Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
slow-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
This is such a beautifully written short novel. I don’t always love stories written in flowery language but this one has such an interesting premise and the writing style lends itself well to the story. It’s told partially through letters with small sections of explanation between.
It alternates POV’s between Red and Blue, two time-travelling warriors working for rival factions. They time travel forward and backward, leaving letters and messages for each other. As the communications become more intimate, it is obvious that they are falling in love with each other. It is a relationship doomed from the start as if either side discovered it, they would both be killed. That dread and fear flows throughout the story - as if they are going to be discovered at any moment.
Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar each wrote one of the characters and I think that helps the reader distinguish between Red and Blue as they each have a distinctive voice.
If you like a slow burn, somewhat meandering love story set in a futuristic world, this one might be for you.
Read for the ARCANE ARCHIVES square on my 2025 Halloween Bingo card.
It alternates POV’s between Red and Blue, two time-travelling warriors working for rival factions. They time travel forward and backward, leaving letters and messages for each other. As the communications become more intimate, it is obvious that they are falling in love with each other. It is a relationship doomed from the start as if either side discovered it, they would both be killed. That dread and fear flows throughout the story - as if they are going to be discovered at any moment.
Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar each wrote one of the characters and I think that helps the reader distinguish between Red and Blue as they each have a distinctive voice.
If you like a slow burn, somewhat meandering love story set in a futuristic world, this one might be for you.
Read for the ARCANE ARCHIVES square on my 2025 Halloween Bingo card.
What an unexpected delight!
This book is composed entirely of letters written between two agents on opposite sides of a time war. As such, the characterization and world building is unlikely anything else I’ve read. You become immersed in the universe without thinking too hard - a challenging feat to accomplish for this genre, but something that’s makes it stand out. It’s sci-fi but it doesn’t over-explain logistics, leaving details up to the imagination of the reader, and making it feel more conceivable than longer, more intricate novels. On that note, it’s short but extremely dense, and I am excited to read it again in the future to find any hidden meanings I have missed. As noted in other reviews, the writing is beautiful, almost poetic. So much happens in the span of the story, but its pacing is slow, as it’s written almost entirely in metaphors. It’s the quintessential literary example of “show not tell.”
Because of this, the book sneaks up on you. You can tell from the beginning that there is romantic tension between the two narrators. It starts with overt flirting and nerd jokes (e.g., the pet name for one the main characters, Blue, being 0000FF - a hex code indicating the color blue, and multiple references to code written in DNA base pairs, etc.). But the intensity and intimacy with which the relationship between the two main characters unfolds is unpredictable, gut wrenching, and beautiful.
Overall, amazing storytelling that will make you teary-eyed.
Quick final note: listening on audible while reading definitely enhanced the experience, as the android Red is narrated in a Siri-esque tone (who knew robotic poetry would be so much fun!)
This book is composed entirely of letters written between two agents on opposite sides of a time war. As such, the characterization and world building is unlikely anything else I’ve read. You become immersed in the universe without thinking too hard - a challenging feat to accomplish for this genre, but something that’s makes it stand out. It’s sci-fi but it doesn’t over-explain logistics, leaving details up to the imagination of the reader, and making it feel more conceivable than longer, more intricate novels. On that note, it’s short but extremely dense, and I am excited to read it again in the future to find any hidden meanings I have missed. As noted in other reviews, the writing is beautiful, almost poetic. So much happens in the span of the story, but its pacing is slow, as it’s written almost entirely in metaphors. It’s the quintessential literary example of “show not tell.”
Because of this, the book sneaks up on you. You can tell from the beginning that there is romantic tension between the two narrators. It starts with overt flirting and nerd jokes (e.g., the pet name for one the main characters, Blue, being 0000FF - a hex code indicating the color blue, and multiple references to code written in DNA base pairs, etc.). But the intensity and intimacy with which the relationship between the two main characters unfolds is unpredictable, gut wrenching, and beautiful.
Overall, amazing storytelling that will make you teary-eyed.
Quick final note: listening on audible while reading definitely enhanced the experience, as the android Red is narrated in a Siri-esque tone (who knew robotic poetry would be so much fun!)
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
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:
Complicated