I wanted to love this book so much, but I just couldn't. I found the characters and the relationships so incredibly flat. The time-travel storyline was fine but I felt like we saw so little of the potential in a story with this premise. I especially didn't like that at 40% of the way through the book, all I felt like I got was a bunch of female characters talking about boys and their relationships. I don't feel like anything satisfying happened until well over halfway through the book. I don't have anything to say other than this whole book just fell so low for me, personally.

Invictus is a twisted journey through time and space, a mystery within a mystery. A tale where time is now and then and will be, but unless they can figure out what's going wrong, it might never happen at all.

Far is determined, passionate. Focused on his goal, his dream of exploring history like his mother before him. But he's sometimes reckless, too bold for his own good. It gets him in trouble, into near-impossible to escape from situations. It gets him expelled, but it also gets him a ship that can travel through time. He can finally do what he's dreamed of, even if it involves being part of a black market group taking priceless artifacts from the past. It's time travelling, it's experiencing history. It's living. Until a stranger bursts in on his heist on the Titanic.

This is a curious, fast-paced story of history, complicated math, and the desire to live before dying. To do something meaningful and worthwhile. To see and breathe in history, to not waste life thinking about what ifs and could-have-beens. I don't know that I can say too much else, not knowing what's going on is part of the story, part of the reveal of what is happening to Far and his friends on their ship. If you're looking for a standalone book that's full of time travel and twists, full of impossibility and fate, then you'll probably enjoy this.

I'd rate this 3.5 stars.

Looking to take a bit of a rollicking ride, meshing time travel, history, and science fiction? Check out Ryan Graudin's Invictus, and get ready to head into the future—and back into the past.

Farway ("Far") Gaius McCarthy is the son of a time traveler from 2354 AD and a gladiator from ancient Rome. For all intents and purposes, he shouldn't have even been born, since his existence challenges the laws of time. Growing up hearing of his mother's exploits throughout time, there is nothing he has wanted more than to follow in her footsteps.

When Far fails the final exam he needs to be admitted into the government's time travel program, he insists that someone hacked into the system, but his dreams are crushed. So when he is offered the opportunity to captain his own ship and lead his own crew, he jumps at the chance, even if it means being under the thumb of a criminal, who forces Far to travel throughout time, stealing valuable antiquities and black market delicacies.

As captain, Far hits his stride, and he and his crew travel through time, sometimes barely escaping danger, but never missing an adventure. And then on a journey to steal a valuable book from the Titanic before it sinks, Far encounters Eliot, a mysterious young woman whom he believes he's seen before, and who always seems to be just a step or two ahead of him, throwing his missions into chaos.

It turns out Eliot is more connected to Far than anyone knows, and has secrets that have major ramifications for his future and those of his crew—not to mention their pasts. Yet as much as they don't know whether to trust her or fear her, they have to decide whether her warnings about the imminent danger to time are true, and if so, what they can do to change things before everything changes around them.

Invictus is a fun adventure, one which raises interesting theories of time and how the slightest moves can impact the world and history. Graudin has created a fascinating cast of characters, full of quirky personalities, and you find yourself rooting for them to get out of the scrapes in which they find themselves, even though in many cases they're technically committing crimes.

The plot gets a little bogged down and confusing at times, borrowing elements from Blake Crouch's Dark Matter and other sci-fi novels that touch on the concept of multiple universes. I felt like things could have been tightened up a bit, because it took a while to resolve everything. But Graudin's storytelling is really entertaining, and I think this could be a fun movie, kind of a Firefly with a little less bad-ass attitude.

NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

As soon as I heard the words "time travel," "Ryan Graudin," and "Doctor Who meets Guardians of the Galaxy," I couldn't get my hands on Invictus fast enough. I was so excited that I actually finished reading it within 24 hours of receiving it in the mail. This wacky time-traveling book absolutely stole my heart. There’s a red panda, wonderful friendships, and some incredibly detailed trips to the past. And yes, there’s romance. It’s definitely more action-oriented but the characters will still steal your heart.

