Customer Reviews

Waterfall: A Novel (River of Time Series)

5 star:		(118)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

It took me a bit to get into Waterfall but once I got through those first few chapters I was hooked! I never thought that there would be a time travel romance in the Christian fiction section... but why not? Who doesn't love the intrigue, history, suspense, and emotion that comes with such stories? Ms. Bergren has found herself a treasure of a niche that I hope she continues to explore!

Waterfall is targetted as a Young-Adult read. I think adult readers will still find a lot to enjoy. The only hiccups are the POV and voice. As it is written in Gabi's (a 17 year old) voice it sounds young and naive. But once the action picks up in the story, which luckily it does early on, it is easy to overlook. Gabi and her 15 year old sister Lia travel along with their parents has they explore archeological Estrucan sites. They usually don't get involved- being barred from looking let alone touching anything until the historical value is determined. But this time, Gabi takes it upon herself to do a bit of exploring and Lia tags along. They find an intriguing wall artwork in the tombs with handprints that match their hands and warm to their touch. Next thing they know they are transported back in time to medieval Italy. The majority of the action focuses on Gabi and her interactions with the Fontelli family, specifically the hunky son, Marcello and his best friend, Luca.

There are some moments that I found to be completely unbelievable for something a 17 year old would be capable of... But truly these two girls are not like many teenagers these days. They have more extensive historical knowledge from their travels with their parents, along with foreign language skills and use of archaic weaponry. (These skills and how they are able to manage in a strange land, made it seem too ridiculous to believe, thus the 4 not 5 stars. Gabi acts too emotionally mature for a teenager- something I couldn't swallow. I don't know why she couldn't have been older, I would have found that to be more believable...)

Overall a riveting read that was hard to put down. Waterfall ends with little resolution so I am eager to see what comes next in Cascade! While this is not a book that I see myself picking up again (a mark of a 5 star read to me), it was an enjoyable, suspenseful roller coaster ride of a read. For general readers- This was a clean read with some faith elements but not very much, so don't let the Christian fiction genre deter you if this sounds intriguing to you!

I usually don't read Christian books, but one reviewer stated that religion played a very small part, and the plot sounded awesome, so I tried it. I loved Waterfall! The book captured my attention from the very beginning, there was not a dull moment in the whole book. A very charming, enthralling, entertaining and adventurous read. I didn't want to stop reading this story, it was so fun. The author created wonderful depth of characters who you care about.

For those who usually skip religious books like I do, religion played an 'extremely' small part in the book, almost none existent.

I am thrilled to see that I don't have to wait for the second book, it is out already, Cascade, and the third book will be out Sept 1st.

Highly recommended!

Waterfall was one of those books that I wasn't very interested in before I picked it up. However, I did have the opportunity to review it, and the Italian hills were calling to me. How could I say no to such a romantic, gorgeous setting? Waterfall also happens to be part YA and part historical fiction, two genres that I enjoy -and that I enjoy even better when they collide. So, I threw aside my misgivings on Waterfall and tried it.

Waterfall introduces authors to Gabriella and her sister, the daughters of two famed Etruscan scholars, and has spent much of her life visiting Italy on archaeological trips with their parents. This year, Gabi and Lia find themselves in rural Tuscany on yet another dusty dig. That is, until they find a strange portal to fourteen century Italy, right in middle of a battle between knights from different cities.

Seems like a winner, right? Who doesn't love a trip to the gorgeous, romantic world of ancient Italy, complete with gorgeous knight-princes and city feuds? Well, at first I enjoyed the concept and thought it was fun, but it wasn't too long before I started to ask questions that didn't seem to have answers.

First, Gabi seems to accept her new-found surroundings all too easily and seems to sink into it far too easily as well. While yes, her parents would know all these things about ancient Italy, but it just seemed too convenient here. The people of ancient Italy also seemed to accept Gabi far too easily as well, so I just had trouble buying the whole girl-gets-sucked-back-in-time scenario. It just didn't feel real.

Bergren's writing, though comfortable and honest, had some flaws. While she can create decent characters with realistic dialog, Bergren had trouble creating a fully-developed setting that felt real. I couldn't see Italy in the setting, and I couldn't see much else but generic knights and castles. I just didn't feel like I was in ancient Italy.

Despite its flaws, Waterfall is a decent read for teens who enjoy a sweet romance with a historical backdrop, but I was disappointed with the historical aspect.

Time travel and Italy, two things I was certain would make this book an amazing read. However, it was hard for me to get into. While I did like the main character, I just couldn't get into the concept of the time traveling. For me reading anything that is historical fiction is a gamble for me, it's one of those genres that I always *think* I'd be interested in and once I'm there, I kinda back out because it's not what I expect.

