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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I really struggled with the pace of the novel. It was very slow to start. I think I was briefly hooked in the middle when we find out who the victim was. However, this tension slowly fizzles and by the time you find out who the murderer is you don’t really care. The slow pace is not helped by reading it on an e-reader. There is a glossary at the end so the book actually finishes at 80%. When the big, “exciting” court case is happening it seemed like I was only 3/4 of the way through the book. I think it slightly ruined my feelings of what was happening.
I also struggled to keep track of who was who, why they were important and to whom they were linked.There are a few bit characters and their inclusion confused me even more.
A bit of a disappointing read. I kept thinking “oh now this will get interesting” but it never really eventuated.
I also struggled to keep track of who was who, why they were important and to whom they were linked.There are a few bit characters and their inclusion confused me even more.
A bit of a disappointing read. I kept thinking “oh now this will get interesting” but it never really eventuated.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Great book! Some parts confusing, some parts kind of corny, but overall a good read.
I received an ARC of this title from the publisher for an honest review.
In the late 60s, four female scientists invent time travel. However, when they are right in the middle of their first interview with the BBC, one of the four has a breakdown due to a pre-existing condition combined with the rigor of time travel. The other three close ranks and shut her out, going on to form the Conclave, a time travel bureau that is an entity unto itself.
I love how these four women invent this awesome thing, but there's no real sensationalism about it in the book. 95% of the characters here are women and they are diverse in background. Time travel is hard to do right in a story, but I think it was achieved here. Definitely recommend!
In the late 60s, four female scientists invent time travel. However, when they are right in the middle of their first interview with the BBC, one of the four has a breakdown due to a pre-existing condition combined with the rigor of time travel. The other three close ranks and shut her out, going on to form the Conclave, a time travel bureau that is an entity unto itself.
I love how these four women invent this awesome thing, but there's no real sensationalism about it in the book. 95% of the characters here are women and they are diverse in background. Time travel is hard to do right in a story, but I think it was achieved here. Definitely recommend!
Woman-led time travel murder mystery, this debut novel had me at its premise, and Kate Mascarenhas delivers. This intricate, informed, delightfully surprising, and fully-realized story has so many charms. Among these are its exploration of the psychological and (corporate) cultural impacts of time travel, its glossary of time travel slang and exhibit of postmodern time travel art, its confidently delivered twists and turns, but most of all, this novel has true, red-blooded women at its core, women of diverse color and sexuality capable not only of inventing time travel but of reinvention, regret, revenge, love, sacrifice, cruelty, the running of corporations, and more. I can’t wait to put this book in the hands of fans of Margaret Atwood and Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures, and I can’t wait to read what Kate Mascarenhas writes next!
adventurous
emotional
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
So many fantastic concepts in here! What if time travel was a profession? How would it be governed? What effects would it have on mental health? On philosophy, justice, faith, basically everything? Unfortunately, I think it was all too much for one book. Mascarenhas packed in so many ideas, characters, and plot lines that it became confusing. Excited to see what she cooks up in the future though.
Whenever I visit my father, the trees in his garden are young again, and so is he. I will never take that for granted.
This one took me by surprise.
I usually don't read many sci-fi novels (but when I do, I really dislike them) but I kept seeing this one pop up around Booktube and the premise of four women creating the first time machine drew me in straight away.
A novel about women in STEM? What more could I want?
The novel follows their lives after they invent and present the time machine to the world, and also the lives of a few other characters. There is murder mystery as well that is unraveled as the story goes on.
What makes The Psychology of Time Travel extremely original is the fact it deals with the repercussions of time traveling in society, and in how it affects individuals mentally and socially. Mascarenhas writes about how skipping through time periods affect individuals in multiple ways, which was interesting to me.
Because they use time machines as they please, time travelers take everything around them for granted. If they miss someone, they can go back in time and visit, or they can go to the future to learn their fate. Nothing seems to faze them and, in part, nothing seems real when there's a possibility to skip ahead in time. They also consider themselves to be above "normal" people since they have an important job, and they have their own status in society.
I also enjoyed the culture the author created about time traveling, and how they develop their own expressions. They call their younger selves "green" and future selves "silver" because of the experience they obtain. And as they use the time machine and grow old, their views and personality also change.
The characters themselves were very interesting to read about but not remarkable. To me, what really stuck was the society Mascarenhas created and how she intertwines psychology with the usage of time machines. I also enjoyed the fact that a good chunk of the cast was queer, and it wasn't questioned by loved ones.
Overall, a very enjoyable and interesting read. I definitely see my "silver" self (get it?) rereading this and I look forward to this author's future works.
This arc was provided by Crooked Lane Books, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this, but I spent the first half a little confused (my own issue, not because of the writing) so I’d really like to reread and see how it affects my experience to understand who is who and how they relate to begin with. I thought there were some really interesting points on how time travel changes your perception of the normal parts of life: how you view death, relationships, aging, and yourself at different points in your time line.
I found a lot of that stuff particularly fascinating and found the tying of all the mystery threads together to be really well done.
Spoiler
for example, when Grace admits she doesn’t know her age, but instead tracks her heartbeats so that when she dies her body can be returned to approximately when she would’ve lived to if she was a typical person not time traveling, or when Ginger resigns herself to staying married because her time traveling daughter thinks her parents stayed married.
adventurous
emotional
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:
Complicated
The Psychology of Time Travel was a gripping character-driven read. Mascarenhas deftly used the time travel component to make a really fascinating murder mystery that left me constantly revising my theory of who did it. The queer romance was icing on the cake.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder
Minor: Mental illness