a TeMPLe of WoRDS

Rating: Between 3 1/2 and 4.

I find time travel books to be fun reads, so when Red Adept Publishing sent this my way, I was excited to give it a try.

It is a little slow starting out, but once John finds himself in the future, things pick up and the story becomes a lot more interesting. I love how the title of the novel is actually found in the story - I always like seeing an author bring the two together.

My favorite part of the story is when they first meet. Even though she's not sure about him, she's very kind and understanding. We learn a lot about the two of them (their personalities, how they treat others, etc) during this conversation and it made me really like both characters.

I did have a few issues with the book, though.

I find first person writing to be either a hit or miss with me. It often sounds like someone is writing in a journal or telling a rather long story to someone, sometimes feeling a bit tedious and forced, and this is how I felt while reading this novel. The author does a good job, don't get me wrong, and maybe it's just me, but I had quite a few "eh..." moments where I got a little bored learning about things that I didn't exactly think mattered, especially at the beginning of the story.

I like Young Adult books, but this felt more like Middle School or High School. There were times that both characters felt very young and immature, which I can understand from John, considering he knows nothing about this time period and he has a lot to learn, but she wasn't new to this.

There were questions that I wanted answered (i.e. the portal, how it came there, why it was there) that didn't get answered, which was disappointing. (Maybe this will be answered in book two. I'll be beginning that in a few days, so we'll see.)

I didn't like the ending. I won't go into detail because I don't want to ruin it for potential readers, but if I didn't know about book 2, I would be really sad and disappointed.

Note: I received a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Please remember that this review is my opinion based on my own personal interpretations of the book.