Review: Time Thief by Katie MacAlister

Title: Time Thief (Traveller, #1)
Author: Katie MacAlister
Pages: 352
Publisher: Signet
Release Date: May 7, 2013

Peter Faa is a member of the Watch tracking down a murderer, and unfortunately, all clues seem to point toward his own estranged family of Travellers. Any of his cousins could be guilty, but which one? They’re all experts in the art of stealing time...

After surviving a lightning strike, Kiya Mortenson is determined to get just one thing in her life right. And if that means taking a job as nanny to five pugs on a campsite in the Oregon wilderness, then so be it. It doesn’t hurt that the job comes with some spectacular male eye candy, including her new boss’s gorgeous grandson. If only she didn’t keep having this strange sense of deja vu...

When Peter discovers his own family is stealing time from Kiya, all bets are off. While she may drive him crazy at times, it’s clear that it’s not just lightning that’s creating some serious sparks between them. And he’s not going to let secrets, lies, or a devious murderer keep Kiya from where she belongs: at his side.

My Thoughts: Time Thief centered around a supernatural group known as Travellers. Travellers can steal time from others and can actually go back in time with however many seconds, minutes, or days they've taken. Stealing time comes at a price, though, and the victims must be given payment in the form of silver, otherwise the Traveller will suffer the consequences. Taking too much time can also lead to death for either victim or Traveller. Both reasons seem to have kept Travellers in check for centuries.

The whole Traveller and time stealing thing was basically simple and easy to understand. Only once you got all the information. And in this book, it was spread throughout the story, which may be why I got a little lost at times. I remember when I was a third into the book there was a conversation between the main characters where one was explaining the time stuff to the other, and while that character was getting it, I was left feeling a bit confused. It didn't affect my enjoyment of the book entirely. But for some reason I still think there was something I missed. I can't quite put my finger on what it was though.

Other than my slight confusion at times, the book was pretty fun! What made it that way were the main characters Kiya and Peter. Kiya was bubbly and quirky. She had a tendency to ramble and had a hard time keeping her mouth shut. She wasn't a mean-spirited person at all, but she was also not the type to back down from a fight. When other characters in the book managed to make her angry, I kind of just wanted to pat her head and say, "There, there." Peter was more of a serious, uptight person. Meeting Kiya threw him off though, and he gained a sense of humor and seemed more talkative than how I assumed he would be under normal circumstances. I did find some of the romantic things he thought and said to Kiya (and vice versa) cheesy, but I realized it suited their relationship, especially considering their personalities.

The other Travellers focused on in this book were the Faa family. They were being investigated by Peter (he's part of the Watch, basically the supernatural police) for murders that have occurred in the area. I think the Faas were always suppose to come off as distant and suspicious and irritating. I can't say I ever liked them, expect one of them who I won't name for possible spoilers. I didn't even like the grandmother. I felt she just stayed in the background while the men in her family did whatever they wanted, and she was too cold and concerned with blood purity. Sad thing was Peter is her grandson. He didn't grow up with them, so it was easy for all of them not to care, but I still felt bad for him. I almost wished things had gone a slightly different route by the end.

Time Thief might not have ended well for everyone; however, it was the ending that Kiya and Peter deserved. Overall, the entire book kept me entertained and laughing here and there. It was easy to get sucked into the story. There's a book two planned that will be focusing on a character introduced in this book, and I can't help but to wonder what will happen next.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars