Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I generally enjoyed the story as a whole; however, the last 20% of the story, truly the plot-dense portion of the novel, was incredibly rushed. The verbiage was somewhat pedantic (even considering that characters were from different centuries with different language). The novel would’ve been better had it not tried to touch on so many genres.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Minor: Death, War
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, War
Minor: Genocide
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
What an interesting story! I love a good time travel story, and this one was unique in the sense that it wasn't focused on the nitty gritty of time travel and that it also wasn't a sappy romance. The romance was there, but gradual. The FMC/narrator was really interesting to me, as 1. I don't think we even got her name, 2. She had a lot of emotions and multigenerational trauma to hash out, and 3. She had flaws in a way that many books don't really display. It was well written, with some very witty and funny parts, but also a lot of words I had to look up the meaning of (kind of unusual, in this day and age). Ultimately, this story was so much deeper than I expected, especially with how it started and compared to other time-travel related books I've read. Very thought provoking. But the ending left me satiated and hopeful.
Content Warnings
Minor: Grief, Cannibalism, War
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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:
Complicated
Admittedly, the synopsis for this book sounded remarkably corny when I first picked it up, even if the Franklin Expedition is kind of a niche interest of mine (the acclaimed AMC show The Terror, anyone?). A time travel book with a hint of romance? Oh, brother. Gag. I was half expecting to open the book, read a couple of chapters, and then immediately DNF it because it would push past the realm of possibility too much.
Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. Kind of obnoxiously flowery prose aside, the narrative flows well. The mechanics behind this form of time travel were actually explained quite well without straying into being overly technical, something which I feel that other books have kind of floundered with through the years. All of the characters feel loveable and well fleshed out--you even find yourself having sympathy for the ones who are supposed to be the villains at several points, which is a hard feat to pull off--and just based on all of the knowledge that I've voraciously devoured about the Franklin Expedition and how London life was in the 1800s, it's clear that the author bothered to do her research and then some when it came to getting details about Gore's life correct (even down to the mildly uncomfortable discussions of the different sensibilities towards race that a Victorian man would likely have).
Been a while since I've read a sci-fi book that actively stirred me emotionally as much as this one did. Highly recommend.
Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. Kind of obnoxiously flowery prose aside, the narrative flows well. The mechanics behind this form of time travel were actually explained quite well without straying into being overly technical, something which I feel that other books have kind of floundered with through the years. All of the characters feel loveable and well fleshed out--you even find yourself having sympathy for the ones who are supposed to be the villains at several points, which is a hard feat to pull off--and just based on all of the knowledge that I've voraciously devoured about the Franklin Expedition and how London life was in the 1800s, it's clear that the author bothered to do her research and then some when it came to getting details about Gore's life correct (even down to the mildly uncomfortable discussions of the different sensibilities towards race that a Victorian man would likely have).
Been a while since I've read a sci-fi book that actively stirred me emotionally as much as this one did. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Cannibalism
Minor: Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A very neat premise with beautiful passages of writing and fun dynamics with the side characters. However, the pacing felt off (it was tiger too slow or too fast). The big reveals at the end could have been better detailed from the beginning so I actually felt satisfied learning the truth. Either that or I had just lost all interest in the plot 🤷🏼♀️
Plus, the romantic element didn’t sit well with me.
Still, I appreciate what the author has put together and I still encourage people to give this book a chance.
Plus, the romantic element didn’t sit well with me.
Still, I appreciate what the author has put together and I still encourage people to give this book a chance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Cannibalism
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
Ohhh how I absolutely adored this book! It’s my first five star, non-memoir read of the year if that says anything.
Five people basically kidnapped from different eras, questionable bridges (aka babysitters), sketchy government shenanigans, time travel, witty banter, slow-burn romance??? Wow, what a backdrop to the marvelous characters that make up this book. The dynamic between the two main characters was just delightful, and don’t even get me started on the secondary characters. I love them all!
Normally I’m not a sci-fi girlie, but this swallowed me whole. I’m still thinking about it days later to the point where I beg of you, read this book and then immediately let me know if you loved it as much as I did.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Cannibalism, Murder, War
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
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:
Yes
Confused about all the hype. It was a good story, though I somewhat disliked the way it was told as well as a few of the characters. Would’ve been ok if I’d never read this book. I mean, it wasn’t inspiring or provocative or poignant or exciting. It was an ok book. So why all the frenzy? I feel like I’m missing something…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Medical content, War
Minor: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Deportation