Lory S. KaufmanRezensionen
Autor von The Lens and the Looker
Rezensionen
The 'Loved and the Lost ' also further explores the lives of Lincoln, & Shamira. With the changes in their lives, will they still want to help him or must he do it on his own if the Council agrees. Hansum's turmoil increases - as does situations encountered - and time passes by.
This ha been an interesting series in the viewpoint of the author. This dystopian series is much more realistic and feasible than most others I have read. Although some of the authors reasons after the end of his final chapter, I do not fully agree with, I still feel the reasoning is well thought through and bears consideration.
This book is recommended for YA of all ages. Adults will equally find this engaging.
This series was very well written with but a few crude words. Because of those few crude words and a slightly excessive "mulling" over events by Hansum, I still cannot give a full Five Stars rating.
Therefore in my review of this book, I offer a Four and a Half stars rating.
*This book was gifted to me for and honest review, of which I have given.
To read the rest of my review, please click here.
In this sequel of the Verona Trilogy, Hansum's well-thought-out plans explodes into an unexpected "hitch". New twists evolve and life takes some bitter-sweet shifts in direction.
The reader's interest is captivated throughout the book. However, there is brief profanity and there is a large portion of very graphic violence. definitely not recommended for younger teens.
The characters are created and sustained very well. They really "come to life". The action and surrounding scenes are very descriptive and vivid. The title is very fitting and the eye-catching book cover becomes very apparent part way through the book.
I just cannot give this book a five stars review rating with the intense violence and the occasional use of bad language. I, therefore, continue rating this with a Four Stars rating.
*This book was sent too me in exchange for an honest review, of which I have given.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.
17 year old Hansum, Shamira, – approximately 15 year old-, and 13 year old Lincoln were very difficult children who were always pulling very disruptive pranks so were sent to “Hard-Time History Camp” to be taught a lesson. Notwithstanding,, that lesson was not well-learned which presented a new problem that was soon to go awry. The tree youth go through many experiences they never comprehended possible. However, they were not left to their own concoctions but inconspicuously acquired “Pan”.
The action and adventures are continuous. There is a few words of slight profanity and crudeness but mostly is “cleanly” written. There is even a touch of romance. It is recommended for middle school age children and all YA.
I am eager to read the next sequel ‘The Loved & the Lost.
Early in the book, Hansum is separated from his friends, but not before he manages to marry Guillietta in secret. What bugs me about this is how Guillietta's father still treats him like a child, even though he is certainly entitled to be treated as an adult by this time. Hansum exhibits a certain level of maturity that few seem to recognize or respect. Once Hansum is moved to a private estate, his story exchanges with the rest of his friends in alternating sections.
The drama that occurs between Shamira and the artist is quite transparent to me. I am not sure if the author intended for the reader to discern the artist's true intentions so easily, but the artist's lack of talent combined with obvious lies and an obsessive interest in the lookers made it apparent what he was really about. I can only feel sorry for Shamira in her first foray into the realm of romance.
Hansum does well at creatively avoiding an engagement to Lady Beatrice, but I had to wonder how long he would be successful at this. With Hansum's almost constant protectiveness over the genie, Pan, I also wondered how long he would really be able to keep up the ruse.
With a greater focus on the technological advancements that Hansum is introducing, and less of a focus on the relationship-building of the first book in the series, this book was better written and a more enjoyable read for me. The author's evident strengths lie in his knowledge of the technology used in the series and the history of 14th-century Verona, so when those are brought to the forefront, the writing is quite intriguing. I still feel that the author is trying to do too much with this novel and trying to appeal to a too-large audience with everything from romance, history, suspense, political intrigue, and technology, to numerous science fiction themes, but it is better written than the first book in the series.
The Loved and The Lost is the final installment in the Verona trilogy and what an ending to such an epic series. This time around the team knows what the History Camp was up to. They now know what they have to do to fix things, but will history repeat itself? They travel back to 14th century Verona again to save their extended family, but they see that it will not be easy at all. There are more dangers around then they originally thought.
I loved this. This was a great ending to an incredible series. I loved seeing how much these characters have grown. They have went from being troublesome kids with not a care in the world to becoming people who are willing to help and sacrifice for the ones they love. I love all the characters even more this time around. As mentioned, I love how much Hansum has changed. His improvement is immense. He started off as such a brat. But now he is a man on a mission. He wants to save Guilietta from the unfortunate fate that had befallen her. He wants to save her and their unborn child. They want to bring her to the future. It was so painful to see because every time they traveled back into the 14th century, the consequences were worse and worse.
I also love Lincoln and Shamira of course. Lincoln is definitely a favorite. I love how much he has grown, but he is still able to be funny and make me laugh. And Shamira has found a new love named Kingsley. I loved them both especially Kingsley. He was quite sexy and lovable. We still have all the other characters that we have grown to love or hate. I still must say, I still feel bad for Uglinio. He has done some bad and equally stupid things, but I don't know. I think it was all the hits to the head. He might have turned out differently. But maybe I am just making excuses for him.
I love all the emotion that was put into this. You will go from screaming curses to crying your eyes out. I love that the History Camp wants them to really learn from their lessons. The story was so intense and full of twists, it killed me. You won't believe where this goes. I loved what Kaufman threw at us even though it had me screaming at times. It was so amazing. I really loved the ending. Man, I wish I could spoil you guys. But you have to experience it for yourself.
I highly recommend this book. I highly recommend this whole series. It takes you places you never thought you would go. Even if time travel isn't your thing, this is still a must read. It is never boring or confusing. You will root for all these characters and be completely entranced in their incredible journeys in the future and the past. What a great mix of historical fiction, dystopian, and science fiction. You really won't find anything like this trilogy. This series is a must read.
The Lens and the Looker takes place in the 24th century. We start things off with a guy named Hansum. He likes to start trouble and give his professors a run for their money. His professors think he needs to learn a lesson. The kids of this generation have it way too easy. No real responsibilities and no real work. So they send him to History Camp. History Camp is where they send kids to learn how things were back in the past. While at the camp Hansum, he meets two other kids named Lincoln and Shamira. The camp is just full of actors who want to teach the kids something. But the kids have a few things up their sleeve so they could be sent home early. Hansum's mom works for the History Camp, so he knows how to play the game. They sneak in technology into the camp (which isn't allowed) and trick the actors. So while the actors are trying to figure out what to do with the troublesome kids, they meet someone that wants to take them on a real adventure. They may have been sent into the past for real and they have to figure out how they will cope while waiting to be sent back to the future.
This book really took me by surprise. The concept was great. I love the mixture of dystopian meets history. It was brilliant. Hansum and his new found friends are all given jobs in the history camp. Hansum and Lincoln are being taught how to make glasses or “discs for the eyes”. But after their prank, they are taken back into 14th century Italy. They notice things will not be as easy as they thought. I love all things they had to face while stuck in the past. There skills with creating lens makes a huge impact in the past. While there, Pan (the technology genie) tells them to create the telescope. The telescope isn't to be created until hundreds of years from now. So this would force the History Camp makers to bring them back to the 24th century. It is quite a mystery wondering if the History Camp makers will show up or whether they will stop them. Their inventions could change the fabric of history completely.
We also have the story of the kids and the family they are living with. They are brought in as orphans to serve a family that is a bit down on their luck. All three of the kids have their own special talents. Their talents earn them much love amongst the family, but jealousy and greed amongst others. The kids have to team together to not only save the family, but each other.
I had a lot of fun with these characters. Hansum, Lincoln, and Shamira were a blast together. I liked them more and more as the book went on. Hansum was suppose to be the rebellious teenager. I wasn't 100% on board with that. I just didn't get why he was that way. It is never really explained. Same thing goes for the other kids. But I love how close they became. We also have Ugilino, he is in love with the Master's daughter, Guilietta, and he hates that she has taken notice of Hansum and not him. I felt really sorry for him in this book. He was treated so badly because of his looks and I think that is why he acted the way he acted. I hope to see more of him in the other books and that he can be redeemed. I wish I can tell you guys the whole story, but this is a book that can be easily spoiled.
Overall, I say check this book out. It does start off quite slow and it can be a bit verbose in parts. But it really picks up by Book 3 (the book is split up into books or sections). Section 3 is definitely the best part. This book is full of mischief, laughs, and adventure. It also has its fair share of gross out moments which were sometimes quite funny. I love this idea of mixing science fiction and history. I know sometimes time travel reads can get a little crazy and confusing, but this did a good job. Kaufman has a great writing style and I am looking forward to reading his other works. This book is imaginative and fun. Definitely worth reading.
The Bronze and The Brimstone is the second book in the Verona Trilogy. This time around we follow the gang as we see how they are successfully surviving in 14th century Italy. Hansum is seen as a genius inventor and everyone wants to pick his brain for his inventions for war. Shamira and Lincoln are also doing well and thriving. But all the success brings more than they bargain for when they start to see the ugly side of success. Not only does Hansum have to figure out a way to keep the Podesta happy, but he must keep the Master of the house happy. He loves and wants to marry his daughter, Guiletta, but neither the Podest nor the Master will accept. And to make things worse, given the time period and where they are, the Black Plague is soon to be on them. They don’t even know the beginning of horror yet.
What an amazing sequel. This was even better than the first book. It was so exciting and quite the rollercoaster. There were definitely a few tears from me. I loved the gang even more this time around. They were so immature in the first book. I love how much they have grown and accepted their situation. They could have easily gone around moping around, wanting everyone to do the work for them. In this book, we mainly follow Hansum aka Romero. I was most satisfied with his progress from the first book. He was just so spoiled. We also still have Pan. He is the chip that helps guide the group and tells them about the inventions that will help them succeed. I am so happy they had Pan. If not for him, I can not imagine how these guys would survive, mainly Hansum. With Hansum’s success, he is beginning to see the ugly side of those he works with and how easily people can turn on you if they don’t get what they want.
There were amazing plot twists in this book. The main one at the end I kind of had a feeling about. It just wouldn’t have made sense otherwise if you think about it. But there were many other things that I didn’t see coming. The Podesta is so desperate to get more of Hansum’s genius; he did something absolutely awful in this book that resulted in something even more terrible happening. This was weird for me because Hansum’s reaction to it wasn’t what it should have been. I would have done something. That was just unforgivable and it was all due to his selfishness. I don’t think the Podesta is evil per se, but he looks out for number one and that is it. There is even a story with Father Lorenzo. Oh my goodness, I could rant about him all day. I couldn’t believe him especially in the end. Wow!
This book was an exciting read from beginning to end. I was never bored and Kaufman really through a lot of incredible loops at us. Again, there were tears and laughs. I felt quite a connection with the characters. We do get a little more of the side characters in this book, but not nearly enough for me. But I still loved the book. You really won’t believe where this book goes. Highly recommend this read for those looking for a unique kind of science fiction. I love the world set in the past. I actually feel like I am there, Kaufman does such a great job bringing it to life. Definitely check this trilogy out.
The good bits? The characters, for one thing. Both main and secondary, the characters in 'The Lens and the Looker' are likable, entertaining, and have purpose. Author Lory S. Kaufman created noticeable character growth between the first and last page-- something that isn't always found in many juvi/ya books!
As mentioned before, the setting does not disappoint. Kaufman's descriptions of Verona and Italy in general are done well. Having been to Italy, I know a bit about the rich, vastness that is the beautiful country and Kaufman's descriptions rang true to me!
I don't know if I would consider this 'dystopian', but it is clearly sci-fi due to the time travel element and Genie. The main concept is dystopian and the idea of History Camps is quite interesting but once they skip to the time traveling, it goes straight to sci-fi.
My main issue with 'The Lens and the Looker' is the writing style. My own personal reading preferences lead towards books that don't carry a lot of long descriptive paragraphs with dialogue between each one. I like quick dialogue and quick descriptive lines that keep the action moving and give just the right amount of description. 'The Lens and the Looker' has good dialogue, but the long descriptions made me jump a bit, sometimes missing important details. Course, some people love long descriptions (like Tolkien readers!), but me, not so much.
All things considered, 'The Lens and the Looker' is a good read. If you are in the mood for time travel and don't mind slightly too long descriptive passages, this is something you may want to consider! 'The Lens and the Looker' gets 3 out of 5 stars!
In this book, Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln are trying to rescue Hansum's wife Guilietta from her fate and bring her into the future so that they can live, altogether now - happily ever after. The problem is, every time they go back in time to save her they make things worse. How will they overcome the obstacles placed before them so that they can move forward instead of backward?
It's a learning process for all three as they train for their missions but experience love and loss along the way. Mr. Kaufman doesn't spare his characters as they try to "fix" things that sometimes just cannot be fixed. He writes in a fashion that has his reader turning the pages although I must admit that I was getting a touch frustrated with this one - I think we had one "adventure" too many before we reached the ending. The ending was satisfying but not what was expected so I guess that is good.
