This book had an intriguing plot but didn't do much with the characters it presented, and thus I felt the story fell flat. I liked the main character and his struggles and quest, but all the other characters were pretty boring. You may say, how can a bunch of children with superpowers be boring? Well, they started out intriguing, but then you learn nothing about them. (view spoiler)[You know they're in a time loop and they are actually between 70 and 90 years old and they each have a special power. But what about their families? What have they been doing for the past 70 years? And none of them wanted to leave at any time, except the one boy who was killed? What's the point of their existence if by natural law they should be old and dying by now? (hide spoiler)] 
 Anyways, as slowly as the plot moved, I would have thought that I would learn more about the characters as individuals. Jacob's grandfather is the most interesting one, (view spoiler)[and he's killed in the first chapter. (hide spoiler)] The photos were a unique touch to the book, but not enough to distract from my disappointment in the story. I haven't decided if I'll read the sequels or not.