Erasing Time (Erasing Time, #1)

Oct 28, 2012 Giselle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, own, science-fiction, time-travel

As a big fan of science-fiction and fascinated, though wary, of time travel, I was very intrigued by this novel the second I heard of it. Even though some of it felt forced, I was happy with the originality of the futuristic world and the way time travel was woven into the plot.

Time travel is a very, very tricky prospect to play with. I was satisfied by the way CJ Hill explains how it works in this novel. Albeit there being a lot of science details I didn't completely comprehend, I found it was...more As a big fan of science-fiction and fascinated, though wary, of time travel, I was very intrigued by this novel the second I heard of it. Even though some of it felt forced, I was happy with the originality of the futuristic world and the way time travel was woven into the plot.

Time travel is a very, very tricky prospect to play with. I was satisfied by the way CJ Hill explains how it works in this novel. Albeit there being a lot of science details I didn't completely comprehend, I found it was a smooth explanation that avoids bizarre time loops and infinite paradoxes. The reason for the scientists to want to play with time travel is a bit weak, however. I kept forgetting why it was imperative to get a hold of this Tyler, lessening the threat I felt towards the government. There is an integration of different groups which are essentially controlling this society (think Mafia and religious groups) that makes it more sinister, or atmospheric, while keeping it within the realms of probability.

The world 400 year in the future that Taylor and Sheridan get thrown in is obviously very different from our present: Language has evolved, fashion is incredibly bizarre, society as a whole is a brand new world. There is a large dystopian feel that is compelling and gives a very dreary tone to the plot. Nonetheless, the world building is not as complex as I was hoping. For the most part, we're stuck inside this city; a bubble with an intimidating political system, but no real-world description or history. How do people outside the city live? How bad is it out there? What happened to bring about this future? What we do get is a lot of inner city living which is at least fairly well thought out -- especially the realistic evolution of language. The fashion, though not exactly far fetched, seems... implausible. But, who knows what's in store!? Despite it being interesting, in the end I felt we spent too much time running around in detours to get to the real plot. I was craving to see the outside world, to journey to where they were planning to go. Not until the last 100 pages do we get a glimpse of this vast, post-apocalyptic setting these twins got warped in. Even then, it's only a glimpse. However, this last quarter becomes intense and exciting where we're learning to fear this big futuristic world, begin getting the truth alongside its own citizens, and seeing the results of a war long past gone. Finally getting to the big picture. This is what I love about post-apocalyptic settings and I'm thinking the next book will be more my speed.

The inclusion of twins in this novel is unique and gives us a different character dynamic to study. Both girls are vastly different from one another and, even though only one of the two sisters gets a perspective, we get to know both of them individually. Taylor is the smart science geek, whilst Sheridan is fascinated by English and literature. This gives us a very intelligent plot with lots of scientific/programming data, as well as some literature and religion details. On the other hand, besides this shell, the characters aren't very highly developed. They have roles to play, and they play them well, but their personalities don't stand out and breathe life within them. This is the same for our male -- and future -- perspective, Ethan, which I found mostly one-dimensional and unconvincing. There was a big lack of communication between him and the girls that became irritating, and the biggest reason for the plot to take so long to lift off.

One thing to, sadly, have survived 400 years, is insta-love. Or at least an insta... whatever this was. Not surprisingly with an instant "fling", the romance in this novel is bland with little to no chemistry. Luckily it doesn't appear to be a big part of the plot, leaving it a minor issue for now.

Even though I seem to be mentioning a lot of negatives, the premise in Erasing Time is very engaging and I was thoroughly intrigued by this new world, and especially riveted by its last 100 pages. It's an animated futuristic setting that is equally enchanting and terrifying.

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An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

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Aug 23, 2012 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: challenge-src2012

Review originally posted http://hobbitsies.net/2012/08/erasing...

I’m not entirely sure I’ll ever get over dystopian books. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. And I loved how Erasing Time was a dystopian but with TIME TRAVEL and all sorts of sci-fi like elements.

Erasing Time was a surprisingly quick read. It’s by no means a short book, but I flew through Erasing Time. I don’t want to say it was an easy book, but it just really sucked me in and kept my attention, which I loved.

