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Waterfall
(River of Time #1)
by
What do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world?
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaelogist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Ga ...more
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaelogist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Ga ...more
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Paperback, 369 pages
Published
February 1st 2011
by David C. Cook
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of Waterfall (River of Time, #1)

DNF. This has to go down as one of the silliest, if not the silliest book ever written in the history of YA fiction. Our 17 year old heroine finds herself in midst of a medieval battle after traveling back in time and what does she do?? She falls crazy in LUST with the first guy she sets eyes on. "I was in the middle of a real battle. Men were wounded or dying. I glanced left and saw that one wasn't battling any longer; instead he stared at me as if I were a female Lazarus. I wanted to look awa
...more
Apr 06, 2011
Nic
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
young-adult,
swoon-worthy-read,
read-in-2011,
historical-fiction,
romance-awww,
time-travel,
2011,
kindle
For those who like a visual ~ Marcello http://irresistiblereads.blogspot.com...
My Favourite Quote: We froze. Neither of us moving, simply staring at each other if the other was going to move first.
"You are," he whispered, "uncommonly stirring."
He closed his eyes then, as if he had to in order to break the bond between us, then lifted me to the saddle and stare at the ground as he guided my feet into the stirrups.
AWESOME! I am not usually a fan of anything that slightly resembles historical fict ...more
My Favourite Quote: We froze. Neither of us moving, simply staring at each other if the other was going to move first.
"You are," he whispered, "uncommonly stirring."
He closed his eyes then, as if he had to in order to break the bond between us, then lifted me to the saddle and stare at the ground as he guided my feet into the stirrups.
AWESOME! I am not usually a fan of anything that slightly resembles historical fict ...more

Love this book!!!! This was the "Total Package" for me. There wasn't an ounce of anything missing! I'm a sucker for a good history/action/adventure/romance book, but this far exceeded my expectations! I couldn't put this one down, loved every bit of it!
The story is about two sisters who travel to Italy every summer due to their mom and late father's love of archeology. The Betarrini sisters search a tomb in which they were not supposed to enter and find handprints on the wall. As they both place ...more
The story is about two sisters who travel to Italy every summer due to their mom and late father's love of archeology. The Betarrini sisters search a tomb in which they were not supposed to enter and find handprints on the wall. As they both place ...more

The cover of this book drew me in first, and reading about the book thoroughly intrigued me. It sounded like a really neat, adventurous read. But I was slightly wrong in my assumptions. It wasn't just a neat read--it was an AWESOME read!
It had everything a reader could want in a medieval adventure: battles, sword fights, balls, adventure, peril, humor, suspense, mystery, romance...everything! To put it simply--I was completely wowed by this book. The River of Time series ranks right up there wi ...more
It had everything a reader could want in a medieval adventure: battles, sword fights, balls, adventure, peril, humor, suspense, mystery, romance...everything! To put it simply--I was completely wowed by this book. The River of Time series ranks right up there wi ...more

5 stars - English Ebook 🌹🌹🌹
**** I looked at the crusifix and sighed. No this was up to me. I had to do it myself. I had to get myself out. The Tomas. My portal. It was the only way out to Lia. Bach to mum. Back to reality. Back to my life. My own timeline. ****
I am hooked on this teen/young adult midevial timetravel story. Ready fot the next Adventure of Gina and Lia and their medivial knights. 🦋🦋🦋
**** I looked at the crusifix and sighed. No this was up to me. I had to do it myself. I had to get myself out. The Tomas. My portal. It was the only way out to Lia. Bach to mum. Back to reality. Back to my life. My own timeline. ****
I am hooked on this teen/young adult midevial timetravel story. Ready fot the next Adventure of Gina and Lia and their medivial knights. 🦋🦋🦋

Every summer, the Betarrini family travel to Tuscany. Gabriella and Evangelia are free to explore their surroundings while their archaeologist parents search for Estruscan artifacts. Back in the United States for the rest of the year, the girls are taught Latin and Italian, and encouraged to study fencing and archery. While the sisters don't share their parents' obsession with history, they are fond of Italy.
This past year, the girls' father died, and their mother honors his memory by resuming t ...more
This past year, the girls' father died, and their mother honors his memory by resuming t ...more

