A review by books4em
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This one totally surprised me, and it’s maiming because of the ending. Blue and Red were very interesting characters to read and I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like this book. The writing was a little hard to understand, especially at the beginning. Blue’s parts were easier to comprehend than Red’s except Red’s got more clear as the book went. The last 50-60 pages is where this book shines - it’s full of twists and turns I didn’t quite expect, especially the last one. If this book didn’t have those pages and it ended differently, I’d probably be giving it 2 stars. It’s one of those books that you have to remember every little detail to see how things connect in the ending, but because of how it’s structured with the letters, it’s easy to flip back and find the parts you need clarification on. There are also a chunk of literary and academic references that aren’t the most accessible and I didn’t know quite a few of them. I didn’t quite like how the very last bit of writing leaves you wondering, I kind of wanted something more concrete for Blue and Red, but it does fit the story. Overall, loved it. It made me laugh at points and drove me crazy. Weird and twisty, but full of war and love. 
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