I liked how different Sheridan an...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Kristina Brownell rated it 5 of 5 stars

I LOVE this author! The pacing in this book was perfect. The storyline is unique and engaging from the first few pages. It's a dystopian novel with some time travel thrown in....so, it's sci-fi? I didn't even know I like that genre, but Erasing Time was fabulous. It is the first in a series, but the book stands alone.

The biggest problem with CJ Hill is that she has too many fires burning at one time and doesn't write fast enough!!! Her book "Slayers" is also amazing and apparently she has anoth...more

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Nov 22, 2012 BAYA Librarian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Imaging being plucked from your life and being deposited 500 years in the future. Styles have changed, language has changed, and the world people live in has changed. To top that off, the machine that retrieved you and your twin sister made a mistake and was supposed to get some scientist. Taylor and Sheridan find themselves in a world that is controlled by a Mafia-like organization and their only hope is a boy named Echo, a wordsmith historian, who they are not sure they can trust. The sisters...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Kate McMurry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-dystopian, ya-male-point-of-view, ya-male-protagonist, ya-paranormal-romance, ya-science-fiction, young-adult-dystopian, young-adult-male-point-of-view, young-adult-male-protagonist, young-adult-paranormal-romance, young-adult-science-fiction, time-travel

Science-fiction, time-travel, action-adventure, YA romance

A time machine snatches fifteen-year-old, twin sisters, Sheridan and Taylor, and catapults them to a frightening, dystopian society four centuries in the future within the former United States. It's a one-way trip with no means to return home, and their only hope for survival is to rely on their intelligence, courage, and personal integrity--and the vital assistance of a mysterious teenage boy named Echo.

I rarely read adult science fictio...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Tim Loge rated it 5 of 5 stars

College twins Sheridan and Taylor are zapped into the future where God and doctors seem to be no longer relevant. Unfortunately for the twins, they find themselves suddenly very relevant and expendable as near-prisoners. The teens, invited to their first darty (a dance party), get to spend time with one of their handlers, a handsome but mysterious young man named Echo, who may or may not be interested in their welfare. Even before agreeing to go to the darty, the twins know that in order to stay...more

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May 25, 2012 Kyleigh rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is going to be one of those reviews where I'm still trying to figure out what I thought of the book. I just can't seem to decide if I liked it or not. The vast majority of the novel I was forcing myself to read it while the end had me wanting for more. It was just a peculiar read, so this is probably going to be a peculiar review.

First of all the whole time jumping plot just seemed weak to me. It's not an issue of plausibility, more so an issue with convincing the audience. In a sci-fi nov...more This is going to be one of those reviews where I'm still trying to figure out what I thought of the book. I just can't seem to decide if I liked it or not. The vast majority of the novel I was forcing myself to read it while the end had me wanting for more. It was just a peculiar read, so this is probably going to be a peculiar review.

First of all the whole time jumping plot just seemed weak to me. It's not an issue of plausibility, more so an issue with convincing the audience. In a sci-fi novel time travel is perfectly okay because it is SCI-FI. The genre umbrella's physically impossible things. Granted, this book should probably be considered sci-fi, hell it's set in the future, but it just...I don't know- failed to convince me? The future world just lacked real depth. If you're going to plop two 21st century girls 400 years in the future I just think really detailed and in depth world building is required. A lot of things have of course changed. I applaud the author for thinking about the language differences. Naturally they still speak english, but it has evolved so much that it's barely recognizable. So yes, that was well thought out. But the fashion of the future-just- I couldn't take it seriously. It seemed gimmicky and ridiculous. I just can't take a character seriously when he has bright blue hair with a matching crescent moon on his face. Can't. Sorry.

Also, the reason for Sheridan and Taylor being brought to the future seemed really weak to me as well. Taylor is of Stephen Hawking type level intelligence and apparently the future can't live without her. Only problem is, that Sheridan got dragged along to the future with her. The whole reason for them being there dealt with something that Taylor helped build, and yet I feel like I knew nothing about it. I mean I have a beginners understanding of physics. Maybe intermediate because I'm a little science nerd and like interstellar physics, but even with that I was sitting there going "how is this possible?" The author just kind of gave you basic facts and didn't explain anything. It just kind of bugged me.

I liked Sheridan and Taylor well enough. Taylor was a bit of an annoying, condescending jerk, but she wasn't too terrible. Then again, you never get her POV in the whole book, so I could be judging too harshly. I even enjoyed Echo's POV a lot. The one thing that I thought was done really well was the political atmosphere of the novel. You have the thought controlling government, the corrupt Dakine who basically control the government, and the Doctor Worshippers who are supposedly mad. The groups interactions with each other were pretty interesting and were very dynamic. I thought it was well done.

Ironically enough it wasn't until over half way through the novel when Sheridan and Taylor are pretty much on the run non-stop that it got GOOD. I went from having to force myself to read, to forcing myself to go to bed. Suddenly the story was gripping, and interesting and pulled some very big twists that I didn't even have an inkling about. That being said, I was severely disappointed that it ended where it did. I felt like the story was JUST getting started and bam it's over.

I think pacing was my biggest issue. If this had been paced correctly then those little things that bugged me wouldn't have made as big as an impact. I'll still probably read the sequel (because with that ending there BETTER be a sequel), and truly I feel like this story is just getting started. So I'm gonna stick with it. So really, I have no opinion with good vs bad. I'll just leave it as this story is promising and you need to read it for yourself to form an opinion. (less)

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Sep 03, 2012 L. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

The Cover
Come on! If you decide to have people on the cover at least make them look like the characters in the book. Sheridan and Tyler are twins but have different appearances which is important. I get that the publisher wanted to highlight the fact that this book had twins in it but still. The computer codes add a cool touch to the whole thing though. This cover definitely says "Sci-Fi" or at least "computer nerd".

The StorySheridan and Taylor are twins who have accidentally been transported f...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Justin rated it 4 of 5 stars

As soon as I got this book, I was instantly intrigued by the sound of it. The blurb above isn't quite as long as the one on the back of the ARC, but you can get a pretty good idea of that the book is about. In general, it was a pretty straightforward book. I usually like to see when a book has a little bit of freedom for the reader, but with a book like this the linear plot line really works well. As I really got into the book, I found that C.J.'s writing really reminded me a lot of another favo...more As soon as I got this book, I was instantly intrigued by the sound of it. The blurb above isn't quite as long as the one on the back of the ARC, but you can get a pretty good idea of that the book is about. In general, it was a pretty straightforward book. I usually like to see when a book has a little bit of freedom for the reader, but with a book like this the linear plot line really works well. As I really got into the book, I found that C.J.'s writing really reminded me a lot of another favorite author of mine, Dan Brown. Maybe it was just the plot, but I couldn't help but draw somewhat of a comparison.

Since I already started mentioning the plot, why not go ahead and transition into talking about it in more detail. When you first pick up the book, you get the idea that there will be time travel, and other things happening. It all starts with sisters Taylor and Sheridan waking up 400 years in the future, in 2447. One of the things that bothered me a little, was that even though this book takes place so far in the future it just didn't feel quite futuristic enough in my opinion. But then again, I don't feel like that was a major factor in the book. I feel like it was there more for added flavor than anything else. Saying that, the time machine does play some importance in the book. I won't go into a whole lot of details to make sure to keep the book interesting for all of you.

As I mentioned above, I found myself being reminded of another author I really like while reading this book, which is Dan Brown. There are a few plot lines, if you have read his books that will remind you somewhat of them. Especially in regards to some of the religious, and clue hunting aspects of this book. Don't get turned off by the mention of religious elements though, I can assure you it's most likely not anything like you're thinking it might be. As stated before, I just couldn't help but seeing similarities between the two authors in the way they write. I feel like that helped me enjoy this book even more.

Taylor and Sheridan are wonderful characters, you can really see that sisterly relationship they have and it really allows you to be able to connect with them on a deeper level then you might if they were just friends or something. I have said time and time again, that being able to connect with characters is a huge fundamental part of any book. If you don't have that ability to connect, it can really cripple a book. So I am really, really happy that there was such a connection to these two girls, and that they were such awesome characters. And you can't leave out Echo, he is a crucial part to this story in way that I can't really go into detail about without spoiling things, but I will say that he is a great character that I ended up really impressed with.

The ending was decent, but yet again as with most series books you're hit with a cliffhanger. I don't feel like it was a massive one, but C.J. sure did make sure that once you finish this book, you will want jump right into book two. I have never really been a huge fan of cliffhangers, in some cases they can be really good but in others they can be somewhat annoying. But I can understand why the authors would want to do something like that to keep you interested in the series. I do look forward to reading book two, whenever it comes out though.

