This is book is just so perv-y. I can not read this anymore. This is not cute.

Dino-Rift introduces readers to SauraCorps, a greedy corporation, using time rifts to bring dinosaurs into the present and sell them off to the highest bidder. However, if you know anything about time-travel, you know that messing with the space-time continuum can bite you in the ass. And that's exactly what happens.

An ex-scientist of SauraCorps, Theo, gets banished into the time rift after becoming a whistleblower. His daughter, Emily-Ann, hatches a plan to break into SauraCorps, go through the time rift, and bring back her father, but not before two teenage dweebs (Kamren and Vivienne) blackmail her into sneaking them into SauraCorps for some teenage mischief. When Sebastian Sharpe (a SauraCorps Exec) catches all three of them, they, themselves, are banished into the time rift with no way back home, that is unless they find Emily-Ann's father, Theo, in the rift. The unexpected trio (Kamren, Vivienne, and Emily-Ann) find themselves stuck in the past meeting weird insects, some interesting dinosaurs, and find out just how evil SauraCorps truly is.
_______
This Jurassic Park homage includes just the right amount of (appropriate) teenage romance, time-travel, dinosaurs, and corporate greed. Enough to get YA readers thinking critically about corporations' motives and the human tendency to underestimate things we know nothing about. I don't normally read a lot of YA because I feel like I'm reading very rudimentary literature BUT Derek Borne's writing style, pace, and world-building elevate this book. I was in awe of the dinosaur facts I found riddled throughout the book without making the book boring; Borne did an amazing job of sneaking in facts at just the right time from different characters.

AND OMG THE CHARACTERS. Talk about genius character development. One of the main characters, Kamren, a teenager with not much emotional maturity develops into a young man old enough to notice the romance that blossomed between him and his best friend, Vivienne. Who doesn't love a best friends-to-lovers trope, right? It was so cute to read their own little story among the broader story. It gives a nice, cozy tone to a story of a greedy corporation willing to destroy the space-time continuum for more cash than they would ever know what to do with. I truly can't wait to read the next book.

This is a great YA book and a good introduction to fantasy/romance for those in the EARLY YA age-range. The reason I gave it 2/5 stars is because there were plot holes and not-so-great world building for me. The author does have consistent prose, so it’s not entirely “horrible.” I’m used to more advanced and mature literature, so reading this felt like I was reading a 4th grade chapter book. It just wasn’t for me.

This book definitely tries to keep your mind working at ALL times. Turton's style of writing and the sheer intelligence it takes to write a novel with a broken timeline, is something I will always admire about this book. HOWEVER, it does drag a bit. If you're reading the book JUST to find out what happens in the end/how the timeline ends up coming together, it'll have you thinking, "UGH, this is good but needs to come to an end."

I appreciated the book because I enjoy the journey of learning an author's "genius" (as Virginia Woolf would say) in their writing, but if you just want to read it for the murder/mystery aspect, you'll be WAITING for it to finally come together. It's an amazing read if you can hold out until the end, though. It is wrapped up very nicely.

A tip for reading understanding the broken timeline: don't try to figure it out and don't try to follow what day involves what host (that will make sense if you read it). Just enjoy the story because EVERYTHING gets explained. If you're even a little lost, just keep reading. Turton does an amazing job of explaining any little detail at some point during the book.