711sourcherryslurpee 's review for:

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

3.5

mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Somehow both fast and slow paced at the same time, and very cryptic worldbuilding.

The relationship between the main characters started quite abruptly, going from mortal enemies to best friends within 50 pages. Additionally, while the elements of worldbuilding that were present were very well done, call me a toddler that needs to be spoon fed, but very little of Garden and Agency's actual motives/goals were actually revealed. Personally, I think that at the very least, some knowledge of their end goal would have made the ending more impactful.

However, the masterful use of imagery and allusions was a treat. I also loved how a diverse array of historical events/locations were used, as I find many "time traveling" concepts often restrict themselves to locales within Europe and the USA.