Etta comes from a line of time travelers.  But she doesn’t know it.  She was raised by her somewhat aloof and eccentric mother.  Etta is a violin prodigy and on the night of a major debut, during her solo, a disruption occurs and she is dragged through a time portal.  She wakes on a ship with Sophia, the girl who dragged her through the portal, and quickly meets Nicholas.  She is on a pirate ship in the middle of the American Revolution and is to be delivered to the head of all of the time traveling families.  Seems there is an astrolabe, something that can create holes/portals in the fabric of time, that her mother hid.  If Etta does not find the astrolabe through the clues her mother has left, then her mother will be killed.  But if she does find the astrolabe and turns it over, her life and the lives of so many will most likely be wiped out when history changes.

Together, she and Nicholas solve the clues, travel through time and place to find the astrolabe and oh yes, fall in love along the way.  This is where I have a bit of an issue.  The story is fun, adventurous and would be quite popular among the middle school crowd BUT a few passages of passion mark this book for older teens.  The book is an adventure, solve the clues, out maneuver the bad guys, likeable characters and is the first in a planned series.  It ends on a bit of a cliff hanger.  We all want the best for Nicholas as he is the true star of the book.

eGalley review                       Publication date 1.5.16