Author: Dan Rix
Genre: Science Fiction
Published on: December 4, 2014, self-published
On the eve of the senior class lake retreat, seventeen-year-old ice queen Iris Strasser watches her future collapse before her eyes—literally—when she crawls out of a malfunctioning time machine, mumbles a cryptic warning, and then falls dead. Sudden cardiac arrest.
Cancelling the retreat is a no-brainer, but her infuriating arch nemesis—popular prick Cory Holland—will have none of it. Still raw from using time travel to save his ungrateful crush, he’s been looking forward to a weekend of zip-lining, bonfires, and hot bikini-clad girls getting frisky in the lake all summer—Iris Strasser notwithstanding. Besides, if anything goes wrong, they can always use the time machine again.
But when the retreat unfolds in a series of bizarre and deadly accidents, each preceded by a ghostly figure rumored to be death itself—here to finish the job Cory and Iris short-circuited the last time around—they realize they’re not the only ones dipping their fingers into the past, and now the ripple effects are catching up with them.
Now there’s only one way for Iris to outsmart death: she must set aside her hatred of Cory and learn to trust him completely—even if it means letting him get dangerously close to her when she’s most vulnerable. Cory, for his part, never anticipated that he would want to.
This time, though, meddling with the past has larger consequences than either of them could have imagined.
After the pulse-pounding time travel adventure in A Strange Machine, I was piqued for more. This series has three main characters. They are Cory Holland, Iris Strasser, and Noah Wright. The three attend Lakeside Upper (yes, Bill Gates’ alma mater). Cory is an arrogant young genius, Noah his down-to-earth best friend, and Iris a competitive brainiac. In the previous book, Cory and Iris stumbled upon the Chronos. It’s a quantum computer prototype recently donated to their school. While tinkering with it in secret, they discover it’s a time machine.
A Strange Machine ended with a huge cliffhanger. Cory had just saved his crush, Samantha Silvers, from death. He and the others were in the room with the Chronos when it opened by itself. Iris (possibly a version from the future) emerges with half a warning. The sight shocks present-time Iris. She takes it as a warning not to go to the school’s weekend retreat. Cory being Cory refuses to miss the trip. The trio end up going to the retreat after all. It’s at a lake a few hours away from the city. The whole senior class shows up for the trip, of course.
One important supporting character is Anneliese “Don’t Call Me Annie” Faye. She’s Samantha’s best friend, as well as the daughter of Edgard Faye, creator of the Chronos. Anneliese is disappointed because her father has a curious way of showing he cares about her. Edgard lets Anneliese do whatever she wants because he knows nothing bad will happen to her. Get it? Cory, Iris, and Noah aren’t the only ones who know the Chronos’s true nature.
The seniors are barely settled in the lake retreat before accidents start to happen. Iris comes close to getting killed, but no one thinks that was anything but an accident. They all continue as normal. Anneliese, though, is uneasy. It appears she knows a lot more about what’s going on than the others. Her fears seem confirmed when more accidents occur. The latest one is definitely intentional. Who could be behind all this?
Another character from A Strange Machine returns. He’s Dante, Samantha’s boyfriend. Dante was there when Cory helped him save his girlfriend’s life. He hasn’t forgotten how it happened or what Cory said to him. Dante knows that Cory has a machine of some sort. He isn’t very interested in finding out exactly what kind of machine it is. Dante is more interested in keeping Samantha safe. The accidents make him suspicious. He also spots a strange silhouette lurking around the retreat. Dante thinks this stranger has something to do with the accidents.
Rivals though they are, Cory and Iris become closer in this book. Their knowledge of the machine keeps them wondering why bad things are happening. Cory thinks maybe death isn’t happy that he cheated it, that maybe Samantha was destined to die. Now it’s after Cory and Iris as well. This kind of thinking felt strange coming from a guy like him. Cory’s experienced what the Chronos can do, so maybe he’s more open-minded about inexplicable things now. As for Iris, she’s coming to terms with her increased popularity. She used to be an outcast, until her senior year began. Iris is now more like the other girls…but she hasn’t lost herself, though.
When Iris narrowly escapes death again, it’s clear she and Cory must do something. The answer comes soon afterward. A mysterious helper secretly tells Iris what is to happen and how she can prevent it. The Chronos is once again the key to saving the day. Unfortunately, Cory and Iris aren’t the only ones who know about the machine. And that other someone isn’t happy they’ve been having fun with it. Will Cory and Iris prevail over this new adversary, or will he stop them definitively? Things are getting more exciting now. Overall, The Ghost at Retreat Lake didn’t disappoint. It’s an awesome sequel. There are two books to go, which I can’t wait to read. They sound like they’ll be just as awesome as the first entries.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
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