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

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

4.5

Holy shit. This book is so amazing. It took me a second to figure out exactly what was happening in the beginning since the structure is a bit unorthodox, but once I got into the groove of it I was hooked. Red and Blue's love story is so beautiful, and despite how short the book is the romance doesn't feel rushed. The concept of the titular time war was executed very well-- a lot of time-travel media I've consumed either disregards the consequences of the characters' actions entirely, or spends an outsized amount of time explaining what's happening in a way that just makes things more confusing, but this doesn't fall into either trap. I wish we had maybe gotten just a little more background into the factions Red and Blue came from and what was really driving the conflict between them, but with how short the book is, I understand why those things weren't included. I devoured this in less than two days and couldn't put it down. I was reading it on three minute bus rides to the grocery store, under the desk at work, while I was doing dishes-- that's how captivating and tightly executed this is. 
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