As always, Ryan Graudin’s writing was a joy to read. She handles the science fiction aspects with grace, making even the most complex easily understandable (I'm being slightly intentionally vague because I don't want to spoil anything). The pacing was perfect, I didn't feel as if any part dragged on or went by too quickly. There was heart-pounding action and some stellar plot twists.

Even though Invictus was very much a fast-paced wild ride of a book, the characters and character development were still excellent. The dynamic of the crew honestly gave me strong Firefly vibes (which is high praise considering how much I love that show). Each character was unique and memorable on their own but they also fit together perfectly as a team. My favorite part of the novel were Imogen's ships logs entries, they just perfectly encapsulated the crew's dynamic.

Invictus was a riveting, action-packed adventure through time that explored the meaning of family, love, and friendship. It was heart-warming, funny, and an absolute joy to read. I think fans of YA science fiction, or anyone intrigued by the summary, will adore this one!

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is a book about time travel. This is a science fiction story, set on a spaceship time machine, with loads of jargon and math and timey wimey flippity floppity phlebotinum. Other than the time travel part, everything I should be completely uninterested in reading.

It is absolutely marvelously brilliant.

You've got two cups of Firefly, a quarter cup of Doctor Who, and a healthy dollop of Leverage.

This is a story about time, space, and family. A crew of (technically) Bad Guys Doing Cool Shit on a damn spaceship time machine. Led by our illustrious captain, Farway Gaius McCarthy. A cocky know-it-all, born to a long dead Roman Gladiator and a time traveler, in a time that does not exist, inside or outside of recorded history.

With him are his cousin Imogen, she of the multi colored hair and furry pet red panda Saffron, his medic/love interest Priyah, she of the Hindu faith, spiced tea and screaming music, and Far's best friend Gram, super geek, player of Tetris, solver of Rubik's cubes, flyer of the ship.

This band of buggered steals history. Nothing so big that you'd notice. They're not snatching the Hope diamond, or Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

But what about Da Vinci's crumpled up, tossed away sketches? What about items that burned in long ago fires, lost to history forever? What about items thought destroyed hundreds or thousands of years past the date when anyone who saw them in person lived? Who would know if someone went back in time to take those? There is no butterfly effect in stealing items that shouldn't exist anyway.

Right?

I. love. this. I was rushing to get through, and after the adrenaline of it all died down, I was INSANELY sad to have finished it. I want sequels. I want prequels. I don't want this made into a movie, I want a television show with eight seasons.

This is the crew of Serenity if they could go back and visit the Alamo. This is the Doctor and Rose arriving to the Library of Alexandria just as the fires started to catch. This is the Leverage team stealing Blackbeard's gold.

This is everything I could want in a time travel story, but I want so much more. We didn't get nearly enough adventures before The Big Plot kicked in, and I feel cheated, because it appears this is a one-off. I could've done with less romantic plot line, and more historical jumps. I will never have enough historical jumps, not by a long shot.

As much as I hate the content the channel puts out, this would be an excellent SyFy channel show. Who do I need to bribe?

This has been an amazing month of books, and I haven't decided whether I love this or Moxie more. I think it's impossible to compare the two, and I'll have to be satisfied with a hashing tie.

Crux.

Look, I don't like time travel much. It's usually gimmicky or too complicated. But I'm a huge fan or Doctor Who & Firefly, so I gave INVICTUS a chance. It was WORTH IT!

Ryan's created a tight-knit crew with deep characterization. The plot is driven by high stakes and left me breathless, but without too much stress or anxiety (in today's stressful world, I've had to step away from really intense books).

The writing is visual, clever, and well-balanced. The characters are engaging and endearing. The time travel is neither gimmicky nor overly complex (and I'm not an expert, but I think she manages any potential paradoxes). INVICTUS is well worth the read, even if you normally shy away from time travel.

