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kwthor's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Stalking, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bookish_leslie's review against another edition
mysterious
4.5
My rating scale, for reference:
- 1 Star: Hated it
- 1.5 Stars: Really didn't like it
- 2 Stars: Didn't like it
- 3 Stars: Meh
- 4 Stars: Liked it
- 4.5 Stars: Really liked it
- 5 Stars: Loved it
This book started out a bit rough for me, as I’m not typically a fan of either historical fiction or time travel. When Mallory traveled back into Catriona’s body in the 1800s and had (a) no memory of Catriona’s prior life and (b) no rights because she was both a woman and a simple housemaid, I was questioning my life decisions and leaning into DNF territory. Happily, the narrative quickly improved, as I learned that her boss, Dr. Gray, was much more forward-thinking than most people of his time, giving Mallory a bit of leeway and freedom that she otherwise wouldn’t have had. Realistic? Debatable. But I was grateful for it.
After that, I sped through the rest of the book, completely intrigued by the mysteries, including how Mallory might find her way back to 2019.
I've put the rest of my review in a spoiler tag, as I've shared some specifics from the story that you won't see in the book blurb, including some crucial information about the ending of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Torture and Stalking
Minor: Cancer
Other Graphic Content: strangulation; serial killer. Other Minor Content: The word r**ist is used once in passing, I believe, though not directly as part of the story, but as part of a sweeping statement about different types of criminals.ms_read's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Kidnapping
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Classism
raelle37's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I enjoyed the developing mystery of this if this plot. It kept me engaged and definitely has some interesting twists. The characters are interesting, varied, and the relationships between them are multifaceted.
Some of the time travel elements felt a bit off at times, but it did introduce some unique elements which I enjoyed. I did find myself wondering, much like the main character, what was happening in the modern world as a result of the time-traveling body swap. I certainly enjoyed it enough to be looking forward to picking up the next book.
Some of the time travel elements felt a bit off at times, but it did introduce some unique elements which I enjoyed. I did find myself wondering, much like the main character, what was happening in the modern world as a result of the time-traveling body swap. I certainly enjoyed it enough to be looking forward to picking up the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Torture, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Stalking
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, and Classism
mysticserenity's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Racism, Sexism, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
While I don't spend a lot of time in the 'time travelling romance' world, I've been around the edges enough to know I really appreciate a few things about this book:
*This man mostly knows how to keep his shirt on. Major props.
*The main character is not a complete idiot. Most of her struggles with time travel and fitting into a historical culture are very relatable, like wishing she could just google how to get details right, and she makes a solid effort at fitting in.
*The main character mostly restricts her feminist anger to genuinely problematic things, like women not being able to just go get a medical education, and her (relatively few) complaints about life as a servant are similarly reasonable, not just whiny.
*While I can see the slow burn romance coming a mile away, it actually moves slow enough so as not to make the characters seem unhinged. Yay!
Overall, a very engaging story that was only mildly annoying. Definitely plan to continue the series!
(Edited to add: For the time being I've actually decided to give up on this series, as it's starting to push some modern political/anti-Christian worldview beliefs that have made me lose interest.)
*This man mostly knows how to keep his shirt on. Major props.
*The main character is not a complete idiot. Most of her struggles with time travel and fitting into a historical culture are very relatable, like wishing she could just google how to get details right, and she makes a solid effort at fitting in.
*The main character mostly restricts her feminist anger to genuinely problematic things, like women not being able to just go get a medical education, and her (relatively few) complaints about life as a servant are similarly reasonable, not just whiny.
*While I can see the slow burn romance coming a mile away, it actually moves slow enough so as not to make the characters seem unhinged. Yay!
Overall, a very engaging story that was only mildly annoying. Definitely plan to continue the series!
(Edited to add: For the time being I've actually decided to give up on this series, as it's starting to push some modern political/anti-Christian worldview beliefs that have made me lose interest.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death, Torture, Kidnapping, and Classism
Minor: Drug use, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
literaryintersections's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really liked this book! If you like fantasy, historical fiction, a splash of a budding romance, you will LOVE this.
I’ve followed Kelley for a bit now, devouring her Cainsville series, and this is such a genre bending release from her. It’s got the thriller piece - a detective trying to solve a murder - but SURPRISE that murder is happening in Victorian Scotland! Yes there’s time travel for all my Dr Who and Outlander lovers. The historical fiction pieces of this were well researched, thorough, and gave me quite a jolt when I realized one of the connections. I especially loved how Armstrong handled race, class, and police brutality in this book - quite subtle but poignant nonetheless.
And y’all know by now I’m a romance lover. There’s enough of a thread to get my slow burn loving heart invested and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Overall, a must read and Kelley - I need the next book STAT.
I’ve followed Kelley for a bit now, devouring her Cainsville series, and this is such a genre bending release from her. It’s got the thriller piece - a detective trying to solve a murder - but SURPRISE that murder is happening in Victorian Scotland! Yes there’s time travel for all my Dr Who and Outlander lovers. The historical fiction pieces of this were well researched, thorough, and gave me quite a jolt when I realized one of the connections. I especially loved how Armstrong handled race, class, and police brutality in this book - quite subtle but poignant nonetheless.
And y’all know by now I’m a romance lover. There’s enough of a thread to get my slow burn loving heart invested and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Overall, a must read and Kelley - I need the next book STAT.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Murder, and Classism
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