Donna Hosie

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Fair to Good
Recommended: Yes
Level: Grades 8-10

Summary:

Charlie and his brother Alex are sent to infiltrate the court of Henry VIII and stop him from marrying Lady Jane Seymour. Alex and Charlie aren’t your ordinary spies- as assets for the 48, a secret organization determined to shape the future by changing the past; the brothers have strict protocols to follow. But their mission is put in jeopardy almost from the beginning when another time traveler interferes. The volatile court of Tutor England is a dangerous place and the three travelers will have to risk everything to try and get home.

Evaluation:

This was an interesting premise that didn’t quite live up to expectation. Alex and Charlie are interesting characters but sometimes their individual voice gets lost and it is hard to tell one brother from the other. Lady Margaret was an interesting character that helps ground the reader in the “past” by acting as a filter for the Tutor court. The idea of changing the past was also intriguing but no mention was given to what other effects that change could have on the future. Also, it would have been helpful to provide a bit more detail about the 48 itself. Since this organization is the reason why the brothers are sent to the past, more understanding of the motivation for changing history would have made the brothers’ time traveling more believable. This story was a decent attempt at time travel sci-fi but came off as more of a historical action/speculative fiction. Recommended where historical action stories are in high demand, for grades 8-10.

Note: Torture scenes, while mild, may trigger sensitive readers.… (meer)