Stolen Time (Dark Stars #1) By Danielle Rollins [Review]

RELEASE DATE: February 5th 2019
AUTHOR: Danielle Rollins
GENRE: Young-Adult,  Sci-fi Fantasy, Dystopia, Time-Travel, Adventure, Romance.    
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
SUMMARY:

Seattle, 1913 // Dorothy is trapped. Forced into an engagement to a wealthy man just so she and her mother can live comfortably for the rest of their days, she’ll do anything to escape. Including sneaking away from her wedding and bolting into the woods to disappear.

New Seattle, 2077 // Ash is on a mission. Rescue the professor—his mentor who figured out the secret to time travel—so together they can put things right in their devastated city. But searching for one man means endless jumps through time with no guarantee of success.

When Dorothy collides with Ash, she sees it as her chance to start fresh—she’ll stow away in his plane and begin a new life wherever they land. Then she wakes up in a future that’s been ripped apart by earthquakes and floods; where vicious gangs rule the submerged city streets and a small group of intrepid travelers from across time are fighting against the odds to return things to normal. What Dorothy doesn’t know is that she could hold the key to unraveling the past—and her arrival may spell Ash’s ultimate destruction.

“My darling, Alice. When you followed the white rabbit down the rabbit hole, you fell into a world where time was a circle instead of a line.”

Stolen Time was a good start to this new YA sci-fi series. Time Travel has always been one of my favorite genres. So when I first read the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read it. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book with Time Travel aspect and I really enjoyed this novel. To be honest, I had a couple of problems but for the most part, I was really into it. It has an interesting concept and enjoyable characters. I really liked the whole historical and futuristic setting, and the scientific elements. This was actually my first Danielle Rollins book and I can safely say that it won’t be my last.

Dorothy and her mother are con artists in 1913 Seattle. For the most part of her life, they constantly moved from one town to another after finishing their con schemes. They always ran their scheme on a few men at once, making sure to cut them loose before suspicion set in. Dorothy don’t like swindling people out of their money but she never had a choice in matter. Her biggest weapon was her beauty and soon her mother was setting for a biggest con in which she would become a tropical wife to a wealthy surgeon in Seattle. Dorothy didn’t want to sacrifice her freedom so that her mother could live comfortably for the rest of their days. So on her wedding day, she decides to escape to another town as far away as possible from her mother. She quickly bolts into the nearby woods to hide and there she stumbles upon Ash and his strange looking airplane. Ash is from the future and he was on a vital mission to find his mentor who was missing and he doesn’t have time to save a damsel in distress. After seeing the airplane, Dorothy decides to start a new life wherever it lands next. Using her lock picking skills, she hides herself in the Cargo hold and then she wakes up to find herself in New Seattle 2077, a future world submerged in water, where no government exists and vicious gangs rule the submerged city streets.

I loved Dorothy! She was smart, beautiful, determined, and cunning. She grew up without friends. She has a hard time trusting people because  she was raised not to trust  anyone but herself and was told that love couldn’t be relied upon. I absolutely hated Dorothy’s mother. She didn’t mind destroying her daughter’s life just for her greed. Ash was a pretty enjoyable character. He is a bit hard edged at the beginning but that’s understandable. Coming to the secondary characters, I liked Ash’s Inner circle, Zora, Professor Zacharias Walker’s daughter, Willis a carnival strongman from twentieth century,  and Chandra, a healer from ancient India. I really enjoyed the friendship between them. Finally we have Roman. He’s a pretty interesting character and I can’t wait to know more about him. There’s a light romance between Dorothy and Ash. Although I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t say it was my favorite. It’s not the central focus in this book but I’ll be looking forward to see how it develops in the next installment.

The plot was pretty much entertaining filled with adventure, mystery, and action. Although it felt dragged in few places, for the most part, It was an enjoyable read. The time traveling concept was very well done. The pacing was good. The writing was captivating. The book was written in third person pov shifting between Ash and Dorothy. There are also professor Walker’s scientific journal entries in between the chapters. I’m not fan of the journal entries but it is a essential part because it brought more insight to the story and also described how the time travel concept worked and what are its possibilities. The dystopian setting was great. I liked the whole idea of submerged cities and the vicious gangs that terrorizes the streets at nights. Sadly, there’s not much gang action in this book and I wanted to know more about Black Cirqus and what are their plans. I hope we get more info in the next book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! It was a fun ride. The plot twist at the end really surprised me. I didn’t saw that coming and can’t wait to know what happens next.

Recommend it?
YES

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a good YA sci-fi read with time travel concept.

MY RATING:

[4/5 Stars]

So, What do you think of this book? Have you read it yet? Do you Plan to read it?
Please feel free to comment below!

See You In The Next Post and Have a Great Day! 🙂