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kastix's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Confinement, Torture, and Blood
roseandivy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Holy shit. This book is so amazing. It took me a second to figure out exactly what was happening in the beginning since the structure is a bit unorthodox, but once I got into the groove of it I was hooked. Red and Blue's love story is so beautiful, and despite how short the book is the romance doesn't feel rushed. The concept of the titular time war was executed very well-- a lot of time-travel media I've consumed either disregards the consequences of the characters' actions entirely, or spends an outsized amount of time explaining what's happening in a way that just makes things more confusing, but this doesn't fall into either trap. I wish we had maybe gotten just a little more background into the factions Red and Blue came from and what was really driving the conflict between them, but with how short the book is, I understand why those things weren't included. I devoured this in less than two days and couldn't put it down. I was reading it on three minute bus rides to the grocery store, under the desk at work, while I was doing dishes-- that's how captivating and tightly executed this is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and War
Moderate: Torture
itsheyfay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, and Abandonment
isaacalaister's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
I love this book so damn much. The prose is so beautiful and so funny. Sometimes I would feel totally lost in the settings of each century/dimension, but even that was enjoyable.
I wish I could read this again
The ending is hopeful enough to not give me severe depression por a month.
I wish I could read this again
The ending is hopeful enough to not give me severe depression por a month.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and War
abby_can_read's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
🎧
I heard good things on about this book on social media. For me, this book was alright. I spent the first part confused.
I heard good things on about this book on social media. For me, this book was alright. I spent the first part confused.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, and Murder
austenite93's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and War
markguitar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
First, I hate the AI generated description and topic list that is listed in Storygraph. It gives away too much. I'd have rather said that two adversaries from rival factions are fighting a time war in which each must go back in time to undo the advances of their rivals. That's the basic plot. To say that they fall in love is to say too much, I think...even though that's really what the book is about. Also, to say that it is LGBTQ themed is really misleading. Yes, the main characters are women who fall in love, which makes it "LGBTQ friendly," but gender is pretty much irrelevant in this book. These characters don't even take on the same physical form from one assignment to the next. This book is romantic, but not in the least bit steamy, sexual, or physical in the least. It is gory and violent, though.
I wasn't sure how to rate this book. 3? 4? Beautifully written. If you like poetry, it's great. I do, but in this book, sometimes the language interferes with the story. It's sometimes hard to figure out what's going on and why. It requires some thought and concentration, which I usually appreciate. In this case, I felt like I had to interpret the poetry as I was reading the story just to understand what some of the imagery was telling me about the characters and the plot. If I'm into poetry, I'll seek it out. When I'm reading sci-fi, I'm looking for something different and this wasn't really it for me. I'm not much into love stories and this is more love story than sci-fi, even though it's loaded with more sci-fi elements than nearly any sci-fi book you'll ever read. To me, the love letters were a bit long and indulgent, which caused an otherwise very short book to drag. However, the end of the book nearly brought me to tears with a real emotional payoff. Thus, I didn't really enjoy the journey, but I appreciated it when I reached the destination.
I wasn't sure how to rate this book. 3? 4? Beautifully written. If you like poetry, it's great. I do, but in this book, sometimes the language interferes with the story. It's sometimes hard to figure out what's going on and why. It requires some thought and concentration, which I usually appreciate. In this case, I felt like I had to interpret the poetry as I was reading the story just to understand what some of the imagery was telling me about the characters and the plot. If I'm into poetry, I'll seek it out. When I'm reading sci-fi, I'm looking for something different and this wasn't really it for me. I'm not much into love stories and this is more love story than sci-fi, even though it's loaded with more sci-fi elements than nearly any sci-fi book you'll ever read. To me, the love letters were a bit long and indulgent, which caused an otherwise very short book to drag. However, the end of the book nearly brought me to tears with a real emotional payoff. Thus, I didn't really enjoy the journey, but I appreciated it when I reached the destination.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Torture, and Violence
ernestoittig's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Torture, and Blood
bloomingbookworm's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Incredibly difficult to follow and understand. The war and two different sides are never explained. There is also no distinguishable differences between the two characters, writing style wise or even emotionally, which made it hard to remember which character’s point of view you were reading. You only get one brief physical description of one of the characters midway through the book, so I couldn’t even visualize the characters in my head. Adding half a star because I did enjoy some of the metaphors, however the purple prose didn’t make up for the lack of world building and character development. If you like ambiguity and books that are up to interpretation, you might enjoy this book, but it wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
jayvdw's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
For the past 1,5 years, I have been improving my reading speed. Trying to read faster whilst following the story. This book made me want to slow down for the first time. At first, it was forced, by the complex writing and intriguing world. But quickly it became voluntary, I wanted to take in the beauty and complexity of the book. This book showed me that writing isn't only about reading a story, but simultaneously can be about the beauty of how the story is written. El-Mohtar and Gladstone are masters at their craft, I would not call them writers but wordsmiths. Using specific words to create a gorgeous tale of love, treachery, action, history, and politics.
There is so much to love about this book and the less one knows about it, besides its beauty the better. This book truly gave me a new perspective on books and writing.
This is how we win.
There is so much to love about this book and the less one knows about it, besides its beauty the better. This book truly gave me a new perspective on books and writing.
This is how we win.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture