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

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a second attempt with this one. I picked this up the first time about a year ago, but it was the wrong time for it and I didn't make it far. This time was apparently just right, so thank you book club for dropping this back on my radar.

This little book was WEIRD, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was sometimes a little hard to keep track of what was going on, but I think in a way that makes the book better? It definitely didn't take anything away from the experience of reading it. Trying to track some of the terminology in the context was challenging at first but considering the book is a multi-verse time-travel long-con of a heist, it also adds a bit to the charm. It was also very melancholy in the second half, until that twist at the very end where it turns around and winds up reframing some of the bits woven throughout. Very skillful planning and execution for the tale, and I think the twist is my favorite part.

Part of me would love to see a sequel, but another part of me wants this to stand alone with the ending open to possibility and interpretation, because it's just that interesting.
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