The Here and Now

This is the last book I was able to finish before I was told to rest my brain and stop reading for awhile.  That was just on Friday and it's only Sunday and already I can not wait to get the ok to start reading actual books again.  But, I do have to say that the headache is lessening each day and so I must admit that it's working.  I'm also limiting my screen time, so that's why I'm just now getting to this review.

I found this gem at the Dollar Tree!  I shop there quite a bit actually, and I always have to take a peek at their books to see if there is anything that looks good.  I loved the first four books in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, (I have yet to read Sisterhood Everlasting,) so I was pretty sure I would enjoy this book by the same author.  Upon reading the back of the book, I realized it was kind of a dystopian type book, which I also love, but wasn't expecting from this author.  As I began to read, I realized it was also a bit of Sci-Fi with some Time Travel going on.

There was a theme that keeps coming back to me, about how one event can cause a huge impact on the future.  It's something that I've thought on in my own life, thinking that if I had a different childhood, if certain things hadn't happened to me, would I still be here now?  The thing is, while it would be nice to change somethings in our pasts that maybe weren't so pleasant, we don't know what that would do to our current lives and would we be willing to risk what we have now to change what happened then?

The dystopian aspect comes in with the "Rules" that all the travelers are supposed to follow.  If you don't follow the rules, horrible consequences are doled out.  The leaders in charge are surely totalitarian and since they've formed their own kind of government, that creates a dystopian world for those who came back in time.

I loved how brave and strong the main character, Prenna, ended up being.  She followed her own course, in a way, from the beginning, but toward the end she really found her voice.  While the book can stand alone and be fine the way it is, I really would love to see what became of these characters and if their actions really did have an impact on the future they came from.  

I think those who enjoy time travel fiction, dystopian fiction, and YA romance, will enjoy this book.  It's also a very quick read.  It took me a bit longer because of work, but I could see someone finishing it in one sitting.

Any thoughts on this book, or this mix of genres?