I was lucky enough to get this as an arc. I heard a lot about from the YouTubers that I watch and I wanted to see what the hype was all about. To say that I liked this would be an understatement. It was gripping from page one; I just couldn't put this down no matter how hard I tried. A time traveling crooks? Sign me all the way captain.

This is my first book from this author and I can't wait to read the rest of her works. The writing and pacing was good. The characters each had flaws and were enjoyable to see how they progress throughout the book. I do have to say my favorite character is by far Imogen. She's my world, I just....love her a whole lot.

I definitely will be buying the physical copy as soon as I can, because not only did I love the book, the cover is absolutely stunning. Just look at it...a lot of heart eyes.

I randomly requested this on an email and I'm SO GLAD I did. It was a non-stop adventure from the first page to last. This will grab your throat and refuse to let go. The cast, the setting, the tale--INVICTUS has it all!

I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book by Ryan Graudin that I’ve read, but it won’t be my last. Invictus has a unique storyline that grabbed my attention from the beginning. I found the mix of science fiction/fantasy with historical events/times to be a really interesting and unique combination. I had not read a book with those characteristics before which definitely makes this a memorable read for me. I also enjoyed getting pieces of the story from the viewpoint of the different characters. It helped me to get to know each of the characters and to feel more invested in the group of characters as a whole instead of just one character. I also appreciated how the story wraps up with a bittersweet, but happy ending. A great read overall!

A book with time traveling, a red panda, and historical heists performed for the elite of the world? And it is written by Ryan Graudin, author of the incredible Wolf by Wolf? I was all in for Invictus. And it did not disappoint.

Invictus is a sci-fi young adult novel revolving around a young man named Farway. His mother was a famous recorder, that is, someone who travels in time and records moments of history. And it has been his dream to do the same, especially since she disappeared. With stellar marks at the academy, the top of his class, Farway approaches his final test with eager confidence. But something goes wrong. The simulation seems rigged, his target recognizes him as an outsider and he fails his exam.

What's a young man with incredible, and now useless, knowledge to do? Accept a position for his own ship, navigate time and space to work for unnamed benefactors that want very special things... artifacts from time. But they must be taken so that no one knows, and history must remained unaltered.

Without getting into true spoilers. I have to say I loved the premise of this story. The idea that this man is not only chasing his mother's ghost by visiting time, but also possibly holding on to a thread of hope that he can find the woman herself. Farway's team on the ship include a talented, diverse crew. Imogen and Gram, Priya and Eliot; they all contribute to the story and the color of the crew in interesting ways.

The details of their escapades are just detailed enough that they feel rich and satisfying. You can imagine yourself in one of these ships with them, about to visit the Titanic. Or earlier in Farway's final exam, dancing among the courtiers in Marie Antoinette's presence. You hold your breath in anticipation of visual contact with things you may have heard of in your own history classes, movies or documentaries. It is a fun, romp through a book that has moments of historical fiction mixed with science fiction and family drama. And of course, Imogen's red panda. (A highly underrated animal, in my opinion.)

If you enjoy a book that crosses over a couple of genres, is a standalone book, and has a satisfying ending: this may be the book for you. Highly recommended fall read.

This book was a perfect mix of story, character, and plot. Every character was as complex as the story line, which by the way was off-the-charts crazy amazing.
A lot of book would have confused me with the multiple POVs, the different timelines, and twists this book has to offer. The tale Ryan Graudin weaves is as comprehensible as it is beautiful.
Time travel stories are not easy to write, and if done wrong, can be a total flop. Spoiler: THIS ONE WAS TOTALLY DONE RIGHT. It was funny and cute and just... I can’t even.
Also can we talk ROMAAAANCE because ya girl loves it and this one... UM YES. PRE-established relationships are always hard to ship because a lot of authors give up trying to convince you to ship them like crazy once they’re together, and if the whole story is them together, then you have some problems.
Problems which I did not find with this story. The romances were adorable and absolutely shippable, whether they were newborn relationships or toddler relationships.
The plot in this is just... 🙌🏻👌🏻 but what really shines is the outstanding squad of characters. Every single one is vividly planned and absolutely captivating, and I’d honestly take another book of them just interacting because I NEED MORE OF THEM IN MY LIFE. Imogen and her changing hair, Eliot and her eyebrow messages, Farway and his unsinkable pride, Priya and her earphones, Gram and his Tetris 🙌🏻 just GIVE ME MORE PLEASE
This book is super hard because there is SO MUCH that I want to say but spoiler free reviews are kind of my thing so like I can’t and it’s killing me!!
I could honestly flail about this book and these characters for so long and I just ☺️ This was such a unique cast of characters and story and everything was so wonderful and I can’t even review it. It’s just so good, y’all.
So to wrap up! This was an action-packed story featuring a vivid cast of characters that is reminiscent of Firefly, Legends of Tomorrow, and Star Trek.