To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln: "For people who like this kind of thing, it's the kind of thing they'd like."
This book was not completely awful. Though I did not like it, I understand why others might. Some of the more believable plot elements are interesting, I just couldn't get past the bad writing, awful romance, stick-figure characters, and overall poor quality.
I'm not saying that no one should read it, I just wouldn't recommend it.
Here are some of my biggest complaints:
Many of the plot elem ...more
This book was not completely awful. Though I did not like it, I understand why others might. Some of the more believable plot elements are interesting, I just couldn't get past the bad writing, awful romance, stick-figure characters, and overall poor quality.
I'm not saying that no one should read it, I just wouldn't recommend it.
Here are some of my biggest complaints:
Many of the plot elem ...more

Rating: 2.5 Stars
Waterfall is probably one of the most misguided books to have ever been marketed. The title Waterfall implies that there will be at least a mention of a waterfall throughout the book. Let me tell you now, there isn’t! The cover of this book is gorgeously deceptive and seems to portray a girl going through a gateway of some kind. I’ll spoil something for you again: there’s no gateway. The synopsis of Waterfall will tell you that this is an adventure novel about time-travel – wr ...more
Waterfall is probably one of the most misguided books to have ever been marketed. The title Waterfall implies that there will be at least a mention of a waterfall throughout the book. Let me tell you now, there isn’t! The cover of this book is gorgeously deceptive and seems to portray a girl going through a gateway of some kind. I’ll spoil something for you again: there’s no gateway. The synopsis of Waterfall will tell you that this is an adventure novel about time-travel – wr ...more


Gabi and Lia Betarrini get to spend their summer vacation in beautful Italy...
Too bad it's on a hot and dusty archeological site, among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany.
Bored beyond belief, the Betarrini sisters go exploring on the site into an acient tomb. Where Gabi finds handprints inside.
So when Gabi and her sister lay their hands atop of the prints. Gabi finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy., in the mist of a fierce battle of knights of two opposing forces. Oh! ...more

Many of my friends recommended this book to me but I still didn't read it. This book was on my want to read shelf for a long time. When I think of it now, it was on that shelf for too long. I finally decided to pick it up. Luckily I was in for a long car ride. To be exact a seven hour car ride. I couldn't put out down once I started it. Now I would say that this is one of my favorite books/series. I would recommend this to anyone! I loved every part of it. I honestly can't think of one part that
...more

Feb 17, 2011
Kathy
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
time-travel,
favorite-historical,
for-deb,
fun-series,
favorite-couples,
2013,
favorites,
hidden-gems,
2016,
content-green
One thing I’ve learned from reading this series is that I am totally unprepared for time travel and that I'm a horrible parent because I have not prepared my children either. I don’t think I would last very long in the middle ages.
Our heroine Gabi and her sister Lia are transported from our modern times to Medieval Italy. I liked how Gabi handles herself, her reactions seemed realistic. I liked that she always looked for the positive and stays optimistic in the face of so many trials. I also li ...more
Our heroine Gabi and her sister Lia are transported from our modern times to Medieval Italy. I liked how Gabi handles herself, her reactions seemed realistic. I liked that she always looked for the positive and stays optimistic in the face of so many trials. I also li ...more

Dec 12, 2016
Frankie Lovely
marked it as dnf
DNF at 20%
I ... JUST ... CAN'T
*facepalm*
What I liked
uum.....
wait ......
ok there's .....
1. This book was hilarious
What I did not like
1. This book was not supposed to be hilarious
2. Insta-love
3. Cheesy writing
4. Annoying narrator
5. Constant swooning over boys
But what I hate the most is that the IDEA of this story was a good one and this could have been a good book ...
Alas... "could have been" does not a good story make
I wanted to transport myself into this book .... not because I was encha ...more
I ... JUST ... CAN'T
*facepalm*
What I liked
uum.....
wait ......
ok there's .....
1. This book was hilarious
What I did not like
1. This book was not supposed to be hilarious
2. Insta-love
3. Cheesy writing
4. Annoying narrator
5. Constant swooning over boys
But what I hate the most is that the IDEA of this story was a good one and this could have been a good book ...
Alas... "could have been" does not a good story make
I wanted to transport myself into this book .... not because I was encha ...more

I found some of the circumstances a liiiiiittle convenient (oh, you're sent back in time to medieval Italy? Good thing your pops taught you ancient Italian and sword fighting!) and would have liked a bit more of a culture shock (no plumbing! females with opinions!) but nevertheless thought this had likeable characters and an entertaining story. Think sweeping romantic adventure. Also: Italian boys. Always relevant to my interests.

