The Ministry of Time

by Kaliane Bradley

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Would you take a top-secret job without knowing the details first? Frequently, that's how life goes - you only learn the details of a top-secret job once you've signed all the paperwork. Thus, before she knew it, our leading lady found herself tasked to act as a bridge for a time traveler.

Yes, you read that right. The time traveler in question didn't sign up for the project, but he's here nonetheless. It'll be her job to keep Commander Graham Gore stable in this timeline, ideally learning more about his past while she's at it.

My Review:

Huh. The Ministry of Time is not what I expected. I'm not exactly sure what I expected, but let's be real: you tease "spy thriller meets travel romance," and you've got my attention. That said, I feel like this book ended up being more historical fiction with a dash of drama, romance, and self-insert fantasy.

That's still a lot for one book, mind you. That's why some elements of The Ministry of Time work and some don't. For example, I LOVE the premise of pulling people from the past to our timeline as a way of time-traveling. It's such an oblivious idea, and yet I'm shocked to say that I haven't read anything like it (if you have, please name the books; I need more).

That said, I could have done without the romantic element. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that our time traveler is a real historical figure, so putting him in a sexual context (with a made-up/self-insert character) felt kind of squick. I also feel like it straight up wasn't needed and bordered on toxic at times. But that's just my hot take, I suppose.

As for the spy thriller element? Hrm. It was a bit all over the place. Again, some good, some bad. Overall, I wouldn't say that I regret this read, but I wish that had been done differently (so as to live up to that amazing potential).

Highlights:
Time Travel Mystery
Historical Fiction
Romantic Elements
Spy Thriller

You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy