Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
This book is a good example of what NOT to do when writing a historical fantasy for young readers. It's been quite a while since I've read something that contained so much amateuristic and unnecessary blither and blather that perhaps that only way to describe why this book should NOT be lauded as a noteworthy piece of juvenile historical fantasy is in a list:
1. It feels like a mediocre adult thriller writer's attempt to write for children, i.e. it fails. Excessive description, lack of character development, confusing and unappealing plot.
2. The protagonist, Nick, undergoes no growth throughout the novel.
3. Dialogue is overly dramatic and artificial. Great for a puppet show performed for a crowd of pre-schoolers. As a middle-grade novel? Not so much.
4. The plot is uneven, with things dropped into the story and never to be seen again, and too-long tangents that readers will not care about. The time machine element is not even introduced until halfway through the 400+ page novel, and by then readers won't cry anymore.
5. Having Kate be the only semi-appealing character in the book does not justify the other 99% of awfulness. Six-year-old main characters are just not relatable, and more often than not become extremely annoying, even as they are supposedly charming.
6. The characters are inauthentic. The villains are overly villainified, and the âjokerâ characters bumble around and speak geeky nonsense.
NICK OF TIME may only appeal to those who can deal with a lot of nautical terminology, who are willing to sacrifice character and plot development for the sake of a vaguely interesting concept, and who think that one okay child protagonist makes up for all the other unappealing ones. Otherwise, I'd say don't waste your time. There are millions of other better historical fantasy books for readers of all ages out there.
1. It feels like a mediocre adult thriller writer's attempt to write for children, i.e. it fails. Excessive description, lack of character development, confusing and unappealing plot.
2. The protagonist, Nick, undergoes no growth throughout the novel.
3. Dialogue is overly dramatic and artificial. Great for a puppet show performed for a crowd of pre-schoolers. As a middle-grade novel? Not so much.
4. The plot is uneven, with things dropped into the story and never to be seen again, and too-long tangents that readers will not care about. The time machine element is not even introduced until halfway through the 400+ page novel, and by then readers won't cry anymore.
5. Having Kate be the only semi-appealing character in the book does not justify the other 99% of awfulness. Six-year-old main characters are just not relatable, and more often than not become extremely annoying, even as they are supposedly charming.
6. The characters are inauthentic. The villains are overly villainified, and the âjokerâ characters bumble around and speak geeky nonsense.
NICK OF TIME may only appeal to those who can deal with a lot of nautical terminology, who are willing to sacrifice character and plot development for the sake of a vaguely interesting concept, and who think that one okay child protagonist makes up for all the other unappealing ones. Otherwise, I'd say don't waste your time. There are millions of other better historical fantasy books for readers of all ages out there.
Megan A. (great-joy) -
Nick of Time is a thrilling adventure story with pirates, Nazi submarines, Napoleonic naval warfare, castles, top secret military security, sailing, and time travel. The characters were likable and interesting, the action riveting, and the writing style engaging. I found Nick to be a relatable protagonist, with his desire to be a hero and to be brave like the idols in his books, and what he learns about heroism and courage. I highly recommend this book.
Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed Nick of Time (Nick McIver Time Adventure, Bk 1) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Marie Robinson for TeensReadToo.com
Set in 1939, NICK OF TIME is about young Nick McIver and his adventuresome spirit.
Nick loves to sail and be out on the water with his trusty dog, Jip. He loves it so much that he often loses track of time and comes home late for dinner, which irritates his tough yet loving mother. One night, Nick also discovers that his father is no ordinary lighthouse keeper. He's also a spy for England. What would become World War II was brewing, and Nick joins his dad in his efforts of spying for Nazis.
This story has a lot going for it. The writing is excellent, the story includes sailboats, Nazis, submarines, secret castles, mysterious villains, pirates, squawking parrots, dogs, cats, spies and, as the title implies, travel through time. The one downside is that it takes more than one hundred pages to get to the time travel promised by the title.
Nevertheless, it's a fun story, full of adventure and suspense, with a dose of history thrown in.
Set in 1939, NICK OF TIME is about young Nick McIver and his adventuresome spirit.
Nick loves to sail and be out on the water with his trusty dog, Jip. He loves it so much that he often loses track of time and comes home late for dinner, which irritates his tough yet loving mother. One night, Nick also discovers that his father is no ordinary lighthouse keeper. He's also a spy for England. What would become World War II was brewing, and Nick joins his dad in his efforts of spying for Nazis.
This story has a lot going for it. The writing is excellent, the story includes sailboats, Nazis, submarines, secret castles, mysterious villains, pirates, squawking parrots, dogs, cats, spies and, as the title implies, travel through time. The one downside is that it takes more than one hundred pages to get to the time travel promised by the title.
Nevertheless, it's a fun story, full of adventure and suspense, with a dose of history thrown in.
David and Carole M. (davidmartin52) reviewed Nick of Time (Nick McIver Time Adventure, Bk 1) on + 35 more book reviews
I imagine that this book would be a fascinating read for a 10-13 year old, or a minimally educated adult, but not for a well-read or well-educated adult. Some things are not explained at all, while some other things test the credulity of the reader. Of course, it's target reader IS that 10-13 year old, so I'm not criticizing, just warning the adult reader. I read it for two reasons, one, it was Ted Bell, and two, it was as a preview for my wife, who teaches middle school and is always looking for books that would appeal to her 10-11 year old students in order to encourage them to read. I would recommend it to that age group.
I loved it and my son loved it. Great adventure for adults and teens.
