Lisa T. Bergren's Torrent ~ Reviewed

TORRENT
Book III: The River of Time Series
By Lisa T. Bergren
September 2011
David C. Cook Publisher
9781434764294




Review by Michelle Griep




Gabriella and Evangelia Betarrini are just two normal American teenagers. Normal except for the fact that they time travel to fourteenth-century Italy, where they’ve lived in castles they’ve seen as crumbling ruins, become swept up in historic battles, and fallen in love with handsome knights willing to do anything to keep them alive.


They’ve returned to the present to save their father, just short of his tragic death, and now all four return to the place that holds the girls’ hearts, medieval Italy. But remaining there means facing great risk as the battle for territory wages on and the coming Black Plague looms. Can they convince their parents to stay and leave behind everything they’ve worked so hard to accomplish? And will the girls sacrifice their futures in an uncertain past? Or in facing death head-on, will they discover life as it was always meant to be?


Actually, I am so angry right now I could wield a sword every bit as skillfully as Gaby and lop off a few heads. I knew eventually the moment would come when I’d have to close the cover on the last book in the River of Time Series, but now that it’s here...Bubba is angry! I miss Gabby and Marcello, Lia and Luca, and Roldopho and Tomas.


It took every last molecule-sized drop of my will-power to keep from flipping to the last page in TORRENT to find out what happens at the end. Will Marcello and Gaby ultimately be together or not? Nope, not telling. You’ll have to exercise your own self-restraint and find out yourself. Just gotta say, though, it’s well worth the struggle.


This third book in the series throws a few curve balls that I didn’t seen coming. I love it when that happens! Personally, I would’ve liked to have seen a little more closure with Rodolfo at the end, but hey, I’m not complaining. Although—light bulb moment here—perhaps Lisa Bergren could be persuaded to write another trilogy with hunk of knight Lord Greco as the hero, telling his story, eh?


If you love time travels, this is the series for you. And age doesn’t matter. Bergren’s writing captures the interest of teenagers and middle-agers alike. I don’t recommend picking it up half-way through, though. Start at the beginning with Waterfall and enjoy the entire ride.