Before I actually review this, I have a burning question. Maybe someone in the know will be able to answer it. I certainly hope so anyway. I want to know if the translator changed the setting of the story (including the nationalities of the main characters etc) to make it more accessible to the English speaking audience. From what I understand, the author is German while the translator is English. I don't really have anything against the change, I'm just really very curious. A review I read stated that the main character seemed younger than her age. I'd like to address this. You see, if I am indeed correct about the setting being changed from the original, the character seeming younger than her age becomes entirely explicable. In North America, kids grow up way too fast. They act and think like adults sooner than other places in the world. For example, in Fiji. I remember very vividly how surprised I was when I went to high school here and saw that my schoolmates were adults in everything except their age. So the fact that Gwyneth seems to be a very young sixteen is not that big a deal to anyone except the North American audience. Moving on. I had a lot of fun with his book. I've read several time traveling books this past month, okay, not several, maybe four or five, and out of them all, this is the one that I liked the most. The world building in the book is very firm and the foundation for the trilogy is laid upon firm ground. I must commend the translator for doing such a good job. The characters are all relatable and there are many layers to the story as well as several undercurrents running through the main narrative that hint at a more complex story than one would think. I'm not won over by Gideon and I rather think that that's the way the author wants it to be. He may be a lesson for Gwyneth or he may need to be "reformed" (you know, reform the rake?) but whatever it is, the glimpse of potential angst we see in the beginning of the book is tremendously appealing and I can't wait until things get hairy and complicated between the two. I loved the inclusion of the family members and how each character is so well etched out. The siblings are pretty heartwarming too and that secret that the author leaves for you to figure out without mentioning one explicit word is awesome. I love it when authors assume that their readers are smart enough to figure out details without stating every single thing out. I can't wait to read the next two books in the series. And if you haven't read this yet, you have my guarantee on it. Well, if you like the books I do, chances are you'll like this one as much as I did.
