*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Time travel, shifters, and settings in Victorian London aren't usually my cup of tea when it comes to books I read.

When I accepted this book to review several years ago, I was trying to break out of my comfort zone. I'm really glad I took the chance on this.

There is a bit of what I'd term instalove between Saira and Archer, but there's a good foundation to their story. It was enough to get me to feel for them, and ignore the cliche vampire loves a badass chick scene.

There's a lot of action, and some quirky scenes. Ringo is actually a really well developed secondary character. I enjoyed him a lot.

The history element is also very interesting. I don't think I learned anything new, per se, but it was all woven into the story well.

The subject matter of the 5 families and intermingling among them being forbidden was handled very realistically. Though that was where some of the predictability lay as well.

Some parts of the plot reminded me of a movie called Vampire Academy which came out after this book was published, so maybe they borrowed from it?

This also reminded me a bit of Discovery of Witches, but the elements are different enough that I was able to separate and enjoy this story on it's own merit. I look forward to reading further into the series and finding out more about what happens to these characters.
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Saira Elian grew up moving every two years and so she has learned to be independent. At this point, Saira is pretty sure that she can handle anything that life throws at her but she didn't count on falling through a graffiti tag and ending up back in Victorian times. The 17 year old Saira suddenly finds herself gearing up to battle Jack the Ripper and learning that the world is so much more complicated than she ever thought it was. Being a descendant of immortals and in her case, a descendant of Time and apparently the one fated to bring the families together, means that Saira is going to have to race against time if she is going to save her mother. Thankfully, for the first time in her life, Saira has friends that she can count on and a vampire who has loved her for well over 100 years.

I have never been a fan of YA, so I had my doubts when I picked up Marking Time but I'm happy to report that I quickly fell into the story and cannot wait to find out what journey White takes her characters on. I will admit to having my doubts about Saira at first but as White reminded us how stark and independent her childhood was, it makes sense that she would chafe under the suddenly imposed rules of a relative that she had never met, and being forced out of her comfort zone to embrace things like dressing for dinner and attending an exclusive boarding school.

There is a strain of romance running through this story. When Saira first meets Archer, she has no idea who he is and how much he will come to mean to her. It would be a mistake going into this believing that it is a paranormal romance because while the love story is important to the entire narrative, it isn't the point to the story. I have to admit to not being a fan of teenage girls being paired with vampires hundreds of years older than them but this is mitigated somewhat by the fact that when Saira develops a relationship with Archer in the past, he is human and actually not much older than her. It's one of the few iterations of vampire/teenage girl that doesn't feel completely predatory.

I'm absolutely fascinated with the world that White built. There are shifters, vampires, werewolves, time travelers and people who can see the future. I really cannot wait to learn more about the immortals who created these unique descendants. Because the world is so rich, there are so many directions that White can take the story, particularly if she chooses to focus on the war between the descendants themselves, or take the story into the future.

I know I've gushed just a little bit but there are a few problems with Making Time. The first book in every series sets up the universe and establishes the rules for what the characters can and cannot do but I do believe that White got bogged down with the details when she started discussing DNA and creating a scientific explanation for how and why the descendants are the way that they are. It was the only time I found myself skipping the page and I really felt that it added nothing to the story to speak of.

Being in Victorian England meant that Saira found herself in a world in which men and women were forced into rigid gender roles. I love that she didn't instantly comply with what was expected and stayed true to who she is - a modern woman. Every time that Ringo and Archer worried for her reputation, she was quick to push it aside. I further love that Saira dressed in a masculine fashion in order to have the freedom that she required to what she needed to do. White made it clear that the choice to pass as male is something that many an enterprising young woman chose to do in order to free themselves from strict moral and gender codes. Marking Time easily passed the Bechdel test and it was good to see Saira form relationships with men and women equally, even if the routine at the schools sometimes weighed down the story.

White used Ringo to do a small interrogation of class. Far too often when we have time travel books, they focus on the upper class but in this case, White decided to look at the precarious lives of the poor in Victorian England. Ringo actually had to sneak into his home each nigh because it wasn't a legal lodging and he could only have a fire to stave off the cold at certain times. Ringo also couldn't read and so Saira and Archer had to teach him. Even Archer, who did have some class privileges was forced into the seminary simply because he's the second son.

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I received a free copy through Goodreads.
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I very much enjoyed this book. Saira is quite the kick ass heroine and not too bad for a teenager. I like how independent and fiercely protective she is of those she eventually considers friends. Sure she makes mistakes, but at least she owns up to it eventually and she does pretty damn well for someone who's had like zero experience with time travelling. Although I do wonder how much she does in the past is affecting the future.

The whole families and bloodline thing need a little further explanation and clarification, especially that whole portrait and Doran's subtle hints. The whole concept is pretty interesting to read throughout the story though. The mixed bloodline and mysteries behind Tom and Saira is interesting and somewhat easy to figure out after more clues are given about their paternity.

Seriously who knew time travelling could be so fascinating? Especially when you come face to face with Jack the Ripper and possibly vampires. So far, the whole vampire concept isn't too clich̩d yet, and I hope it stays that way!

This story has potential, I look forward to reading the next in the series. ( )

I was debating with myself what rating to give this. Maybe four for the first half, three for the second?

Before I get any farther, I should not that I read the second half in various planes and airports, which might be related to my lessened involvement with the book.

Marking Time follows Saira Elian, a seventeen-year-old tagger who knows parkour. She’s an incredibly cool lead character, and I really enjoyed spending time inside her head. In my experience, young adult fantasy and science fiction often tends to produce heroines who feel essentially the same, but luckily, Saira felt distinctive.

Saira’s in England with her grandmother, after her mother has disappeared yet again, when she suddenly discovers that she can time travel. Her discovery throws her into the hidden world of the Immortal Descendants, people who are descended from one of five anthropomorphic beings. Saira must delve into this world to find out who she is and to rescue her mother from the past.

I had a slight annoyance with the Immortal Descendant set up. It seems that they’ve been existing for all of time, but they’re all described as white Europeans… which leads to the unfortunate implication that only white people can do magic…

Plot wise, there were some really convenient coincidences, the most obvious being how Saira just happens to run into a waitress who turns out to be significant. Do you know how many waitresses there are in London?

This is also yet another book that does the “vampire love interest.” However, since Marking Time also included time travel, he’s shown both as a vampire in the present day and as a rather, well, geeky college student in Victorian times. I preferred the college student. I’ve seen enough vampire love interests to last me a lifetime.

In general, Marking Time felt like a fun, fluffy sort of read. I’d compare it to Chloe Neil’s Dark Elite’s series or Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices series (with a more interesting protagonist). Problem is, Marking Time felt too long for a light read. It dragged in some sections and turned out to be over four hundred pages. I’d still recommend it, despite my grievances. It was an entertaining read, and I think fans of the above two series especially would enjoy it.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page. ( )

Absolutely amazing book. A paranormal adventure with the most original conception of the paranormal I have seen. Highly recommended. ( )