Reviews tagging 'War'

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

143 reviews

reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This one was almost a DNF for me. The premise looked so good to my eyes. Time travel and the sci-fi elements sounded amazing, but the book ended up being too slow-paced and having too much romance (even being spicy in some parts). I read almost the full book by force, only the last 20% being real enjoyment. Overall, it didn't reach my expectations.

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I've been putting off this Hugo Best Novel nominee for as long as I can because I was told it's a genre I dislike (romance) featuring one of my least favorite tropes (time travel) so I thought I would hate it, and I was ultimately right.

At first my feelings were more mixed. Commander Graham Gore is a relentlessly charming person, and there are a handful of other characters I enjoyed (Margaret Kemble and Simellia). But the deeper I got, the more messy the book became. By the time
the protagonist pushes Simellia away with some frankly bigoted comments about race
I knew the tolerable part of the book was over for me. The first half has a lighthearted, comedic tone, but it's not a comedy. Two people fall in love, but it's not a Romance. And the protagonist shuts her eyes and puts her hands over her ears to avoid the sci-fi thriller happening in the background until it's unavoidable, at which point the whole book goes down in flames.

My gods did I hate the protagonist. She is an extremely passive person who only cares about not rocking the boat and pinning for the guy she likes. I've never found myself saying "oh fuck you" out loud to a protagonist before, and I said it to her twice. I've also never found myself in complete agreement with an antagonist before. She's just such a shitty person, but not even in an interesting way. I also don't think that
our protagonist really learned anything or changed as a person, just continuing to be sad and pine even after admitting the Ministry was evil.


I feel like the parts of the book that are the most interesting are when it's talking about being a first-generation child of immigrants or being mixed-race. Most of the book is close to being a non-speculative literary novel anyway and I wish it had stayed that way. The book doesn't really comfortably fit in a genre, and on some level I'm irritated that Chain-Gang All-Stars was "too literary" for the Hugos but this isn't? And to add to its tally of sins, this book also doesn't understand how diseases and immune systems work. 

This is the clearest case of "no award" I've ever encountered, and how it got nominated for anything I will be confused about until I die.

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
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: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging funny slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Initially gave this 3 stars but I have spent so much time in the weeks since I finished it talking so much shit about how much I hate this book and how frustrated I feel that I feel like I was far too generous and am immediately demoting this to 1 star which the book earned by pissing me off enough that I’ve given it far more time than it deserved. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
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: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging emotional hopeful 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

While this book does have some fun stuff, especially as friendships develop, it is one of those books that’s a little bleak/cynical in outlook. The very end has a hopeful tone, which saved it for me, but the bulk was a bit harder to get through, which is why it has a slightly lower rating from me. 

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emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-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

Loved this charming romance meets adventure - less sci-fi (a good thing) than advertised and more a reflection on humanity through all ages. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional tense medium-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: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous funny 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: Complicated

Time traveling but not from the perspective of the traveler. Also the travels are not willing participants. Fun and sad story with hope at the end

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