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Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Death of parent, War
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War
Minor: Ableism, Confinement, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Lesbophobia, Deportation, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Colonisation, War
Moderate: Cannibalism
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Death, Racism, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Murder
Moderate: Racism, Cannibalism
Minor: Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Xenophobia
However when it all came together, it felt at times like it was trying to do slightly too much in one, which could create some tonal whiplash (particularly in the final act, where all the action suddenly kicked off at once, seemingly out of nowhere).
Each individual element/subplot of the book was so so good, any one of them could have been the main focus, which was slightly it's downfall. When putting everything together, the different parts didn't quite get enough breathing space each. However, this did always leave me with the nice feeling of wanting more!
The characters were fantastic to follow - particularly the side ones. I defo need more books in their world to learn what happens to them next.
A enjoyable read which some truly stand-out moments, that occasionally get lost in ambition.
Also, the author really loves a metaphor.
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Colonisation
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism
I was also bored throughout most of this, in a way that I feel that the book was falsely advertised. There's very little sci-fi to be seen in this with little regard to how the time travel works in this world, I didn't find it humorous enough to be considered comedic, the spy elements felt tacked on last minute and the romance simply did nothing for me.
I kinda wish that this book could have just focused more on the characters that are out of time. My favourite parts of the book were Graham, Arthur and Maggie hanging out and experiencing the 21st century together(I would also be totally down for reading a book solely focused on Maggie, love the idea of a lesbian from the 17th century being able to exist as herself in modern times).
I also found the narrator to be rather dislikable and I was rather irritated with how obtuse and manipulative she was to other characters and how she really doesn't experience much growth or consequences for her actions
I did find the exploration of her hertitage of being British-Cambodian and the child of a refugee interesting, but with how much this book tried to cover I would have prefered to have a whole book to focus solely on that. Also I must say the way the narrator and the plot treat Simellia, the only black character in the book, felt really off to me both in how the narrator dismisses Simellia's challenges with racism as one of the only black employees at the ministry and especially how it turns out
I especially wasn't fond of the romance between her and Graham Gore, there was a very apparent imbalance in the relationship where she felt rather controlling about him, almost trying to mold him into the type of person she would date that just put me off the idea of it. It made the ending where
There's also something about writing an explicit romance with an historical figure who died horribly that just gives me the ick. It comes off as in poor taste. I kept thinking throughout how I wish Graham could have been the main character instead, as the small chapters we see from his perspective are very introspective.
In all, this is a book that tries so many things and yet fails at being an engaging narrative.
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, Murder, Lesbophobia
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, War
Minor: Murder
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Cannibalism, Lesbophobia
Minor: Animal death, Genocide, Slavery, Colonisation
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Moderate: Gun violence, Murder