Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The adventure of a lifetime...and an era! Great, clean, adventurous read for teens, January 26, 2011
This review is from: Waterfall: A Novel (River of Time Series) (Paperback)
The book begins in the present day as two sisters wander, bored, around an archeological dig their mother is working on in Italy. Gabi, the eldest sister, is annoyed to be spending yet another summer at an Italian dig site, and is eager for a normal teenage experience. When she and her sister, Lia, discover a set of ancient handprints in an old tomb that are the exact dimensions of their own hands, however, the two are sucked into a time-warp adventure that is anything but normal. Gabi and Lia are separated during the shocking jerk back through time, and Gabi emerges from the tomb into the middle of a fierce battle between two Italian houses, the Castellos Forelli and Paratore, in medieval Italy. When the Castello Forelli takes her under their protection, she not only meets the handsome--and spoken for--Marcello Forelli, she also becomes the main target of the dangerous Castello Paratore. Gabi's shock at finding herself in another era must be pushed aside quickly in order to ensure her survival; and she soon finds herself giving medical advice to save a Lord's son, sword fighting, and actively participating in war schemes (all while wishing she had access to Wikipedia or Google to get some answers to her historical questions). When it is discovered that the cruel Lord Paratore is holding Lia captive, however, Gabi's somewhat good-natured romp through medieval Italy suddenly becomes a nightmare. When I first picked up Waterfall, I was a bit skeptical. Unfortunately, a lot of Christian fiction for teens is--in my opinion--poorly written, too preachy, or heavily coated in sugar. I was dubious that Waterfall, a book that fell into my lap unexpectedly, would be any different. Thankfully, however, Waterfall not only exceeded my expectations, it actually sucked me into the adventure to the point where I couldn't put it down. I was thrilled to discover realistic, three-dimensional characters in this story, and thoroughly enjoyed the tension of the romantic thread. Bergren takes the reader on an adventure that is not sparing in the harsh realities of the time, and yet the author skillfully keeps the story from becoming overtly graphic or inappropriate. I appreciated the characters' honest struggles throughout the novel, from the moral vs. survival issues of war and torture, to the yearning to experience life fully, and the deep uncertainty that so often plagues our faith. Bergren's work is honest without being overly preachy or despairing, and allows the reader to engage fully in a story that is both wonderfully exciting and thoroughly relatable. Waterfall is an excellent read for teens and adults alike. I am eager for the rest of the series!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So fantastically good!, March 4, 2011
This review is from: Waterfall: A Novel (River of Time Series) (Paperback)
Can you say *SWOON*? I'm trying to hold back the OMG squeeeeeees here, but it's kinda hard. You see in the description where it mentions Italian hotties? Notice how it's plural? Oh wow is it plural! There are three guys in this book that I would risk plague and travel back in time for. Yet, delightfully, there isn't any annoying love triangle. The main character loves her guy and sees the other two as good friends (which means I can have them then, right?) Ah, they're physically attractive, but they also have super attractive personalities. The main character travels back to the 14th century, so these guys aren't the modern guy who will share his feelings with you over a latte (not that there's anything wrong with that). Oh no, these are the kind of guys that make you let out a primal groan and call them MEN. They're all commanding and manly and make me want to say really dorky things like "Oh take me you big man you" (I'm ready for my romance cover shot, please). They also have swords--one of the most popular accessories of hot men everywhere--and they're totally willing to get all sweaty and sexy using them. But, come on, am I superficial enough to give a book a five star Special Shelf rating on the basis of hot guys alone? Um, yeah, ok, I actually so am. But this book has other redeeming features, I promise. Girls rock too How about that main character? As awesome as the men are, she's pretty kick butt herself. So fine, maybe I'm not buying that being a fencing champ makes her able to wield a 30 pound sword, but hey, it's the thought that counts, right? And the thought is really great. The guys are all like, "Lady, you need to stay in the castle and let us do man work" and she's all, "Yeah, whatever. You think I'm going to miss out on this? Pfft!" But you know what's great? The men aren't peeved by this. They're impressed! Again, maybe not so historically accurate (they probably would have burned her as a witch or sent her to a nunnery or something), but I don't care because I was having so much fun. Oh, I probably should mention that the main character isn't a Mary Sue at all though. I realize I might have made her sound like that a little, but she's not. She makes a ton of mistakes and has a lot of "Oops!" moments. There was one scene where she was all, "Hold my lance and watch this!" but the guys and me are face-palming like we've never face-palmed before. She recognizes her mistakes and learns from them. She reminded me a lot of Meliara from Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel (please tell me you've read this book. No? Ok, go get that book ASAP. Seriously). Can I be so lucky? Great characters are wonderful and all, but you really do need a solid plot to back them up in order to be a 5 star book, right? Well, the plot here was so, so good. How's your knowledge of 14th century Italy? Yeah, mine sucks too. So I don't have a clue what is based on truth (if anything) and what's the author's creation. Either way, it doesn't matter. The plot starts out fun enough with the main character trying to fudge her way through 14th century life, a plot device I always find amusing. Add in a missing sister she needs to find and a romance with a super unattainable guy and the plot would have been solid. But there's more! War, battle, political intrigue! Ah, I just had this silly grin on my face that kept getting wider and wider the more I read. But wait, isn't this Christian fic? This sounds all good and everything, but...maybe you heard this book is considered Christian fiction. Maybe that's not your thing (it's not my thing either). No problem! There are a few lines here and there where the main character wonders if she was sent back in time by God. The guys pray sometimes, but I don't think that would be out of place in any historical fiction book because that's what they would likely do anyway in the 1300s. That's pretty much the extent of it. If Christian fiction isn't your genre, please don't feel turned off from reading this book. I really don't think you'll be bothered. What are you still doing here? This book ended up taking me a really long time to finish (5 days!), but that wasn't because I wasn't into it. I was completely into it. I never wanted it to end. I kept carrying the book around with me and not reading it because I didn't want the story to be over. Thankfully, there are two more books and they're both coming out this year, which I immediately added to my Goodreads list as soon as I finished Waterfall (Cascade in June and Torrent in September). All of the main events of the story wrap up pretty well so I don't feel like I'm hanging on a major cliffhanger, but the stage is set for the sequel. If you like those courtly intrigue books with manly men and a strong heroine, then I highly recommend Waterfall.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
not what I was expecting, in a GOOD way, February 23, 2011
This review is from: Waterfall: A Novel (River of Time Series) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I wasn't sure about this book when I picked it up. It sounded like it might be a sappy love story with a weepy main character. Not. Even. Close. I loved this book. Gabi is a great main character. She's got spunk, fire, and determination. But she's also smart, and can cool her heels when the situation needs it. Her loyalty to her sister, her ability to empathize with strangers, and ability to think on her feet make her my favorite kind of character. The story itself holds its own in a very good way. Gabi presents herself in a believable way so everyone thinks she's a lady and not a commoner. The only thing that bothered me was her ability to pick up ancient Italian as well as she did. She spoke Italian fluently, but ancient Italian is something else entirely. She did question this, so I'm hoping we'll get an explanation in a later book. I liked the conflict between Gabi and Lady Rossi. It was full of tension, but wasn't over the top. And there was plenty of motive for that conflict, too. The romance aspect felt like a good, slow build up, even though it happened rather quickly if you count out the days. But there certainly wasn't any "OMG he's hot, I must throw myself at him" moments going on in this story, which I found very refreshing. Overall, this was a very compelling and interesting story that grabbed my attention and kept it. I was even still reading at 2am and telling myself over and over that I *had* to go to bed (which I did), and yet I kept reading. I think teens of all ages will enjoy this story, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
