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adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
Loved this one. I want to reread it knowing what I know about the ending and see how that experience is different!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Murder
Minor: Genocide, War
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
"And in the heat of your obsession," he said, "did it occur to you to remember that I am a person too?"
i have a strange relationship with this book, if you can even call it a relationship. i like the premise and the writing. it’s fascinating and the treatment for the most part is quite lovely. the novelty of seeing characters who are plucked out of time and living in the present world and doing mundane things is my cup of tea. but the connection to the high stakes plot feels disjointed and at times, out of place.
the romance makes sense, but its execution is clunky. the turn it takes is something i like, but again, im not sure about it in the grand scheme of it all. the individual parts of this book are good, but put together and im not sure they mesh very well. at some point, i felt like i was slogging through it even though by all accounts, i should have been enjoying it. i felt a sense of distaste at times too, and im left feeling confused and overall dissatisfied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Murder
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Cannibalism, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Misogyny, Vomit
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
This book was fine. I doubt it’s anything that will stick with me for long, but it was a fun read. At times the pacing seemed to drag a little, but I did enjoy watching the MC slowly realize the Ministry might not have the best intentions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Colonisation, War
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Grief, Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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:
No
I’m jealous of anyone who hasn’t read this book because that means they get to read it for the first time. The way the author writes is so beautiful, and this book contains multitudes - about love and grief and generational trauma and being mixed race and wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. I got a little too attached to the characters for my own good - I thought Graham, Maggie, and Arthur were such a lovely found family. There were some twists that were predictable but others I definitely didn’t see coming, and honestly the pacing was all over the place - nothing much happened for about 75% of the book but then suddenly everything happened in the last 25% and it was a lot to process. But my overall reading experience was very positive and I’m sure this book will be an early favourite of this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Vomit, Cannibalism, War
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I cannot understand how this book is so popular. It tries to be every genre (romance, science fiction, historical fiction, mystery) without effectively being even one genre. It offers way too many details during the most disturbing parts of the book at the end and uses some of the most well-worn time travel tropes indiscriminately, throwing in plot twists that seem used only to try and distinguish this book from other time travel books (and make up for the whole “this book is about time travel and makes no sense, so we won’t bother trying to explain it to you” disclaimer in the first 10 pages, which is nothing if not lazy writing). The conclusion makes no sense and answers no questions, and the main protagonist somehow both is impacted severely by generational and current day traumas that define her character throughout the book and somehow “cured” via one internal monologue that lasts slightly over one page in the last five pages. The protagonist also bashes therapy multiple times, which I found hugely distasteful.
I should end with this books sole redeeming qualities, which were: (1) the author’s investigations into the multifaceted nature of identity, which were unfortunately too scarce throughout the book to make a read worthwhile; and (2) the commentary on immigration, which while shoehorned in felt important for the year 2025.
In short, don’t waste your time, and consider rewatching Dr. Who if you want to ponder time travel.
I should end with this books sole redeeming qualities, which were: (1) the author’s investigations into the multifaceted nature of identity, which were unfortunately too scarce throughout the book to make a read worthwhile; and (2) the commentary on immigration, which while shoehorned in felt important for the year 2025.
In short, don’t waste your time, and consider rewatching Dr. Who if you want to ponder time travel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder