Sunday, March 15, 2026

Book Review - The Doomsday Vault (Everwhen School of Time Travel) by Thomas Wheeler

 


The Doomsday Vault (Everwhen School of Time Travel) by Thomas Wheeler is about three young kids who get accepted into a highly acclaimed time travel school. In 1878, Bertie Wells did something unexpected. He accidentally created a black hole in his bedroom. The last thing he expected was for someone to step out of the black hole and know who he was.

Darla Marconi doesn’t speak or dress like anyone he knows. However, she has an offer for him that he cannot refuse. She invites Bertie to attend the College of Space Machines, Multiverses, and Other Odd Sciences (or COSMOS).

Bertie is excited but wary about attending, even though his father is against the idea of Bertie attending the school. Bertie decides to follow his heart and join the school, where he is transported to 2022 for his first day. At the new school, he meets new friends, Zoe Fuentes and Amelia da Vinci.

As the trio befriends each other and tries to make the most of their time together, they will need to stick together when something or someone threatens the timeline, just as the dean of the school has disappeared. Will they be able to save the timeline before it is too late?

I have been reading a lot more young adult or children’s novels focusing on fictional schools. I find the genre can be overdone, but sometimes it can be clever. I was a bit wary about reading a book about time travel because I find the whole idea confusing.

I thought the book was an okay read. I felt it took a bit of time before the book became interesting. I also felt that the book could have used more worldbuilding. I am curious what happens to the students when they graduate. Do they take the knowledge back to their time zone, or do they stay at the school? I felt like I had more questions than answers. The book did have some quirky humor that some readers might enjoy.

I also don’t like that the ending had a huge build-up and then faded to black for a happy ending. I feel like we were strung along without any real closure. The ending does leave the book open for a second book or series, but I am not sure I am invested enough to read more.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and were not influenced by the publisher or author. 

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