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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Life is like a game of cards: the hand you're dealt is fate; the way you choose to play them is free will."
Two teenagers separated by time and space. Esso and Rhia. 15 years apart. Connected by a violent event that changed both of their lives.
Esso is a teenager living with his solo mother in South London in 2020. One day, he gets hit by a car, and his understanding of existence as part of time and space changes forever.
Rhia is a teenaged foster child in 2035. Her mother died when she was a babe. She lives in a futuristic society with computing systems in contact lenses and AI drones that attend to urgent police activity. She is tormented by the memories she has of her mother and dreams of finding out more about her.
AND amongst this stunning debut narrative, with engaging, funny characters (although this 30+ year old woman did occasionally struggle with understanding the "lingo") and a thrumming plot line (I love different POV chapters), there is TIME TRAVEL that connects them both.
Now, I am not going to say I know much about physics. Science was one of my average subjects at high school and I def preferred the biology to the mechanics. I did have to take a bit of time to think about how the theories about space and time worked. But I got it, kind of. And to be honest, totally dug it. I felt like I was getting a fun education at the same time as reading this book. And who can complain about that!
And as a consequence of time travel, the concept of free will really comes into play here and if readers are anything like me, it left me incredibly reflective and introspective about my own beliefs around free will versus fate. And to be honest, I am still not sure!
Ultimately, this would be a great read for mature teenagers (especially ones with a keen interest in science/physics) and adults alike. The authors career (PHD) in quantum physics is shared with such passion, I can't help feeling in awe and unable to describe fully how clever this novel really is. It's a fictional setting with some real great non-fiction for (neeky - I hope I used that right lol) people who may be interested in matter, atoms, relativity, and energy. I will be def on the lookout for the sequel.
Two teenagers separated by time and space. Esso and Rhia. 15 years apart. Connected by a violent event that changed both of their lives.
Esso is a teenager living with his solo mother in South London in 2020. One day, he gets hit by a car, and his understanding of existence as part of time and space changes forever.
Rhia is a teenaged foster child in 2035. Her mother died when she was a babe. She lives in a futuristic society with computing systems in contact lenses and AI drones that attend to urgent police activity. She is tormented by the memories she has of her mother and dreams of finding out more about her.
AND amongst this stunning debut narrative, with engaging, funny characters (although this 30+ year old woman did occasionally struggle with understanding the "lingo") and a thrumming plot line (I love different POV chapters), there is TIME TRAVEL that connects them both.
Now, I am not going to say I know much about physics. Science was one of my average subjects at high school and I def preferred the biology to the mechanics. I did have to take a bit of time to think about how the theories about space and time worked. But I got it, kind of. And to be honest, totally dug it. I felt like I was getting a fun education at the same time as reading this book. And who can complain about that!
And as a consequence of time travel, the concept of free will really comes into play here and if readers are anything like me, it left me incredibly reflective and introspective about my own beliefs around free will versus fate. And to be honest, I am still not sure!
Ultimately, this would be a great read for mature teenagers (especially ones with a keen interest in science/physics) and adults alike. The authors career (PHD) in quantum physics is shared with such passion, I can't help feeling in awe and unable to describe fully how clever this novel really is. It's a fictional setting with some real great non-fiction for (neeky - I hope I used that right lol) people who may be interested in matter, atoms, relativity, and energy. I will be def on the lookout for the sequel.
adventurous
challenging
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:
Yes
The physics went over my head sometimes, but it was still fun (and I appreciate any sf that actually explains some of its concepts in an appendix, referencing actual scientists and making it understandable). I also liked how it explored teenagers growing up in "problematic" neighbourhoods, police brutality and foster care, which all mixed surprisingly well with time travel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Blood, Police brutality, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
For those not in the know, this is one of the latest acquisitions by Netflix to make it to the streaming service. And I can see why. A YA mind bending, time travelling, science heavy read, with a likeable male lead who walks the rocky path that can lead him to be killed in the prime of his youth thanks to gang violence, struggling to make his way through high school and make something of himself and also to be decent man.
I will admit I did struggle with the first half of this read; as mentioned previously it is science heavy (despite Fadugba’s admirable attempts at dumbing it down - it just wasn’t enough for me!
I will admit I did struggle with the first half of this read; as mentioned previously it is science heavy (despite Fadugba’s admirable attempts at dumbing it down - it just wasn’t enough for me!