This is the third book in the Time Trials series. After escaping the Historical Society, the Wharton Academy team finds themselves in the Sierra Nevadas during the middle of the gold rush. Valerie was injured during the escape and is sidelined for most of the book, however, as the team works to integrate themselves into the community in which they find themselves, Edison begins to stand up for himself more, Everly finds herself struggling with grief and anger, and Finn struggles with how much information to withhold from the rest of the team. Meanwhile, Ryan has been left behind to navigate the aftermath of the team’s escape. Is the Wharton team forever stuck in the past, or is there any hope that they might be able to return to their former lives? Will Ryan forever be a replacement hiding the shadows, or will she begin to break free from the chains of her past and step forward to take charge of her future?

This book was more about the internal struggles of each character, rather than the external struggles of the time trials, so if you are expecting something more along the lines of the action of the first book, this one is not for you. However, this book really began to drill down into each of the various character personalities. I really appreciated seeing Edison begin to stand up for himself more, but was frustrated with Finn for trying to control Everly’s narrative, even if he felt it was for her protection. Everly was portrayed as more of an angsty teen, however, it was good to see her showing more depth of emotion in this book than the last two. There was also lots of jumping between the past and the present, as well as flashbacks to further events in the past between all the various story lines. This could get confusing at times. My biggest gripe with this book is that just when the action begins to pick up, the novel is over. Everything that I can find online says this is a three book series. If that’s the case, I am extremely disappointed in the ending, as we really do need another book to wrap up the whole storyline/series. I continue to appreciate the author’s use of imagery, and they have wholly hooked me on this series. If you are a fan of the Hunger Games or Divergent, this is a series you will enjoy, but you have to read the whole series from the beginning. Trying to jump in to this book as a stand alone will leave you lost and confused.

4 Stars Ages 13+ Death, dealing with grief, violence, prostitution, LGBTQ characters

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the authors for providing me with an ARC. As always, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.