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A review by booksalacarte
The Gods Time Forgot by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
1.75⭐️1.5🌶️
Memory loss
New York Setting
Dual POV
Irish Folklore
Irish immigrant MMC
Forced proximity
The cover of this book is gorgeous, but sadly, the story didn’t quite live up to it. The time period feels a bit unclear—likely sometime after the Revolutionary War in New York, probably before 1876, since Central Park is still wild and undeveloped. However, the setting has more of a Gilded Age vibe, which doesn’t really match the historical details.
The book also includes a lot of modern references that don’t quite fit the time period. It felt like the characters were living in a different world than the one described, which made it hard to fully immerse in the story. And just to clarify, I’m not talking about the mythical Irish folklore the plot is based on—those elements were fine, but the modern undertones threw me off.
The plot itself is filled with clichés, with situations piling up in a way that doesn’t always make sense. There are a lot of loose ends and plot holes that left me feeling frustrated rather than engaged.
While the main characters had potential, they were overshadowed by underdeveloped minor characters and unfinished dialogue that contradicted the characters’ arcs. Plus, withholding the full myth/fairy tale until the very end didn’t add mystery—it only detracted from the overall story.
Overall, it was a difficult book to get into.
Thank you NetGalley and Aclove Press for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Memory loss
New York Setting
Dual POV
Irish Folklore
Irish immigrant MMC
Forced proximity
The cover of this book is gorgeous, but sadly, the story didn’t quite live up to it. The time period feels a bit unclear—likely sometime after the Revolutionary War in New York, probably before 1876, since Central Park is still wild and undeveloped. However, the setting has more of a Gilded Age vibe, which doesn’t really match the historical details.
The book also includes a lot of modern references that don’t quite fit the time period. It felt like the characters were living in a different world than the one described, which made it hard to fully immerse in the story. And just to clarify, I’m not talking about the mythical Irish folklore the plot is based on—those elements were fine, but the modern undertones threw me off.
The plot itself is filled with clichés, with situations piling up in a way that doesn’t always make sense. There are a lot of loose ends and plot holes that left me feeling frustrated rather than engaged.
While the main characters had potential, they were overshadowed by underdeveloped minor characters and unfinished dialogue that contradicted the characters’ arcs. Plus, withholding the full myth/fairy tale until the very end didn’t add mystery—it only detracted from the overall story.
Overall, it was a difficult book to get into.
Thank you NetGalley and Aclove Press for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.