A Crown in Time by Jennifer MacaireMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the far future time travel has been perfected, but it is only for the wealthy elite, except when a visitor from the future has altered the timeline, then they send in a convicted criminal, a 'Corrector' to restore the timeline.
Isobel is serving life in prison, being used as a human egg donor, for a heinous crime. Then she is offered a one way trip to 1270. A time-travelling historian accidentally discussed the child crusades in front of a hot-headed young noble, although personally insignificant his descendants should have eventually ruled France but by overhearing a conversation not meant for his ears Jean de Bourbon-Dampierre was aset on a course which would lead to his death fighting the Infidels in Tunis.
Isobel's mission is clear, get Jean to return to his home in France safely and thereby save the crown of France. If she achieves her mission she cna live out the rest of her life in the past. Fail and she will be erased from time.
Isobel has received some training, mainly through the Tempus University's Corrector's Handbook, unfortunately it turns out to be full of plain wrong or unhelpful advice such as try to stay indoors at night and avoid taverns and rowdy gatherings.
I'm a sucker for a time-travel novel and I was intrigued by a novel focused on the time of the Crusades, just before the Inquisition had taken hold of France when society had very different views about sex and nudity. I found it all fascinating. As a keen reader of these novels however, I was not surprised at the plot twist (if I can call it that), but that did not detract from my enjoyment. I really enjoyed the way in which Jennifer Macaire brought to life the difference between an intellectual knowledge of the fate of historical figures and knowing those individuals personally and being affected by their deaths.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I will be looking for Ms Macaire's back-catalogue to read more.
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