Overall, this book was enjoyable. Wasn't amazing or anything, but it was a good and fun book to read. I think it's a pretty easy read, that many Young Adult readers will be able to enjoy without much of an issue. As always, If it sounds like a book you might enjoy then I would suggest checking it out.(less)

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Dec 04, 2012 Pamela rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book started out interesting but I thought faded in the end. There was a bit of akwardness with the religion theme. It seemed placed in there without a good examination of it. I also never really got a feel for why the society was the way it was. There also didn't seem to be much emotion over the loss of the family that the two girls experienced. They were ripped away from everything that they knew and yet in a moment seemed to be completely adjusted to the fact that they would never see th...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Emily♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, own, read-for-review, arc, dystopian

You know how when a book is good, like really good, you completely stop the rest of your life for it?
Like instead of grocery shopping or looking for a job, you just sit on the swing outside and read. And the weather is wonderful and you could be relaxing in the pool, but you’d rather sit beside the pool and dive into a book like your life depends on it.
Yeah, this is totally that book.
I completely forgot the environment around me and was thrown into Erasing Time. It took some time to get the feel...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Katelyn Barry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nice-covers, dystopian, library-book, my-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was really great, but I have a couple problems with it. Besides boring parts (which I admit there wasn't many of in this book, but it's hard to find one completely void of them), there were a few dead ends the author left that irk me SOOO much in a book. SO LETS GET TO THE SPOILER PARTS.

LANGUAGE
I get that these people speak a different language and all, and that's actually great and really creative to evolve English in a book to really enforce the fact that they're four centuries in t...more This book was really great, but I have a couple problems with it. Besides boring parts (which I admit there wasn't many of in this book, but it's hard to find one completely void of them), there were a few dead ends the author left that irk me SOOO much in a book. SO LETS GET TO THE SPOILER PARTS.

LANGUAGE
I get that these people speak a different language and all, and that's actually great and really creative to evolve English in a book to really enforce the fact that they're four centuries in the future, but do they HAVE to use the same words so much?!? This is one of my two only book pet peeves. When authors use the same words over and over because they think its a cool or hip word and that will get them more fans, I'm just like, um, NO. it helps that the author is creating a different language in the process, but you could've come up with more than one made up curse word (sangre), or more than one word that people repeat often (pues). Sorry, but that's negative points.

CHARACTERS
I don't have anything to complain about in this, because ITS SO GREAT TO FINALLY HAVE A BOOK ABOUT TWINS. I was just waiting for someone to have this epiphany. Taylor's a party person and social, and I guess you might be able to appreciate that, but the author does a great job in making Sheridan, the main character, the more likable twin. Even Echo, supposedly being described as a party person more suited for Taylor and creating friction between the girls, is really likeable as you read. But now that I know he's Joseph (THAT'S RIGHT HE'S ALIVE), I like him even more because he's so much more thoughtful and calculating. Oh and because he's not a player. Just saying.

PLOT
The plot was cool because however many future books you've read with time machines, this one still managed to be different. The only thing that wasn't different was the ever-present dystopian feel that you'll get in most YA books these days. This one mostly made me think of The Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie (PROPS TO THIS LADY). I didn't like the dead ends throughout the book in most places, and it seemed like the characters kept moving all over the place without fluidity or connection since they arrived in the future. The ending was really disappointing, like instead of having sequel this book just should've doubled in size and had a few more chapters. You don't end a story with petting a horse. It has to either have a meaningful last paragraph, or a definite cliff hanger, leaving you wanting for more. This one was kind of in between, which I despise. I kept waiting for the end to click, but it all just seemed surreal.

This book is still really good, though, and I would recommend it to you, but only after you've read my favorite YA series. CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE SEQUEL.(less)

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Feb 02, 2013 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 24, 2012 Britney Gulbrandsen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2012, clean-teen-reads

One night, when I was about 80% of the way finished with this book, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I didn't WANT to go to sleep, but I kept dozing off and reading the same sentence again and again (not out of boredom, out of complete exhaustion). So what did I do? Went to sleep and woke up extra EARLY the next morning so I could finish reading it before my son woke up and daily tasks began. I'm NOT a morning person, but I couldn't stand it--the book was so good I had to finish it quick...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Rai Tabunda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Actual rating: 3.5

I thought this book would be a put off because I am personally not into third person narration. But it was in fact good. Perhaps I'd try not to be prejudiced next time. It was good, yeah, but not totally fantastic. You know the whole dystopian world, which the characters from the present era refer to as "the future" was a little bit overdone. I was guessing the setting was adapted from The Hunger Games' capitol region. People have weird fashion sense, high tech gadgets, and an...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Tamera Westhoff rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved it and was super disappointed at the same time. The original was called Time Riders and was two adult women who were best friends and were LDS. Now it's been changed to twins (which makes more sense), 18-year-olds and minister's kids. For the most part it's exactly the same, but all of the LDS themes have been taken out and made religious in general. I liked that more backstory was added, but I was hoping for more of an ending. I preferred the cliffhanger ending from the original when th...more

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May 12, 2013 Monique rated it 4 of 5 stars

originally posted here: http://moniquesmobooks.blogspot.ca/20...

Quote

“Time travel is impossible. It’s a scientific fact.” - Taylor

My Review

Sheridan and Taylor are twin sisters, who by no fault of their own were plucked out of their 21 century life and plopped 400 years into the future. The worst part, they made a mistake, they meant to get someone else.

The year 2447 is definitely not what the sister were used to. Everyone was extremely tall, they spoke a strange language and their fashion was a...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Suz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-2012

Erasing Time paints an amazingly thrilling portrait of the strength and love between two sisters, as they take incredible risks against what seems like a backdrop of overwhelming odds facing them. It's an epic battle full of action and intense moments, where they find themselves fighting for their own survival in a world that's choatic and confusing for them. C.J. Hill brings this amazing story to life with wonderfully developed characters, thrill-seeking danger and action, and a wonderfully wr...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Valia Lind rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review on http://wordsareinnermusic.blogspot.com

Let me start out by saying that I had no idea what to expect from this book. I ended up reading two books having to do with twins back to back, and honestly I wasn’t sure how well that was going to work for me. The other side of this is the fact that I was a little nervous about the whole 400 years in the future aspect. I adore science fiction, when its written well, and sometimes when its not I just want to cry myself to sleep at night. Now, after...more Review on http://wordsareinnermusic.blogspot.com

Let me start out by saying that I had no idea what to expect from this book. I ended up reading two books having to do with twins back to back, and honestly I wasn’t sure how well that was going to work for me. The other side of this is the fact that I was a little nervous about the whole 400 years in the future aspect. I adore science fiction, when its written well, and sometimes when its not I just want to cry myself to sleep at night. Now, after all that, I just like you to know that I enjoyed Erasing Time. Tremendously.
Literally, I flew through this book in one sitting (with lots of stops because I was at work, but still).
Erasing Time follows the story of two girls, who are twins, and get stuck 400 years in the future. Apparently, the world is falling apart and only someone from our time can save it (Or help destroy it. You know them political types). Sheridan and Taylor are both likable characters. They’re twins and sisters, but different like night and day. I really enjoyed the writing of them together, it was a nice contrast. Personally, I felt more drawn to Sheldon, the reserved twin. I felt like her character was one I could relate to more and I was rooting for her the whole book.Then, there is Echo. Oh Echo, the broken hero of the story. His character has a lot of potential behind it. There is depth, there is warrior, and there is the romantic. This maybe a little spoilery but there is no love triangle in this book, which made me insanely happy. I can’t say if that will change or not in the next one, it might, but as of right now, I’m glad its just one girl and one boy. Sometimes I just get so tired of the whole triangle thing, its nice to read something without it.
Overall, this book was an interesting read! C.J. created a very realistic futuristic world, full of twists and turns. While I would have like a bit more character and relationship development (seriously, they just fall into the whole relationship thing) this is a good beginning to a series. C.J.’s use of words and descriptions will transport you 400 years in the future and take you on a journey like no other!(less)

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Sep 12, 2012 Eric rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: time-travel

I am always fascinated by time travel stories. One of the best things about this book was that the main characters had traveled forward in time and provided us with a unique perspective of our present. As someone interested in archaeology, it was interesting to see the problem of interpreting from fragmentary and incomplete information about the past shown so vividly in this book.

Unfortunately, this may have been a case where there was too much of a good thing. While there was quite a bit dedica...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Candace rated it 4 of 5 stars

I went into this book only knowing it was sci fi. I liked not really knowing what it was about because it allowed me to be surprised with every twist and turn. But when I read that description it makes me even more excited about this book because it's so accurate and true.

The girls are from now and are pulled into the future 400 years. Imagine how much our language has changed, how sayings have died out and how much things are just so different. I really enjoyed this bit. The twins didn't need...more I went into this book only knowing it was sci fi. I liked not really knowing what it was about because it allowed me to be surprised with every twist and turn. But when I read that description it makes me even more excited about this book because it's so accurate and true.

The girls are from now and are pulled into the future 400 years. Imagine how much our language has changed, how sayings have died out and how much things are just so different. I really enjoyed this bit. The twins didn't need a secret twin language, they could just talk in figures of speech and no one knew what they were saying. This was awesome and hilarious. Now the only ones who even understand Sheridan and Taylor are Echo and his father who are wordsmiths. They've studied history, particularly our century. So they know the language. Or dialect, really. They also have loads of questions. They have really misinterpreted a lot of stuff and it's pretty funny to hear the things they've always thought.

I really enjoyed the characters in the book a lot. Taylor was a bit hard to warm up to, but Sheridan and Echo are the ones who we get the story from. It's not in first person, but yet from their POV. And they were great characters. I also really loved Echo's father who has so much enthusiasm for history and can't seem to soak up enough information that the girls have to share. Though sometimes they just have plain old fun with them and tell them totally ridiculous things.

The sci fi elements weren't confusing or over my head. I suppose there was some science'y stuff I didn't understand, but it was so brief it wasn't really an issue. And I could picture this future so clearly and it brought up so many things about our own society and the direction it may be taking. Or could take. And it's scary stuff.

The book is a bit slower paced until closer to the end. At times I grew frustrated because the lack of communication and it felt like things weren't getting anywhere. I just wanted everyone to talk and figure it out rather then refusing to trust anyone. I also felt like the romance moved a bit fast. I mean, they could have had time to develop feelings first. However it didn't really have an insta love feel either because there's not any undying love, it's still just attraction, but the kissing starts early.

Overall this was a really enjoyable read. It had funny, it had romantic and it had intense action. It's also a clean read as there's no bad language, no drug use, no sex and the violence is minimal. The end of the book had a good closing, but could be open for more. I don't know for sure if it's a planned series, but it felt that way to me as there's so much more to happen.

You can find this review and others like it on my blog at http://www.candacesbookblog.com (less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Ashley (Nose Graze) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, arc, physical-arc

booknook — Young Adult book reviews

Erasing Time is sandwiched somewhere between 'awesome' and 'ridiculous.' It's fun to imagine what our world will be like 400 years from now, including new fashion trends, language evolution, and so on. But some of the things in Erasing Time just seemed silly. For example, the people in the future claim that they study the past by reading old accounts, stories, texts, and watching old movies. But they view children's stories like Winnie the Pooh and Little Red...more booknook — Young Adult book reviews

Erasing Time is sandwiched somewhere between 'awesome' and 'ridiculous.' It's fun to imagine what our world will be like 400 years from now, including new fashion trends, language evolution, and so on. But some of the things in Erasing Time just seemed silly. For example, the people in the future claim that they study the past by reading old accounts, stories, texts, and watching old movies. But they view children's stories like Winnie the Pooh and Little Red Riding Hood as real life accounts, so they say that Sheridan and Taylor must be lying when they say animals didn't used to talk. The people in the future wouldn't know because animals are supposedly extinct. But surely if they have access to old texts, they could read factual books about how animals communicate. And if this society is so incredibly advanced and doing things like curing aging, then surely they can tell the difference between a scientific text and a children's book. Things like that just seemed a little ridiculous to me.

I was kind of disappointed by some of the things that were left out in the book, like a lot of the science and technology. For example, here are a few things Taylor asked:

"Is garbage taken outside the city?" "How is fresh air ventilated inside?" "Where does the city get the raw materials to build things?" "Tell me about the material that covers the city? How does it withstand the rain and snow beating down on it year after year?"
—ARC of Erasing Time, Pages 100-102

But we never actually get to see the answers to any of those questions! The author just says something like, "Jeth answered all her questions but Sheridan tuned out." But I would have loved to have more information. I was really curious about this futuristic world C.J. Hill created and I wanted to know more about it, but felt like I wasn't getting the juicy details I craved.

