The premise seemed so interesting. I really wanted to like it, but I couldn't get into it. The writing didnt' grab me and the premise didn't hold.

I read this book years ago when the ARC was provided but wasn’t an avid NetGalley user then and never reviewed this. I appreciate NetGalley having provided me with an ARC! First of all, so happy to read a book about time travel! The story itself was very creative and fun to read! BUT it was a little too long. The ending definitely dragged and was much longer than needed to be. However, I’ll deduct one star because I couldn’t connect with any of the characters.

I thought that this was really good! I liked the idea of a future where time travel exists. Far has always been different because he was born outside of time. He always wanted to travel through time like his mother did but his dreams are crushed when he fails his final exam. When he is offered a chance to lead his own ship through time, he jumps at the chance. Along with his crew, they travel through time stealing relics for collectors. Everything is in question when he runs into Eliot on one of his missions. They will end up risking it all to save everything they know. This was a really exciting story with fantastic characters. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator did an amazing job with the story.

I received a digital review copy of this book from the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

Fun, twisty time travel with a good mix of characters. So far I have enjoyed all of Ryan Graudin's books. I look forward to reading more of their work!

I really loved Wolf by Wolf, and so I needed to see what else Graudin could do. This is time travel! It's Doctor Who meets Firefly (RIP) meets Timeless (RIP) with found family! I love it.

This book had an interesting premise, but after trying to read it a couple of times, I lost interest.

I absolutely loved this book. I read a while ago now but find myself now still thinking back to it. I wish there could be more exploring the time from which Far comes, as I found it fascinating. Ryan is an incredible writer!

First, read for 2021 a time traveling YA science-fiction novel. This book fulfills two challenges for me this year in my book reading life. It is my oldest backlog NetGalley title, and two I was able to borrow as an audiobook, so I got my first audiobook read for the year. There is action, adventure, mystery, and a tiny bit of romance, which took a nice backseat in the plot.

Far is intriguing, and I was hooked when we discover he does not have a birthdate at the very start of the novel. Far is protective of those who are part of his crew on the Invictus. The other members are just as impressive as Far. Gram logical, Priya is passionate, Immogen is sweet, and Elliot the wildcard.

New to me author, but I think I need to check out more of his novels in the future. If you are a lover of mystery time travelers, this might be your cup of tea.

i didn’t really like this book. as a fan of the concept of time travel and alternate universes i have watched many different shows and movies revolving the concept though this was the first book i have read with it. personally i think that how these concepts were explained in this book was not very clear and a little bit confusing. i also thought that the plot was not super strong until the last 150 pages and for a 450 page book that wasn’t very compelling. i also thought that ryan graudins writing was not really for me personally for me. the one thing i loved about this book is the characters. i thought they were all so different and interesting and the couples were also so cute. another thing i thought could have been explained better was the ending since it did not really make sense. so this book is a solid 3.5 stars.

This was such a fun read! It was fast-paced with a great cast of characters. I loved the historical elements and witty banter.

If you haven’t read many time travel books, I think this a great place to start. This book is entertaining and while it explains the technical side of time travel, it does it in a way that’s understandable and interesting and it doesn’t go into too much details and it doens’t get too complicated. This book has amazing and diverse characters and fascinating dynamics between them and an ending that’s both surprising and bittersweet. If you want to give time travel books a chance, I would recommend this one!

Time travel books are always so hit or miss for me but Invictus sounded SO interesting that I gave it a try anyway. Unfortunately it simply couldn't win me over.

I loved the idea of Far not really having a set timeline since he was born outside of the timeline. That immediately hooked me, and I could get behind his goal of finding who his father is. And even when they start stealing and smuggling, I was interested. The whole concept worked.

What didn't was the execution. I felt like the entire book was so disjointed. If it had been a TV show with each episode going to a different era in time, I would have loved it. Kind of a Doctor Who meets Legends of Tomorrow vibe to it in that case. But as a book, I felt thrown all over the place and never connected to any of the characters.

The concept was great, the world-building was awesome too, but the way the story is presented just didn't work for me.

After this book I officially decided to stop trying to read Graudin's books. I have yet to make it through one, her writing just doesn't connect with me. It's very pretty! But too pretty, too flowery for me and I inevitably find myself getting bored with each of her books. Invictus was no different. I do see the appeal for others though, so not a total loss as I have friends who would definitely love this one and her other books.