Despite these being written for a young adult audience I found myself enjoying them.
4.5
RATING: 4
HEAT RATING: SWEET
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction Reviews
RATING: 4
HEAT RATING: SWEET
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews
What should have been a two week punishment, the teens find themselves stuck in the 14th century for six months, and the only way they have managed to survive is thanks to Hansum smuggling in Pan, which is a virtual figure that can access anything from history, think a virtual computer figure. This is where the story begins with a brief re-telling of the synopsis from The Lens and The Looker. This is the perfect introduction to this book, especially if you haven't read the first one, so it can stand alone as it's own novel. However, once you immerse yourself in this one, you'll definitely want to go back and see where it all began.
Thanks to the innovations the teens shared in the 14th century such as the telescope, the cannons and black powder, some of the rich and well-to-do will do whatever it takes to keep themselves at the top of the political ladder of success especially when Hansum and his friends have made them very powerful and wealthy as a means to survive.
What makes the series so unique is the attention to detail from the historical eye, and Lory Kaufman does an exceptional job at making the 14th century Verona, Italy especially real for the readers and thus makes the book a real delight. This time the readers are in for a treat when they are reading a great story about time travel and the future and end up with a unique perspective on history as well.
I received The Bronze and the Brimstone compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours for my honest review and think that Lory Kaufman has really hit on something unique. A way to showcase the love of learning with a blend of story-telling that keeps the young reader engaged as they are learning about history. Another 5 out of 5 stars and will be looking forward to future books by Lory Kaufman in the future. He is keeping the love of learning and reading alive in his books.
The Verona Trilogy is a time-traveling YA series featuring teens from the 24th century who get stuck in 14th century Verona, Italy. Although The Bronze and the Brimstone is Book #2 in this series, it can work fairly well as a stand-alone novel. I’m sure I could have gotten into the story faster if I had read The Lens and the Looker first; however, I was able to figure out the basics of how they got there fairly easily. Adults who are interested in the 14th century may find this novel interesting historically, and it seems better suited for teens who are history buffs. Read the rest of my review and enter to win an autographed copy at http://popcornreads.com/?p=2617
A brief overview:
Hansum, Lincoln, and Shamira are three kids from the 24th century who are what we would call 'problem children'. They don't pay attention in school and cause problems wherever and whenever they can. They are juvenile delinquents in the making. As a punishment, they must "do time" in a history camp. A
re-enactment of a time when life wasn't so easy. The kids are sent to a camp representing Verona,Italy in 1347. Does the date sound familiar? Remember The Black Plague?
Luckily for them, they have the assistance of an Artificial Intelligence genie named Pan. Pan is a genie whose goal is to cause havoc. With help from Pan they cause problems in the camp..Remember, this is supposed to be a school of sorts. Well, obviously they are not learning much.
A strange traveller from the future named Arimus approaches the kids and takes them to the real Verona, Italy. During the actual 14th century. No prettified (is that a word?) camp with safety precautions in place. The kids must find a way to survive, or die.
I like Mr. Kaufman's writing style. This was a very well written book. His descriptions of life in the history camp and then in 14th century Verona were just incredible. He even went so far as to explain the differences in the 14th century between the camp and the actual Verona. I love history and was fascinated by his descriptions of everyday life. Next time you walk down the street, think about how you would feel (or smell) if your neighbor threw the contents of a chamber pot in front of you.
The three brats, I mean kids, were spoiled individuals. I didn't think too much of them at first. Slowly I began to change my mind. We see them mature and grow.
Remember, this is the first in a trilogy.
The second book, The Bronze and the Brimstone is available now.
Author: Lory S. Kaufman
Publisher: The Fiction Studio
The Bronze and the Brimstone is the second book in the series of the Verona Trilogy by Lory S. Kaufman. This book picks up right where the first book, The Lens and the Looker, ends. Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln are three teens that are from the 24th century and are trapped in the 14th century Verona, Italy.
The teens have experienced and survived many dangerous instances and have been noticed by the rich and powerful of the day by introducing futuristic technology into the past. In the book, Kaufman weaves the teens through many dangerous trials and tribulations and we watch them all grow and mature into responsible adults. Ok…they are still teens, but remember they are in the 14th century and things are much harder then and people grew up a lot faster. This book ends when the Black Death was sweeping across the area. Kaufman gives us an unexpected twist at the end that makes us want to read the next one!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves sci-fi, fantasy fiction. But let me say this….it is historical. Both book 1 & 2 are set in Verona Italy in the 14th century. Up to this point there hasn’t been a lot of information given about the 24th century except in the first few little chapters of book 1. However, I’m fine with that. I love historical fiction!
BTW…there is a third book (hence trilogy). It is called The Loved and the Lost…and I CANNOT wait to get my hands on a copy!!!!
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Title: The Lens and the LookerAuthor: Lory S. KaufmanPublisher: The Fiction StudioThe Lens and the Looker is the first book in a trilogy by Lory S. Kaufman. I won the second book from Goodreads and didn't want to read it until I had read the book 1. This book is about 24th century humans that with the help of artificial intelligence have created the perfect post-dystopian society. In this book we first meet with three teenagers Hansum who is almost 17, Shamira who is 15, and Lincoln who is 14. These three are what the elders in the 24th century call "hard cases" and have elected to send them to History Camp where they can learn some valuable lessons. However, while at History Camp the teens are kidnapped by a rogue ex-elder of History Camp and actually taken back into the past to 1347 in Verona, Italy. These teens have two choices at this point. They can either adapt to the lifestyle or die.I'm not going to give any spoilers...but let me tell you...after i got past the first few pages that seemed a little slow for me..I didn't want to put this book down. The characters are so well-developed that I could visualize them taking part int he activities described in the story. I would definitely recommend this book.Oh yeah.....and now I can grab the The Bronze and the Brimstone (the 2nd of the series) and begin to read more about the three teanagers and their adventures.
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The plot was still well done, and although it focuses a lot more on Hansum again, Shamira has now her own storyline (it’s a short one, unfortunately) and Lincoln still has a small role - I wished he was more into this book, he’s fun to read and adds more life to the book because of his personality. I think, if he was paired up with Hansum from the start, the plot could have taken a different twist, but also would have been a much more enjoyable read.
Not to say I didn’t like Hansum, although I’d rather started disliking him towards the second half of the book when he started to turn a 360 and started to act like a jerk. It’s understandable, since all he wants to do is work but also spend his life with Guilietta (which seems to be extremely difficult to do, and you can feel his frustration). However it’s good to see all three characters have maintained their maturity and their character development in this book is very well done and well written.
What I enjoyed the most was the rich historical detail this book had. It certainly looked like there was a lot of work put into this so the reader will experience a much more authentic setting and it’s a well done job. From the characters clothing, to what they eat, and to what they use in everyday life is set in fine detail.
As mentioned before, this book could have been better. I thought it dragged a bit in certain areas. Although it’s interesting on how the making of gunpowder is made, and how a cannon is constructed, this is where the detail is just so minute it feels like you’re reading a textbook on “Life and Times in Historical Italy” than anything else. It might be interesting to some readers but for those that just want to get to the action, this part of the book is slow and can get dry. To me it felt like there were endless pages on how the construction was done, and I had to put the book down several times to slap myself awake. As much as I love detail and the fine parts, this was just too much for me.
Also although the target audience is for young adults there is a level of violence and language that may not be so good for younger readers. Plus there is some content that could be questionable. There was one particular violent moment involving a donkey and I’m still wondering why Hansum needed to do this to prove a point. It’s certainly uncharacteristic of him and I wonder if that was even necessary.
The ending of the book was good as it felt like the action was all saved for the last few pages. It was an intense emotional roller coaster. The reader will be stunned, sad, angry, and relieved. All in just a few pages. That those few pages got me to feel this way in less than fifteen minutes it took me to read them is just brilliant. It was absolutely well done.
Despite this being dry in some parts, it was well worth the read. Rich in historical detail, with a good mix of action, romance, and drama, I am definitely looking forward to how this series ends. This book could have been better, but the ending makes up for it in so many ways it makes it well worth the read.
