You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I've read a few book this year within in the time travel genre (if that's a thing?) and, while I enjoyed this one and the ins and outs, it sort of lost me at the end...quite literally. I kept thinking I was missing some piece of information. That said, I should have just slowed down a bit!
This is very clearly geared toward fans of Hidden Figures, which is not a bad thing. The book is woman-centered and brazenly feminist, without sacrificing the science and complexity of science fiction.(it's almost like women can understand complex scientific concepts!) All of the main characters in the novel are women, including both women of color and queer women. Their capabilities and intelligence are never questioned. We follow them through their careers, seeing the effects their successes (or lack thereof) affect them over time.
It also wasn't remotely what I was expecting, which is both good and bad. The multitude of perspectives and timeline shifts aren't particularly confusing but they do make it hard to sink into the story. The mystery is well done. It's a rather original take on time travel, which is no small feat these days. I was unsurprised to read that the author has PhDs in literary studies and psychology. She obviously thought quite a bit about how time travel would actually affect the brain and the psyche, which isn't something you see a lot in time travel novels. But the whole thing feels maybe a little bit flat -- a little too perfectly well-thought out and plotted, like a psychological experiment. Nevertheless, this is a unique and engaging twist on the time travel novel.
It also wasn't remotely what I was expecting, which is both good and bad. The multitude of perspectives and timeline shifts aren't particularly confusing but they do make it hard to sink into the story. The mystery is well done. It's a rather original take on time travel, which is no small feat these days. I was unsurprised to read that the author has PhDs in literary studies and psychology. She obviously thought quite a bit about how time travel would actually affect the brain and the psyche, which isn't something you see a lot in time travel novels. But the whole thing feels maybe a little bit flat -- a little too perfectly well-thought out and plotted, like a psychological experiment. Nevertheless, this is a unique and engaging twist on the time travel novel.
Pro: Interesting concept in theory. Woman and LGBTQ power.
Con: Not as interesting in practice. So many characters to keep track of. Story lines that don't seem to resolve. Clunky dialog.
Con: Not as interesting in practice. So many characters to keep track of. Story lines that don't seem to resolve. Clunky dialog.
This book is a strange entry in the science fiction genre because the author just avoids 90% of the challenges of creating rules in a time travel narrative. Lots of things about time travel and it's administration make no sense and she hand-waves them, which puts the focus more squarely on the characters and their relationships. This wasn't inherently bad, but the characters don't hold up strongly enough to make up the gap. Most notably, the villain is written as unrealistically extreme, and her actions don't really fit with her motivations. Also, I worked out a much more interesting ending in my head than the actual ending, and was more disappointed than pleased with the author's misdirect.
I should have liked this book with its strong & smart female characters and time travel plot, but I had a difficult time getting into it and actually caring about the story (or characters or any part of it). Chosen for bookclub and it was a DNF for several members.
I really enjoyed this book. Such an interesting concept with many different characters and links. A good mystery with a bit of romance
Three stars is perhaps a little ungenerous, but I just gave the latest Kate Atkinson four, which was far more accomplished than this, if itself not without a few flaws.
This was a strange little book. The best part of it was the murder mystery which lies at its heart, and the careful plotting that pulls all the threads and all the relationships and time-strands together. What was also intriguing was the titular psychology of time travel, or more specifically time travellers, and the effect such a power might have on someone's mental state. It was completely believable the way the author portrayed the way being a time traveller would affect someone's ability to have meaningful relationships (and this is in a _completely_ different way than in The Time Traveller's Wife, with which this book is being inevitably compared).
Issues I had with it were, first of all, the SF-nal aspect of the time travel itself. It is not well explained (as per, say Connie Willis, with all the settings and risk of mishap). The laws, as they are explained, are counter to most well-establish science fiction tropes, and lend a certain fatalism to the universe that I would suspect goes against actual quantum physics, for all the author's use of some scientific jargon.
Second, the number of characters and different timelines was extremely confusing. I felt the need to make a chart of who was who and related to whom. Also, the different points of view were not sufficiently differentiated to help with that. The only character I connected with and always knew who she was was Odette. I liked the diversity of the different women, and although sometimes I had the feeling that the author was ticking boxes - lesbian? check. person of colour? check - at least it's in a good cause.
This is a first novel, and as such is certainly promising. I think the author has a lot of potential (that's the English prof talking, sorry).
I was provided with an ARC of this book courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
This was a strange little book. The best part of it was the murder mystery which lies at its heart, and the careful plotting that pulls all the threads and all the relationships and time-strands together. What was also intriguing was the titular psychology of time travel, or more specifically time travellers, and the effect such a power might have on someone's mental state. It was completely believable the way the author portrayed the way being a time traveller would affect someone's ability to have meaningful relationships (and this is in a _completely_ different way than in The Time Traveller's Wife, with which this book is being inevitably compared).
Issues I had with it were, first of all, the SF-nal aspect of the time travel itself. It is not well explained (as per, say Connie Willis, with all the settings and risk of mishap). The laws, as they are explained, are counter to most well-establish science fiction tropes, and lend a certain fatalism to the universe that I would suspect goes against actual quantum physics, for all the author's use of some scientific jargon.
Second, the number of characters and different timelines was extremely confusing. I felt the need to make a chart of who was who and related to whom. Also, the different points of view were not sufficiently differentiated to help with that. The only character I connected with and always knew who she was was Odette. I liked the diversity of the different women, and although sometimes I had the feeling that the author was ticking boxes - lesbian? check. person of colour? check - at least it's in a good cause.
This is a first novel, and as such is certainly promising. I think the author has a lot of potential (that's the English prof talking, sorry).
I was provided with an ARC of this book courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 rounding up.
Really enjoyed this book until the end. I loved the braided storylines and the murder mystery which is barely a mystery but…
That’s it??
The ending really fell flat to me. It was 5 stars until the last few chapters because it left me feeling “so what” which isn’t nice.
Really enjoyed this book until the end. I loved the braided storylines and the murder mystery which is barely a mystery but…
That’s it??
The ending really fell flat to me. It was 5 stars until the last few chapters because it left me feeling “so what” which isn’t nice.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
