Phantom Universe by Laura Kreitzer

Release Date: Feb 15, 2011
Publisher: Obsidian Mountain Publishing
Pages: 225 pages (E-proof)
Genre: Romance, Time-travel, Dystopia
Rating: 3 stars
Source: Uncorrected e-proof received from the publisher

Goodreads Summary: Sold into slavery to pirates at the young age of four, Summer learns to survive the rough seas of subterfuge and thieves through silence. When the boat she’s lived on most of her life is destroyed, Summer finds herself washed up on the shore of a new world, a phantom universe full of the bizarre and extraordinary. She meets Gage, the one boy who understands the girl with no speech. But when their lives are put on the line, will Summer finally call out? Or will all be lost in the fathomless depth of silence?

Review: This book is a pleasant mix of sci-fi, romance and time travel to a dystopian society. Summer is kidnapped and sold to the captain of a pirate ship when she is four years old. These are modern pirates who hijack freighters and steal their cargo, so no eye patches and peg legs here. After her ship is destroyed, she barely survives and inexplicably finds herself in the future.

The story alternates between the present where Summer is 16 years old, and in flashbacks of her kidnapping and slavery. A lot of time is spent on Summer’s life as a slave on the ship, which I understand because her past experiences shape her current behavior. Usually when a girl has to get saved a lot or passes out a lot in a book, I get very annoyed, but with Summer, I understood why she was like that. I would have liked to know more about the world of the future, outlander camps, the time travel and especially the Secret Clock Society.

The book is not all about the romance, which is a good thing, but it does play a large part in the story. I am also happy that there is no love triangle here, no going back and forth between two guys. The secondary characters and very likable and I hope we find out more about them in upcoming books.

There are issues with flow and some typos, but I expected that from an uncorrected e-proof. I am not a fan of the cover of the book mainly because Summer is a 16 year old girl and the woman pictured on the front looks quite a bit older than that.

This is the first book in a series and I am curious to know what will happen to Summer and her friends.

Content: A scene where a young character is almost raped (but was thankfully saved) and few minor swear words. Some violence.