Infinity Ring: A Mutiny in Time and Divide and Conquer by James Dashner and Carrie Ryan

A Mutiny in Time by James Dashner
"History is broken, and three kids must travel back in time to set it right!

When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel -- a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring -- they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course.

Now it's up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks . . . and to save Dak's missing parents while they're at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny!"- summary from Amazon

Divide and Conquer by Carrie Ryan
"Dak, Sera, and Riq might be in over their heads when they attempt to stop a Viking invasion!

Hundreds of ships carrying thousands of warriors are laying siege to medieval Paris. The Parisians are holding their own, but the stalemate can only last so long. And that's bad news -- especially since Dak has been captured, forced to work alongside the Vikings while Sera and Riq defend Paris from within. No matter which side wins, the kids lose!"- summary from Amazon

Oh my goodness, I LOVED reading these books! They really put a fun twist on history and make it a quick read while challenging readers. And while the two books are written by two very different authors, I didn't notice any real differences in the writing. The characters all felt the same; obviously, that's the point but sometimes it can be a bit tricky to write a series like this.

I really enjoyed the settings of these novels and am excited to see where the books go next! Both of these are out in stores now, with Book 3 coming out Feb 2013 and Books 4-6 following in 2013 and Book 7 out in 2014. There's also an online game component associated with these books, which I think is really cool. I haven't had a chance to partake in that aspect yet though.

FTC: Received ARC of Book 1 from publisher and e-galley of Book 2 from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.