Review by basil_touche - This is How You Lose the Time War

basil_touche 's review for:

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

3.0

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I'm not quite sure about this book. I found the premise intriguing but for such a small book it took a lot longer for me to finish than I expected. The language and prose was bordering on purple at some points, making it hard for me to parse. I did enjoy Red and Blue's correspondence, their jabs turning more to praise and eventually adoration with each new letter (with an equally inventive way of sending said letters).

However, I wasn't fully enamored with their love either. I felt more time was needed to make it more convincing, which in turn made it hard for me to be fully taken with the latter half of the book.

I don't know, maybe this style of writing just isn't my cup of tea. I'm glad I read it but I'm just a little underwhelmed is all.

Content Warnings