Extracted (The Lost Imperials Series Book 1)
by Sherry D. Ficklin and Tyler H. Jolley
Print Length: 323 pages
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing; 2 edition (August 15, 2016)
ASIN: B01H9CXU08
Genre: Sci Fi, Steampunk, Time Travel
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0
Two opposing factions of time travelers vie for control of the future in this thrilling steampunk series opener dubbed "Interesting" and "Unexpected" by Kirkus Reviews.
Lex and Ember—two time travelers with no memories of their lives before being recruited into the time war—are torn between the factions. When Lex accepts a mission that lands him deep within the heart of the Tesla Institute, he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them comes flooding back. Now armed with the truth of who they were, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them once again.
*This special edition contains expanded content and bonus material not found in the first release.
Review:
Ember and Ethan are time travelers with the Tesla Institute. Supposedly they have been trained to ‘protect’ the time line, particularly by stopping the opposition time travel group known as the Hollows. The Hollow travelers are made up of the cast offs from Tesla who have been patched up as best as possible, sometimes with brass or other non-human parts. Each side has different modes of travel although Tesla has more advanced tech. The leaders each claim that their group is protecting the true timeline.
Lex and Stein are two of the Hollow travelers. Stein is lost in a mission and Lex is intent on going back in time to save her. The only way he can do that is to steal some tech from Tesla’s base. Lex and friends sneak into the center of Tesla. All time travelers lose their memories with their first trip in the time stream. When Lex and Ember come face to face they recognize each other and their memories return revealing secrets and lies.
The story is told in the alternating views of Ember and Lex. This provides insight to other characters as well as showing the differences in the team’s methods and motives. I was a little confused on the sides at first but once I identified everyone it became easier to follow. There are numerous interesting secondary characters and there are also Tesla journal entries that add some backstory details. The author blends in an interesting historical mystery. This included a beautiful prayer that I never knew about.
The authors deftly use the steampunk elements to enhance the story. The writing is crisp and moves well. I appreciated the 'clean teen' aspect. I also liked the clothing and dwelling details. The story is engaging with lots of action, suspense and some young romance angst. Although this story has an appropriate ending, the author leaves a last chapter teaser for another installment. I enjoyed the story and recommend it to those who enjoy steampunk, time travel and action.
I received this title through NetGalley. It qualifies for my NetGalley Challenge.
