Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren
Historical Romance. 388 Pages. 3 Stars
Synopsis:
Would you sacrifice your future … for an uncertain past?
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, become swept up in historic battles, and fallen in love with handsome knights willing to do anything to keep them alive.
They’ve returned with their mother to the present to save their father before his tragic death, and now the family travels back 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 Black Plague looms. Will the Betarrinis truly be willing to risk it all? Or in facing death head-on, will they discover life as it was always meant to be lived?
My Review:
Hmm…okay, so…I didn’t love this one. I originally read the first two books in the trilogy a few years back and never got around to completing the series due to life events. Then, recently, since I’ve been trying out audiobooks, I thought I’d listen to the first two again to recap and then finally get to see how the story ended.
And, though I did really enjoy the story of the first two–as I did the first time–I could see things in the books I hadn’t noticed when I was younger, which is just a testament to how I’ve grown–both as a reader and a writer. That said, I was still very eager to read the conclusion and see how everything sorted out! They finally had their father back, Fortino was still in captivity, and I definitely wanted to see Luca and Marcello again.
Even though Gabi’s voice really annoyed me at times (specifically when she was discussing Marcello), I had still enjoyed the romance up to this point. It was sweet and fun. But this third book reminded me why I don’t read a lot of romance novels. It was over the top for me. She was 85% physical description 10% pining and longing for the guy and 5% we’re meant to be. There was maybe a handful of lines expressing any sort of care about his personality. She mentioned his title and position more than she did who he was. And when she did talk about who he was, she spent a lot of time being mad at him for being a 14th century guy with a 14th century mindset! And on top of it all, there was an incident with another guy that just…disappointed me, for both of the characters. She was so set on Marcello and then spent half the book questioning that and deliberating between Marcello and one of Marcello’s closest friends. And the friend! I was like, “Dude!! Marcello! Hello?!” Anyway, the romance really bogged this one down for me.
Furthermore, the plot was 60% Is Gabi going to get married? When? And to whom? (And another 10% Will Gabi lose her dad again?!) I honestly feel like the series would have worked much better as a duology. There just wasn’t really enough material in this one to keep me engaged. I got bored halfway through and wanted to see the story move. And even with some of the plot points that did occur…I just…I wasn’t as into it as I was the first two.
I did really enjoy Gabi’s escape from Roma. That was my favorite part of the book. It was wild, adventurous, fun, and full of tension. I didn’t know whether or not she’d actually escape and that made me want to keep reading. I loved seeing Lia really come into her own here, too. I kind of wanted to see more of her and Luca. They seemed more down to earth. And for some reason, I had it in my head that maybe they’d end up bringing the boys to the present. That would have been really cool for a short period!
All in all, I really loved the glimpse into historical Italy. That’s what drew me to the series in the first place. The time travel doesn’t really get much of the spotlight at all, and that’s fine. It was more of a tool to get the girls into the past than it was an actual part of the plot and story. I enjoyed the she wolves and how the people rallied around them. I enjoyed Gabi and Lia learning to fully live. And it was really cool how well prepared they were for this adventure.
The ending was a bit of a disappointment for me, but if you like drama and romance, you may enjoy the book and series better than I did. I’d probably recommend it for 16/17+ though because there were clear romantic themes. Nothing explicit was ever included, but there was a bit of longing, kissing, and an implied scene between a married couple. There’s some medieval violence, but very tactfully done. And no swearing.
More:
Book 1 in the River of Time series is Waterfall (4 Stars)
Book 2 is Cascade (4 Stars)
Novella 3.1 is Bourne
Novella 3.2 is Tributary
Book 4 is Deluge
I have read and rated the original trilogy on Goodreads. Click on the links for more information and keep a lookout for updates.
These books should be read in order.
On GraceBought
Check out my thoughts on the previous books in the series below!