The Here and Now
by Ann Brashares
Publisher – Hodder’s Children’s Books (UK)
Release Date – January 1st 2015
Buy – Amazon | Book Depository
TIME TRAVEL AND FORBIDDEN ROMANCE FROM THE BEST SELLING AUTHOR OF THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS
Thrilling, exhilarating, haunting and heartbreaking, The Here and Now is a twenty-first-century take of an impossible romance.
There are rules.
Never reveal where youโre from.Never be intimate with anyone outside the community.And never interfere with history.
Seventeen-year-old Prenna James emigrated to New York when she was twelve. But Prenna didn’t come from a different country, she came from a different time – a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.
Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth and take the lives of her younger brothers. But everything changes when she falls for Ethan.
She might be able to save the world … if she lets go of the one thing she’s found to hold on to.
Of late I seem to be having a great run with science-fiction and time travel novels. The Here and Now is exactly one of those novels. I didn’t really know what this was if I’m honest, sometimes I tend to pick up a book that I like the look of, glancing over the book description, yet not really knowing what I’m in for. And I love when a book completely surprises me.
Back in a world, our future, Prenna James and the whole human race was facing extinction. In the future people were dying from blood born plague derived from a mosquito. So when it became critical, the council decided to create a time path, to go back to our present and to live there lives, whilst trying to save and to prevent her time from becoming reality. The Elders and The Council still rule even. Under a different time. So they initiated rules and precautions, to live as community with the humans, yet stop any harm coming to them in return. This all seems rather sensible but what if these rules were just a cover to what lies beneath! The truth to what really started this epidemic!
Prenna has to live by rules, abide by their precautions and to never reveal where they really came from. That’s sounds reasonable, wouldn’t you say, however, that could predict to be difficult when she meets Ethan Jarves. Prenna is a character that doesn’t like to be mollycoddled, or told what to do, she tunes out from that, she’s independent and a strong willed woman. That’s what I loved about her, her faults or lack of social skills made her so easy to connect with. The more she shied away from who she was, the more her confidence bloomed when she wanted to make friends, especially with Ethan.
When Ethan was twelve years, he witnessed something not-of-this-world, when Prenna moved to present day. He was there, he spoke to her, he gave her a sweater, but she doesn’t remember that day! Since then he has been able to know and sense when a traveler is among them. But Ethan goes against all the rules, yet Prenna can’t stop finding herself drawn to him…At first, Ethan is such a free spirit to encounter, persistent, impatient to say the least, but you couldn’t fault him. Together their persistence, intelligence and passion for each other and future dominated the whole story.
Both Ethan and Prenna uncover far more than ever anticipated together. They discover a crucial point in time that will prevent this epidemic from happening, to convince others, that these people who lead them, are only keeping secrets to protect themselves rather than protecting their colony rather human race. Ethan and Prenna are very loveable characters. Worlds and time apart, they are far more in tune than you could imagine.
When I first started reading this book, The Here and Now very much reminded me of The 100, the various angles of the plotline. However the epidemic of the novel was scarily relatable to reality, the pace and writing was fueled the thrilling nature of the novel. This is the first novel I’ve read by Ann Brashares and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing yet another perspective to the world of science fiction. This book was a page turner from beginning to end.
Rating – 4.5
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I got this to review and I've been hesitant to read it due to all the negative reviews flowing in, so it's lovely reading a positive review and I'll be bumping this towards the top of my TBR pile now. Fantastic review, Emma! ๐
I have to say I haven't seen any negative reviews for it. But to be honest, I sort of just dived into the book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Thanks Kyra!
Despite having loved Brashares Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, I haven't dived into this yet. I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it, though, Emma, and now I'm definitely going to be trying to get my hands on a copy of this soon. Wonderful review, dear! ๐
I haven't read anything by this author until now and I'm willing to give her other series a goo soon for definite. Can't wait to see what you think of this. Thank you, Keertana! ๐
Oooh I like this new cover direction! I wasn't a huge fan of this one but I am glad that you did! I think I wasn't too sold of the characters, unfortunately.
Nice review, hun <33
I love this new cover better than the US one I think. Oh that's a shame. Thank you, Mel! <3
I'm glad to that you really loved this one! I didn't work as well with me, mostly character wise but it is true that the epidemic seems so plausible it's damned scary!
Great review Emma!
I really loved the plotline and I can see where you didn't connect with characters. Thank you Pili!
First, I LOVE the UK version of this cover, the colors are so pretty:) Second, I'm a big fan of time travel stories as well Emma, so I definitely need to read this. Glad the epidemic was really believable, that definitely ratchets up the tension and fear that maybe something like it could actually happen one day. Excited to give this a try!
I love the UK cover more than the US. I love how timetravel and the epidemic together created such a relatable story. I hope you get to read this one soon, Jenny! ๐
I have to admit that I like this cover a whole lot better than the original one. I wasn't not a fan at all.
From the few reviews I've read for this book—people seem divided over what to rate this one. Either it completely works for them or it completely doesn't and a large part of that has to do with the romance. Great review Emma ๐
If I'm honest I went into this book not really knowing what people thought and what it was really about and that why enjoyed it even more. Thanks for stopping by! ๐
I have this for review and I wasn't too sure about it but your review has me convinced to bump it up the TBR! It sounds pretty great!
Oh I'm so glad that you've bumped this one up on your TBR. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! ๐
You have no idea how happy I'm that you like this on. I have read it a while ago and it really wasn't for me. I just couldn't get over the whole predictability issues I had. Anyhow I need to check out The 100 as I'm really curious now. Great review, Em ๐
Aw I'm so glad, I'm sorry it didn't quite live up to your expectations though. Yes I could see that a little bit with the plotline. I've only watched The 100 and I love it. I need to read the the books though. Thank you, Tanja! ๐
You are on a time travel book binge, Emma, lol! As I said I sometimes have a hard time wrapping my head around these types of stories but this does sound exciting. I'll have to check it out. Wonderful review! ๐
Haha. I am indeed. Surprising how with time travel novels, it can be difficult to have some great ones in a row. I hope you have a look at it soon! ๐ Thank you, Rachel!