Time Trap/Time Return – Red Moon Trilogy by Micah Caida – Reviews

Time Trap
Red Moon Trilogy – Book #1
by MIcah Caida
Release Date: January 19, 2013
Links to order Time Trap: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

Description: In this coming of age debut trilogy, USA Today bestseller Micah Caida turns dystopian young adult fiction on its ear with a breathtakingly fresh science fiction, fantasy story that is as much a thriller as it is a romantic tale.

Rayen’s memory is blank. Her future’s in question. Her power is dangerous.

I awoke in an unknown desert landscape that I felt I should recognize, yet I have no real memory of this place or…who I am. A strange ghost told me my name and that I’m seventeen, but he disappeared just as I could have used some help. I was captured along with others my age who said the land was called Albuquerque, then I was handed over to a private school where at times things are as familiar as the nearby mountain range and as alien as seeing a reflection of my face. Everyone thinks I’m a Native American runaway, whatever that is, but the school has offered me a place to stay until they learn my true identity, or my memory returns. As if things aren’t confusing enough, while stuck with a cocky computer-savvy boy and a gifted, but oddball, girl the three of us discovered a secret that threatens the existence of this world – and the future. In the middle of all this, I’m drawn to a seventeen-year-old boy who is as deadly as he is attractive and thinks I’m the enemy.

Review:
Time Trap by Micah Caida is the first book in the Red Moon trilogy, which is a sci fi, dystopian young adult fantasy in a futuristic world. This story starts off immediately with a bang.  You need to pay attention, or you will be lost very quickly. Rayen is our heroine (she is 17), and she wakes up at the start of the story with no memory.  She ends up in a private exclusive school, under surveillance, since she is truly an unknown.  Rayen befriends Gabby, a strange and different young girl.  In class, she is teamed with Tony, a handsome ego centric computer geek (usually they are jocks lol); and he looks down at both Rayen and Gabby as misfits.

Before you blink, all three are sucked through a computer, into a nightmare. They are in an alien land which has a red moon. As they walk around trying to find a way to go back, they find themselves captured by man-eating plants. It is here we see Rayen use a fire burning energy power that frees them; a power she knows nothing about, nor how to control it.  As they desperately look for help in this strange hostile land, they hear sounds of screaming and run to discover a monstrous beast attempting to harm a child, and a group of children surrounding the beast.  Rayen bravely reacts automatically to defend the child, and again using her power, manages to kill the beast.  You would think the young children, led by an older teenage boy, would be thankful. But not so, as Rayen, Gabby and Tony are taken as prisoners to the group’s compound. 

All of this happens fairly fast.  The action was wild and furious, and early on I was wondering what I got myself into, since I was a little confused.  But as we end up in the compound of the children, we learn about how they too are stuck in this dangerous sphere, spending their time trying to survive.  Micah Caida gives us lots of details about this futuristic world, with Mystiks, who have magical powers; and Tecknati, who are technical geniuses.  Why are all these Mystik children in this Sphere?  Why do the Technati agents try to kill them? What kind of world is this?

I will not give any spoilers at this point.  There is much to learn, as the world building is huge, and once you learn more and more, things become clearer and the rest of the story is a very exciting tale of survival.  Caida has created some really wonderful characters, such as Rayen, Gabby, Tony, Callan, Mathias, Vru, Zilya, Etoi and villains (SEOH & the Tecknati’s).  The ending was exciting, with a cliffhanger that makes us want to come back to find out more.  I did enjoy the attraction between Callan and Rayen.  I marvel at how Micah Caida has created this world of young children/teenagers to fight a survival of the fittest; and make us believe in it.   Now that I am hooked, I can’t wait for Time Return.

Time Return
Red Moon Trilogy – Book #2
by Micah Caida
Release Date: February 11, 2014
Links to order Time Return: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / The Book Depository

Description:
Her Time. His Time. No Time

Rayen promised to return, Gabby must return, and Tony can’t return.
Three teenage friends are connected by a shared secret that forces a decision with consequences no one expects. When Rayen arrives on the Red Moon sphere again, she finds shocking changes. Her arrival causes more upheaval and danger for the MystiK children, creating a heart wrenching challenge for Callan who must choose between duty and holding onto the one girl he can’t have. But walking away is harder than he expects when a new MystiK male in the sphere is poised to take Callan’s place. Under threat of attack from an unexpected enemy, Rayen and Callan must put their personal feelings aside to unite a village in chaos.
Choices backfire, trust is forfeit and alliances shift as elements of the Damian Prophecy begin to fall into place and the time of reckoning is closer than anyone expected.


Review:
Time Return by Micah Caida is the 2^nd book in her Red Moon series.  Having read the first book, I was prepared for this adventure, as I now knew this world and the majority of the characters.  I love the start of the book description, which perfectly says it all when starting this book.

Her Time. His Time. No Time

Rayen promised to return, Gabby must return, and Tony can’t return.

When we left off in Time Trap, Rayen, Gabby and Tony were back in their own time. The three of them have become so much closer and in sync with each other. With Gabby having adverse reactions, they need to go back, and the three of them will work together to make it happen.

Returning to the Red Moon sphere (in the future), they arrive to much destruction, though only a few days passed. The situation is dire, and Rayen is ready and willing to help Callan fight off the Tecknati enemies, to save the children and find a way for them all to go home. Though throughout this book, this does not look possible. I will not give spoilers, as it is impossible to tell too much, without being too revealing

We get to see the characters we got to know in Time Trap, especially Callan, Mathias, V’ru, Jaxxson , and the two I hated (Zilya and Etoi), as well as two new great characters, Kaz and Kenja.  I loved how the friendship of Rayen, Gabby and Tony evolved, as well as Callan and Rayen’s slow build romance.  This is young adult/children, so there is not much romance other than the strong feelings between them. 

This was such an exciting adventure, lots of action, as well as learning more details about the upcoming prophecy, which will decide their future.  I was totally hooked by the fast start, and had to finish the book in one day.  What I found amazing is that Micah Caida has been able to convince us that these children, especially the main characters (11-17), are strong fierce survivalists, capable of doing the things we watch them do. We learn to care about them and root for them all the way.  Rayden is a wonderful heroine, whose powers keep growing, and somehow, someway, she is going to be the one piece that will save them, when this trilogy ends.  At least I hope so.  I also loved Gabby, who has grown so much since this series started, which technically is only a few days or so.  Another plus for Caida is how she has taken three characters (Rayen, Gabby & Tony), so very different, and allowed them to develop a bonding and strong friendship.

Time Return is as story of survival, time travel, futuristic, friendship, villians, battles, sci fi, prophecy and a nice simple romance. This is not just a story for young adults, as it is a very exciting story for all ages.  I cannot wait for the final story in this trilogy, Time Lock.

Reviewed by Barb

Copies provided by Author