Backing up, I was very interested in the present-day time period of 2347 and the few details that Kaufman spared regarding this society. Unfortunately, not much is explained about how this society came to be. A brief explanation is given for the planetary population of 300 million, along with other random details interspersed throughout the book, such as every child born is paired with an A.I., people are implanted with a device that keeps disease and infection at bay, and parents are only allowed to have one child with a lottery sometimes allowing for a second child. The purpose of the History Camps are explained through the rebellious attitudes of the three main characters and how they can easily manipulate the system for their own entertainment. As a parent, the word that continually echoed through my head regarding these children in the Hard-Time History Camp is "Spoiled!" Though they are supposed to be learning about how the rebellion of the human populations of the past caused everything from war, to disease, to poverty and famine, the way the children are coddled and protected from any sort of real pain or hardship makes me wonder how these History Camps ever accomplished anything of lasting value in any child.
Once the children are brought to the real Verona and abandoned as orphans, they finally begin to get a taste of real difficulty and hardship, but this is where the believability ends for me. The children had a single day in the History Camp Verona to get acquainted with their roles, and they show up in the real Verona as near-experts, maneuvering the details of their jobs to accommodate for comfort and ease of use that the family they work for is not familiar with, of course all with the help and direction of a very convenient genie. On top of all of this, the three children become agreeable, cooperative, and hard-working practically overnight, with little sign of the rebellious tendencies that put them in a History Camp in the first place. These transitions in character development felt forced to me.
Another aspect that really bugged me from the beginning of the book was the awkwardness of the dialog throughout the book, specifically regarding the children's speech. It felt stilted and over-simplified, and slowed down my reading because I consistently felt that children today did not speak like this. Some of the speech of the people native to the real Verona also seemed strange, but I attributed that to the speech of the time period.
Many of the characters took on unique facets that made them rather memorable to me, such as Ugilino's looks and arrogance, Signora della Cappa's madness, and Shamira's artistic inclinations. The budding romance between Hansum, or "Romero", and Guilietta copies the Shakespearean play, "Romeo and Juliet", in many ways, down to the presence of a Father Lurenzano, and I have to wonder about Kaufman's motivations for working this tale into the plot. And again, their romance also felt forced and over-the-top, missing the reality-warping conviction that is obvious in the original Shakespeare story.
I also have to wonder how these advancements that the three children are introducing to 1347 Verona are actually affecting the progression of time, since this is a much harped-upon concern regarding time travel. The only thing that is apparent to both the children and the reader is the quaint changes made to the appearance of the genie. Something else that is also mentioned early on is that this is also the same time period as the Black Plague, which has yet to make an appearance. Hopefully, the next book in the trilogy will address these things, The Bronze and the Brimstone: The Verona Trilogy, Book 2.
This book seemed geared to appeal to pre-teens and young teens in many ways, but as an adult reader, it left much to be desired for me.
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Hansum, Shamira and Lincoln are all kids who are growing up in the year 2347. However during the course of the story, they are transported to the year 1347 in Verona, Italy. What I liked about these characters was how well they complimented one another. Hansum is the oldest, and although he has a snarky attitude sometimes, he's also very intelligent and perceptive. Shamira is good at understanding others, and kind of fills in the holes that they boys have in the emotional department. Then there's Lincoln of course, who kind of ends up as the comedic relief. He definitely has his share of insecurities, but he's also quite funny because of that! These characters bond together beautifully to pull you in and make you want to read on. I wanted to see what happened to them. Would they be smart enough and resourceful enough to make it through? One can only hope.
The setting of this book is mainly Verona in the 1300's. I'll admit that the one thing that I was a little disappointed in was that I didn't get to learn more about the world that these kids came from, before being deposited in the past. There are little snippets of their original home given out here and there, but as a person who is rather in love with dystopian and post-dystopian fiction, I really wanted to see what it was that they didn't appreciate. I suppose there was an inner part of me that wanted to compare right along with them. I know that I would be glad to be home after being in 1300's Verona, and we live in a time that is supposedly much less amazing than theirs!
Overall though I really enjoyed this story. The research that was done into this time period shines through on each page. Verona is described perfectly, right down to the less pleasant aspects of it during this time, and it is easy to find yourself transported there as you read. Add in characters who are intelligent, multi-faceted and downright intriguing, and you have a book that is quite a read. The Lens and the Looker is admittedly not something I would have chosen for myself, but that makes me all the more glad that I was offered it for review. It has changed my perception of the genre of historical fiction even more towards the positive side. I know that there is a sequel coming soon, and I cannot wait to find out what adventures these three teens will go on next. Thank you Lory Kaufman, for bringing a new world into my reading.