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The Time Trials

Book 1 of the Time Trials Series

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Pub Date Jul 1 2026 | Archive Date Oct 13 2026


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Description

“Four players. It’s in the rules.”

“Is this like, some sort of academic decathlon or something?”

“Something like that.”

Walkman-toting, guitar-playing Finn Mallory blames himself for his parents’ deaths and would do anything to turn back time and set things right. So, when he’s recruited into a secret club at his new school that specializes in competitive time travel games, Finn sees a world of opportunity open before him.

The games, however, are far from benign.

Competition is cutthroat.

Scenarios are rigged.

And the mysterious timekeepers who organize it all have no qualms about using—or disposing of—players to suit their own sinister plans.

Now Finn must decide who he can trust while making peace with his past if he’s to have any hope of leading his team to victory and surviving his junior year.

As the games commence, it’s time to press rewind.


“Four players. It’s in the rules.”

“Is this like, some sort of academic decathlon or something?”

“Something like that.”

Walkman-toting, guitar-playing Finn Mallory blames himself for his parents’ deaths...


A Note From the Publisher

This book was originally published in 2021 by Tiny Fox Press. It was a top ten finalist in Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award 2022 and earned an Author Shout Ready Reader award.

Please note that both sequels, The Fifth Timekeeper and The Pioneers, are both also available on NetGalley. The series is recommended to be read in order., so feel free to start with the first and binge your way through.

No AI is (or ever will be) associated with any of our books.

Follow on Instagram (link below) for updates and bonus content.

This book was originally published in 2021 by Tiny Fox Press. It was a top ten finalist in Book Bloggers' Novel of the Year Award 2022 and earned an Author Shout Ready Reader award.

Please note...


Advance Praise

"Adolescent readers will love the journey and thrill at the prospect of a sequel. A resonant blend of teen drama and SF adventure." - Kirkus Reviews

"Jon and Dayna McConnell have crafted an exciting, enthralling tale in which Finn Mallory not only transforms major historical events, but also fights to be seen as worthy just as he is. The Time Trials has a bit of everything-romance, an epic 90s soundtrack, and, of course, time travel. Readers of all ages will root for Finn and his friends as they take on time itself." - Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, author of Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything and How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe

"Adolescent readers will love the journey and thrill at the prospect of a sequel. A resonant blend of teen drama and SF adventure." - Kirkus Reviews

"Jon and Dayna McConnell have crafted an exciting...


Marketing Plan

Supported by an ongoing social media campaign, including Instagram reels, trailers, character features, and historical content. This title is being promoted alongside the relaunch of the Time Trials series and the upcoming release of Book 3, The Pioneers.

The authors appreciate reviews posted to Goodreads, Amazon, and/or blogs/social media. 

Supported by an ongoing social media campaign, including Instagram reels, trailers, character features, and historical content. This title is being promoted alongside the relaunch of the Time Trials...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9798996596003
PRICE $5.99 (USD)
PAGES 410

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*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Average rating from 14 members


Featured Reviews

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

OKAY 👏 This made my childhood self happy. This is exactly the kind of book that made me fall in love with reading in middle/high school. This book is not nearly as popular as it should be! I was unsurprised to see the author is a teacher, this has school reading material all over it (in a good way).

It took me a little longer than I wanted to adjust to the story, but once we were in it, I liked it more and more. I almost think the stakes could have been higher in some aspects - the possibilities are endless with this concept - but I was never disappointed.

But that ending - I might have teared up. Also, it ended so fast! I was hoping for a bit more of a wrap up or conclusion to our characters moving on from here. It really felt abrupt. But, I know there is a book 2 (& 3!) so I'll be hopping into those soon anyway 😄

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Time travel stories can be difficult to pull off, but The Time Trials handled the concept in a way that felt exciting, accessible, and incredibly engaging. I loved slowly uncovering the rules of the world alongside the characters, and each new revelation made me even more invested in the outcome.

The pacing kept me hooked from beginning to end, blending adventure with thoughtful character development. The emotional stakes never got lost beneath the larger science fiction concepts, which made the story even stronger.

This was an imaginative adventure that left me eager to see where the series might go next.

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The story follows Finn Mallory as a scholarship recipient for the prestigious Wharton Academy. Finn and three other students are invited by their history professor to be members of the Young Historians Club, but their fieldtrips are far from ordinary.

I was gripped with the book from the start, with an intriguing story and easy to follow writing, this was a definite page turner. I did find some of the time jumps between chapters jarring, as it felt that some of the story was missing, and I would have liked to hear how the story progressed from the previous chapter.

I found all the characters easily readable, and the four main characters meshed together great. The romance was unexpected, but I quite enjoyed it as it developed.

I am excited to continue with the story!

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for having this available to read!

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The Time Trials by Jon and Dayna McConnell is a great fast paced time travel book. It has an elite boarding school setting and has high-stakes competitive historical games that involve collecting artifacts from specific time periods within a set amount of time. It involves healing from personal trauma, guilt, grief, self blame, high parental expectations, isolation, terrifying scenarios, corruption, and mysteries. The characters are quite diverse and have to look past their differences. This book is an emotional roller-coaster. It made me feel anxious, heartbroken, hopeful, and frustrated.

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I got this honestly because it looked like something that my son would enjoy at night before bed. I was not wrong. We have both become invested in the story of Whorton Academy and Finn and the Historian Society. Worth a read/listen/ any other way you can consume it. It reminds me of Hunger Games, Harry Potter (without the Author) and Gregor the Overlander. The characters are relatable even to someone who isnt even in highschool anymore/hasn't gone yet, and the story is compelling and you want to know what happens next. We were only 3 chapters in when I requested the other 2 novels in the series!!!

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I didn't know what to expect from this book, but my goodness....it was so good! I couldn't put it down. I immediately started the second one. I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book and they all grew through out the story in their own unique way.. I did question some of the adult choices, but it wouldn't have been as a great a story with out them. This is reminiscent of Hunger games but with a time travel twist.

I received a free E-ARC from Net galley and Two Crows Press for my honest review.

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This was a good read, and I loved the twists and turns. The authors have created a wonderful, gripping story.

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I enjoyed the journey this story took me on and i cant wait to see where these characters will go next. I really enjoyed the details (physical, temporal, and emotional) that made it easy to immerse myself in the book, things that i could easily identify with each character. Some of the storyline may be predictable but it doesn't matter since i was invested enough i still needed to see how it unfolded! I hope we learn more of the other characters' lives in the next books as this group has the potential to be more then plot devices for the main character, obviously i cant wait to read more!

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I really enjoyed this one! The concept of a secret club running competitive time travel games hooked me right away, and Finn's backstory dealing with guilt over his parents' deaths gave the story real emotional weight. It took me a little while to settle into the pacing, but once things picked up I was completely invested, the four main characters meshed together really well and the unexpected romance developed nicely. Some of the time jumps between chapters felt a bit jarring, like pieces of the story were missing, and I wished the stakes had gone even higher given how much potential the concept has. That ending got me a little emotional though it felt abrupt and left me wanting more closure. Still, this was a fun, gripping read and I'm excited to continue with the series.

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I loved the competitive game concept, secret-club atmosphere, and increasingly sinister mystery behind the timekeepers

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Thanks to NetGaglley and Two Crows Press for the eARC.

I read this book years ago, I think. It felt so familiar to me. But seeing it through new eyes gave me a great reading experience. I loved the world building in this book, I loved our main character. So much of it worked so well for me.

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