I’ve been obsessed with time travel books and movies recently. Sadly, I do not read many that make me want to read them again. Maybe it’s the sci fi portion that is difficult, but it’s also the idea that time travel can affect nearly everything. It’s difficult to write a good story that allows the characters to affect the space around them, without affecting the space around them!

This plot does the complete opposite. While the characters do travel in time and try not to affect anything, the very existence of one characters is against the rules. We’re allowed to see how this happens in the beginning, setting up an atmosphere of anticipation because I just knew a shoe was going to drop somewhere! And that’s the fun part. The story itself is a conundrum. I am so glad I was able to see how one person’s decision could create many issues.

Far’s mother was a time traveler and gets pregnant by a gladiator in 95 ad! This is absolutely against all the rules. ALL of them. She’s able to keep the father a secret but winds up having Far on the ship before they can make it back home. Because of this he has no real birth date.

I loved the characters. Far is interesting in a mysterious way. He enjoys being mysterious. Imogen is crazy and I feel like she would be my best friend (for my younger self), and the others are just as fabulous. Imogen’s ship log entries were some of my favorite portions. Succinct but full of life, they allow for a bit of a look into the feelings of the characters at the beginning of some of the chapters.

There is also a small portion of romance in this. First there is the plot of Far’s mother with Gaius, then Far and Priya, then Imogen and Gram. While each relationship is different, they all hold a bit of allure. Each relationship is also at a different stage of acceptance and they all have to work to realize a better future. It was interesting being able to see into their lives a little bit under this time traveling story. Never does the romance take away from the time traveling, but adds to it.

What I enjoyed the most was the different ideas that I could see in this. Dr. Who, Guardians of the Galaxy even, but my favorite was the allusion to The Neverending Story. While completely different, this plot holds the appeal that The Neverending Story had for me when I first watched it. There is real danger to figure out and that danger is ever present in their minds. They have to fight it or they die.

In short: This was a fantastic read. Sci fi with romance thrown in, but ultimately it was thrilling!

Yes, Graudin can write science fiction! And Invictus was as enjoyable as all her other novels.

Farway's mother was jumping through time when he was born, so he literally has no birthday. In this future, you can train to be a recorder of history by visiting the actual time period. Farway wants nothing more than to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a historian. He would also like to find his mother, who disappeared somewhere in the past when Far was a young boy.

Farway bombs his final exam and instead of recording history he ends up traveling in time for the black market that deals with bringing valuable items from the past to the present before they are lost. For example, you could go to the Titanic and steal all the valuable jewels right before it sinks. And this is the type of stuff that Far does with his crew that is made up of his cousin, his girlfriend, and a very good friend. When their mission is thwarted by Eliot, a time-traveler of a different sort, everything changes and becomes very deadly for the crew of the Invictus.

Graudin's rules for time travel make Invictus pretty easy to follow (unlike some time travel books I've read where things just don't make sense.) Some of Eliot's tricks (like her magical bag) do stretch the imagination a bit, though. We get a glimpse into several different historical time periods which is enjoyable.

The action is fast-paced and riveting. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about Invictus (which is always a good sign.) The ending is a bit complicated, but Graudin manages to pull it off. If there's one small complaint it would be the romance. There wasn't much build up. All of a sudden you realize, "Oh, they are a couple!" Not a big deal, but I thought there could have been a bit more earlier in the book.

Invictus seems like it could be a stand-alone, but I would love for the story to continue. This one is going to get pushed to my teen readers. I think they will love it.

Great book. Highly recommend.

Great book pick. Love it

I’m going to start this review with OMG THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD because you need it in your life. It was freaking good, my friends. So good. Invictus by Ryan Graudin is about a guy named Farway McCarthy who has always dreamed of following in his mother’s footsteps and becoming a Recorder, someone tasked with traveling back in time and recording history for the future to enjoy and learn from. He’s the top student in his class and is destined for greatness. Unfortunately, things go a little sideways and he’s recruited instead for some top secret and heavily compensated thievery. He and his group of friends are the dream team when it comes to sneaking back in time and stealing away precious pieces of history. One journey through time leads them bumping into a complete stranger named Eliot. She takes everything they thought they knew about themselves and their world and turns it upside down.

I honestly can’t gush about this book enough. Invictus is my top favorite book of the year so far, hands down. I loved every second of this thing! The characters are all unique and witty and fun and they all make me wish I was a part of their crew. Aside from Farway, there is Imogen (Farway’s cousin) who has just the best attitude and fun personality, Gram who is basically a math genius, and Priya who is Farway’s girlfriend and a super cool Medic/Mechanic. While I’d say Farway is our main narrator, we get to experience this world through the 3rd person POV of every character here and there. I loved how Graudin tackled it too. Sometimes having a bunch of different narrators gets confusing or annoying but Graudin’s storytelling is effortless and feels like the most natural thing in the world. It just worked.

Time travel can be tricky and I’m always a little hypercritical of books focusing on the concept (why I have no idea but I am what I am 😉 ) and I can say Invictus was executed perfectly. The storyline made sense. The interactions with the past made sense. And the big plot twist made sense. My only tiny fuss is in regards to the ending. There was one thing that I was kind of confused about but I think I figured it out enough to appease me. So yeah, 50 points to Ms. Graudin for tackling the complicated structure of time travel and doing it so well.

If I haven’t sold you yet on picking up this book AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE, let me give you some catch words that should sway you in the right direction. Ready? Thievery! Time travel! Villians! Mystery! Plot twists! Red pandas! Fun hair! Fun music! Costumes! History! Rome!

*dusts hands off*

I read an ARC of this and even I’m buying this the day it officially comes out so I can relive the journey again sometime soon. Your TBRs and bookshelves will thank you!

TL;DR
Buy this book ASAP. Just buy it, read it, and thank me later. You’re welcome!

Farway McCarthy was born outside of time; his mother had traveled from 2354 back to 95 A.D. to do routine historical research for a year, and she had gotten pregnant and given birth on her way back to her own year. His birth on a time-traveling ship in “the Grid” between two times hasn’t caused him many problems by the time he’s 17 but has just led to some minor issues and given him a bit of pride for being “special.”

Far is just about to graduate from training as a time traveler himself and is sure he’ll be assigned to a great post because he’s done so well in school. But a very strange occurrence during his final-exam “Sim” causes him to be failed. He’s devastated and left with no prospects. Then he’s given a second chance — to be captain of an illegal ship going back in time to gather priceless items lost to history to then be sold on the black market. For the opportunity to be able to time-travel still, he goes for it. Far gathers his crew of friends he knows will be good at their jobs and they start their work.

They do pretty well for a while, with a few close calls, sure, but then one day they are going back to pick up something from the Titanic just before it sinks, and some weird things happen. The biggest is that a strange girl shows up, and she looks just like the person in the Sim who caused Far to fail. She nabs the book Far was tasked with finding and insists that she be allowed to join their crew before she hands over the book.

She gives them one story about why she wants to be on their ship, but it’s clear she has ulterior motives. Eventually, they find out where she’s from and what she’s doing, and it sets them on a very different path — an urgent one.

Invictus is a fun book; it reads somewhat like it’s between middle-grade and YA — sometimes the writing can seem a bit simple. The story is entertaining, and it’s interesting to see how it all plays out by the end: There are a lot of threads related to time travel that have to be resolved and made to make sense, and it works. The teen characters and their friendships are a big part of the book and a reason it’s so fun to read.

Rated: Mild, for occasional uses of mild language. There’s a lot of “fake” curse words that are ostensibly ones that have evolved in the future. There’s only some basic kissing and there isn’t really much violence except a couple scenes of gladiators clashing and spilling blood in first-century Rome.

I really enjoy reading SciFy and Fantasy, especially for the last couple years and I feel like the more I read them the more I enjoy and this book is a great example of how amazing these kinds of books are.
Farway is the son of a time traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD and he was born outside of time. Exploring history is everything he has ever wanted to do his entire life, so when he fails his final test for time traveling, Far is devastated. But his life change when Far takes a position commanding a ship with his friends as his crew members as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.

Almost a year goes by and during a heist on the sinking Titanic (freaking cool, right? AH...this book is amazing), Far meets a mysterious girl that is there before him with the object that he needs and he jumps to his ship before him too. She makes Far take her as part of her crew because she has more knowledge than him but Far and the crew find out the truth from her later on. That History is not as steady as it seems and she needs they help to protect history and their future. And together they go into one adventure that turns into more adventures that you won't want to miss.

Seriously? Time traveling, going back to the past to crazy amazing places and stealing objects that is worth so much before tragedies happens? Yeah...pretty amazing.

The end? Left me wanting more and I really hope we get more of this world, because one book sure wasn't enough.

5 out of 5 stars and totally recommend.

This book just about killed me. I enjoyed it oh so very much. The writing was so gorgeous, which I loved the most. I haven't read every book by Ryan just yet, but I have read and loved her latest duology. I will read more by her soon. I think I loved this book so much because of how amazing the characters were.

I just loved them all the very most. And this story was pretty amazing too. I'm giving the book a four star, as there were a few very small things that bothered me a little. For the most part, though, I loved everything about this book. I even liked that horribly evil ending. What. Did not think I would. But I did.

I don't know where to begin with describing this precious book. Because I enjoyed every moment of it oh so much. I think one of the reasons for why I loved these characters so much was because they were all good, lol. I usually love bad characters a lot, but these weren't bad at all. And they were so interesting and lovable and I just adored them all to pieces. I loved getting to know them. I loved reading about the things they had done together and how they were all awesome friends. This book isn't told from only one point of view, but is instead a little bit from each of the five main characters. While I don't usually like so many point of views, I didn't mind at all in this book. Because I adored them all. And I was so curious to know about everything.

I would say that I loved Far and Priya the very most. But Imogen and Gram and Eliot were all awesome to read about too. At first I was unsure about Eliot, because she was a bit rude and evil and clever, but she ended up being all kinds of interesting and I couldn't help but love her too. But yes. Far. Oh, how I adored that boy. The book begins with him, and describes how he's taking his final test, about to become a time traveler in this world he lives in. And it was all so interesting to read about. The test thingy was exciting.

And this boy was simply the best. I loved getting to know him. He was awesome in the beginning of this book. It broke my heart when he failed his final test. This boy was simply the cutest and kindest and he deserved the very best. He failed, but he got an offer from a different person, an offer to steal important things from the past and bring them to the present. He would also get to be captain of the ship and decide his own crew. I liked all of that a whole lot. And then suddenly there is a time jump of eleven months. Ack.

At first that bothered me a little bit. But then I didn't mind at all, because I very much loved that all the characters had moved forward so much, because they had to, to make the plot work. And what I loved the very most was that Far and Priya was already a couple after these eleven months. And just oh. This romance was all kinds of cute and oh god how I loved these two characters together. I only feel a bit sad, as I wanted more sweet and awesome and hot moments between them. Hmph. Still, they were the best.

