[Review] Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor

Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor

Version: ARC Paperback

Rating: 2.5 stars

Published: March 1st 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:

When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing. 

I received this ARC from Miss Print's (Emma) ARC Adoption over here! Thank you Emma!

I think I had the same problem I had with Reawakened as I had with Into the Dim. This is probably meant for younger YA, and the protagonist annoyed me to pieces.

Into the Dim is my second time traveler book of 2016, third if you count the fact that I've read three time traveling books that released in 2016. Into the Dim is akin to Passenger in the fact that there's familial disputes, MC realization that she's a time-traveler, mother-saving, and star-crossed insta-love.

It starts off with Hope Walton, whose mother has just died (or well, disappeared) when she was supposed to be giving a lecture at a university, and all of a sudden, an earthquake appeared. Hope is to spend her summer with her mother's side of the family, because she is adopted and her father's side (sans her father), hates that fact. Her mother's side is from Scotland, and over there, realizes that the earthquake that supposedly killed her mother was no chance event. In order to save Sarah Walton, Hope must venture to the 12th century, during the time of Eleanor of Aquitaine, with siblings Phoebe and Collum.

For a time travel adventure, you'd think there'd be at least a few million loose ends and mess-ups. Yes, there were, but how is it that Hope was the perfect time traveler? Eidetic memory? Really?

Without realizing it, I'd recited seven pages from memory. Doug stood and clapped in admiration, while Phoebe gaped, open-mouthed.
"That's blood brilliant, Hope," she said. "You can do that with anything you've read?"

I couldn't help it. The chuckle just popped out.
Becket stiffened and turned to me for the first time. "You understood your queen?"
My throat closed as I gave an involuntary nod. The queen had switched to Latin and I hadn't even noticed. Stupid.

She certainly does a lot of things without realizing it.

Other things of note - well, the super special snowflake thing carries onto love, because as always, she has never been noticed before by a guy.

Never not once, had any boy asked me to go anywhere. Ever. I'd figured the ride would be it. Just his way of paying me back for saving his life. But now, maybe... possibly... this almost beautiful boy was actually asking me out. 

"I can assure you if we'd ever met, I'd remember. I have an uncanny ability to remember pretty girls."
Pretty? Sure.

Special snowflake? Definitely.

Moving on.

The time travel concept, and props to authors who can explain their version of time travel so I can understand, was actually really confusing to me. This is how I came to understand it. Something Tesla's alternate power machine and ley lines that connect power, a hidden power through the earth. The place were the ley lines were in huge concentration create a sort of wormhole - which is nicknamed the Dim. Three guys in the 1800s decide to test out Tesla's machine and disappear, and reappear three days later. But there are fancy rules that I don't quite fully get. Like making sure you have lodestones - opals, so you can return. The Dim opens every three days. Things like that.

It would be hypocritical of me to say that this version of time-traveling seems less realistic than the ones I've read, and I've read everything from time-traveler genes to divergence in timelines thanks to a certain accident, and I've watched Stein's Gate with their gel-nanas. But I just didn't buy it. It confused me.

The story as a whole confused me because I was trying to remember all the names thrown down in the beginning. Who was an Alvarez? Who was a MacPhearson? And the reveal about Hope's true origin... Again, couldn't buy it. Really? Is that going to be explored in the future? Because it just seemed casually thrown in there.

The one thing I liked about this book, after we got over Hope's specialness (mostly), was the setting of 1154 Londontown, during the time of Eleanor of Aquitaine. The real life historical figures interacting with time travelers, and the accuracy of the time period (seemingly), I enjoyed. I read about Eleanor as I child, and her independence and fierceness carried on here nicely. Her characterization was enjoyable to read. Although I'm not so sure her and her nun, Hectare, would have been so willing to believe that they were time travelers. Isn't that witchcraft during that time?

Anyhow, I really wanted to like this book! Time travel is one of my favorite type of book to read, and I could stomach time travel romance well enough. But I disliked this book more than liked. Oh well.