There was a small romance in Erasing Time, but unfortunately I didn't connect with it at all. Echo and Sheridan start falling for each other but I kind of feel like it came out of nowhere. A day and a half after they meet, they're kissing. But where did that come from? I still don't even understand why they kissed. There had been a little flirting but it was so minimal and so corny, that I never even imagined they'd actually kiss. And then as the story continued, I literally couldn't tell if they were ignoring the kissing incident and just being friends, or if they were officially dating. The romance had no chemistry and very poor development to the point where I couldn't even tell if it was supposed to be a romance or not!

Despite all my issues with this book, it was an interesting and engaging read. It was part frustrating, part ridiculous, but also very interesting. The main thing that this book has going for it is that there are so many twists and turns. For a large part of the book, you have no idea which characters to trust. C.J. Hill was constantly teasing me, leading to believe that Echo was a good guy, then had me thinking he might actually be bad, then thinking he's good again, etc. Then the same thing for some of the side characters.

This book is full of action, conspiracy, and secret organizations.. and of course, time travel. Erasing Time wasn't perfect—there were some inconsistencies and unanswered questions—but it was an interesting story that kept me turning pages.(less)

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Sep 07, 2012 Kristin Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kristin by: Firstreads

Shelves: first-reads

Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book through a FirstReads giveaway.

I usually don't read Sci-Fi, but when I read the premise for this book, I thought it sounded pretty interesting, so I gave it a shot and entered the giveaway. I'm glad I did, because it was a really good book!!

The first chapter had me wondering if I was going to like it, as it seemed kind of "out there" to me. But once the second chapter started, introducing Sheridan and Taylor, I started getting into it, and managed to read ove...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favoritebooks

What an exciting book! Identical twins, Taylor and Sheridan get abducted into the 25th century. Lots of things have changed in the future and defiantly not for the good. Echo and his dad Jeth are "wordsmiths" who studied and fluently speak the English version of the 21st century. They are called in to help the scientist figure out what went wrong from the two girls. The Time machine made the mistake and brought two teenage girls instead of the scientist they were searching for. Echo's twin Josep...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, series-first-book, 2013-books

Honestly, Janette Rallison is my favorite author of all time and this book was no different. Even though there were plot holes with the time-travel concept (but only small ones and that may have just been caused by me not understanding all the information) and religion is a main concept in the book (but not culty religion either which is good) and there were twins (I'm not a family person but I think the book had a nice balance of loyalties) I really enjoyed reading it. Lots of the conversations...more

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Dec 05, 2012 David Caldwell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: won-it-on-goodreads-first-reads, sci-fi

I won a copy on Goodreads Firstreads.

The set-p for this book reminded of the movie(and TV show) Logan's Run and even the hilarious and twisted role-playing game called Paranoia.A government that believes if it keeps its citizens happy and ignorant, then they can get away with anything.If you don't go along them, you just might disappear all-together.So naturally when scientists bring 2 young twin teenage girls from the past,they have to walk a fine lineto save themselves while remaining true to...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Jodi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: main

The more I think about this book, the more I like it. I gave it 4 stars originally, but I'm switching it to 5. The whole thing was totally refreshing. The linguist in me found the language corruption in the future amusing (although 'pues' was used a little too much for my taste), and I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and characters. I expected one twist and not another one, which made it fun, and I appreciated the less magical exploration of the twin bond. I also really loved the religious refe...more

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May 03, 2013 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very good idea for a sci-fi/dystopian novel. I loved the uniqueness of the dilemma and the conflict arising from the twins. I liked the characters and what each brought to the story. I wish there was more written to each character. I hope there will be other books. The story kept moving and kept me interested. The author seemed to be able to write about physics, math, history, literature and religion fluently which was nice. The blossoming love story was nice too. It was a quick and i...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Jeanne Boyarsky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Good exploration of what would happen if people were yanked in the future. And a "simple" explanation of how. Society has changed enough that experts in our time talk to them. I particularly liked the part about how a future person though they were making up that animals don't speak. Because we have so many stories that assume they do. I also liked the juxtaposition of "past" twins and future twins.

Other interesting themes were displaying your "rank" as a public status, memory washes to give amn...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Paperpanda (Miguel Cruz) marked it as to-buy

Shelves: want-so-badly, love-the-cover

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