Born out of time, all Farway has always thought his life would best be lived out as a time-traveling explorer, but after an epic failure on his final exam, Far turns to black market trading to make a living. When a job goes wrong, it ends up a race through time for him and his crew, with plenty of close calls and daring deeds along the way.

A great stand-alone sci-fi time travel novel for both boys and girls!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it did not disappoint! It was brilliantly well written, had an intriguing plot, kept me engaged and immersed in the story, has great character growth, involves time travel, PLUS some mystery and adventure. What more do you want or need?

Exploring history is all Far has ever wanted to do, however the chance is taken from him when he fails his final time travelling exam. However, a tempting offer lands him on a ship with a crew of friends, their objective: to steal valuables from the past. Yes, it is illegal (black market illegal), but it is Far's only real chance to time travel and explore history like he has always wanted to. However, this adventure of his brings about trouble, secrets, deceit, and long awaited reveals. After all, there is a mysterious girl who seems to be one step ahead of him every time, thwarting all his efforts.

This is well worth the read and I recommend it times infinity.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Invictus follows Far, who is an anomaly due to the fact his birth was not in any specific time. His father was a Roman gladiator from 95 AD, and his mother a Recorder of History from 2354 AD. Because of this, he has struggled his whole life with training, etc., and it falls on him to commandeer a ship, and with his group of mates, travel across time to steal important valuables and document from some of the most important time periods in history. None of this will be easy, though, and Far will be able to find out, once and for all, the truth of his birth, and just why he is so important.

It seemed like 2017 was the year for time travelling books, with 4 I can think of off the top of my head. I do enjoy time travelling books, especially when they visit time periods that I love, so a book that actively mentions the Roman Empire is one that I'll need to get my hands on. I did enjoy this book, but now that I think about it, after reading, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. My main issue with the book was how disjointed it felt. It seemed like every chapter, they were travelling to a different time period - each seeming well researched, though - so it wasn't simple to keep your head around where or when you were. Far and his rag-tag bunch were enjoyable, but I didn't find myself that invested in their stories. The last few chapters were really what redeemed this book, with the action finally being on the forefront, and it seeming as if the plot was actually there, and not just vaguely passing by. I haven't read any of Ryan's other books, and I don't know whether to bother with them now. If you think I should, let me know.

This book wasn’t bad, but it got boring in parts to the point that I’d catch myself skimming through to get to something that could hold my attention. I enjoy time travel books so that was a plus, but over all I had a very hard time getting into the book/storyline.

In this time-traveling sci-fi novel, we join Farway as he travels through time and history. Although I enjoyed what I read, I did find myself skim-reading through a *lot* of the novel, and found myself waiting a long time for anything to happen.

WHAT DID I THINK OF INVICTUS BY RYAN GRAUDIN?
I was not really sure what to expect out of Invictus by Ryan Graudin. I went into the book pretty unaware. Like, I did not actually realize it was a time travel book when I started it. So, the book begins on this really action packed foot. Basically this woman is in Rome and there are gladiators. She’s about to go into labor. She ends up having a son, Faraway, only she has him outside of time basically. Then the book skips ahead and Far is a teenager who is about to try to become a certified time traveler. Only his test goes wrong. He gets an offer from a shady sort to hijack artifacts. Far takes up the shady guy on his offer and has his best friends join the crew. When they go to the Titanic to grab something, there’s a person who should not be there. This person, Elliott, is the key to a bigger mystery. On the whole this book is rather intense. There’s so much action and it never really lets up. In addition, we also get to see a lot of romance. I found that pleasing. However, I am really coming to the realization that very few time travel books are my wheelhouse, and well, Invictus, was not 100% my wheelhouse.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of Invictus by Ryan Graudin is narrated by Maxwell Hamilton. It is 13 hours and 46 minutes long. I’ll admit that at moments, I FELT the length of this audiobook. It feels long. I do think that Hamilton is a pretty appropriate narrator given how much of the book revolves around Far. I do wish the parts revolving around Priya and Elliot were narrated by women. Still, this is a decent audiobook with good production values. Time travel fanatics should be pleased at least. It’s a good bang for your buck too.

I couldn't finish this. I wanted to, but it didn't draw me in, nor did the characters intrigue me. It was also too long.