THE FIFTH TIMEKEEPER

The second book of the McConnells’ YA Time Trialsseries follows a team of teenagers riven by internal conflict while trying to survive a do-or-die time-travel contest.

Seventeen-year-olds Finn (an orphaned grunge music enthusiast), Everly (an heiress of the social elite), Valerie (a sporty go-getter), and Edison (Finn’s high-functioning autistic roommate) are forced once more to compete in a series of deadly “games” in which they’re thrown back in time to historical periods as diverse as ancient Egypt and Prohibition-era Chicago. In winning the trials the previous year, Finn and the others made an implacable enemy of Philomena Vandecraft, one of the mysterious “Timekeepers” who run the contest. Determined to bring them down, she contrives to have a fifth member added to their team: 16-year-old grunge-girl Ryan. Finn and Ryan feel an immediate connection, which only worsens the strain threatening to break apart Finn and Everly’s unlikely romance. Complicating matters, Everly has been benched from the time trials—in what seems a most callous betrayal, her grandfather (and only living relative) has rejoined the Timekeepers’ ranks, thereby rendering her ineligible to compete. With Ryan taking Everly’s place—in more ways than one—will the team survive Philomena’s devious machinations? The authors write primarily from the perspectives of Finn, Everly, or Ryan, but also sometimes from Edison’s as he navigates the world of his neurotypical peers. (“He’d secretly been applying the insights he’d gained about nonverbal communication to Finn and Everly’s relationship since he’d returned to Wharton at the beginning of the school year.”) The prose and dialogue are deftly rendered in a story that, in this volume, focuses more on relationship issues than on its SF aspect. Everly and Finn’s insecurities ring true, and Ryan is a relatable character in her own right, to the extent that readers will find themselves unsure where they want Finn’s affections to land. All the while, the Time Trials plot maintains a pressing sense of danger and intrigue. The author has made little effort to acclimatize readers who are new to the series, but those already on board will thrill at the new developments.

A heady concoction of YA romance, action, and intrigue.