TIME'S TWISTED ARROW

A young girl aims to change her fate and the lives of everyone around her in Walker’s time-bending debut novel.

Like most teenage girls, Kate Pierce-Keller is struggling with a lot of changes in her life. Her parents are divorced, she’s trying to fit into a new school, and her grandmother has suddenly popped back into her life. As if things aren’t confusing enough, Kate finds herself strangely attracted to the glowing medallion her grandmother flashes in front of her. That blue light turns out to be the start of a grand adventure that takes Kate across multiple lives and eras as she tries to piece together how an ancient wrong changed her fate. Kate’s estranged grandmother, it’s revealed, is a time traveler, and Kate possesses the same power. A wrong jump put her grandmother in the path of a killer, creating a timeline in which Kate and her whole family never existed. Readers are swept along with Kate as she struggles to understand the past, future and present. Conversations effortlessly flow, even though a few characters can be long-winded, and descriptions strike a satisfying balance: rich with evocative imagery but not overburdened by details. Well-depicted young Kate is full of questions, assumptions and emotions. Her family may be flawed, yet she’s committed to setting the past right to ensure their future. The plot moves along rapidly, taking Kate into situations that are both fantastic and believable. Walker indicates that this is only the first book in a series; teens interested in fantasy, sci-fi or good old-fashioned romance will be eager to find out what happens next to Kate as she travels through her first love, adolescence and time.

Sharp writing, a flair for dialogue and a big, twisting imagination.