Review: Timeless by Alexandra Monir

Timeless by Alexandra Monir.
Hardcover, 304 pages.
Published January 11, 2011.
Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Goodreads Summary:
When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.
 
Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.

My Review:
I had mixed feelings about this book for a while, but it grew on me and by the end I found I was enjoying it. It was a cute story about lovers living in different times and the magic that enables them to find each other.

The main character, Michele, is kind of awkward and very impulsive, not usually thinking her decisions through before she acts. She does have her good qualities, though, especially that she truly cares about the people around her, even when they're not from her time. She truly wants to help the ancestors she meets and feels good when she does. One issue I did have though is some of the language used. A teen girl from our time would not use the word "décolletage" in everyday description, for example. There were small inconsistencies like that.

I really enjoyed the time travel aspect of the novel. It started off quite cheesy, with a key that twitches and sparks, and whatnot, but when it got into the story of Michele meeting her ancestors and Philip and helping them, it got interesting. Since I love historical fiction, I loved reading about the different era in the 1900s that Michele travelled to, and they seemed quite realistic. I really liked seeing the history. I was almost a little disappointed when it went back to her modern-day life. The history aspect was definitely my favourite part of the novel.

As for the relationship... I wasn't too sure. I really liked Philip. He was everything you imagine a debonair, Gilded-era young man to be, and he was very sweet and romantic. I did feel that their relationship was a little bit "insta-lovey" though. I understand that it's not really, because of their situation and history, but there were times that it felt that way.

The ending was definitely interesting! It made me excited to read the sequel even though I had a few doubts about the novel. I'm glad it'll be out this year!

Overall, 3.5 Stars!