Path to Pandora (Timewalker #1) by Margaret M. MacDonald

I thoroughly enjoyed Path to Pandora, particularly Rory’s character and her remarkable gift which enables her to step into the past and use her sharp, deductive powers to unravel mysteries in history. The team’s travels through time and across oceans on Eliza’s mission was captivating and culminated in a powerful climax that’s rendered with real beauty. This story is perfect for read for anyone who enjoys fast-paced quests and imaginative adventures.

I was so excited to get an eARC of Path to Pandora because I knew I was going to love it and I really did! Archaeological adventure is usually left to the screen for how action oriented it is, but I’ve always thought it would be better done in book form. Path to Pandora delivers with a perfect balance between that intense momentum of the genre and a considered interiority in Rory, our protagonist.

Rory has the gift and curse of seeing the past and is clever enough to use it to uncover both ancient artefacts and much closer secrets. Rory consistently proves to be too valuable for her own good and once roped into a whirlwind mission to uncover a myth, managing her unique sight becomes central to her tense collaboration with the rest of the crew.

The characters are delightfully complex. Rory’s relationship with her father, Tyler, haunts the narrative from beginning to end and my opinion shifted with each mention of his name. Eliza Cruz is the epitome of girl-boss and her dogged determination carves an indiscriminate route throughout the world toward her prize. As inspiring as she is terrifying, Eliza’s power makes her fixations all the more dangerous and forces out an intensity from each of her colourful specialists - Keo in particular, the refined cultural expert.

While I always knew where the quest for Pandora’s Jar would lead, the ending manages to satisfy by fulfilling some surprising but welcome character development. I finished the book across 24 hours because I was so invested in pinning down how I felt about Rory, Tyler, Eliza, and Keo. I’d say the book is fast in the best way and perfect for a quick mix of action and character.

Path to Pandora is a fun, fast-paced read that ping pongs between genres, countries, and mythical sites. Three parts adventure, two parts fantasy, and one part romance, the book tells the story of Aurora (Rory) Freeman, a writer with an *uncanny* ability to describe history who is hiding more than one secret about her own past life as part of her late father’s ragtag team of archeological treasure hunters. When she is tracked down by the wealthy self-described “legend hunter” Eliza Cruz, she is quickly sucked into Eliza’s own team of adventurers and her single-minded pursuit of the mythical Pandora’s Box.

The cast of characters are vividly described, and by the end you feel like you’re ready to follow this crew into any number of future quests. Even though the plot moves quickly across continents, it also slows down to allow time for delving into Rory’s inner demons and deeper motivations. It feels like there is plenty yet to be told about her earlier adventures, but the overall pacing is propulsively forward. This book is for anyone who likes vividly described, filmic action and ensemble storytelling.

I received a free advanced reader copy, but my review is my own, not influenced by the publisher.

I loved Path to Pandora! I was given a free advanced review copy by SkyNation Publishing. All opinions are entirely my own and the publisher had no input into them.

Move over Lara Croft, Rory is on the case. Margret has crafted a page turner that I burned through in an afternoon. My only complaint about her writing is that there isn't more of it published yet.

The characters are engaging, the plot was clever and believable, and the world-building gave me so many questions that I'll be chomping at the bit until book 2 is out hoping for more answers along with more thrilling adventures. I can see this being a Hollywood movie to rival The Mummy (the good one from the 90s) or National Treasure one day.