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emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Yes
Prompt 48 - a book that features a married couple who don't live together - March 25, 2025 - I love a good time travel tale and this one is no exception. The story is unique, told from the point of view of a "bridge", a person employed by the government to help time travellers adjust to our timeline. It has intrigue, romance and adventure. I feel like this book is going to stick with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Slavery, Cannibalism, War
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
This one really was a mixed bag for me. Started off so strong, lagged hard in the middle, but the ending almost made me cry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Cannibalism, Murder
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, War
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A cute little spy/mystery romance.
I probably wouldn't have read it if I'd realised how much the second half focused on the romance.
I liked the concept behind the time machine and the ex-pats were lovely characters. The testing of the ex-pats was hilariously believable and i liked that there were several queer characters. The big reveal was... interesting, I'm not sure if i believed it though. I liked that the ending wasn't definitive, and left some hope that the main character wasn't just a patsy.
I was deeply disappointed by the photograph at the end. Gore looked NOTHING like what I'd imagined.
I probably wouldn't have read it if I'd realised how much the second half focused on the romance.
I liked the concept behind the time machine and the ex-pats were lovely characters. The testing of the ex-pats was hilariously believable and i liked that there were several queer characters. The big reveal was... interesting, I'm not sure if i believed it though. I liked that the ending wasn't definitive, and left some hope that the main character wasn't just a patsy.
I was deeply disappointed by the photograph at the end. Gore looked NOTHING like what I'd imagined.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief
Minor: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Biphobia, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think there are several things to like about this book—the heartwarming relationships between the "expats," the often humorous results of walking, talking anachronisms in the modern era, the honest depiction of what it's like to become infatuated with someone.
But overall I think this needed a lot more editing. The story can't quite figure out what it wants to be—I'm all for blending genres, but I think it needs to be done with a bit more intention and finesse than happens here. Similarly, the writing feels inconsistent. Some passages, particularly the dialogue between the protagonist and Graham and the other expats, feel natural, but there are significant portions that feel very overwritten. I think the story could've been a solid 10-15 pages shorter if someone had gone after all the metaphors with a red pen.
Ultimately I'm just not sure The Ministry of Time really succeeds at any of the things it's trying to do, so it felt quite unsatisfying in the end.
But overall I think this needed a lot more editing. The story can't quite figure out what it wants to be—I'm all for blending genres, but I think it needs to be done with a bit more intention and finesse than happens here. Similarly, the writing feels inconsistent. Some passages, particularly the dialogue between the protagonist and Graham and the other expats, feel natural, but there are significant portions that feel very overwritten. I think the story could've been a solid 10-15 pages shorter if someone had gone after all the metaphors with a red pen.
Ultimately I'm just not sure The Ministry of Time really succeeds at any of the things it's trying to do, so it felt quite unsatisfying in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Racism, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
CW: blood, smoking, animal deaths, gore, r*pe, racism, death, genital slur, racial slur, murder, suicide mention, vomit, homophobia
Oh my goodness, twisty twisty and a sad-ish ending, but a good book nonetheless!
Oh my goodness, twisty twisty and a sad-ish ending, but a good book nonetheless!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism
Minor: Homophobia, Xenophobia
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Murder
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Genocide, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Cannibalism
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely loved this to begin with, but as it went on (and on) I struggled to keep track of the plot. Not a lot happened for nearly 300 pages other than the main character being clueless and selfish - and the side characters being obviously fleshed out as wonderful people who we'd miss when something horrible happened to them. And then after the obvious plot twist, we didn't really get much clarity, nothing *really* happened or changed and it just ended. This book felt like it could have been a lot but got swept up in itself and didn't ever get to the point. I did really enjoy its sarcastic sense of humour, and I will keep an eye on this author.
Edited to add: having finished this, I have no idea why it is included in the Climate Fiction Prize longlist, am I missing something? There is the vaguest hint of this story taking place in a future where Bad Things have happened to the planet and things have somewhat changed, but this story is not in any way about that. It centres time travel, government bureaucracy and doomed romance. Nothing in the climate change realm.
Edited to add: having finished this, I have no idea why it is included in the Climate Fiction Prize longlist, am I missing something? There is the vaguest hint of this story taking place in a future where Bad Things have happened to the planet and things have somewhat changed, but this story is not in any way about that. It centres time travel, government bureaucracy and doomed romance. Nothing in the climate change realm.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Murder
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
Loving, sad, and at moments dark. An examination of “what if” that is somehow able to make you laugh at the exact wrong times.
The excellent narration and consistent voices made the audiobook a special treat.
The excellent narration and consistent voices made the audiobook a special treat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism, Murder
Minor: Death, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol
While most of this is minor and par for the course of a spy/romance novel, it discusses in first person terms the conditions during a failed Arctic mission that is presented to have devolved into cannibalism, which I had trouble reading. Skip chapter 8 intro and you won’t miss any of the main story if this is a concern.