Title: Jump
Author: DL Orton
Series: Madders of Time #2
Page Count: 406
Publish Date: November 4, 2025
Publisher: Rocky Mountain Press
Buy Jump at Amazon
Synopsis:
The multiverse is collapsing. The time machine is broken. And humanity’s last hope? Might already be dead.
Seven months after the EMPs brought the world to its knees, a handful of scientists are racing against extinction—and each other. Somewhere in a flooded skyscraper lies a wormhole generator that might be able to undo the apocalypse. If they can find it. If it still works. If it doesn’t kill them first.
Meanwhile, Diego Nadales wakes in a cell, his face bloodied and his memories fractured. He’s being accused of terrorism, treason, and time travel. The last one, at least, is true.
Isabel is trapped inside a biodome ruled by the man she once trusted. But her bees—microscopic drones designed to save the planet—have been hijacked and weaponized. If she doesn’t find a way out soon, her creation will wipe out the last threads of life on Earth.
Old friends return. New enemies rise. And somewhere in the chaos, one small spark of hope just might be enough to ignite a revolution.
The clock isn’t ticking. It’s blowing up.
Jump
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My Review:
Thank you to D.L. Orton, The Write Reads, and Rocky Mountain Press for providing me with a copy of this book as part of the blog tour.
Since reading the first book in the series, Hive, I have been eager to find out what happens next.
Getting thrust back to the very beginning of the events (from book one) was a surprising way to start the book, and yet it was a quick reminder of how it all started, and explained how a particular interaction came to be. Of course, it also left me with some questions, which were thankfully answered later on.
Things pick up quickly from there as we shift back into the present, which, in a time-travel-heavy book, can be a fickle thing to stay in.
One theme found throughout the book is how slippery time can be. Because of the instability of the various timelines, the ripple effects of each action, not to mention the addition of rogue time travel, how events play out aren’t quite linear, but more of a chaotic scribble that dips, rises, crosses over itself, and, well, jumps erratically.
This means that each time any of the characters seem to make any progress towards their goals, things go awry more often than not, and even in moments when there is success, they don’t quite know what that will change in the future, which may lead to another roadblock.
The pacing was solid. There was always something that the characters were working towards, and while they often needed to rush because time, ironically enough, is not on their side, the story itself doesn’t feel rushed. We do get that sense of urgency, yet there are calm moments sprinkled throughout.
We also fully experience and relate to their frustrations, doubts, fears, and the occasional moments of joy, as the team scrambled in a world crumbling faster than they can keep up with. Not to mention, there are times when others get in their way because how the scientists want to reach their goal doesn’t align with the rich man’s prerogative or timeline.
For characters, we have the core group from the previous book. Diego, Isabel, and Matt continue to be the main focus and the ones whose perspectives we follow. I’m happy to say that we do see more of Cassandra in this one, which was something I had hoped for. She’s smart, sassy, and doesn’t take crap from anyone, which makes her quite an interesting character. It’s almost a shame we don’t get chapters from her perspective.
However, there were two that stood out for this book, one an unexpected returning character, the other a new one. I can’t say much about this particular returning character because it will spoil some key moments and revelations of the story.
As for the new character, she is quite intriguing. There’s a mysteriousness to her, where she tends to show little emotion, and you don’t always know what she is thinking or what move she is willing to make to see her goals come to life. I do feel like she is hiding something, and that without knowing more about her, especially how she became connected to the dome projects of Kirkland Enterprises, it’s hard to know where her true motives lie.
Speaking of Kirkland Enterprises, I no longer know what to think of David. Initially, I hated him and everything he was doing. However, there were moments in this book that made me question whether he is as evil as I first thought. Or, he could be putting on an act to make people see him in a different light so he can get away with other things. Only time will tell.
I also couldn’t help but feel that he is, in many ways, modeled after a certain rich man known to us readers for running tech companies, especially when a particular electric truck enters the picture.
I did enjoy the odd reference to well-known science fiction stories thrown in. The Jurassic Park one was my favorite, but there were others that made me laugh.
As with the first book, each chapter starts with an observation from AI Madders, noting major events, rogue time travel, and the likelihood of success. Seeing each shift in the probability of whether the mission will succeed or not adds an extra element to the story, and sometimes it quickly shifts from a high to a low probability as a result of some minor tweak.
I loved that despite the world crumbling around them, and every step feeling like it goes wrong, the characters find time for banter and jokes. It helped to add some light moments amidst the chaos.
The ending, oh boy, was I not ready for that. We are once again met with a moment of triumph that appears to then backfire for the character. One can only hope that everything will work out.
Overall, I enjoyed this book from start to finish. The instability of time, the ever-evolving events, and the mix of characters create an addictive and unpredictable read that will keep you guessing. This series has been amazing so far, and I cannot wait for the next book to be released.
I hope you enjoyed my review of Jump. Have you read this book?
Buy Jump at Amazon