...more

...more

Warning: very long review with spoilers.
I do not understand how this book has such high reviews. People truly do have different tastes.
This book is about two teens -17 yr. Gabi and 15 yr. old Lia - who spend their summer vacations hiking along excavation sites with their archaeologist parents. One day on a sudden bout of boredom, they decide to explore their mother's newly found archaeological tombsite. They end up time-travelling to an ancient life of medieval Italy where they are caught up ...more

Waterfall is the first book in the River of Time series. It is a clean piece of entertainment aspiring to capture the attention of young adult readers, but also exacting enough interest to reach readers of all ages. It is classified as a Christian contemporary romance (advocating abstaining from sex until after marriage), and time travel adventure.
This adventure opens with Gabi and Lia being disappointed with the idea of having to spend their summer vacation in Italy with their archeologist mot ...more

April buddyread with my good friend Melissa **Just Really Loves Musicals**😊
----
2.5 overall
Not bad... the writing at times felt like a first attempt at fanfiction with more telling than showing.
The characters in the "past" were interesting but Gabriella got on my nerves more often than not. She got a little better later on but I never fully connected to her.
Despite my issues with it, it had some good parts and was compulsively readable at times but overall it was just "okay" for me.
Would probabl ...more
----
2.5 overall
Not bad... the writing at times felt like a first attempt at fanfiction with more telling than showing.
The characters in the "past" were interesting but Gabriella got on my nerves more often than not. She got a little better later on but I never fully connected to her.
Despite my issues with it, it had some good parts and was compulsively readable at times but overall it was just "okay" for me.
Would probabl ...more

So I was skeptical when someone told me I would like Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren. It just didn't seem to be my thing. I mean, the premise was good enough but honestly, it didn't seem to be something I would be interested in. However, since Amazon was offering a free copy, I decided to read it anyway. I mean, I should only make up my mind about its worthiness once I had sampled a few chapters for myself, right? So, no one was more surprised than I when I tore through the book and finished it i
...more

Jul 12, 2011
Melanie
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Everyone!
Shelves:
favorites,
want-to-reread
'Waterfall' is the first book in 'The River of Time Series' and the first book that I've read by Lisa T. Bergren.
Since Gabi and Lia spend every summer in Italy, they find themselves bored at yet another archaeologist site. But when Gabi and her sister place their hand on a set of hand prints in an ancient tomb Gabi finds herself transported to another time...Literally! Fourteenth-century Italy during a battle between knights.
Gabi finds herself having to adjust to this strange and dated way of li ...more
Since Gabi and Lia spend every summer in Italy, they find themselves bored at yet another archaeologist site. But when Gabi and her sister place their hand on a set of hand prints in an ancient tomb Gabi finds herself transported to another time...Literally! Fourteenth-century Italy during a battle between knights.
Gabi finds herself having to adjust to this strange and dated way of li ...more

If you are in the mood for some knight in shining armor meets YA then this is the series for you. Three words to describe it...smart, surprising, & sweet.
Lisa Bergren participated in the YA scavenger hunt with me and I was so excited to get her book. Looking forward to picking up the next one! My favorite part is when the two sisters picked up weapons and started fighting alongside the men. Love to see a gutsy heroine!
Lisa Bergren participated in the YA scavenger hunt with me and I was so excited to get her book. Looking forward to picking up the next one! My favorite part is when the two sisters picked up weapons and started fighting alongside the men. Love to see a gutsy heroine!

