Book Recap: Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

Cover inspection:
I have to admit the cover
did not grab me at first glance.
I've seen better book covers.

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):
Lisa Tawn Bergren's new YA series, River of Time, is romantic, historical fiction in which the plucky heroine doesn't have to fear a vampire's bite but must still fight for her life.

In Waterfall, American teenager Gabi Betarrini accidently finds herself in Fourteenth-Century Italy . . . Knights. Swords. Horses. Armor. And Italian hotties. Most American teens want an Italian vacation, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives there with their archaeologist parents. Stuck on yet another hot, dusty dig, they are bored out of their minds... until they place their hands atop handprints in an ancient tomb and find themselves catapulted into the Fourteenth Century and in the middle of a fierce battle between knights bent on killing one another.
BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	2.0
Plot	3.0
Writing	3.0
Characters	4.0
Ending	2.5
Overall Rating	3.0 Very Good! (89% to 92%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
At the beginning of the story, the story is set in modern day Italy. Then the protagonist ventures into a cave with her sister, and find themselves travelling in back in time in the 1300s. Italy, at that time, is filled with forests and castles. Girls were in beautiful gowns, and men were literally knights in shining armor. But then, it was also a time when the fork was still not in use. There was no internet. No hair conditioners.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
The main character is Gabi. Her mother is an archaeologist, who is studying Etruscan artifacts in Italy. Her father died 6 months prior. She has a younger sister named Lia. Gabi is strong-willed, smart, and beautiful. Hard-headed at times. She was taught by her father how to use a sword effectively. Her love object in the story is Marcelo, the youngest son of an Italian lord. Now, see here, Marcelo is the epitome of a knight in shining armor. He is handsome, chivalrous, heroic, and the dream come true of every girl. Too bad he's engaged to the daughter of another more powerful Italian lord.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
One day, the sisters were venturing out into a cave when they touched this stone/marble which let them travel back in the 1300s. However, they got separated for reasons unknown to them. For her part, Gabi was found by Marcelo, and lived in Marcelo's castle. Although she is well taken care of, Gabi cannot keep her mind from thinking what has happened to her sister. With the help of Marcelo and his men, Gabi searches for her sister. With the time they spend together, Marcelo finds himself drawn to Gabi as she is very different from the women of his time. He becomes conflicted as he is betrothed to another. And Gabi finds herself falling for Marcelo as well. She too becomes conflicted as she knows that she will break Marcelo's heart when she goes back in time. This is a story of a right love, at the wrong time.

LOVE:
The romance in this book got my heart racing. From the first time Marcelo and Gabi laid their eyes on each other, there was instant connection. You can probably guess how their first kiss went. And there is no dull moment in this book. When the characters are not throwing funny dialogue, there are some heart pumping action. And what amazed me the most is that the author tackled issues such as defecating in the medieval world and smelling armpits after not having taken a bath in days.

NO LOVE:
I wish there was some sort of explanation as to why the sisters traveled in time - why their hand prints caused the time travel. I didn't like the ending. It felt that the characters did not really wrap up anything. Well, that is probably because the author is laying the foundation for the sequel.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
Gabi. I love Gabi's narration. She is smart, spunky and courageous. I love reading about her thoughts. And some of her lines are so funny it made me laugh. She is the heroine that every YA book should be. I especially loved the part when her stitches were taken out. I felt my heart pumping, I felt her pain throughout the entire process. I personally  felt a bit squeamish when Marcelo's brother was removing the stitches from Gabi. I think this may be considered a good thing since the book stirred me somehow.

FAVORITE LINE:

But that was the thing about courage. Sometimes you had to fake it to feel it.

MUSINGS:
There is really nothing I would like to change in this book. It's complete in itself - it has the action and the romance. And none of the paranormal creatures from YA books that are mushrooming these days. This book is recommended for those looking for some wholesome romance.

DOODLES:

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Lisa T. Bergren

SIMILAR READS:
The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Chime by Franny Billingsley

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: mild
violence: moderate
sexual content: mild
mature themes: mild
age recommendation: 13+