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adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found there was a few times where I felt there was too much foreshadowing. I finished it with a heavy (positive) feeling in my torso. It was interesting and engaging and I love the expats so much. The main character never gets named and I love that choice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, Deportation
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think there are several things to like about this book—the heartwarming relationships between the "expats," the often humorous results of walking, talking anachronisms in the modern era, the honest depiction of what it's like to become infatuated with someone.
But overall I think this needed a lot more editing. The story can't quite figure out what it wants to be—I'm all for blending genres, but I think it needs to be done with a bit more intention and finesse than happens here. Similarly, the writing feels inconsistent. Some passages, particularly the dialogue between the protagonist and Graham and the other expats, feel natural, but there are significant portions that feel very overwritten. I think the story could've been a solid 10-15 pages shorter if someone had gone after all the metaphors with a red pen.
Ultimately I'm just not sure The Ministry of Time really succeeds at any of the things it's trying to do, so it felt quite unsatisfying in the end.
But overall I think this needed a lot more editing. The story can't quite figure out what it wants to be—I'm all for blending genres, but I think it needs to be done with a bit more intention and finesse than happens here. Similarly, the writing feels inconsistent. Some passages, particularly the dialogue between the protagonist and Graham and the other expats, feel natural, but there are significant portions that feel very overwritten. I think the story could've been a solid 10-15 pages shorter if someone had gone after all the metaphors with a red pen.
Ultimately I'm just not sure The Ministry of Time really succeeds at any of the things it's trying to do, so it felt quite unsatisfying in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
CW: blood, smoking, animal deaths, gore, r*pe, racism, death, genital slur, racial slur, murder, suicide mention, vomit, homophobia
Oh my goodness, twisty twisty and a sad-ish ending, but a good book nonetheless!
Oh my goodness, twisty twisty and a sad-ish ending, but a good book nonetheless!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism
Minor: Homophobia, Xenophobia
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism
Moderate: Homophobia, Slavery, Cannibalism, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-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
I thought it was unique and really grabbed me, after I got to the halfway mark i really couldn't put it down. I've heard some valid criticism for it, but being the authors first full length, I have high hopes for her future works. Loved!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely loved this to begin with, but as it went on (and on) I struggled to keep track of the plot. Not a lot happened for nearly 300 pages other than the main character being clueless and selfish - and the side characters being obviously fleshed out as wonderful people who we'd miss when something horrible happened to them. And then after the obvious plot twist, we didn't really get much clarity, nothing *really* happened or changed and it just ended. This book felt like it could have been a lot but got swept up in itself and didn't ever get to the point. I did really enjoy its sarcastic sense of humour, and I will keep an eye on this author.
Edited to add: having finished this, I have no idea why it is included in the Climate Fiction Prize longlist, am I missing something? There is the vaguest hint of this story taking place in a future where Bad Things have happened to the planet and things have somewhat changed, but this story is not in any way about that. It centres time travel, government bureaucracy and doomed romance. Nothing in the climate change realm.
Edited to add: having finished this, I have no idea why it is included in the Climate Fiction Prize longlist, am I missing something? There is the vaguest hint of this story taking place in a future where Bad Things have happened to the planet and things have somewhat changed, but this story is not in any way about that. It centres time travel, government bureaucracy and doomed romance. Nothing in the climate change realm.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Murder
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Yes
Loving, sad, and at moments dark. An examination of “what if” that is somehow able to make you laugh at the exact wrong times.
The excellent narration and consistent voices made the audiobook a special treat.
The excellent narration and consistent voices made the audiobook a special treat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism, Murder
Minor: Death, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol
While most of this is minor and par for the course of a spy/romance novel, it discusses in first person terms the conditions during a failed Arctic mission that is presented to have devolved into cannibalism, which I had trouble reading. Skip chapter 8 intro and you won’t miss any of the main story if this is a concern.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Terrible ending, SAD and also a little open-ended. I didn’t love the main character. I feel like there was no redemption for her behaviors until the last few pages. I hated the leading the reader on with a possible future and then it not being that at all and instead being terrible. And my favorite character died. I felt down-trodden after finishing this book.
I feel like I put it in the time - invested - in these characters and there was no payout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Cannibalism
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was really excited for this novel’s premise/concept, but it honestly didn’t execute it in a satisfying way for me personally. It had lots of interesting things it was trying to do, but in the end seemed muddled. I didn’t really click with the MC, but I loved the historical expat characters- they redeemed the book for me in many ways. The author seemed to try to justify the MC at the end but it came a little too late for me, especially after the government spy plot stuff. The sci-fi aspects were very hit and miss, interesting but also didn’t make a lot of sense- maybe I just didn’t get it/understand all of it. I honestly wished I liked this book more, I love time travel stories so I am kinda disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Grief
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Murder, Colonisation
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, Cannibalism, War