators get themselves in some sticky situations, but Hope's eidetic memory always conveniently saves the day. This second volume begins well, but it suffers from idea overload. The novel explores the Gilded Age, racism post-Emancipation Proclamation, lobotomies, and the institutionalization of women. Cameos by Elizabeth I, Nellie Bly, and Tesla are peppered throughout. By concentrating on one or two of the aforementioned ideas, the title could have taken readers on an adventure to a little-known time and place in U.S. history. Instead, the narrative gets bogged down with too many plotlines. Its lack of focus makes it difficult for readers to get invested. VERDICT Pass on this sequel and instead recommend Alexandra Bracken's Passenger and Claudia Gray's A Thousand Pieces of You.-Dawn Abron, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL

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