Search This Blog

Untimed by Andy Gavin

Monday, February 4, 2013



Untimed is an action-packed time travel novel by Andy Gavin, author of The Darkening Dream and creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter.
Charlie’s the kind of boy that no one notices. Hell, his own mother can’t remember his name. So when a mysterious clockwork man tries to kill him in modern day Philadelphia, and they tumble through a hole into 1725 London, Charlie realizes even the laws of time don’t take him seriously. Still, this isn’t all bad. Who needs school when you can learn about history first hand, like from Ben Franklin himself. And there’s this girl… Yvaine… another time traveler. All good. Except for the rules: boys only travel into the past and girls only into the future. And the baggage: Yvaine’s got a baby boy and more than her share of ex-boyfriends. Still, even if they screw up history — like accidentally let the founding father be killed — they can just time travel and fix it, right? But the future they return to is nothing like Charlie remembers. To set things right, he and his scrappy new girlfriend will have to race across the centuries, battling murderous machines from the future, jealous lovers, reluctant parents, and time itself.


 Summary

I don’t get many opportunities to read a sci-fi book with an added steampunk bonus, so this was an amazing experience! The character development was great from beginning to end. The main characters – Charlie and Yvainne (how do you pronounce her name?) – grow up throughout each chapter; I always learned something about them that made me love them even more. Both of them together really made this book complete. I really felt a connection to them; they were easy to connect to. I didn’t feel like the romance portion of the novel overtook the plot at all. It was a nice mix of everything, and it never felt like a forced relationship.


The plotline was… wow. Just wow. Awe-inspiring? Addicting? Fabulous? Never wanting it to end? Yes, those words fit perfectly. It’s a time travel book that I hadn’t seen anywhere else. It’s very different and distinctive, both qualities drew me in. I never felt lost or like something wasn’t connecting. Sometimes, in time travel books there’s an aspect that you say, “wait… if that character did X then how did Y happen?” The reader will not get that feeling with Untimed. I was glued to every page; I did not want the book to end! The uniqueness, writing, growth, and romance aspect was a huge plus. All around, I have to say I’m going to probably re-read it two or three times.


5 Stars

Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre – YA / Time Travel & Romance
Rating – PG
Connect with Andy Gavin on Facebook & Twitter

*Reviewed by Rachel*


This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

9 comments:

  1. Thanks for the great review. It's so gratifying to hear you enjoyed it so much And Yvaine is pronounced E - vain. I'm very fond of her (and Charlie), they're like real people to me. I can see her scowl at me when I write something she wouldn't say :-)

  1. Awesome review! I just started it and an captivated already!

  1. Chelsea B. said...:

    This novel sounds wonderful. Thank you for a great review!

  1. Krystal, glad you enjoyed Andy's sci fi/steampunk mash-up :)

  1. bn100 said...:

    Nice review and cover.

  1. AH! I've wanted to read this for so long, but I had no idea he was the creator of Jak and Daxter and Crash!!! They are, respectively, my first and second favorite video games ever.

  1. While reading the synopsis, I thought it sounded pretty good but I wasn't quite sure that I would love it. Then, I read your review and I think maybe I am a wee bit crazy. I think that I might just love it, actually. I will definitely be checking this book out sometime soon.

  1. Unknown said...:

    Sci-fi steampunk? Well alright then..thanks for the review..I'll have to find some time to read this!I mean the creator of of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter!

  1. Unknown said...:

    This book definitely sounds different! And I am loving the creepy ghost pirate guy on the cover! :)