Tag: time travel

January 2026 Wrap Up

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January Wrap Up graphic on a snowy background

Alexis: 

I’m happy to say that I read 7 books in January! What a way to start off the year.

January felt like it was 10,000 years long. After being exposed to Covid, I quarantined for a week, though I’m grateful I never caught it. And then we got a bad snowstorm and I was stuck inside for another week. Needless to say, I had a lot of time on my hands.

One of my goals for this year is to actually watch more TV and read slightly less (I know, a crazy goal). On top of the books I read, I also watched Heated Rivalry (and Reheated Rivalry; if you get it, you get it) People We Meet on Vacation, and the first half of Bridgerton Season 4. It was definitely a good month for TV adaptations—I loved all of them.

I’m planning on writing longer reviews of The Everlasting and The Poet Empress, so look out for those!

  1. The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow: Time travel isn’t usually my jam, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this book. Harrow crafts a beautiful, moving story in a historical, WWI-esque fantasy world with a knight and a scholar who get tangled up in time—and love.
  2. Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid: I read this after watching the show, of course. My library happened to have an e-book copy available (I’m not sure how, but I grabbed it). The dialogue is almost exactly the same, so I could hear the actors’ voices in my head as I read this. 
  3. The Bodyguard by Katherine Center: This was a reread. It’s Center’s Covid project, so it felt right to read it during my quarantine. It’s a hilarious, ridiculous kind of rom-com that I really needed. It’s also being adapted into a movie!
  4. What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch: This is very atmospheric YA fantasy that I just wanted more from, but I enjoyed the vibes.
  5. The Poet Empress by Shen Tao: What a debut! This is a dark, brutal historical fantasy with poetry magic and plenty of political/court intrigue. 
  6. The Nightshade God by Hannah Whitten: I finished a trilogy! This is the final book in The Nightshade Crown series. 
  7. The Long Game by Rachel Reid: This is the sequel to Heated Rivalry. It’s definitely deeper than the first book, and I enjoyed learning what happens to Shane and Ilya (though I’m banking on the show improving the wedding scene in Season 2).

I hope you all had a good reading start to the year and have some great reads planned!

Review: Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue

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Alexis holds a library copy of Shipshock in front of a bookshelf

Alexis: If you’re looking for a unique sci-fi/fantasy book, check out Skipshock!

This is a new adult book told in dual POVs. Margo is an Irish schoolgirl who finds herself thrown into a strange new world. Moon is a salesman who makes his living through a series of interconnected worlds on a network of train lines.

Skipshock has interworld travel, rebellion, and a romance subplot. In this universe, time is valuable. If you travel north, time passes by quicker; days are only a few hours. If you travel south, the days grow longer. When Margo finds herself being chased by the Southern Guard, Moon helps her find her way back to her home world.

This was a fascinating read! I loved the universe and its rules. I loved the plot that focused on rebellion against a repressive group. I loved learning about the different cultures in this universe and the magic that comes with them. I also appreciated the humor and whimsy sprinkled throughout the writing amongst the darker themes. 

My only critique is there was a section ¾ of the way through that dragged a bit too much. However, this is a fantastic start to a series, and I look forward to reading more.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 

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

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Anna: What would you do for love?

This is How You Lose the Time War is the most imaginative book I’ve read in a long time. It reminded me why sci-fi  is such an amazing genre that I need to explore more. It also has LGBTQ+ rep!

Summary: Red and Blue are change agents who work for rival time traveling agencies–Blue for the Garden, a vast organic consciousness. Red works for the Agency, a Technotopia. While traveling to different “strands” of history and time to change history, they start to write each other letters and slowly fall in love.

The actual rules and word building in This is How You Lose the Time War is super confusing at first and very slowly revealed to the reader. I didn’t know what was going on for a while, but that’s okay. This book is more about the lyrical writing and the vivid, visceral images of time traveling and Red and Blue’s romance that literally stands the test of time. This is ultimately a “star-crossed” lovers narrative, but it’s not tropey at all. This book takes work to get through, but it’s rewarding and worth it.

I also think it’s so cool that this book was co-written! As a writer, I can’t imagine creating such a complex world and story in the first place, but also doing it so seamlessly with another writer.

Verdict: 4 stars

Review: Lightbringer by Claire Legrand

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Alexis:

It’s official—I’ve been destroyed by this series. This book gave me my first book hangover in a good while.

Legrand went ham in this last book. Like in Kingsbane, the characters go through so much trauma in Lightbringer. 

The first half was a little slow. Rielle was insufferable. And I’m still not sure how I feel about the ending. Yet…I was so caught up in the story.  I loved the plot twists!

If you’re looking to read a fantasy trilogy with flawed and morally gray characters, time travel, angels, powerfully magical women, elemental magic, and super high stakes, then this is the series for you.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

TW: Blood, depression, gore, grief, murder, self-harm, suicidal ideation, torture, violence, and war

#tbt- Kindred by Octavia Butler

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Alexis:

In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to take some time to talk about an important writer.

Last year, I read Kindred by Octavia Butler, the pioneer of African-American women science fiction writers.

Kindred deals with a smorgasbord of hard topics: slavery, racism, rape, and death. Butler utilizes time travel in order to explore the ancestors of Dana, the main character, who were slaves in the American South. The result is a harrowing read that explores the horrors of slavery and the interconnection of past and present.

If you’re looking for a good read to finish out the month of February, check it out!