NatashaClarke was once a popular, star student. But she barely makes it through school these days, working overtime to help her mom make ends meet after her father’s disappearance years ago. When her new friend Elodie Blue invites her to ditch school one day, Natasha jumps at the chance, not knowing her life is about to change forever. She wakes up the next day to find herself accused of a crime she has no memory of committing and an invitation to join Gray Wolf Academy, a private boarding school in a remote location, run by the reclusive tech trillionaire Arthur Blackstone. Given no choice, Natasha joins the ranks of the academy, where she discovers that she is about to start a career as a time-traveling thief. Tripping into the past to steal artifacts and treasures, Natasha learns that Arthur has a secret mission that he expects her to fulfill. Her faint memories of time spent with her father may have something to do with the covert operation. If navigating the waters of the past were not complicated enough, Natasha also must contend with potentially untrustworthy schoolmates, her broken relationship with Elodie, and her growing feelings for Braxton, the boy who recruited her for the academy. Noël’s series opener is a fast-paced tale full of puzzles, secrets, and adventures through time, featuring a strong-willed protagonist, an exploration of ethics, and a healthy dose of romance. But characters’ reactions to some of the story’s events are perplexing: People disappear in time, and no one seems to care; Natasha’s mom signs away her daughter’s life to a mysterious school that doesn’t even have a website; and the protagonist often displays a blasé attitude in enigmatic conversations with classmates. The time-traveling element is fun but its mechanism is barely explained in what is decidedly a tale that’s more fantasy than SF. Still, the novel is engaging, with the potential for more character and story development in the sequel.
