TITLE:  This Is How You Lose the Time War

AUTHORS:  Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

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DESCRIPTION:

"Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war."

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REVIEW:

This is a beautifully written semi-epistolary novella, with an interesting concept, novel world building and quirky characters. I loved how the characters developed together. This novella reminded me a bit of Patricia McKillip's The Riddle Master of Hed trilogy, while at the same time being completely different. Maybe it was the writing style?

Series: Craft Sequence #2

This second installment in the craft sequence wasn’t nearly as interesting as the first. I think I just wasn’t very interested in Caleb as a character and I thought his infatuation with Mal was silly. And I kept thinking that it was awfully convenient the way things were working out in the plot. This is unfortunate because the city and the serpents and the whole plot with the water supply poisoned repeatedly by demons were interesting. I hope the next book is more my cup of tea.

Previous updates:

55 %

50 %

Just when I think maybe Caleb will become disillusioned with his manic pixie dream girl, there's talk of him apologizing.

This book would be far more interesting without the manic pixie dream girl vibe. Seriously, the "romance" in this just blech. Maybe it's wrong to even call it romance. It's not like these people love each other. They're just attracted to each other and kind of stupidly obsessed while not actually being obsessed because they manage to focus on other concerns too. I blame adrenaline. 

It's unfortunate because the whole poisoned water supply with demons plotline is interesting.

It has been months since I read this book and I'm not any closer to being able to put my reaction into words. Look, here's the thing, you will either love this book or you will hate it. I loved it. It is surreal, abstract, and bizarre in a way I've never quite experienced before. The language is the main event here, and it is well worth sitting down and taking your time with this one. Savor it. It is a linguistic feast. It's also a love story. Romantic, tragic, and comedic in turns. Red and Blue passing notes through time in the rings of trees or curls of smoke isn't just poetic, it's interesting and affecting. This is one best experienced rather than explained. It's a gem of a novella, and one I can see myself rereading as a treat when I need to saturate myself in beautiful language and the enormity of the heart.