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thecuriousquill's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The overall concept of the book is highly original and creative. I got a lost a little in the variety of characters as only the two main characts are well-developed. I felt like the others were added in, but not well developed. There would have been more space to build those characters if the writer had not dedicated as much space as she did to her opinions on political and social topics. Excellent for a book club as there is plenty to discuss.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cursing
caitlin_bookchats's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wish the book had had a stronger single thesis, or perhaps I am simply reading it wrong.
The first half was delightful and because I had seen only mixed reviews about the book I kept wondering "what is going to go wrong in the second half?"
Then I guessed something that, I'm not certain the author is really hiding from the reader, and I thought I know what would mar the ending. But that element was used more interestingly than I expected.
What really made this a three star for me and not something higher is that the first 70% or so of the book felt like it was building towards something narratively and thematically but ultimately that was messy. I think the messiness might work for the narrative but I wanted more clarity around theme.
The first half was delightful and because I had seen only mixed reviews about the book I kept wondering "what is going to go wrong in the second half?"
Then I guessed something that, I'm not certain the author is really hiding from the reader, and I thought I know what would mar the ending. But that element was used more interestingly than I expected.
What really made this a three star for me and not something higher is that the first 70% or so of the book felt like it was building towards something narratively and thematically but ultimately that was messy. I think the messiness might work for the narrative but I wanted more clarity around theme.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
Moderate: Drug use and Sexual content
Minor: Colonisation, Racial slurs, Homophobia, War, and Cannibalism
kelly_e's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Title: The Ministry of Time
Author: Kaliane Bradley
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 2.50
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Creative • Clunky • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
A civil servant starts working as a 'bridge' - a liaison, helpmeet and housemate - in an experimental project that brings expatriates from the past into the twenty-first century. This is a science-fiction story.
In a London safehouse in the 2020s, a disorientated Victorian polar explorer chain-smokes while listening to Spotify and learning about political correctness. This is a comedy.
During a long, sultry summer - as the shadows around them grow long and dangerous - two people fall in love, against all odds. This is a romance.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The Ministry of Time was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases. The premise sounded fantastic, unlike anything I'd read before. I certainly had high hopes when I was gifted an ARC, and even more so after it was announced as a GMA bookclub selection. I definitely couldn't avoid all of the hype surrounding this one.
Unlike some other reviews, I thought it started really strongly. I was interested and the concept was fascinating. However, the tone and direction completely shifted several times, especially in the final third, making it feel like a completely different book and story each time. I believe I'd have liked it more if it had kept the same trajectory as the beginning and if I'd gotten to spend more time with each of the characters rather than focusing primarily on one.
Equal parts time travel, romance, and spy thriller, this novel tries to do a lot and really ended up not doing anything at all. It needed more character development, more editing, and more cohesiveness. The lack of character depth, made it hard to believe the romance. With very little direction in the writing, from one page to the next, I often felt like pieces of the story were missing.
There is a lot of social commentary sprinkled into this story. From colonialism and racism to power and sexuality to climate change and corruption, the author probably should have picked a couple areas to focus on rather than trying to do it all. It convolutes the actual story and maybe that was the author's intent. It just didn't work for me.
A criticism I have seen is that the middle is bogged down with historical details. I, however, liked learning about the expedition and Graham's life. Given his character is based on a real person, I think it was necessary to include these details in order to give the reader context. It was also interesting take on seeing this early explorer in the present day.
The Ministry of Time had all of the right ingredients, yet they didn't come together in a way that worked. I have to commend the marketing team as they have done their jobs in promoting this book and I have no doubts many people will love it. The execution just wasn't there to make this book a stand out for me. My opinion is definitely the unpopular one, so I would say give it a shot if it's something that interests you. I'd definitely be curious to read something else written by Kaliane Bradley in the future.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• fancy language
• stories that don't fit into a box
⚠️ CW: death, grief, violence, gun violence, war, murder, blood, injury/injury detail, cannibalism, colonization, genocide, racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, misogyny, sexual content, drug use, alcohol, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"If you ever fall in love, you’ll be a person who was in love for the rest of your life."
"It can get better, but you must allow yourself to imagine a world in which you are better."
"Forgiveness and hope are miracles. They let you change your life. They are time travel."
Author: Kaliane Bradley
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 2.50
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
I received a complimentary eARC from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Creative • Clunky • Predictable
📖 S Y N O P S I S
A civil servant starts working as a 'bridge' - a liaison, helpmeet and housemate - in an experimental project that brings expatriates from the past into the twenty-first century. This is a science-fiction story.
In a London safehouse in the 2020s, a disorientated Victorian polar explorer chain-smokes while listening to Spotify and learning about political correctness. This is a comedy.
During a long, sultry summer - as the shadows around them grow long and dangerous - two people fall in love, against all odds. This is a romance.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The Ministry of Time was one of my most anticipated 2024 releases. The premise sounded fantastic, unlike anything I'd read before. I certainly had high hopes when I was gifted an ARC, and even more so after it was announced as a GMA bookclub selection. I definitely couldn't avoid all of the hype surrounding this one.
Unlike some other reviews, I thought it started really strongly. I was interested and the concept was fascinating. However, the tone and direction completely shifted several times, especially in the final third, making it feel like a completely different book and story each time. I believe I'd have liked it more if it had kept the same trajectory as the beginning and if I'd gotten to spend more time with each of the characters rather than focusing primarily on one.
Equal parts time travel, romance, and spy thriller, this novel tries to do a lot and really ended up not doing anything at all. It needed more character development, more editing, and more cohesiveness. The lack of character depth, made it hard to believe the romance. With very little direction in the writing, from one page to the next, I often felt like pieces of the story were missing.
There is a lot of social commentary sprinkled into this story. From colonialism and racism to power and sexuality to climate change and corruption, the author probably should have picked a couple areas to focus on rather than trying to do it all. It convolutes the actual story and maybe that was the author's intent. It just didn't work for me.
A criticism I have seen is that the middle is bogged down with historical details. I, however, liked learning about the expedition and Graham's life. Given his character is based on a real person, I think it was necessary to include these details in order to give the reader context. It was also interesting take on seeing this early explorer in the present day.
The Ministry of Time had all of the right ingredients, yet they didn't come together in a way that worked. I have to commend the marketing team as they have done their jobs in promoting this book and I have no doubts many people will love it. The execution just wasn't there to make this book a stand out for me. My opinion is definitely the unpopular one, so I would say give it a shot if it's something that interests you. I'd definitely be curious to read something else written by Kaliane Bradley in the future.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• fancy language
• stories that don't fit into a box
⚠️ CW: death, grief, violence, gun violence, war, murder, blood, injury/injury detail, cannibalism, colonization, genocide, racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, misogyny, sexual content, drug use, alcohol, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"If you ever fall in love, you’ll be a person who was in love for the rest of your life."
"It can get better, but you must allow yourself to imagine a world in which you are better."
"Forgiveness and hope are miracles. They let you change your life. They are time travel."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Genocide, War, Homophobia, Misogyny, Blood, Racial slurs, Murder, Xenophobia, Sexism, Cannibalism, and Racism
Minor: Sexual content, Drug use, Cursing, and Alcohol
thefragranthand's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
If it had a better ending it could have been a 4 star book. A book's ending should be a payoff for having read the book. This books ending was the opposite. Warning it's steamier than I'm comfortable with
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cannibalism, Suicide, and Violence
k13raz's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
laraamaee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Extremely compelling, exciting, and an interesting insight into Britain’s possible future(s).
As other reviews have said, the actual logistics of time travel are not explored in depth, but to be honest I don’t mind because I’m not a massive sci-fi reader…I was more captivated by Bradley’s writing; very metaphor-heavy and striking.
I could have read about the “expats” adjusting to the modern-day forever. I wish there was more of that!
As other reviews have said, the actual logistics of time travel are not explored in depth, but to be honest I don’t mind because I’m not a massive sci-fi reader…I was more captivated by Bradley’s writing; very metaphor-heavy and striking.
I could have read about the “expats” adjusting to the modern-day forever. I wish there was more of that!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Murder, Gore, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror, Racial slurs, Racism, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia
littlelizzieborden's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Racism, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Grief, Classism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, War, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cannibalism
emma_sky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Violence, War, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Genocide, and Confinement
pomoevareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I had high hopes for this one going in but in the end I was more disappointed for its potential than its reality.
When I learned of this book, discussion about the themes tackled within had me very excited to read it. Climate change, colonialism, racism, sexuality, government oversight, and more were promised. And yes, all of these were touched upon and given some weight to the story. The story however moved from a bit of pop culture criticism and folly to confused jargon and finally to a stop action spy thriller.
The story focussed on one of the characters brought forth from a different time period more than it did the others which didn’t bother me and this character was inspired by a real person from the failed Franklin Expedition. The author added in chapters about the Arctic expedition after an early reader who did not know about the expedition had difficult understanding the story. I enjoyed these chapters.
There is a love story in it that the synopsis gives away which was somewhat unfortunate. I wish the synopsis had not given away the who for instance. And while I did enjoy the development of this plot line and related ones, it wasn’t enough to redeem the book.
I am primarily a reader of literary fiction and I think that it’s important to mention here as my expectations of the book may differ from someone looking for a contemporary fiction book with some laughs, a little romance and a not too serious time travel trope. I feel like the themes could have been explored more deeply and could have done with less of the clunky action bit at the end. The author spells out the message on the last page of the book and without that I am not sure I would have come to the same conclusion.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Sexual content
ameliawilt's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Death