This volume of the Chronicles is quite foundational and tells a key story also referred to heavily in the subsequent Time Police series.  Fan's of the St. Mary's books will appreciate this very much.  As with all of the Jodi Taylor books up-to-this-point the audio narration is done very well.

4.5 stars

I absolutely loved this one. I wouldn't say I've been wavering on the series, but there's been a few occasional rough parts so far. At the end of the previous book, we left off with a major reset to the world as Max knew it. I wasn't certain I would enjoy the new direction, but I'm here to tell you it was the best thing [a:Jodi Taylor|7176787|Jodi Taylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382429936p2/7176787.jpg] has done in her series (well, from what I've read so far). What was a series that kept me moderately entertained as various adventures occurred now has me completely in love with whatever the characters are doing at a particular moment. This one had all the best components of the prior books, and more --

Interesting time jumps? Check!
The most action-packed jump is to Pompeii, though the jump to 14th century London was pretty entertaining as well. The jumps are always hit or miss for me because I am not a self-proclaimed history buff. I more so tolerate the historical facts while going through the fun stories, but this one actually had me caring about more than just what our characters were doing.

A good St. Mary's bonding moment? Check!
A freaking battle. With some legitimate foes. We still have much to learn about the Time Police and how they fit into the grand story. And we should probably sue Disney for copyright with the whole Loki/TVA thing, huh?

Hilarious laugh-out-loud moments? Check!
I've found all of the books funny, but this one felt like it was on another level. When I say I laughed out loud numerous times, I mean I laughed OUT LOUD. At my desk. At work. Put Max and Peterson together in a room and I can't help it.

Character progression for our beloved Max? Check!
Finally we get a little more explanation into Max's life growing up. Not much, and not everything is making sense yet. But it's something. I feel like Taylor will continue to tease it out for awhile, but we are finally moving and not stuck underneath the weight of Max's inability to address her trauma.

Romance that doesn't make you scream in frustration? CHECK!!!
If you track down my review of the previous book, you will be treated to a long rant about our Chief Farrell. Oh, how I could not deal with him. But Leon 2.0? Yeah… I might be in love with him. This is what I mean when I said Taylor made a great decision with this development. It really broke many barriers between them and "fixed" the issues I had with Leon. Had you asked me in the last book, I would have said there was nothing Taylor could do to really redeem some of the things Leon did. But she did, and now I can love him with no restraint… as long he doesn't screw it up again.

And with that, I am completely bought in. I will carry out reading the series slowly but steadily. I know this may be a peak, but I'm sure there will be more peaks in the series to come. Jodi Taylor is hitting her stride and I can't wait to see what unfolds for our quirky time-traveling group.

TL;DR

5.0 —One of the best I've ever read. Will be burned into my brain. Couldn't care less about weaknesses (if any). Would recommend to everyone and their mother.
▌4.5 —Loved this read. Will remember it fondly. Few weaknesses. Would recommend to anyone.
4.0 —Enjoyed this read. Will remember it fondly. Minor weaknesses. Would recommend to fans of the genre.
3.5 —Somewhat enjoyed this read. Might be memorable. Notable weaknesses. Would recommend to fans of the genre.
3.0 —Somewhat enjoyed this read. Not very memorable. Notable weaknesses. Would recommend to people who like similar books.
2.5 —Neutral or Underwhelming read. Not very memorable. Significant weaknesses. Would recommend to people who like similar books.
2.0 —Underwhelming or unenjoyable read. Not very memorable or memorable for the wrong reasons. Significant weaknesses. Might recommend to people who like similar books.
1.5 —Unenjoyable read. Not very memorable or memorable for bad reasons. Major weaknesses. Probably wouldn't recommend.
1.0 —I wish I never wasted minutes of my life on this trash. I would go out of my way to convince others not to read it.