Review: The Ministry of Time

Title: The Ministry of Time

Author: Kaliane Bradley

Publisher: 14th May 2023 by Hachette Australia & New Zealand, Sceptre

Pages: 356 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Romance | Sci Fi & Fantasy

Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

A boy meets a girl. The past meets the future. A finger meets a trigger. The beginning meets the end. England is forever. England must fall.

In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering 'expats' from across history to test the limits of time-travel.

Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847' - Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he's a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as 'washing machine', 'Spotify' and 'the collapse of the British Empire'. With an appetite for discovery and a seven-a-day cigarette habit, he soon adjusts; and during a long, sultry summer he and his bridge move from awkwardness to genuine friendship, to something more. 

But as the true shape of the project that brought them together begins to emerge, Gore and the bridge are forced to confront their past choices and imagined futures. Can love triumph over the structures and histories that have shaped them? And how do you defy history when history is living in your house?

My Thoughts

With so much publicity, I was intrigued to delve into The Ministry of Time. When a book is described as ‘a time travel romance, spy thriller, workplace comedy’, how can one not be drawn to this eclectic mix. Well I’m here to say, for the most part, author Kaliane Bradley has pulled it off. It is refreshing, fun and so unique with all those genres including a mix of fiction and nonfiction. Quite the conquest really. 

‘Why did you bring me back from the dead? Why did you come into my life like this?’ ‘We … we saved you.’

There are many things I enjoyed about this book. Firstly the twist on time travel which focuses on bringing people from the past to the present and the current cultural challenges they face. Issues such as racism, colonisation, feminism, gender equality, climate crisis are all faced with both respective fact and humour. 

‘There are buildings everywhere. No horizons. Only buildings and people as far as the eye can see, and great metal towers strung with rope. Huge grey roads, covered in metallic traffic. There’s no space here. How can you breathe? Is all of England like this? The entire world?’

Secondly, I loved the relationship between the four main characters as it seemed so genuine. Three came from the past - a failed Arctic expedition, the Somme of WWI and a London plague victim - and the bonding with the ‘bridge’ (current day person) was really heartfelt. There were many funny, interesting and sad moments that they faced together. 

‘Everyone was paddling in their own era-locked pool of loneliness.’

My only criticism involves the ending - it was fast, a bit of an info dump which came across as awkward and a little unclear. Perhaps Kaliane was trying to tie too many loose ends together all too quickly. The story - up to that point - had been well paced with a perfect genre blending. Now, it was unfolding in a fashion that needed to be more evenly distributed throughout or extend the overall length of the narrative. Nevertheless, this is a highly enjoyable read with definitely a little something for everyone given the masterful combination of genres. 

‘Time,’ she said, ‘is a limited resource. Like all of our resources. You only get to experience your life once … And yes, you can go back and change the details, a little, but there’s a limit to how often. Every time you dig a new pathway into time, you exhaust a little more of it, and if we go back too often and mine too deeply in the same place, again and again, pulling history from the same coal seam, it will collapse. It will obliterate us, like a black hole. You have to get it right.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Iron Raven

Title: The Iron Raven

Author: Julie Kagawa

Publisher: 24th February 2021 by Harlequin Australia & MIRA

Pages: 416 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy, Teens & YA

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

You may have heard of me...

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool… King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known as never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat to the lands of Faery and the human world unlike any before.

With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck’s longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten.

My Thoughts

‘You are Robin Goodfellow,” the Tinkerer said. “The Puck. The infamous trickster, and one of the most well-known faeries in existence.’

The Iron Raven is book #1 of the Iron Fey: Evenfall series by Julie Kagawa. This book is a spin-off of the Iron Fey series and is told from Puck’s point of view. Julie does provide some recaps and flashbacks, therefore if you have not read the previous series you won’t be so lost. However, that being said, the reading experience is always much richer if you have previous encounters with particular characters. 

This is a fun YA book to read! It has all the right ingredients: action-packed fight scenes with fantastical beasts; a love story that adds rather than distracts from that action; and, loads of humorous moments with witty dialogue that one would expect from Court Jester, Puck. Julie’s writing builds not only on relationship and conflict between characters, but presents great world building - love the steampunk of the Iron Realm. 

‘I’ve always known who I am, princeling. I’m the guy no one takes seriously. The guy everyone laughs at, who has a joke for everything, because the world is screwed up and the only way to deal with it is to look it in the eyes and smile. I smile, because it’s either that or get vindictive. And no one likes me when I’m vindictive.’

This is Puck's story and he is such a lively and entertaining character. The plot is fun as they band together to fend off doomsday and whilst there is an ending of sorts, it is clearly part of a series with future battles ahead. Julie does like her battles, a few drawn out ones, so make sure fight scenes are your thing.  A little slow at times, however, by the end it was fast paced and it was here that Julie’s writing really won me over. This is a book about personal struggles and often, fighting the demon within. I appreciated the message (no spoilers) that I hope YA will read and respond to on how to overcome ‘evil’.

Fans of Julie Kagawa are in for a treat. A return to the Iron Fey world with an epic journey on the horizon as friendships and loyalties are tested under the shadow of jealousy and revenge. Can old hurts and inner demons be overcome? A captivating tale for YA readers into a magical fae world. 

"If he happened to disappear, then those responsible would know the same pain I was feeling. Why should they get their happily-ever-after? When would it be my turn to come out on top?"

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.