Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

183 reviews

adventurous challenging emotional funny 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: Yes

I adore this book.  A British-Cambodian government translator finds herself working as a sort of mentor to a historical time traveler as part of an experimental program.  Her subject—Graham Gore—would have died amid a doomed Arctic expedition from which no man returned had he not been pulled from the year 1847.  She befriends him, along with a ragtag crew of other “expats,” while keeping secret most details about her job, which, unbeknownst to her, has been plagued by corruption from the start.  

This book explores what happens when what you thought was right turns out to be very wrong, and Bradley accomplishes this in a way that is funny, surprising, and profoundly moving.  The slow burn love story crackles with chemistry which surpasses anything I’ve read before, and, most importantly, humanizes the beloved.  The Ministry of Time is counted among my few most favorite books.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

It has been a very long time since a book has completely torn my heart out and left me weeping, but The Ministry of Time did just that.

I wanted to read this book for a very simple reason. Time travel resulting in people from the past trying to make sense of contemporary things is my favorite trope in fiction. I am endlessly amused by stories that involve this, and have been since I was very young.

What I didn't expect was to feel so incredibly strongly for a group of 4 people (3 of them from the pages of history) that being without them, now with the book finished, would feel like such an incredible loss.

It's February 6th as I write this. Some say it may be too early to name my favorite book of the year, but some would be wrong. This is she.

I was provided access to The Ministry of Time through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is very honest. This book comes out in May. You will NEED to read it.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous emotional funny 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: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings