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

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.25

Enemy forces battled for the control of a world. Both sides had operatives with the ability to travel through time to change events, which could lead to success for their side. Two of these warriors, Red and Blue, had crossed paths many times working to get events in their favor. Each knew the pattern and style of the other when they came across their work. One day, Red found a hidden letter written to her by Blue. Blue wanted to congratulate her on the changes she made in the twists of time. Blue enjoyed her work more knowing she had a worthy rival. Red left her own message for Blue to find in the threads of time. The letters continued. Eventually, they revealed more and more about themselves and started to feel differently about their enemy. Unfortunately, they were still fighting in a war. Their relationship was forbidden and discovery would mean the end for either of them.

This was such an interesting story. Each of the two authors wrote a character. They made a general outline of how they wanted the storyline to flow. One wrote their character’s part and then passed it to the other for them to respond. I loved the creativity of the world the writers created. Red’s world was one of machines and was dark. Blue’s world was full of nature and light. Red and Blue found ingenious ways to hide their missives from others. Their letters showed the progression from taunts and admiration of skills to an eventual declaration of feeling. Their writings to each other were poetic and engaging. I enjoyed following them on their journey. It was an entertaining novel. 
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