Title: Jumper
Series: Time Travelers, #1
Author: Jeff LaFerney
Publisher: Tower Publications
Publication Date: April 25, 2013
Genres: Time Travel, Action/Adventure
Reviewed by: Books4Tomorrow
Source: Received from author for review
My smiley rating: 5/5
SUMMARY
After spending three years in jail and others
completely alone, twenty-four-year-old Cole Flint discovers an amazing
ability—he can time-travel and teleport. He’s a jumper. So what should the
motorcycle-riding, cage-fighting tough guy do? He should protect an innocent
eighteen-year-old girl who happens to be in possession of the Staff of Moses.
Following the direction of a trio of angels who are determined to shake things
up in the Middle East, Cole pairs up with Hannah Carpenter and her pet grizzly
while he also tries to change his past and learn the mystery of his birth.
Curiously, the King of Jordan knows all about Hannah, and he’s determined to
gain possession of the staff. He’ll do anything to possess its power, but is it
possible that he’s no more than a pawn, manipulated in time along with Cole and
Hannah? Jumper is a mysterious roller coaster of action and a time-traveling
adventure that will keep readers guessing right to the very last page.
REVIEW
“An attempted murder, a raging six-hundred-pound grizzly, a mini-tornado,
and a random lightning bolt strike all before breakfast - Hannah’s world had
gone mad.”
Time-travel
adventures aren’t my usual choice of read, but the premise of a “motorcycle-riding,
cage-fighting tough guy” who has to “protect an innocent eighteen-year-old girl
who happens to be in possession of the Staff of Moses” got me curious, and once
I had my review copy, I couldn’t wait to jump into the story (see what I did
there?) and find out what it’s all about. It ended up being one big thrill ride
from the first page to the last!
Make no
mistake. If you’re expecting a love story loaded with sappy romance about a
tough guy braving the odds across time to save the damsel in distress, you will
be disappointed. There are three love interests in this story, but by no means
is it a love-triangle and the romance aspect is very much only a mere mention
in the background. I can assure you though, there is a lot to love about this
expertly narrated novel with its rich characterization, non-stop action and
relentless suspense which all builds up to a riveting and memorable conclusion.
My one
fear when reading time-travel novels is that I’ll get confused somewhere along
the line as to where in time the characters find themselves and how they got to
that point. Here it’s definitely not the case. Cole’s ability to time-travel is
well-explained, but it didn’t make it less complicated. Something about time
being linear and it being comparable to a slinky…it all still went over my
head. I do suspect though that it has something to do with Cole’s gorgeous blue
Kawasaki Ninja ZX14 street bike, and a healthy measure of divine intervention.
Whichever way it works, the reader never loses track of where in time the
characters find themselves.
And
what incredible characters these three protagonists are!
Cole is
simply swoon-worthy. Broody, defiant, witty, compassionate, fearless,
mysterious and ruggedly handsome – all the ingredients for the ultimate bad boy
recipe – he might seem a little rough around the edges, but he’s the type of
person who will stand up for the little guy. I sometimes pictured him in my
mind as Mark Wahlberg and other times as my all-time favorite actor, Vin Diesel.
It depended on the scene. The car chase scene, fight scenes, and rescuing the
girls from otherworldly beings on the Alpine Adventure trail, a real-life Vin
Diesel with all the right moves.
The rest of the time, when he wasn’t kicking
butt, it was easy to picture Cole as gentle Mark Wahlberg. Hannah – who regards
herself as “nothing special” - is the type of character I’d like to see more of
in YA fiction. Humble, brave, selfless and smart, it was wonderful to see what
an impact she and Cole had on each other’s lives and how they grew as persons.
Lauren, with her easy manner, outgoing personality and determination to unravel
the mystery of the disappearance of Cole’s birth mother, was also one of my
favorite characters. And let’s not forget the real star of this show, Hannah’s adorable pet grizzly, Teddy, who
added his own brand of comedy relief to the story.
Jumper is an eloquently-written tale with a
tightly-woven plot comprising of an array of elements – mystery, time-travel,
Middle Eastern conflict, friendship, forgiveness, battles between angels and
demons, and an ordinary girl chosen to change the future – that will appeal to
a wide range of readers. From the Northern Swiss Alps, the Smoky Mountains in
Tennessee, to the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland, the
reader is navigated from one breathtaking scene to another. The vivid and
colorful descriptions of each setting made me wish I could step through the
pages and breathe in the beauty of the scenery as the author describes it. In keeping
with his previous novels, LaFerney sticks to his clean, fluent writing style,
building upon the trust of his regular readers as a writer who engages, compels
and delights. Jumper also doesn’t
lack in humor. There are quite a few scenes, as well as the constant snarky
banter between Cole and Hannah, which had me laughing until my sides hurt.
Above all, it is a marvellously complex and multi-layered creation that was noticeably
researched to the point of believability. It makes for an effortless read in
what promises to be the start of a phenomenal series!
This
review forms part of my three-month participation in the NetGalley Knockout Challenge for 2013.
FAVORITE
QUOTES from JUMPER
by Jeff LaFerney
“So
that’s how it works, Stooge? If someone bests your champion, five comedians are
sent to retrieve the cash? Go back and tell your boss that next time he should
send someone more competent.”
“Can a
girl hate a guy after like five minutes, even if he has the coolest motorcycle
she’s ever seen?”
“I can’t
help but wonder about the outfit you have on. Camo-green and royal-blue are an
odd combination. Either you’re color-blind, a geek, or your fashion sense for a
sixteen-year-old is entirely out of whack.”
“You
shoot my bear and I won’t be holding your hand anytime soon.”
READ more REVIEWS
Jumper by Jeff LaFerney has 26 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.
PURCHASE
LINKS
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Jeff
LaFerney has been a language arts teacher and coach for more than twenty years.
He earned his English and teaching degrees from the University of Michigan,
Flint and his master’s degree in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan
University. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Davison, Michigan. Both of their
kids, Torey and Teryn, are currently college students. Loving the Rain (a suspense novel) and Skeleton Key and Bulletproof
(mysteries) all include Clay and Tanner Thomas. Each novel stands alone and can
be read in any order.
AUTHOR
LINKS
1 comment:
Awesome review! I love your writing :) I also read Jumper and I loved it! Teddy is definitely my favorite character :D
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