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Lifespan of Starlight #3
Edge of Time
On the run from the government, Scout's decades-long disappearance is about to catch up with her …
When Scout returns from her longest time-jump yet, she finds that nothing has gone to plan. Her friends have been captured by the authoritarian regime, Mason is nowhere to be found, and something strange is happening each time she skips.
Then, deep in the city, a citizen is discovered whose chip exactly matches the first ever time-skipper. Who is she? How did she learn to time-skip? And could she hold the key to travelling backwards in time?
Uncovering the truth could offer Scout a chance to shape a new future – if she can let go of her past.
The electrifying conclusion to the LIFESPAN OF STARLIGHT trilogy
When Scout returns from her longest time-jump yet, she finds that nothing has gone to plan. Her friends have been captured by the authoritarian regime, Mason is nowhere to be found, and something strange is happening each time she skips.
Then, deep in the city, a citizen is discovered whose chip exactly matches the first ever time-skipper. Who is she? How did she learn to time-skip? And could she hold the key to travelling backwards in time?
Uncovering the truth could offer Scout a chance to shape a new future – if she can let go of her past.
The electrifying conclusion to the LIFESPAN OF STARLIGHT trilogy
280 pages, Paperback
Published June 7, 2018
3 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Thalia Kalkipsakis
33 books62 followersThalia grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Melbourne with a mum who tried to save battery hens by on-selling them as backyard chickens. Her dad worked as an industrial chemist while also growing strawberries, carrots and Christmas trees on the farm. It was not unusual to find plant shoots in the freezer, or the hair dryer missing because it was needed to heat one of her dad’s experiments. Thalia's childhood showed her the magic that can happen when science and nature combine with human creativity.
In 2012, Thalia released her first standalone young adult novel, Silhouette, which follows a talented and determined young dancer as she navigates her way into the adult world of commercial dance.
These days, Thalia lives in regional Victoria with her husband, their two children and two black cats.
In 2012, Thalia released her first standalone young adult novel, Silhouette, which follows a talented and determined young dancer as she navigates her way into the adult world of commercial dance.
These days, Thalia lives in regional Victoria with her husband, their two children and two black cats.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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June 15, 2018Full review to come.
It's always bittersweet when a story arc comes to an end... but I had a lot of fun with this final installment (in between crazy commitments), and I like how it all wrapped up. Though a few questions were left unanswered, this is understandable for a story told from the point of view of one character who is only aware of things as they happen.
The third installment has the highest dosages of timey-wimeyness, but without becoming so convoluted as to leave readers with broken brains.
It's always bittersweet when a story arc comes to an end... but I had a lot of fun with this final installment (in between crazy commitments), and I like how it all wrapped up. Though a few questions were left unanswered, this is understandable for a story told from the point of view of one character who is only aware of things as they happen.
The third installment has the highest dosages of timey-wimeyness, but without becoming so convoluted as to leave readers with broken brains.
February 13, 2023
Exist. Now.
May 10, 2024
So much twisty things to think about, all the way back to the first book. Even a twisty ending! Absolutely lovedddd. Wish I could re-read the series for the first time again 😢
July 22, 2018
Edge of Time by Thalia Kalkipsakis is the third and final book in the Lifespan of Starlight trilogy. It brings a long-awaited conclusion to the story that I started reading two years ago, with Lifespan of Starlight and the second book Split Infinity. After the cliffhanger at the end of the second book, two years was a long time to wait for the third book. Now that they're all out, I highly recommend reading them all in a row. Because it's an excellent series.
It took me a little while to orient myself at the start of this book after the gap in time (lol) since I read the previous book. The opening of Edge of Time is not overly burdened with reminders of the earlier books, but there were enough that I was able to get my bearings. I think I would have been sucked into the story more quickly if I had not had to wait so long before reading it. On the other hand, that's pretty much my biggest criticism of this book.
After Scout jumps into an unfamiliar future, the world is not magically a better place, alas. Instead, the dystopian future she started out in only keeps getting worse. (Poor future-Melbourne.) Also, all the plans laid by her and her friends go awry one way or another, leaving Scout dissatisfied with the world she's living in, when she has time to not be terrified of whatever the latest disaster is.
One aspect I found really interesting about the narrative structure is that there were several possibilities presented for how the book could end, but none which would simultaneously satisfy Scout and make a good ending for the series, right up until the actual ending started happening. Which was delightful. After a bit of uncertainty on my part that the ending would do the series justice, I was really pleased with how Kalkipsakis brought the book to a close.
I really enjoyed this series and I highly recommend it to fans of any combination of YA, dystopias and time travel. (Also, the covers are really pretty.) I recommend starting with the first book, Lifespan of Starlight, however, since this series is very much one continuous story (with cliffhangers) and not at all standalone chunks. It's three acts of the same story that don't work without the proceeding parts. I will be keeping an eye on any (YA) SF that Kalkipsakis writes in the future.
5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
It took me a little while to orient myself at the start of this book after the gap in time (lol) since I read the previous book. The opening of Edge of Time is not overly burdened with reminders of the earlier books, but there were enough that I was able to get my bearings. I think I would have been sucked into the story more quickly if I had not had to wait so long before reading it. On the other hand, that's pretty much my biggest criticism of this book.
After Scout jumps into an unfamiliar future, the world is not magically a better place, alas. Instead, the dystopian future she started out in only keeps getting worse. (Poor future-Melbourne.) Also, all the plans laid by her and her friends go awry one way or another, leaving Scout dissatisfied with the world she's living in, when she has time to not be terrified of whatever the latest disaster is.
One aspect I found really interesting about the narrative structure is that there were several possibilities presented for how the book could end, but none which would simultaneously satisfy Scout and make a good ending for the series, right up until the actual ending started happening. Which was delightful. After a bit of uncertainty on my part that the ending would do the series justice, I was really pleased with how Kalkipsakis brought the book to a close.
I really enjoyed this series and I highly recommend it to fans of any combination of YA, dystopias and time travel. (Also, the covers are really pretty.) I recommend starting with the first book, Lifespan of Starlight, however, since this series is very much one continuous story (with cliffhangers) and not at all standalone chunks. It's three acts of the same story that don't work without the proceeding parts. I will be keeping an eye on any (YA) SF that Kalkipsakis writes in the future.
5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
August 11, 2018
Wow. So that's not where I was expecting this story to go at all. I'm undecided yet whether I found this conclusion to the trilogy fully satisfying or not, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't emotional and totally different to the norm.
Coutlyn has jumped further in time than she ever has before and instead of being greeted with a hopeful future where an army of rebels is waiting for her and her friends, things are about as bleak as you could imagine. Edge of Time is much darker than the other books right from the get-go with a lot of emotional scenes that show how the tragic events of the series so far have broken or changed the various characters and how beyond saving the world has become.
From here things gradually start to get weird. The plot veers in a totally different direction from where it initially appears to have been heading this whole time. I'm going to spoiler tag this bit just to be safe in case I say a bit too much. . I originally rated this book a four but thinking on the unique and moving trajectory that the plot goes on and ends with made me want to reward it with a five for doing something different.
Even from the first book this series was using time travel in interesting ways due to how differently it behaves to usual time travel stories, and that's still true here. While all the details of how time travel works in this series start to get a bit messy and confusing (so I'm not sure whether they're completely consistent) it's used to great effect to explore a story about hope and inevitability that's much more interesting than just going back in time and making everything better.
I can confidently say that I enjoyed this series and would definitely recommend it.
Coutlyn has jumped further in time than she ever has before and instead of being greeted with a hopeful future where an army of rebels is waiting for her and her friends, things are about as bleak as you could imagine. Edge of Time is much darker than the other books right from the get-go with a lot of emotional scenes that show how the tragic events of the series so far have broken or changed the various characters and how beyond saving the world has become.
From here things gradually start to get weird. The plot veers in a totally different direction from where it initially appears to have been heading this whole time. I'm going to spoiler tag this bit just to be safe in case I say a bit too much. . I originally rated this book a four but thinking on the unique and moving trajectory that the plot goes on and ends with made me want to reward it with a five for doing something different.
Even from the first book this series was using time travel in interesting ways due to how differently it behaves to usual time travel stories, and that's still true here. While all the details of how time travel works in this series start to get a bit messy and confusing (so I'm not sure whether they're completely consistent) it's used to great effect to explore a story about hope and inevitability that's much more interesting than just going back in time and making everything better.
I can confidently say that I enjoyed this series and would definitely recommend it.
August 14, 2018
With ‘Edge of Time’ being the last book of the trilogy, I found this a great way to finish the sequel off!
With the new possibility of time traveling backwards it makes the book a whole lot more interesting as Scout comes back from her longest time skip ever. With only Boc and Malena at her side she goes on an adventure of a life time to try and change the future by fixing the present.
When reading this book, I was as tense as ever, never sure what would happen to Scout on the next page of this fabulous novel. This book gave me a ton of emotions, some happy, excited and some scared, nervous or tense. I loved every moment of it!
Almost half way through the book I found out the most amazing part of the book: who the first ever time traveller was. This was such a shock and surprise to me that I had a moment to think it all through. I would just like to thank the author, Thalia Kalkipsakis for making this great trilogy of thrilling books that gives the reader so much tension, I love the feeling!
By the end of this book, Scout has changed so much in her personality and thinks about time differently it makes the ending to this series a great one.
There is so much I wish I could talk about, but I don’t want to give anything away for readers who might be interested in reading these books.
Overall this was a brilliant and it was definitely worth reading.
With the new possibility of time traveling backwards it makes the book a whole lot more interesting as Scout comes back from her longest time skip ever. With only Boc and Malena at her side she goes on an adventure of a life time to try and change the future by fixing the present.
When reading this book, I was as tense as ever, never sure what would happen to Scout on the next page of this fabulous novel. This book gave me a ton of emotions, some happy, excited and some scared, nervous or tense. I loved every moment of it!
Almost half way through the book I found out the most amazing part of the book: who the first ever time traveller was. This was such a shock and surprise to me that I had a moment to think it all through. I would just like to thank the author, Thalia Kalkipsakis for making this great trilogy of thrilling books that gives the reader so much tension, I love the feeling!
By the end of this book, Scout has changed so much in her personality and thinks about time differently it makes the ending to this series a great one.
There is so much I wish I could talk about, but I don’t want to give anything away for readers who might be interested in reading these books.
Overall this was a brilliant and it was definitely worth reading.
August 16, 2020
In a lot of ways this is a harder read than the first two novels. It's darker, the present they begin in is nastier, and what has gone before has left scars and gaps in Scout's life that the present seems unable to fill - even as others find a future they can live with. And these separations make for some genuinely poignant, moving scenes as futures become set, or don't.
The present seems to require longer and longer jumps to avoid the environmental chaos unfolding on the world, to find a time that is not as dangerous. Even when some form of stability is achieved, Scout is still the outsider, lost in time. And so she skips further and further...
And eventually it is hard to know when Scout is. And then the nature of time travel becomes clearer, leading us to an emotionally satisfying conclusion.
This series was a great read. Well plotted and interesting, sometimes scary, always clever. Great read.
The present seems to require longer and longer jumps to avoid the environmental chaos unfolding on the world, to find a time that is not as dangerous. Even when some form of stability is achieved, Scout is still the outsider, lost in time. And so she skips further and further...
And eventually it is hard to know when Scout is. And then the nature of time travel becomes clearer, leading us to an emotionally satisfying conclusion.
This series was a great read. Well plotted and interesting, sometimes scary, always clever. Great read.
September 27, 2018
I would try to write a complete review, but since I can barely remember what happened, even after finishing it only ten minutes ago, I don't think I'm the right person for the job.
Until this point, I had enjoyed the series. The characters have always been somewhat two-dimensional and flavourless, but even so, the concepts were just interesting enough to keep me reading. Now... not so much. There was no chemistry in the romance, the protagonist was bouncing around between life-threatening crises and despite hearing constantly about this allegedly evil 'government', there's really no explanation of how this world is functioning, just how much it's falling apart.
Until this point, I had enjoyed the series. The characters have always been somewhat two-dimensional and flavourless, but even so, the concepts were just interesting enough to keep me reading. Now... not so much. There was no chemistry in the romance, the protagonist was bouncing around between life-threatening crises and despite hearing constantly about this allegedly evil 'government', there's really no explanation of how this world is functioning, just how much it's falling apart.
December 31, 2020
On the run from the government, Scout’s decades long disappearance is about to catch up with her...
I absolutely loved this series. It was such an interesting concept and the story sarcasm kept surprising me. Still a happy ending of sorts which is good.
I absolutely loved this series. It was such an interesting concept and the story sarcasm kept surprising me. Still a happy ending of sorts which is good.
June 17, 2018
Mind. Blown. This book has made an impression and stayed with me since reading it. Really worth the read.
July 9, 2018
Hoo boy, what an ending! I loved how the puzzle pieces all gradually fell into place. A very satisfying ending to an amazing trilogy! Now I wanna go find that cave in Footscray...
May 29, 2024
Mind blowing LOVED the ending!!! So satisfying!!
January 15, 2024
I read this book in 1 day since receiving it. I absolutely loved it so much. I didn't expect it to end like that. I don't know if I felt satisfied or not but I know I still feel butterflies in my stomach about the ending. LOVED IT. Would recommend to anyone who loves time travel and great YA novels.
Second read through: still as good as the first time. I find the ending actually quite satisfying at the end now, knowing what will happen from the very beginning.
Second read through: still as good as the first time. I find the ending actually quite satisfying at the end now, knowing what will happen from the very beginning.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews