Review: Time Watcher by Kate Serzenta

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free via Reedsy Discovery. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Series: Mine Through Time #1
Published: September 2024
Pages: 465

Synopsis

New York City, 1862. Fabienne Beaumont lies bleeding in a filthy alleyway. Desperate to escape the bloody War of Rebellion, she and her siblings had been trying to hustle passage back home to their native France. Instead, she fell victim to a card shark’s bullets. As everything fades to black, Fabienne thumbs the hands of her old pocket watch – unaware that she’s about to awaken from one nightmare straight into another.

Hartford Connecticut, 1864. Two years earlier, Union war hero Brayden Marshall married the beautiful Fabienne – but she’s been like a stranger to him ever since. Everything changes, however, when he’s summoned back to Hartford on a mission for The Watchers – a secret society that can harness the power of time travel. It’s like meeting Fabienne for the first time all over again. She’s passionate, curious – and desperate to right the wrongs of her past. Could the mysterious pocket watch she clings to explain the sudden change in Fabienne’s behavior? And if so, can Brayden risk his future on a woman so obsessed with her past?

Savannah, Georgia, 2008. Spirited high-schooler Emily Willburne is reluctantly researching her family history for a Civil War assignment when she stumbles across the diary of her great, great grandmother, Fabienne. The diary claims to contain the secret of traveling through time – a secret Emily believes could save her dying mom, and rebuild her fractured relationship with her estranged father. But as Emily literally steps into her own history, a new possibility emerges – that the only way to reunite her family in the present is to tear Fabienne and Brayden’s marriage apart in the past.

Does Emily have the power to fix what once went wrong? Or will she tear apart her future, instead?

My Thoughts…

This review was originally published on Reedsy Discovery.

Fabienne Beaumont wakes up in 1864 Connecticut with no memory of how she got there nor anything that happened after she was shot in New York City two years earlier. Her husband is a complete stranger to her, and she is consumed by grief and guilt at discovering her siblings both died on the day she was shot as they were trying to secure passage to France in a last-ditch effort to leave a country ravaged by the Civil War.

In 2008 Georgia, Emily is trying hard to keep up with her studies when she stumbles upon an old diary while doing research for a history assignment on the Civil War. A diary which, it turns out, was written by none other than her ancestor Fabienne and contains the secrets of time travel – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Emily to attempt saving her dying mom. But danger lurks in every corner, and Emily’s present efforts might just tear Fabienne’s past life apart.

Time Watcher builds a fascinating story following these intersecting dual timelines to deliver a captivating read which is sure to keep readers guessing right up until the very end. Both Fabienne and Emily are compelling protagonists, each facing some truly heartbreaking choices while dealing with extremely painful circumstances, accompanying readers on a reflection on love, loss and the lengths to which people might go to get it back.

As with most novels centred around time travel, the plot is intricate and requires some attention on the reader’s part not to miss the clues the author cleverly disseminates throughout the novel. Still, the author did a great job in making even the most complex temporal twists and turns easy to follow, with clear explanations seamlessly woven through the narrative mostly avoiding excessive reliance on exposition.

The historical background of the American Civil War perfectly conveys the sense of urgency and the climate of mistrust which allows the story to develop, while the contrast with the modern setting allows for some “fish out of water” type humour that balances the overall more dramatic tone. The romance is also sweet and works well within the story, complementing but never overshadowing it.

Overall, Time Watcher is a twisty read combining time travel, romance, history and family which is likely to appeal to readers seeking a multilayered story reminiscent of The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.