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.

Like I mentioned earlier, I did however wish some elements had been more fleshed out, especially towards the ending when we learn more about the shadow. I’d have loved to hear about the shadow’s journey to find and acquire each letter, but equally I can appreciate the sprinklings of this throughout the rest of the story. I can see myself loving re-reading this to find all the little ‘Easter eggs’ and further understanding them.

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.