This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

 This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (224 Pages)

Summary: Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future. Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right?

Opinion: This book is so good, not what I expected, but so good. This is talked about as a sci-fi book and it is, but really it is a romance book at its core. While the sci-fi aspect is important to the context of the story, the relationship building between Red and Blue is the story. In particular, I loved the writing in this novel, especially the letters between the two main characters which were especially profound. This book is only 200 pages, but it took a while to read as this book constantly makes one think about the true meaning of the authors' words. Would highly recommend. 

I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! (Manga) Volume 5

I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! (Manga) Volume 5 - 144 pages

Haru Harukawa (Artist); Reina Soratani (Original Creator)

Summary (Back Cover)

After Lady Violette committed a grave crime and was imprisoned, she lost consciousness and woke up to find herself transported one year back in time.  Determined to stay out of trouble, Violette vows to stay out of everyone's way and live a quiet life.  But to her dismay, other people just keep interfering with that dream!  Her friends and enemies are all acting nothing like how Violette remembered, and keep seeking her out!  And now that prince has something he wants to confess?!  

Review

It seems we are reaching a turning point in the narrative - one I hope is explored with depth and tact in any future publications.  I was also glad to see Marin's character given more of a backstory beyond just being the devoted maid.  All in all, while the pacing is on the slower side and some of the scenarios can be a bit cheesy at times, I have been enjoying this series and am looking forward to reading any further publications.  

I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! (Manga) Volume 4

I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! (Manga) Volume 4 - 148 pages

Haru Harukawa (Artist); Reina Soratani (Original Creator)

Summary (From Goodreads)

A year ago, time rewound for Lady Violette, and after being careful to not make the same mistakes as last time, her actions have now lead her to meeting the neighboring kingdom's princess, Rosette. Violette and Rosette actually do get along, but things grow awkward when they realize that they're both candidates to be Prince Claudia's future wife. When Rosette meets the prince at a social gathering, she's shocked to see just how much Claudia is drawn to Violette. Is Violette destined for trouble even in this new timeline?!

Review

The addition of Princess Rosette's character was a much-needed breath of fresh air.  It's nice to see characters interacting in a way that doesn't focus solely on their romantic woes.  I hope we get to see more of this (and Princess Rosette) in the future!  

I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! (Manga) Volume 3

I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! (Manga) Volume 3 - 144 pages

Haru Harukawa (Artist); Reina Soratani (Original Creator)

Summary (Back Cover)

When Violette went back in time, she vowed that she'd live her life differently.  Instead of trying to break up her half sister and the prince, she'd make sure that the two of them got together!  But now it's starting to dawn on Violette that in this new timeline, Maryjune and Claudia aren't even interested in each other.  As Violette tries to figure out a new plan, she remains oblivious to the fact that the prince has fallen for her!  

Review

I can see some parallels between Violette's circumstances in the original timeline and this one.  Her near-single-minded pursuit of a goal, be it marriage to Prince Claudia or escaping to a convent, causes her to push away those closest to her.  

I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! (Manga) Volume 2

I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! (Manga) Volume 2 - 180 pages

Haru Harukawa (Artist); Reina Soratani (Original Creator)

Summary (From Goodreads)

One noblewoman's attempt to rewrite the past--and avoid her descent into villainy. (And don't miss the original light novels, also from Seven Seas!) Succumbing to long-simmering jealousy over her younger sister, noblewoman Violette snaps and does something terrible. As she languishes in prison, something unexpected happens: time is rewound, sending her back to the day she first met her sister! Armed with the memories of her disastrous first go-round, Violette is determined to take the script in a different direction this time.

Review

The pacing of this one is a bit slower, though that's because more time was spent on fleshing out some of the characters - not a bad thing in the least.  This includes more of Violette's tragic backstory. I hope this second chance at life and love works out better for her!  

I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! (Manga) Volume 1

I Swear I Won't Bother You Again! (Manga) Volume 1 - 180 pages

Haru Harukawa (Artist); Reina Soratani (Original Creator)

Summary (From Goodreads)

Succumbing to long-simmering jealousy over her younger sister, noblewoman Violette snaps and does something terrible. As she languishes in prison, something unexpected happens: time is rewound, sending her back to the day she first met her sister! Armed with the memories of her disastrous first go-round, Violette is determined to take the script in a different direction this time.

Review

I found this one to be quite bittersweet in nature.  It's always nice to see a good redemption story, but I can't help feeling so badly for Violette!  

The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington

 The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy #1) by James Islington with Michael Kramer (Narrator), 25 hrs, 28 min. (725 pages)

"As destiny calls, a journey begins. 