I am seriously loving this book. Its the first time I've read about a 17 year old girl who spends more time trying to figure out what to do rather than talking about the cute guy who will save her. At every opportunity, Gabi is trying to find her sister, kicking butt and saving lives. Even the mini-competition she has with another girl feel real.

She doesn't travel back in time and then forgets that she is smart and doesn't all of a sudden forget everything that her parents tried to teach her and start bumbling around like an idiot.

And although her Italian seems to flow out of her mouth, she doesn't automatically speak their language and sometimes has trouble with using proper grammar. All those little subtle hints that she's not quite where she belongs was jarring while I was reading the story, but in a good way. It kept reminding me that she was in a very dangerous situation and was adapting as best she could.

The bad guys were, of course, bad. And I have to say, Luca is by far my favorite good guy, even if Marcello is Gabi's eye candy!

This is the first book I have ever read that is marketed as 'christian fiction' and I honestly didn't know what to expect. I will say that this book really took me by surprise! I enjoyed it from cover to cover. To me, it didn't seem like christian fiction. There were references to God here and there, and Gabi prayed more than once, but it flowed with the direction and setting of the story. Waterfall was just a great read! I was fascinated with the time period that the majority of the story took place in. I have always loved medieval history and culture and this book made you feel as if you were really there. The author did such a great job creating the medieval setting, characters, and overall tone of the book. I imagine that tons of research must have went into writing this! I enjoyed so many of the characters! Marcello, Luca, and Fortino made my heart melt and Gabi was such a strong female protagonist. She was able to think on her feet quickly and not afraid to defend herself. I did find it a little difficult to believe that at only 17 years old she would be able to step back into medieval Italy and blend in with the language, daily practices, and customs that were so dramatically different than her modern day life. Granted she knew a lot from history lessons with her famous archaeologist parents and courses in school- but would that really be enough to blend in? Aside from that, I found the pace of the story fast and the plot exciting. The men in the book were beyond perfect... chivalry at its best! Who wouldn't want their own knight in shining armor! I was lost in this story and in its forbidden romances, betrayals, and vicious battles! I predicted the ending pretty acurately, but that didn't take away from it at all. I cannot wait until the second book in this series releases so I can see what Gabi and her sister do next! Book two in The River of Time Series is titled, Cascade, and is scheduled for release on June 1st, 2011. I highly recommend this book to any readers that love historical fiction or just a good clean 'sweep you off your feet' romance!

Every summer the Bentarrini family goes to Italy. Sounds great, right? Soak up the sun, take in the all sights, eat fantastic food, go shopping, and then go back to your plush hotel room and relax? That's not how the Bentarrini family spends their time. Gabriella (Gabi) and her younger sister Evangelia (Lia) have spent most of their summers in Italy with their parents who are both archeologists and both are renowned Etruscan scholars.

Six months ago Gabi and Lia's father died, but their mother is determined to keep their legacy in Etruscan work living. So there they are in Tuscany, Italy on another archeological dig site, living in a seventies throw-back house, oh and don't forget the mind-numbing boredom. When Gabi, Lia and their mother find Etruscan tombs, with nothing else to do, Gabi decides to explore one- of course, not without Lia and NOT telling her mother.

When they investigate the tomb they notice hand prints, curiously the prints fit both Lia and Gabi's hands perfectly. That doesn't much matter when you're hurtling back through time though. Gabi, separated from her sister, manages to get out of the tomb and smack dab into the middle of a bloody battle. She is saved by a handsome stranger named Marcello Forelli. Many a battle, political intrigue, and romance ensue.

I'm torn between really liking this book and thinking that it was just good. The amount of historical detail is amazing, so amazing that I actually felt like I was there in the 14th century- and that is no easy feat! The characters were all pretty good, though I felt Lia's personality wasn't concrete enough. Throughout most of the book we don't see Lia, but when we do I just can't see her personality. She almost felt like a filler character; a character that isn't fleshed out and is just there because another character had to be added for some reason. It seemed like she could have been anyone, she just didn't fit well into the roll of Gabi's sister. The language, at times, didn't flow very well. The author went from writing Gabi speaking in a very formal, old fashioned way to Gabi's thoughts which read in a way teenagers would think now.

My last little pet peeve with Waterfall is that there are no curse words. Now I know this is a Christian book, (as I've never read one before I'm guessing curse words aren't particularly welcome in these types of books) but there were just a couple scenes where a curse word would have made the whole scene more raw and believable. Believe it or not, but a curse word can sometimes enhance a book instead of hindering it.

Overall, it was a pretty good book. The author has a few elements I think she could improve on, but most of the book was entrancing and thrilling, a definite page turner. I will definitely read the sequel Cascade, available June 1st.