Scan barcode
mrh29992's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
I think this book was let down by being a) overhyped and b) clearly not having a strong enough editorial team behind it.
We have here a book billed as a sort of 'Time travel spy thriller with some romance', and I don't think it delivered on any of that.
For the most part, I found the first two thirds of the book really dull. Now I love a book with little to no plot, but here it didn't have enough substance or lyricism to maintain that level of plotlessness. The MC/Narrator was just not interesting enough and actually her naïveté really grated on me as the book went on.
She is basically given a historical figure to 'babysit' and falls in love with him. And because of that she basically ignores the fact that some sketchy stuff is happening in the background.
I think that it had so many good idea, but it didn't commit to any of them leaving the feeling very lacklustre and questioning why I should care. This felt like a first draft, to be honest, more than a finished piece of work. It had the bones of a good story, but it fell short and needed fleshing out.
None of the main characters were in any way engaging. I didn't actually care about anyone in the book and given that there was a romance plot, I really should have.
Again, because they made the MC/Narrator so irritatingly uninteresting and silly, the final twist just felt unearned and fell flat for me.
Finally, the writing style was an attempt at lyricism but it often just came accross as funny and overwrought. I think there were some hysterical metaphors, but I am not sure the author was going for comical relief. Again, a good editor should have caught and scratched a lot of that.
I think there's a good writer in there, and I will keep an eye out for what the author does next, but I think this was not it
We have here a book billed as a sort of 'Time travel spy thriller with some romance', and I don't think it delivered on any of that.
For the most part, I found the first two thirds of the book really dull. Now I love a book with little to no plot, but here it didn't have enough substance or lyricism to maintain that level of plotlessness. The MC/Narrator was just not interesting enough and actually her naïveté really grated on me as the book went on.
She is basically given a historical figure to 'babysit' and falls in love with him. And because of that she basically ignores the fact that some sketchy stuff is happening in the background.
I think that it had so many good idea, but it didn't commit to any of them leaving the feeling very lacklustre and questioning why I should care. This felt like a first draft, to be honest, more than a finished piece of work. It had the bones of a good story, but it fell short and needed fleshing out.
None of the main characters were in any way engaging. I didn't actually care about anyone in the book and given that there was a romance plot, I really should have.
Again, because they made the MC/Narrator so irritatingly uninteresting and silly, the final twist just felt unearned and fell flat for me.
Finally, the writing style was an attempt at lyricism but it often just came accross as funny and overwrought. I think there were some hysterical metaphors, but I am not sure the author was going for comical relief. Again, a good editor should have caught and scratched a lot of that.
I think there's a good writer in there, and I will keep an eye out for what the author does next, but I think this was not it
staci881's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
magicjet's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
hungrybruno's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bmcche's review against another edition
Nothing was really grasping me and the history lessons were a bit dull.
anabelstl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? No
4.5
zoeyzebra's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.25
ewreath's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
miranda_vic's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
kshur's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0