January 4, 2016
Hope Walton, a 16-year-old with a photographic memory, is devastated after her mother disappears on a trip to India and is presumed dead following an earthquake. When her father sends her to Scotland to see her mother’s sister, Hope resists going—she’s claustrophobic and terrified of flying—yet after she arrives, she learns that her mother is likely still alive. What’s more, Hope’s mother is part of a group called the Viators, time travelers who have long protected the sanctity of the time line from another time-traveling family. Debut author Taylor adeptly blends the fantastical and the historical as she sends her reluctant heroine back to the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine in order to save her mother. Taylor’s writing is bright with detail and her plot dense with action as Hope learns to be brave and resourceful when circumstances turn dire. Amid cameos from the likes of Eleanor, Henry II, and Thomas Becket, as well as the exploration of topics including medieval prejudice against Jews, Taylor offers an engrossing start to a planned series. Ages 14–up. Agent: Mollie Glick, Foundry Literary + Media.