Cascade (River of Time, #2) [Review]

Title: Cascade
Author: Lisa T. Bergren
Labels: Fiction | YA | General
Publisher: David C. Cook
Publication Date: June 1, 2011
Contains: N/A
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | The Publisher

My Rating: ★★★★☆ (I liked it)
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Blurb: Mom touched my underdress—a gown made six hundred years before—and her eyes widened as she rubbed the raw silk between thumb and forefinger. She turned and touched Lia’s gown. “Where did you get these clothes?”
          Gabi knows she’s left her heart in the fourteenth century and she persuades Lia to help her to return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, weeks have passed and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence—while the Florentines will go to great lengths to see them dead.
          But Marcello patiently awaits, and Gabi must decide if she’s willing to leave her family behind for good in order to give her heart to him forever. [Taken from Goodreads]
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Note: This is going to be a short review, because I finished the book like 3-4 weeks ago, but since I was taking an intensive college course at the time, I didn't have the time to write the review. Hence it will not be as in depth as I would have liked.

          Gabi, Gabi, Gabi, Gabi. She always manages to get right into the heart of battle, no? So Cascade picks up right where Waterfall left off...quite literally. Like, a lot of sequels will have at least a short time span between the two, whereas this one picks up literally minutes after the first book ends. Which is fine. I just thought that was interesting.

          It was cool that on the second trip back to medieval Italy Gabi and Lia got to bring their mom with them...but then I was kinda disappointed that their mom didn't have a stronger role in the story. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I kinda felt like their mother got left on the sidelines once the arrived, and Gabi and Marcello picked right back up and stole the spotlight for the rest of the book. I mean, I get that the book is basically their story. But I guess I would have liked to have seen Gabi and Lia associate more with their mother, instead of the mother being there just for the ride.

          To me it felt like there was a lot more action in this volume of The River of Time Series, which was great. That meant there was less time for Gabi and Marcello to be all ooey gooey, and be more like legit medieval warriors than lovesick teenagers. Maybe that was a little harsh. But it was starting to get to me how they were always so...sappy? (for lack of a better word)...over each other. Less kissing, more fighting! :P

          To make up for my distaste of overly gooey romances, a new character was introduced to the mix -- Lord Greco. Now him, I liked. He might be a new fav. character for me....along with Luca. Because Luca, he's cool.

          Sadly, I wasn't crazy about the ending. I'm not going to say what happens at the end, because that would ruin it. But it wasn't as great as I was hoping it would be. I kinda felt like the last event was just slapped onto the end. Other than that I thought the book was really good.