ARC Review--Chasing Eternity by Alyson Noel

 

At Gray Wolf Academy, time is the ultimate weapon…if you know how to use it. Step into the breathtakingly imaginative third book in New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël’s incredible Stealing Infinity series

I’m about to break one of the biggest rules of all.

But I need to find my dad. And if that means going back to New York City in 1998 to find him—before I’m even born—then that’s what I have to do. Because I need someone I trust to teach me what it means to be a Timekeeper.

Now I’m in the land of post-grunge, low-rise jeans, baby doll tees, chunky boots…and risking my own existence in the process. Awesome.

This is no ordinary trip. Just about anything can go wrong, and if I get found out, I’ll lose not only my home and school…but Braxton, too. Because there might not be enough forgiveness in the world for what I’ve done—and what I am about to do.

Because the secrets are more terrible than I thought. The reality is even more horrifying. And I’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth about Gray Wolf Academy, the strange billionaire who runs it, and not only why he’s so invested in traveling—or “Tripping”—through time, but what his real plans are.

And time’s almost up.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

I dove back into Alyson Noel's Stolen Beauty trilogy with gusto as soon as Chasing Eternity landed in my lap! It was a longer wait to get this one, but it was definitely worth it as Noel brings us an exciting conclusion to this smashing time-traveling series!

Time-traveling books can always be a bit of hit or miss for me as it largely depends on how the time-traveling is explained. Is it magical, is it science...how complex is the process. Noel seems to have a but of both going on here but might rely more on the science aspect. It's been awhile since I read the first two books of the series, and the time-traveling aspect wasn't explained in great detail this time around, but I followed along well enough. 

In this installment, we have Natasha trying to work against Arthur as she learns the enigmatic professor of Gray Wolf Academy isn't all what he led her to believe. He's harboring his own secrets and they concern the true reason why he wants the Antikythera Mechanism restored to its former glory.

Natasha has decided to take an unsolicited trip back to 1998 in New York to meet her father, the one Killian murdered not that long ago. She's hoping that he can help her harness her new Timekeeper abilities. Joining her, surprisingly, is Elodie, who had made the last minute jump with her. Natasha is hesitant to trust Elodie's motives as she is steadfastly loyal to Arthur for reasons Natasha isn't too sure of just yet.

Although, it's not long before the two head back home when they learn Arthur has returned early from his own trip and also waiting there is Killian, who apparently helped cover for Natasha's absence. Arthur reveals he knows where the last piece of the Antikythera Mechanism is and he wants Natasha to go back in time to retrieve it for him. He plans on sending either Killian or Elodie with her and Natasha isn't sure who she'd prefer since both of them are loyal to Arthur as it seems Arthur knows Natasha's loyalty is wavering.

This book was one wild ride. I'll admit the delay between books muddled my memory a bit, but thankfully I took some notes so I had an idea of what had happened! Lol. Despite the overwhelming amount of pages--or perhaps I found it overwhelming as I just finished two other books that were in the 500s for page count--the pacing to this one was surprisingly good. I'll admit, the beginning was a bit rough with Natasha training and talking to her dad in the past. As things just seemed to move in slow motion almost, but pretty much the moment she went back to her current timeline, things moved at a steady pace with quite a few pick me ups of action of some kind!

That being said, the romance of this book was positively swoony! I had forgotten how much I loved Natasha and Braxton! They had a rough start at the beginning but eventually found some peace and worked through their issues. There were more romantic interludes than I expected in this one and it was a sweet kind of break from all the seriousness happening around them.

We also finally learn more about Arthur's true intentions with the Antikythera Mechanism and why he wants it fully restored. It was pretty shocking! And the shocks did not stop there as we'd learn several new jaw-dropping bits of information before the story ends and what an ending it was! I wasn't expecting this kind of shock factor. Generally with series finales, I always hope for that HEA ending where we see the characters get their peace and happiness and the possibility of more adventures to come, even if we never see it. While we get that in a sense here, it was far different from what I had anticipated and it left me discombobulated, to say the least! Lol.

All in all, Chasing Eternity was an exciting conclusion to the Stolen Beauty trilogy! Noel has a knack for writing compelling characters in impossible situations! While I am sad to see this series come to an end, it does feel like it's in the right place...but then there's always that little crack in the back door that gets left open. One that will always make you wonder...but I digress! If you're looking for an exciting time-traveling series with suspense, secrets, and romance, then look no further than this!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars 

Chasing Eternity releases December 3, 2024