The crew of this time traveling ship named Invictus is only four people. Far and Priya. And Imogen and Gram. And oh gosh, how I adored Imogen. She was beyond adorable and I simply loved her so much. Getting to know her was awesome. And eee, I shipped her and Gram so much. Felt like I didn't get to know him too much, aw, but still adored him too. He was awesome. And oh, I wanted these two together. Hmph. There is also a pet red panda, which was all kinds of cute. This crew was the very best to know.

This book is about time travel. And it takes place in the far future. And everything about this whole plot was exciting. And interesting. And oh so evil at times. Like that huge plot twist around the middle of the book. And then there was Eliot. A girl who suddenly showed up while they were stealing something. A girl who messes things up for them. But also a girl they slowly start to like, after a bit of time. Eliot was a lot of complicated. But I couldn't help starting to care for her too. I did like her a lot. And felt sorry for her too.

Not going to say much more about this book. Just that there is time travel. And a mystery about Far's mother. And a mystery about who Eliot is. Which ended up breaking my heart a bit. Sniffs. That ending was so rude and evil yet so perfect too. I couldn't help but enjoy it. But, well. I do want a sequel to this book. Like a lot. I want more of these characters and their life. Don't want to say goodbye just yet. Aw. And also, this book made me almost-cry a whole bunch of times, which was just the very rudest. Hmph.

I'm so glad that I read Invictus just now. I mean, it's out in a week, and I'm getting finished copies of it, but I couldn't not read the eARC that I got from Netgalley, when it was a read now option. I wish I had read it when I got it, many weeks ago. But I worried that I wouldn't enjoy it. I was wrong, though. Because I loved this book. Invictus was simply amazing. It's full of adventure and action and oh so lovely characters. The space and time travel and everything was so exciting. You should all read this lovely book. It is worth it.

This book.

I am speechless.

I absolutely hope that this gets picked up and turned in a movie or TV show. I want more of this! I loved the aspect of time and universe traveling. This is my first SCI-FI book as well as my first Ryan Graudin book and I fell in love with the story and the authors writing style. All of the characters are well thought out and very carefully described to the reader that you can perfectly picture how they look and talk and act. I love the fast pace action packed story line. I really enjoyed the plot twists in this book. Could not have been any better. Even if you have never read SCI-Fi or even if you have read one and didn't like it please give this book a try. I was blown away by its amazing detail and just all around perfectness and and you will be too!

I want to sincerely thank Ryan Graudin for this amazing book.

My life has forever been changed by this book.

In the far future, time travelers jump back and forth in time to make historic records of important events in history. But some travelers don't have good intentions. They skirt the law and go back in time to steal historic artifacts that disappeared or were otherwise lost, bringing them back to sell to collectors. Farway McCarthy is a perfect time traveler. He was technically born outside of time....his mother was a Recorder (a time traveler who creates records of historic events for posterity) from the year 2354 and his father was a Roman Gladiator from 95 AD. After failing his final exam to be a recorder, Farway finds himself on a black market ship, stealing historic items from the past. But during a visit to the Titanic as its sinking, the crew meets an unusual girl who will change their lives and show them the truth about time travel and history itself.

This book was amazing! I love time travel stories (total Dr Who junkie), so I was very hopeful that this story would be well-written and enjoyable. I fell in love with all the characters almost immediately, and I got sucked right into the story from the start. The thought of being able to go back and visit the past and rescue historic items lost to time was intriguing, and I liked the idea of nefarious characters who deal in black market stolen history. The characters grow and develop over the course of the story. I was really wondering what the girl who magically appears on the Titanic was up to.....the suspense kept me totally engrossed in the story!

This was a great sci-fi romp through history. I enjoyed every page!

Ryan Graudin is the author of several books. To find out more about the author, check out her webpage: http://www.ryangraudin.com/

**I voluntary read an advanced readers copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**