Faded Glimpses of Time by Nyah Nichol
After barely surviving a perilous journey through time, Wren Derecho has defeated her evil future self and thinks she has destroyed the corrupted time orb. But the present that she knows and loves hasn’t remained unscathed.
What originally appear to be small, unusual changes give way to reality-collapsing tears in time. A powerful technological artifact falls into the hands of the power-hungry Cyril who threatens to take everything Wren and her new friends love. When the orb appears once more, Wren, Alex, Trevor and their team must work together against time to stop the end of reality as we know it.
Faded Glimpses of Time (Common Deer Press) is the second book in Nyah Nichol’s Tempus Trilogy, a riveting young adult sci-fi series that will have readers anticipating the trilogy’s final installment.
AN ENGAGING SEQUEL THAT CAN STAND ALONE
I am in a unique position as a reader, in that I went into Faded Glimpses of Time without any context from the first book. I had no idea of the challenges Wren faced, what world she lived in, or any clue about what Whispers of Amelia could be. But I can confirm to you that Faded Glimpses is a strong enough time travel sci-fi to stand alone!
While the first part of the book is told from Wren’s point of view, it became exciting when the story changed POV, and I discovered the unraveling past and future at the same time that the other characters did. As someone who has only read the second entry, I think this is a unique effect that gave me an interesting perspective into the story.
If anything, I found that I preferred being introduced to the characters at the point where Wren returns to the present. Because the dynamics of Wren’s friendships in the first novel were a mystery to me, being introduced to the characters in the middle of things gave me the sense of being a fellow passenger, dropped into the world with these new people as my peers.
BUILDING THE STORY FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES
The change in character perspective is a frequent and clever plot device that serves a purpose in this time travel story. Whenever the team fails to stop the end of the world, the timeline resets, and we are placed into the mind of someone different, usually, someone who doesn’t know about the reset.
There is a diverse array of characters we get to learn parts of the story from. From Wren’s future friend Tolli to her security captain uncle, everyone is related to the main story but leaves you wondering how they might play into the plot. The book is broken up into several parts, and I found myself wanting even more from these side characters! Maybe book three has something in store…
A CLEVER APPROACH TO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
It is interesting to see how the relationships slowly start to become what they’re like in the future. At the beginning of the book, Wren is excited when she sees a much younger version of her future friend Alex Donahue in the present, but Alex is startled by Wren’s sudden companionship, as he’s never met her. But as time goes on, and the two become closer as they are thrust back and forth in time, we can see the protectiveness and caution Alex’s future version displayed.
The same effect is shown with Wren’s other friend Tolli, who is said to be serious and stoic in the future. Present Tolli is humorous almost to a fault but only does so to disguise the worry he feels and to lighten a dark situation. It makes you wonder what could have happened to him in between the events of the second and first book that would make him become that way.
IMMERSIVE SCI-FI FOR YOUNG ADULTS
While I do believe that starting with the first book of The Tempus Trilogy, Broken Shards of Time, would provide more context and lore, Faded Glimpses of Time is a great place to jump in, and readers will have fun trying to piece the story together in a different timeline. Like any series, key objects and characters are detailed in the first novel, but you can pick up on what or who they are as you go.
The time travel concept here is well plotted and well explained, so readers who are worried about getting confused won’t be left in the dark. I would definitely recommend the Tempus Trilogy to young adults looking for an action-packed sci-fi read that is easy to pick up at any point in time!
About Nyah Nichol:
Nyah Nichol was born and raised in the small northern Alberta city of Cold Lake and attends the local high school. She finished writing her first novel at the age of 14 and has loved the experience and process of having a book published.
Nyah’s hobbies include reading, drawing and crocheting. She has three younger siblings who can be annoying at times, but sweet and awesome the rest of the time. She has a mom and dad who love her very much and support her in everything she does.
