Emily Dexter

Picture this: Your Mom is an archaeologist. You’ve been moving around Europe for years, following her search for valuable Etruscan artifacts. Maybe this was exciting for a while, but it’s getting a bit old, and you decide to take a risk: entering the cave your Mom is excavating to take a look around. A harmless plan. Until you discover a portal to another time which transports you and your sister back several centuries into a world of complicated family feuds, medieval battles and romantic knights.

This is the situation faced by the main protagonist of Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren. After being transported back to 1347, Gabi Betarrini embarks on a life-altering journey in which she has to find her sister and figure out how to get back to her own time, all while maintaining a low profile among the Forelli family which takes her in. However, after an eventful (and romantic) week spent in the past, Gabi begins to feel that maybe she doesn’t want to return home after all…

I definitely enjoyed this book; Gabi was a relatable character and the writing style was easy to follow but not overly simplistic. Also, Lisa T. Bergren clearly did her homework; the book provides an interesting look into the culture, dialect and lifestyle of people in the 14th century. The overarching plot kept me intrigued, including plenty of action scenes that kept things moving but also continued driving the plot forward. My one complaint is it ended on an enormous cliffhanger; I’ll have to check out the next book in the series, Cascade.

The Next Challenge:

Emily, I challenge you to read The Diviners by Libba Bray. This is one of my all-time favorite books; it follows the lives of several supernaturally gifted characters living in 1920s New York as they discover the underlying network of ghosts and other seemingly magical beings that inhabit the city. With historical as well as fantasy aspects, The Diviners enthralled me from start to finish. I hope you enjoy it, Emily!

On this blog, news editor Emily Dexter and cover story editor Carson TerBush will put their book recommendations to the test. Each week, one will challenge each other to read a book she has read before and enjoyed. The following week, they will judge the recommended book and then propose the next challenge. They hope to inspire new readers to read some new books. To read more, check out the Café Libro blog at https://hilite.org/category/cafe-libro/.