Book Review: Beyond the Map's Boundary

Mattie Bott is a vivacious teen growing up in a family that is more unusual than she can imagine. Her life is on track. She’s just connected with the boy of her dreams, Trevor Karington, but Mattie begins having visions, seeing events of the past displayed on particles of light. When she blacks out on their first date, she thinks everything is ruined. As she makes her way home, she has no idea that her entire world is about to change.

Mattie has inherited a gift, that will not just change her life, but actually become her life. She is now a Trekker, like her mother before her, and like someone in each generation of her family for centuries. Suddenly her life is full of knowledge of the past and powers she doesn’t fully know how to use, with more secrets being revealed by the moment. But when she disappears, it will take her family and friends working together to get her back so she can fulfill her destiny.

Beyond the Map’s Boundary: A Timely Sort of Adventure by Nibi Soto is a fantasy adventure involving a family of time-travelers. Although aimed at the young adult market, I believe that it will appeal to many older adults as well. The characters are realistic and interesting. The action is tense and starts immediately; a quiet family picnic suddenly turns into a life-and-death struggle, a step in the wrong spot sends someone zooming back in time. Unlike so many of the young adult books out now, the book is honoring of parents and family and is not filled with lurid details or bad language (only a couple of uses of the word cr*p).

When I received this book from Pump Up Your Book for the purpose of review, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I really liked this book. It starts right in the thick of the action, and some things that are mildly confusing at first become clear as the action unfolds. The storyline kept me glued to the book, in hurry to finish, but sorry when I did. I didn’t want it to end, at least not without a sequel sitting next to me to jump into next. You can learn more about the book and its author at http://beyondthemapsboundary.com/.