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A review by colourbandit
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I’d had this book on my radar for so long and after not really being sure whether it would be for me or not, I’m so glad I chose to finally buy it. I love a good romance, stories involving time travel, and shorter books, so it was pretty much set up to be a big win, and it absolutely lived up to those expectations. In fact, this was maybe one of the only books I’ve experienced recently where I actually wished it had been longer to enable it to be more fleshed out and further explored.
It took me a few chapters to get into and figure out what was happening but once I did, I just fell in love. The writing is so, so beautiful, and the way both authors talk about love and their experiences are really magical. I’m so impressed by how deeply we get to know the characters and their relationship in such a short space of time. The two main characters are very unique but both really stand out in their own ways, likely helped by the two separate authors, which I feel worked absolutely perfectly.
It was also hugely creative with the endless delivery methods for each letter and I loved reading the sections between each letter about where each character was on their journey in the war when they discovered the next letter. They almost came across as mini short stories at times - it really kept me engaged.
Overall, I adored this book. It was creative, beautifully written, and very special. If you love time travel and deep romance, it’s one for you.