You know those books that make you lose all sense of reality and you literally fall into the pages? And you feel such a huge disappointment when the story comes to an end because you don't want to resurface? Waterfall is exactly that. It is such a thoroughly engaging read! I loved everything about it - the 14th century setting, the characters, the plot, even the language. I caught myself slipping their dialect into my own thoughts so many times.
Sisters, Gabriella and Lia Betarrini find themselve ...more
Sisters, Gabriella and Lia Betarrini find themselve ...more

As a mother of two teens and two preteens, I found Waterfall to be a fun but clean foray into the young adult genre for Lisa T. Bergren, who handled it with a grace and style all her own. Gabriella Betarrini yanked me out of my time and into a harrowing adventure as she battled knights—and love! I heartily enjoyed Gabriella’s travel back into time,and I heartily look forward to Cascade, River of Time #2!

AKDNHFKTJTK, This book. THIS BOOK.
So, first off, I am so so so glad I finally picked this book up! Omiword, it was so good! I loved the plot. It was so original and cool! The characters were awesome, Gabriella was a little annoying at some parts, but she was transported to a different time sooo...it's kind of understandable. aksrnjt, I need Cascade now, like, his minute.
final verdict: clean (some kissing and a man was going to rape the main character(he doesn't)) ...more
So, first off, I am so so so glad I finally picked this book up! Omiword, it was so good! I loved the plot. It was so original and cool! The characters were awesome, Gabriella was a little annoying at some parts, but she was transported to a different time sooo...it's kind of understandable. aksrnjt, I need Cascade now, like, his minute.
final verdict: clean (some kissing and a man was going to rape the main character(he doesn't)) ...more

May 26, 2013
Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls)
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
read-kindle,
read-reviewed
**Note to younger readers: This book nor this series is recommend for girls under the age of 14. This review has Sexual hints and mentions from this book. So in other words, don’t read this review, due to it not being clean.**
About this book:
“Gabriella has never spent a summer in Italy like this one.
Remaining means giving up all she’s known and loved … and leaving means forfeiting what she’s come to know—and love itself.
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini siste ...more
About this book:
“Gabriella has never spent a summer in Italy like this one.
Remaining means giving up all she’s known and loved … and leaving means forfeiting what she’s come to know—and love itself.
Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini siste ...more

Nov 01, 2017
Julie Carpenter
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
personal-library,
part-of-a-series,
2017,
foreign-country,
historical,
suspense,
young-adult,
time-travel,
fantasy
Yeah, all those reviews I read about how much they absolutely loved this book (and series) were right! I LOVED IT!!!!! I couldn't put it down! Every available minute you better believe it that this book was in my hands with the pages being flipped quickly. Hee Hee!
I bought the first three books over the summer for my teenagers because of all the good things said about this series. They were really excited and then we got home and they sat on the shelf....and sat on the shelf...and sat on the she ...more
I bought the first three books over the summer for my teenagers because of all the good things said about this series. They were really excited and then we got home and they sat on the shelf....and sat on the shelf...and sat on the she ...more

Read the review at iLive, iLaugh, iLove Books.
Okay, I admit it. I don't like writing reviews. It's kind of like homework. I'm still in school, so having homework on top of homework kind of turns me away. However, it doesn't stop me from reading or blogging. That being said, I think this was the first time I've ever been excited to write a review. Why? Because I want to spread the word about how wonderful this book was, and tell all of you to read it.
I was instantly hooked right after the first ...more
Okay, I admit it. I don't like writing reviews. It's kind of like homework. I'm still in school, so having homework on top of homework kind of turns me away. However, it doesn't stop me from reading or blogging. That being said, I think this was the first time I've ever been excited to write a review. Why? Because I want to spread the word about how wonderful this book was, and tell all of you to read it.
I was instantly hooked right after the first ...more

2.5 Stars
Moral of the story: if you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a battlefield, trust the hot knight. Hot = good guy.
Another moral: if you are a quirky archaeologist with two teenage daughters, make sure you prepare them in ancient Italian, sword-fighting, Latin, and champion level archery. Because time travel.
Oh my gosh I suddenly realized what this reminds me of...
How have I forgotten about this show?
Anyway! This book had all the things I usually scoff at. Insta-lust, "modern" h ...more
Moral of the story: if you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a battlefield, trust the hot knight. Hot = good guy.
Another moral: if you are a quirky archaeologist with two teenage daughters, make sure you prepare them in ancient Italian, sword-fighting, Latin, and champion level archery. Because time travel.
Oh my gosh I suddenly realized what this reminds me of...

How have I forgotten about this show?

Anyway! This book had all the things I usually scoff at. Insta-lust, "modern" h ...more

Upon re-read, still a favorite

This book was so much fun! This was my first experience with time-travel in the story, and I loved it. Bergren did a good job portraying what a teenage girl from the 21st century would feel like after being transported to the 13th century.
Some of the characters felt one-dimensional to me. Especially the main love-interest, Marcello. All I could tell you about him were what kind of situations he was in, and not much about his character in the situations. And that he was very “Hollister model” a ...more
Some of the characters felt one-dimensional to me. Especially the main love-interest, Marcello. All I could tell you about him were what kind of situations he was in, and not much about his character in the situations. And that he was very “Hollister model” a ...more

Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Gabriella is bracing herself for a boring summer with her mom and sister in the secluded hills of Italy. But when her and her sister sneak into a tomb and place their hands on handprints on the tomb’s walls, they are transported to fourteenth century Italy. Right in the middle of a war between the two kingdoms!
I was a little nervous to pick this up, because I heard it was a rather violent and more of a romance book. But I was quickly swept away with the book and f ...more
Gabriella is bracing herself for a boring summer with her mom and sister in the secluded hills of Italy. But when her and her sister sneak into a tomb and place their hands on handprints on the tomb’s walls, they are transported to fourteenth century Italy. Right in the middle of a war between the two kingdoms!
I was a little nervous to pick this up, because I heard it was a rather violent and more of a romance book. But I was quickly swept away with the book and f ...more

*happy sigh* I had forgotten how much I love this book <3
Gabi and Marcello, and Lia and Luca (Lucaaaaaa ;) <3 ), and Fortino
if you haven't read this series, why in the world not? it's fabulous <3
So yes, I love this book and this series, and I shall continue re-reading this series, because if you didn't know, I LOVE THESE BOOKS SO MUCH!!
*clears throat*
so yeah, read them! ;)
byeeeeeee <3 ...more
Gabi and Marcello, and Lia and Luca (Lucaaaaaa ;) <3 ), and Fortino
if you haven't read this series, why in the world not? it's fabulous <3
So yes, I love this book and this series, and I shall continue re-reading this series, because if you didn't know, I LOVE THESE BOOKS SO MUCH!!
*clears throat*
so yeah, read them! ;)
byeeeeeee <3 ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
River of Time Tribe: River of Time TV series! | 11 | 53 | Dec 21, 2015 10:53AM | |
River of Time Tribe: Waterfall | 24 | 46 | Jul 15, 2015 11:28AM | |
Sinopsis en Español // Synopsis in Spanish | 1 | 3 | Nov 21, 2014 08:15AM | |
¿Por qué no una traducción al Español? | 1 | 2 | Oct 22, 2014 01:59PM | |
Other Books Like This? | 30 | 250 | Oct 12, 2014 06:08PM |
About
Lisa Tawn Bergren is the best-selling, award-winning author of over 60 books, with more than 4.5 million copies sold. She recently released The Sugar Baron's Daughters Series (KETURAH, VERITY and SELAH), and recently finished a teen series called Remnants (SEASON OF WONDER, SEASON OF FIRE, and SEASON OF GLORY). She's also written the River of Time Series (WATERFALL, CASCADE, TORRENT, BOURNE & ...more
Lisa Tawn Bergren is the best-selling, award-winning author of over 60 books, with more than 4.5 million copies sold. She recently released The Sugar Baron's Daughters Series (KETURAH, VERITY and SELAH), and recently finished a teen series called Remnants (SEASON OF WONDER, SEASON OF FIRE, and SEASON OF GLORY). She's also written the River of Time Series (WATERFALL, CASCADE, TORRENT, BOURNE & ...more
Other books in the series
River of Time
(4 books)
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