AustLit

' A fresh take on the time tripping genre, The Lifespan of Starlight is Gattaca meets The Time Traveler's Wife. It already lies dormant within you: the ability to move within time. In 2084, three teenagers discover the secret to time travel. At first their jumps cover only a few seconds, but soon they master the technique and combat their fear of jumping into the unknown. It's dangerous. It's illegal. And it's utterly worth it for the full-body bliss of each return. As their ability to time jump grows into days and weeks, the group begins to push beyond their limits, with terrifying consequences. Could they travel as far as ten years, to escape the authorities? They are desperate enough to find out. But before they jump they must sure, because it only works in one direction. Once you trip forwards, there's no coming back.' (Publication summary)

'A split-second decision, a single time-skip. The world that you know, gone in a blink. Now a sharp and adept time-skipper, Scout jumps years ahead to find the world transformed. Technology has accelerated and the people she knows have grown up, or disappeared. Most pressing, the government that she was trying to escape has used the time to prepare for the return of the time skippers. Caught between finding the mother she left behind and time-skipping ahead with Mason, a series of events lead Scout deeper into the tunnel than ever before. The only way out is by the strength of her love and the power of her mind. The illusion of time has one more surprise, one with the power to change everything.' (Publication summary)

'On the run from the government, Scout uses time-travel as a way to survive. But her decades-long disappearance is finally catching up with her…

When Scout returns from her longest time-skip yet, her world has been turned upside down. Her friends are now co-operating with the authoritarian regime that Scout worked so hard to escape from – and they’re prepared to hand her in. Her life depends on a virtual stranger, and with surveillance tighter than ever, evading capture will be next to impossible. Worst of all, Mason is nowhere to be found. 

As Scout sets out on a desperate search for Mason, she discovers something shocking: living somewhere in the heart of the city is a mysterious woman who holds the key to travelling backwards in time. But who is she, and how did she learn to skip?

Finding her could offer Scout a chance to shape a new future – if she can learn to let go of her past.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)