In the year 2371 time travel dominates society. Every aspect of life from entertainment to commerce to industry hangs on the select few who master the skill to jump through time in specially built ships. This prime job allows the traveler to record history first hand to take back as data streams for the general public.

Our hero, Farway, is exceptional in many ways. Unusually conceived and born out of time, his one true dream is to become captain of a time travel ship. When he is unceremoniously flunked out of his one life goal he gets a surprise opportunity and quickly turns to a life of crime - in time. He takes us on a bumpy adventure ride through an incredibly unique world.

The author has announced this is a stand alone book. A rare breed in today's publishing world. She created a an exciting and unique plot.

DNF
Will not leave review anywhere. Thanks for granting me access to this book

Set some time aside to devour this book. It's a mash-up of time travel (outside time, actually), gladiators living in ancient Rome, the sinking of the Titanic and more. The protagonist, Farway Gaius McCarthy (his name is a clue to the fun and fascinating characters you'll meet in this book), turns to a life of crime when he fails an exam that would have allowed him to work for the government. He meets Eliot, a mysterious girl who understands secrets about time that will lead Far through many perils and adventures. Suspend your disbelief for this one, and don't judge it as a novel for adults; some elements are clearly for a teen audience. Still, I recommend it.

I was a little concerned about reading this, because time-travel stories often bother me - so many paradoxes! Also, YA often bothers me. However, I didn't need to worry - nothing annoyed me in this book :)

After failing his final exam to become a legal time traveler, Farway McCarthy gets an offer to work for the black market and steal antiquities from the past that won't be missed. Note: I now have a new theory about where all my lost stuff went :). His friends are his crew - and it a fun group - I liked all of the side characters as much as, or more, than Farway.

But issues are happening with the time stream. And....that is about all I should say with the plot. I'll note though, that I wish more YA were written like this - sure there is drama and emotion - but it isn't manufactured by hormones - it's legitimate.

This was such a fun book! What a great concept with a great cast of characters doing such exciting stuff! I was hooked from the very beginning until the very last page. Although it is that rarity for a YA book, a stand alone novel, I certainly hope there will be more books about the Invictus and her extremely appealing crew. Job well done, Ms. Graudin.

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced Netgalley copy of Invictus by Ryan Graudin – thanks so much to Hachette for giving me a copy. I ADORED Graudin’s earlier series Wolf by Wolf so I was very excited to read Invictus.Invictus is described as young adult time-travel adventure with a dash of Doctor Who (guys, you already had me at “Ryan Graudin,” no need for overkill) and Firefly. So without further ado, here’s my review.

What I liked

Characters

From my enjoyment of her previous books, character development is one of Graudin’s strengths as a writer and this is borne out by those we meet in Invictus. I really enjoyed them all and was very much invested in their journeys, romances and challenges. Each person was nicely developed with his or her quirks, wishes and weaknesses. The interrelationships between them all were very well done and I really enjoyed seeing how they developed. Certain characters start out as quasi antagonists, but by the end, I came to care for them as much as for our heroes.

Plot

Without saying too much – spoilers!- I did like where Graudin went with the storyline. There are some really nicely done twists. Enjoy.

What I didn’t like

Worldbuilding

Don’t get me wrong; I loved what we got in terms of worldbuilding. The world and story did fit together well. However, I would have liked a lot more. There was so much we didn’t know about the world Graudin has created and the book was the poorer for it. For example, time travel; awesome! But what are the rules in this world? What are the consequences of breaking those rules? What are the limitations? As I’ve said often before, you can learn as much about a system by what you can’t do as what you can do. To return to that old chestnut, can you go back and kill Hitler in Far’s world? These are all questions I had which weren’t answered in the book. I think I see where Graudin was going, but I would have liked a fuller explanation.

In a similar vein, I would have loved to have seen some of Far’s and his friends’ adventures prior to the attempted heist that started this particular story. I would have enjoyed seeing his crew handle a couple of successful missions. It would also have added to the character development.

I would have liked to have seen this as a duology, with expanded worldbuilding and more shenanigans developed. There is a natural breaking point halfway through the book which would have been an excellent point to make the reader wait to build excitement for the second part.

All in all, I really enjoyed Invictus and gave it four stars out of five.

An absolutely stunning, vividly imagined novel. I cannot remember the last time-travel novel I read (maybe Outlander?? wow talk about a throwback), but this book reminds me why I like them so much. Graudin paints a future that feels so real, and a past that feels equally compelling. The characters are all well rounded and fleshed out. They make a fantastic group and it makes me cry?? Little Saffron reminds me of Pabu from Legend of Korra so I felt a little nostalgic reading about this found family.

There's always squicky parts with time travel, and they weren't passed over - race in the past is specifically addressed (although not in depth). I also liked how Priya's culture wasn't glossed over, she prays to Ganesh and makes real masala chai (and she doesn't call it chai tea!! no redundancy!!).

Gah I just can't say enough about this novel. The writing is excellent and the world so vivid I immediately fell into this story. Plus, a huge bonus, it's a standalone!!! I loved it, highly recommend.

