Book Review: Paradox Bound by Peter Clines

I LOVE Peter Clines – I first came across him with The Fold, then raced to read everything else he’s ever written… I love his style – it’s quirky and well-plotted, with great characterization and a strong, clear voice. This book was obviously one of his, but it felt a little less crisp than the others. Not so much so that I disliked it, not by any means – but it did feel a little more forced at times, with the story development not feeling quite as organic and smooth as I’ve come to expect from him.

I’m a huge fan of time travel/history travel, so I was hooked on the concept from the start. I loved the interplay between Eli and Harry, the concept of the American Dream as an actual physical item, and the way the towns of Sanders and Hourglass became characters in themselves. The Faceless Men are a great concept and made for seriously creepy antagonists. I liked that they were so true to their mission that their role in the book pitched and yawed with the plot development. Generally speaking, I love when characters (or places) develop with the story line like that – it makes the story feel more genuine, since real people shift perspective and attitude in the real world all the time. I did, however, think that Eli’s shift from a cheerfully clueless well-meaning tag-a-long to the savior of the day was a little too dramatic to feel entirely plausible. Still, he’s a charming character, full of good intentions, and his fumbling Everyman-ness is what made him so endearing. Harry is an absolute delight – spunky and feisty yet still human. In other words, everything I’ve come to expect from a Clines heroine.

The book was a fun, easy, fast read. Yet it somehow still left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Perhaps it’s that the resolution came about so tidily and handily. The pacing was pretty even for the vast majority of the book, then all of a sudden things seemed to speed up and race to the finish line in a way that felt more rushed than intentional. Still, the story was a highly entertaining one and I do hope we’ll see more of Eli and Harry in future (and past)!

My review copy was provided by Penguin through their First to Read program (firsttoread.com).