It has been twenty years since the godlike Augurs were overthrown and killed. Now, those who once served them -- the Gifted -- are spared only because they have accepted the rebellion's Four Tenets, vastly limiting their powers. 

As a Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war lost before he was even born. He and others like him are despised. But when Davian discovers he wields the forbidden power of the Augurs, he and his friends Wirr and Asha set into motion a chain of events that will change everything. 

 To the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian's wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is. In the far north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated begins to stir." Provided by publisher

I picked up this first book in the series because I read a James Islington book that I absolutely loved a couple years ago (The Will of the Many) and because of narrator Michael Kramer, who I have found to have impeccable taste in fantasy novels. When diving into this book, be prepared for a lot of characters, but a core group of characters that you get attached to. There is a lot of world building and character development, as it should be in any first novel in an epic fantasy series. This is a complex world with complex characters, and I enjoyed learning how they connected. Looking forward to reading the next in the series. 

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston -- 352 pages

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it. So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.

And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again. Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future. Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed. After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.

The Unmaking of June Farrow

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young | 320 pages | 2023

The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line. The whole town remembers the madness that led to Susanna Farrow’s disappearance, leaving June to be raised by her grandmother and haunted by rumors. It’s been a year since June started seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Faint wind chimes, a voice calling her name, and a mysterious door appearing out of nowhere—the signs of what June always knew was coming. But June is determined to end the curse once and for all, even if she must sacrifice finding love and having a family of her own.
(Synopsis from Goodreads)

This was a beautiful story full of romance, mystery, and magic. Young writes a very immersive world, and the premise of this story with it's mysterious curse is really original. I thought the fantasy elements were very well done. It slows down a bit in the middle while the authors tries to draw out the mystery a bit too long, but overall I really enjoyed reading this.

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐✩

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister - 416 pages

Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?

It is midnight on the morning of Halloween, and Jen anxiously waits up for her 18-year-old son, Todd, to return home. But worries about his broken curfew transform into something much more dangerous when Todd finally emerges from the darkness. As Jen watches through the window, she sees her funny, seemingly happy teenage son stab a total stranger.

She doesn’t know who the victim is, or why Todd has committed such a devastating act of violence. All she knows is that her life, and Todd’s, have been shattered.

After her son is taken into custody, Jen falls asleep in despair. But when she wakes up… it is yesterday. The murder has not happened yet—and there may be a chance to stop it. Each morning, when Jen wakes, she is further back in the past, first weeks, then years, before the murder. And Jen realizes that somewhere in the past lies the trigger for Todd’s terrible crime…and it is her mission to find it, and prevent it from taking place.

This book was ok, I like the idea of finding out the crime first then going in reverse to figure out how it happened.  It wasn't so good that I couldn't put it down but it was good nonetheless.  I like how the author depicts the main character, her husband and son.  The author does a good job of making you understand the love they have and the betrayal the wife feels.  Overall a good read.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, 255 p.

"Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She's traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive's bestselling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.

Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal--an experience that shocks him to his core.

When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe."--Goodreads blurb

This short book packed a big punch. St. John Mandel is a very compelling writer and writes very interesting characters. The last book I read had time jumping, as far as viewpoints from different eras, but this was a legitimate time-travel book. The storyline was an interesting premise, though slow in places. The twist at the end was great and I will be reading this author again for sure!

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Rivers of London (Rivers of London #1) by Ben Aaronovitch, 392 p.

"Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic."--Goodreads blurb

I wasn't a fan of this book. I liked the premise of the story but a lot about this author's writing made me wince, not least of which was how he wrote his women characters. The acceptance of life-altering information from characters was so unbelievable and the character development and world-building just wasn't there for me. I've heard a lot of people really like this series, but I won't be moving forward with it.

 

Secrets of the Chocolate House by Paula Brackston

Secrets of the Chocolate House (Found Things #2) by Paula Brackston, 308 p.

"After her adventures in the seventeenth century, Xanthe does her best to settle back into the rhythm of life in Marlborough. She tells herself she must forget about Samuel and leave him in the past where he belongs. With the help of her new friends, she does her best to move on, focusing instead on the success of her and Flora’s antique shop.

But there are still things waiting to be found, still injustices needing to be put right, still voices whispering to Xanthe from long ago about secrets wanting to be shared.

While looking for new stock for the shop, Xanthe hears the song of a copper chocolate pot. Soon after, she has an upsetting vision of Samuel in great danger, compelling her to make another journey to the past.

This time she'll meet her most dangerous adversary. This time her ability to travel to the past will be tested. This time she will discover her true destiny. Will that destiny allow her to return home? And will she be able to save Samuel when his own fate seems to be sealed?"

This second foray into the time-traveling Xanthe adventures was as good as the first. A fun read, going a little deeper with relationships both in the current time and in the 17th century. I'm still up for a cuppa with Xanthe and her mum, but I'd like Liam to join in this one as well. 
 

The Little Shop of Found Things by Paula Brackston

The Little Shop of Found Things (Found Things #1) by Paula Brackston, 307 p.

"Xanthe and her mother Flora leave London behind for a fresh start, taking over an antique shop in the historic town of Marlborough. Xanthe has always had an affinity with some of the antiques she finds. When she touches them, she can sense something of the past they come from and the stories they hold. So when she has an intense connection to a beautiful silver chatelaine she has to know more.

It’s while she’s examining the chatelaine that she’s transported back to the seventeenth century. And shortly after, she's confronted by a ghost who reveals that this is where the antique has its origins. The ghost tasks Xanthe with putting right the injustice in its story to save an innocent girl’s life, or else it’ll cost her Flora’s.

While Xanthe fights to save her amid the turbulent days of 1605, she meets architect Samuel Appleby. He may be the person who can help her succeed. He may also be the reason she can’t bring herself to leave."--Goodreads blurb

This was a fun first step into a new series with some time-traveling magic and fun characters. Xanthe doesn't always make the best decisions, but that makes for a fun (and sometimes infuriating) story. I'd love to have a cuppa with Xanthe and her mum (using vintage china, of course)!
 

Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale

 Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale - 256 pages

The Phaeron disappeared from the universe over a million years ago. They travelled among the stars using roads made from time and space, but left only relics behind. But what actually happened to the Phaeron? Some believe they were they eradicated by a superior force… Others claim they destroyed themselves.

 

Or were they in fact the victims of an even more hideous fate?

 

In the far future, humans discover the location of the last Phaeron road – and the Doctor and Clara join the mission to see where the road leads.

 

Each member of the research team knows exactly what they’re looking for – but only the Doctor knows exactly what they’ll find.

Because only the Doctor knows the true secret of the Phaeron: a monstrous secret so terrible and powerful that it must be buried in the deepest grave imaginable…

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

 One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, 422 p.

"For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all."--Goodreads blurb

I generally try to stay away from books that are really hot on social media, but I'll be honest, I loved the cover on this book. I'm so glad I tried it, because it was worth the hype. What a fun, emotional, and crazy ride this story was. Love and time travel and drag queens making pancakes...enough said!

End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov

End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov - 256 pages

A group of males, called the Eternals, live outside of time, in Eternity, and are tasked with altering humanity's reality to improve it.  They focus on doing the "Minimum Necessary Change," to avoid altering reality too much.  While on assignment, Andrew Harlan, an Eternal, falls in love with a non-Eternal woman who lives in real time.  Harlan learns something of the fate of his love interest, and does everything in his power to break the rules and save her life by bringing her into Eternity with him.  By breaking the rules, Harlan has created a time loop, and is given an ultimatum:  kill his woman or let Eternity crumble.

Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov

Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov - 255 pages

While on a walk in downtown Chicago, sixty-two year old Joseph happens to be transported about 50,000 years into the future due to an accident in the nearby nuclear lab.  Earth has become radioactive and can only support 20 million people, so people who are the age of sixty or unable to work are terminated to support the young and able.  Joseph finds himself in a predicament, as he is unable to communicate with the inhabitants of Chica. Meanwhile, Dr. Bel Arvardan is trying to prove that Earth is the original world that all humans came from.  The Galactic Empire, which rules over the galaxy, cannot fathom that humanity has its roots in this dying planet.  Dr. Arvardan finds himself in Chica, where he runs into Joseph and their paths intertwine.

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt

The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt - 290 pages

Mabel Jones has been kidnapped by pirates from a world occupied only by animals.  Now the only way home is to find the lost pieces of "X" that will open a portal back to her home.

I picked this up to listen to after finding out Will Mabbitt had written a chapter book for kids.  He is the author of my favorite picture book of this year -- I Can Only Draw Worms.  This book was hilarious.  It is narrated by Toby Jones who has the perfect tones of sarcasm and over-emoting for the story.  I will definitely be recommending this book for kids to read.

Doctor Who: The Missy Chronicles by Stephen Cole (Editor)

Doctor Who:  The Missy Chronicles by Stephen Cole (Editor) - 224 pages

Know your frenemy.

‘I’ve had adventures too. My whole life doesn’t revolve around you, you know.’

When she's not busy amassing armies of Cybermen, or manipulating the Doctor and his companions, Missy has plenty of time to kill (literally). In this all new collection of stories about the renegade Time Lord we all love to hate, you'll discover just some of the mad and malevolent activities Missy gets up to while she isn't distracted by the Doctor.

So please try to keep up.