DNF at 18%
Sadly I had to DNF this book. The main reason was that the writing style told you everything instead of showing you. With being a very writing style oriented reader, this didn't work for me. I also didn't like the main male character. He only acted like a spoiled, arrogant brat who threw all his effort in his education because he had to be right. He didn't enough substance to his character to make me care about him. I also feel like the setting was 2017 instead of the 2100's. Everything the characters listened to, wore, how they spoke and the world building felt way too current and not enough in the future. The time travel and how it worked was really cool and seeing the technology work. But that was the only thing that made it futuristic; there was no other kinds of virtual reality games, genetic enhancements and other things that make it feel like you're in the future. Sadly I was disappointed with this book. I will add a link to my blog post on August 3, 2017 with more thoughts.

I'm such a fan of time travel stories, and when I read this book was comped with Guardians of the Galaxy, all I heard in my head was - Must. Have. Now.

Rarely have I come across a book with such a charming cast of well-developed characters - people you'd love to have as friends and hang out with.  They're intelligent, sly, adventurous, mysterious, surrounded by danger and complex time travel regulations - yet full of teenage insecurities anyone can identify with, that also spawned several humorous situations.  Complicated time travel talk can make your head spin, but it fascinated me and was thought-provoking.

I enjoyed the history, action, banter between the crew, and was slightly surprised by the emotional element at the end, but it was very fitting.  And after reading this, I want a red panda just like Saffron.

Invictus is a long read at over 450 pages, but absolutely worth it - and it's a standalone, which is rare in YA books these days.  I'd highly recommend this to fans of sci-fi and anyone who enjoys a fun, quirky ensemble cast of characters.  

 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I requested this from Netgalley and received it (thank you, and it in no way influenced my review). I wasn’t sure I should have requested it. As much as I like <i>Doctor Who</i> I’m often not a fan of time travel stories and even less fond of stories where the protagonist is a thief. I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed this. It would have been a five star read without the last chapter. I really disliked the final ending.

Empra is a time traveler with an organization that records ‘datastreams’ taking great care not to interact too much but she’s thrown that out the window, falling pregnant to a gladiator who is about to die in battle as the story opens. Empra lingers just long enough for her water to burst and their son is born outside of time inside the time machine.

We jump to Farway’s story some eighteen years later. His mother is missing in time and he arrogantly strides into his final exam in time travel academy only to fail because someone altered the exam. His response? To take the first job offer afterward: become a time traveling thief ‘rescuing’ items from tragic events. I paused here hard. I knew this was the choice from the blurb so that wasn’t the reason for my pause. It took me a while to realize it was because I’ve been in that place, facing an altered test to keep my kind from passing (lady doctors, and that state was caught at it the next year).

Once Farway and his team (His cousin Imogen, the ship’s pilot Gram and Farway’s girlfriend, Priya, the medic) go for something on the Titanic and meet up with another time traveler who out manuevers them at every turn. Eliot is an interesting young lady with tons of secrets including one big one that I don’t want to spoil in the review. Let’s leave it at the Fade will end all life and Far, Eliot and the others must stop it.

It’s a far more complicated story than that with well fleshed out characters. It addressed things about time travel in a believable way. The emotions were well captured for all the characters (each of which we have chapters dedicated to their point of view). I really liked all the characters, though I reject the idea that only these circumstances would have ended up with them as friends/significant others (which was my problem with the final chapter). I did want a little more world building, especially with Priya. She seems to be a full fledged doctor at eighteen. Is she a genius? Is schooling different? What does Gram really do with the numbers (i.e. it very soft pedaled the physics which I was okay with but I was never entirely clear what Gram did). It was these few things that dropped a star off my review. Still, I highly recommend this one.

Far wants badly to follow in his mother's footstep to be a time traveler. Not just to because he has the heart of an explorer and doesn't want a safe life, but to investigate the disappearance of his mother into the past. At his final exam after a valedictorian career, things fall and his dreams take on a sharp twist, leaving him to be a black market smuggler in time.

I've never really been a huge fan of books or movies involving time travel. My brain has trouble forgiving paradoxes and leaps of logic and letting go and getting into such stories. Always I'm thinking how is this possible and casting doubts that take me out of the story. I tried to let go enough for Invictus but the storyline didn't get me over the bumps in belief. For one thing, it's far into the book before the true obstacle is revealed. In addition, the prose was really choppy and full of flowery excess rather than straightforward description that I prefer.

On the positive side, the characters were engaging and well drafted. The author does multiple points of views well, giving all the characters plenty of motivation and quirks to make them entertaining and likable. I particularly enjoyed the interaction between Gram and Imogen. Once the main plot came into the open, the story moved fast. But every time I tried to grab onto the characters the flowery prose kept me grounded and took me out of their heads, leaving their thoughts too choppy to make my own.

A solid read but I wouldn't go back to it again.

