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A review by sarabook
Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve been a fan of the St Mary’s gang for a number of years, I’ve read all of the series to date (the newest of which, Hope for the Best, is released next week) and I’ve grown to love these characters like extended, eccentric, members of my own family. So when Jodi’s books were picked up by the major publishing company Headline at the beginning of the year, I was excited to see how they’d preserve the essence of St Mary’s and bring the gang, and Jodi’s wonderful stories, to a wider audience.
This is a book about time travel. Although the historians of St. Mary’s institute prefer to call it ‘the investigation of historical events in contemporary time’. They’re a motley group of disaster magnets, often bouncing from one time period to another and trying not to get killed by contemporaries, or the omnipotent History, in the process. In one chapter we might find them peeing up a stone block in medieval England, the next we could be fighting off T-Rex’s with some pepper spray. As long as there’s a cup of tea at the end of it, the possibilities, and time periods, are endless.
I think that’s where this first novel lets itself down a little. Taylor has so much story to tell, so much history to cram into one book, that the plot often moves around without much cohesion, and a lot of chaos. The passage of time depicted during ‘modern day’ segments are uneven, one minute going from a training period of new recruits and their first mission, to suddenly mentioning they’ve been there for 5 years without much explanation. I will say that this chaotic nature gets better with each book, and the world becomes more established. Time travel is a complicated subject to get your head round, and Jodi just about manages to hold onto the topic in the first book without it getting too complicated and out of hand.
That being said, Taylor’s gift is in immersing the reader in history, any history, and making it interesting and accessible. She can drop her characters anywhere in time, and make me want to learn more about it. The writing is good, well described and fast paced (perhaps too much at times!) and Taylor’s passion for history, and the infallible research that goes with it, is great to read and shines through. She manages to encompass so much both socially and on a wider scale that I’ve felt personally compelled at times to read up on some topics that I wouldn’t normally ever be interested in, or been exposed to. That’s a wonderful talent to have.
I don’t think you can enjoy these books if you don’t love the characters too. Madeline Maxwell, Max, the main protagonist is self deprecating, smart, unable to keep her mouth shut, and a lover of chocolate. She’s the glue that holds this story together, and she’s by no means perfect, but I like that Taylor isn’t afraid to show strong, intelligent women in less than perfect ways. The same goes for her colleagues Kalinda and Helen. Combined, they’re a formidable force that as a reader you also want to be a part of. In fact, the undeniable bond that forms between them all is rather lovely, and when Jodi rips this away with her unbiased deaths, it makes them all the more hard hitting and difficult to cope with. And believe me, Taylor holds no punches when it comes to killing off characters you’ve just started to get to know and love.
A great start to what has become one of my all time favourite series. Come for the history, told with a passionate hand, and stay for the flurry of wonderfully imperfect characters.
I’ve been a fan of the St Mary’s gang for a number of years, I’ve read all of the series to date (the newest of which, Hope for the Best, is released next week) and I’ve grown to love these characters like extended, eccentric, members of my own family. So when Jodi’s books were picked up by the major publishing company Headline at the beginning of the year, I was excited to see how they’d preserve the essence of St Mary’s and bring the gang, and Jodi’s wonderful stories, to a wider audience.
This is a book about time travel. Although the historians of St. Mary’s institute prefer to call it ‘the investigation of historical events in contemporary time’. They’re a motley group of disaster magnets, often bouncing from one time period to another and trying not to get killed by contemporaries, or the omnipotent History, in the process. In one chapter we might find them peeing up a stone block in medieval England, the next we could be fighting off T-Rex’s with some pepper spray. As long as there’s a cup of tea at the end of it, the possibilities, and time periods, are endless.
I think that’s where this first novel lets itself down a little. Taylor has so much story to tell, so much history to cram into one book, that the plot often moves around without much cohesion, and a lot of chaos. The passage of time depicted during ‘modern day’ segments are uneven, one minute going from a training period of new recruits and their first mission, to suddenly mentioning they’ve been there for 5 years without much explanation. I will say that this chaotic nature gets better with each book, and the world becomes more established. Time travel is a complicated subject to get your head round, and Jodi just about manages to hold onto the topic in the first book without it getting too complicated and out of hand.
That being said, Taylor’s gift is in immersing the reader in history, any history, and making it interesting and accessible. She can drop her characters anywhere in time, and make me want to learn more about it. The writing is good, well described and fast paced (perhaps too much at times!) and Taylor’s passion for history, and the infallible research that goes with it, is great to read and shines through. She manages to encompass so much both socially and on a wider scale that I’ve felt personally compelled at times to read up on some topics that I wouldn’t normally ever be interested in, or been exposed to. That’s a wonderful talent to have.
I don’t think you can enjoy these books if you don’t love the characters too. Madeline Maxwell, Max, the main protagonist is self deprecating, smart, unable to keep her mouth shut, and a lover of chocolate. She’s the glue that holds this story together, and she’s by no means perfect, but I like that Taylor isn’t afraid to show strong, intelligent women in less than perfect ways. The same goes for her colleagues Kalinda and Helen. Combined, they’re a formidable force that as a reader you also want to be a part of. In fact, the undeniable bond that forms between them all is rather lovely, and when Jodi rips this away with her unbiased deaths, it makes them all the more hard hitting and difficult to cope with. And believe me, Taylor holds no punches when it comes to killing off characters you’ve just started to get to know and love.
A great start to what has become one of my all time favourite series. Come for the history, told with a passionate hand, and stay for the flurry of wonderfully imperfect characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Gore