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adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Vomit, Murder
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
mysterious
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
This one wasn't what I was expecting at all in terms of plot, but I read it so fast. Things moved way slower than I thought they would, but I was still very interested. There's a bit of found family, which I'm always a sucker for, and just enough mystery throughout to keep me really turning those pages. There was a section past the halfway point where things began to drag for me, but then the last quarter or so had me racing to finish. I also really liked the time jump sections and wished they were maybe a little longer, as the other chapters were huge by comparison.
I'll definitely read more from this author!
I'll definitely read more from this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder
Moderate: Slavery
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
I think it’s hard to pitch a book that bends genre like this one does, but maybe because of that, this book wasn’t exactly what i expected. I expected a rom-com full of musings on modern-day society and it was that but it was also government intrigue and assassinations and betrayal and unanswerable questions about morality. Also I don’t know why I didn’t expect this book about time travel to include time travel but I didn’t and it does. The rules are not super clearly defined (that’s fine—I never really get time travel rules anyway) and differ from other time travel books i’ve read, but my complete unpreparedness to confront time travel did make the twist absolutely exquisite. Had I been reading a physical copy of the book, I would’ve slammed back to the first chapter so violently that it would’ve posed a threat to the structural integrity of the book.
Character wise, I think the book lacked depth. The main character (nameless as far a I can remember) is constantly trying to smooth out her rough edges and while she’s successful in her goal, it makes her very boring. (It’s funny that she accuses her sister of giving herself daddy issues when the MC so clearly does the same thing with mommy issues.) Graham and the other expats are much more interesting, but we don’t get to see as much of them. (Though I appreciated the small insights into Graham’s past.)
Character wise, I think the book lacked depth. The main character (nameless as far a I can remember) is constantly trying to smooth out her rough edges and while she’s successful in her goal, it makes her very boring. (It’s funny that she accuses her sister of giving herself daddy issues when the MC so clearly does the same thing with mommy issues.) Graham and the other expats are much more interesting, but we don’t get to see as much of them. (Though I appreciated the small insights into Graham’s past.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Colonisation
Minor: Genocide, Racial slurs, Slavery, Cannibalism
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
This book is fantastic — the writing sparkles, the characters lodge themselves in your heart and mind, and the premise is so exciting and original! I loved the way Bradley balances the bureaucracy of the Ministry, the excitement of time travel and the expats adapting to the 21st century, and a bit of intrigue and mystery. In addition to being cleverly plotted to the point where I was making these faces at the end 🥺😭🫢🤨, this book addresses themes like colonialism, displacement, legacy, morality, and racism in a unique and thought-provoking way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Murder
Minor: Cannibalism
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
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
challenging
tense
slow-paced
This one wasn't for me. I liked the premise but I couldn't get fully into it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Vomit, War