THE TWISTY PASSAGES OF TIME

A young boy uncovers strange secrets about his family and a massive conflict a world away in Loveridge’s debut YA SF novel.

Ever since the sudden death of his sister Mariam, Liam Fennly has been plagued by strange nightmares and escalating harassment from his neighbors, the cruel Farnsworth brothers. However, on the eve of his 12th birthday, Liam receives a clue that his sister’s death is not quite what it seems, and neither is the newly opened Alfred Quentin Elementary. Quentin, thought to be dead since 1927, suddenly arrives to induct Liam into the Foundation Program, the first step of a mysterious birthright. It turns out that the Fennlys, along with many other families, are the latest generation of a prehistoric colony of time refugees. While fleeing an enemy called the Rashaar, they stumbled upon a portal connecting them to the present day, and ever since, they’ve raised their children in the safety of the modern world before revealing their true nature to them. Now Liam must learn to control the colonists’ superadvanced technology, how to wrangle a pet dinosaur, and keep all of this a secret from his friends and neighbors—while also avoiding his bullies at school. He also wonders: Who exactly are the Rashaar and why are his parents so worried about them? And what really happened to Mariam? Loveridge’s introductory novel to his series of time-traveling adventures has no shortage of creativity, as it brims with near-magical tech, supernatural elements, and a sprawling alternate version of Earth’s history. The quality of the writing is solid and allows readers to empathize with the characters, who are often likable. However, the book’s weak link is its pacing, as the plot meanders and the author obfuscates much of the basic premise of the tale for far too long. Liam’s struggle with bullies also feels disconnected from the rest of his journey, making it feel more like a tangent than a narrative throughline. In the end, the novel seems to defer major elements of its story for future installments, resulting in an overall lack of cohesion.

A deeply imaginative but disjointed adventure story that feels too much like an extended prologue.