I very much enjoyed the idea of somebody being born in the midst of time travel, giving them no birthday, It's an interesting angle I would have never thought up. The character also being fathered by a gladiator in ancient times? That was great!
The direction this story went, though, felt cliche. Time travel thieves just didn't appeal to me. I'm not usually a fan of sci-fi, but Ryan Graudin is a phenomenal author so I wanted to give this a try. I was disappointed, but it wasn't because the book was bad, it's just not my typical kind of book.

Received through NetGalley as a Read Now

4.5 stars
<i>Invictus</i> is an exciting ride through time. Time travel stories remind me most of the time of the Flash Point Paradox storyline. However, if I recall correctly this is the first book I have read about time travel. (EDIT: I did not remember correctly, I read the Ruby Red series before this book)

Part of what made me love this story was the way Ryan Graudin told the story. She used the third person POV in what I like to call a movie style. Which is my favourite way to read third person POVs because you get to see the whole story unfold and how it affects not only the main character(s) but also important side characters.

Moreover, the characters in this story are so likeable. I feel like every one of them had an individual goal for themselves and a reason why they joined the Invictus crew.

Furthermore, there are several mysteries that made me want to read on. <spoiler>There is the mystery about happened to Far's mother and the mystery of Eliot's identity</spoiler> What was very satisfactory was that I got all the answers I wanted from the story. These answers include resolving the aforementioned mysteries.

I really recommend this book! I don't want to tell anything else because I don't want to spoil this story for anyone.

NetGalley Review
I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not a huge of reading about time travel; however, Invictus made me one for a brief moment. Granted, I am a huge fan of Doctor Who, but things seem far more complicated when in writing.

The prologue left my mind in awe, begging for more. However, my enthusiasm and desire for more quickly diminished as the story progressed. The slow pace killed all of my hopes and expectations.

My biggest issue was the change in point of view every few chapters or so. I’d rather the story have been told completely in Far’s point of view. To be quite honest, the different point of views did nothing for the story. It neither progressed it or prolonged it. The characters didn’t add anything noteworthy or relevant to their character.

The pace was another issue with me. When things get complicated, we’re given a lot of meaningless explanations and left to shuffle through confusing words to figure out how things turned out how they did.

Overall, Invictus was just too scientific for me to comprehend. Between the scientific bits, there was a good story of adventure. However, I couldn’t help be feel as if I were missing something in the end.

Invictus
by Ryan Graudin
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Strong writing, extraordinary plotting, and masterful resolution of the story line describe Graudin's latest young adult thriller that is too good to restrict to just teen readers.

What's different about this book 
Science fiction may not be the genre for every reader - but intelligent and compelling characters are.  A mystery and suspense setting for life and death events is. And the need to keep turning the page, to find out what happens next is just what most readers want.

One of the trickiest issues with YA books is keeping the material suitable for such a wide range of reading preferences. Language, sensitive topics, graphic or not graphic discussions:  All these are tip-toe matters for librarians who share reads with teens.  Graudin amazingly avoids the "inappropriate" content without losing a smidge of relevance, interest, or power.  Perfectly appropriate does NOT equate to boring or  weak with this work.  

Graudin's latest novel blew me away.  I don't do sci-fi, and I seldom do time travel. But this story of family, growing to wisdom, and valuing friends and courage was an exceptional read. This book will engage you, tantalize you, and refuse to let you forget it.  Grab this one. It's a keeper.

What I'll do now that I've read it
While I may not do sci-fi, my library patrons DO! And this will be an compelling title to talk about, share, and promote.  Awards and praise will be forthcoming for this book, due out in September 2017.

Soli Deo Gloria 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This book was incredible! It was completely thrilling but also thought provoking and emotional. I was not expecting to fall in love with the Invictus crew, but I did whole heartedly. Far, Imogen, Priya, Gram, Eliot, and Saffron, the adorable red panda... such a unique cast of characters that fit so well together despite their differences. I will write a more thorough review closer to release date.

This book started off great for me. I loved the idea of going back in time and stealing priceless of works of art before they were lost or destroyed. It reminded me a little of the plot from the Kris Kristofferson, Cheryl Ladd film, Millennium (of which I am a fan). There were so many places I thought this could go and I was thrilled to go along for the ride.

The MC, Farway (Far) was okay for me. I didn't get the name and I thought it was odd until the end.

Enter Eliot. This is where things got confusing for me. I liked her character and at first I thought she was a rival time traveler, but here's where things went a bit off for me. She's not a rival time traveler, but someone from an alternate universe, and not just someone, Far if he had been born a female.

Okay so then we find out that Eliot had been tasked with going to alternate universes and finding the others of herself and finding the right one that she has to kill. I wasn't sure why she would be the right person to do this. If this was in the book, I might have missed it. Trying to understand this part made my stomach hurt a little.

We come to find out that universes are being gobbled up because of Far being born outside of time. I didn't quite get why this would be but okay. So the group decides to go and right the wrong of Far's birth. If you've ever read/watched anything about time travel, you know that messing with the past causes paradox's or makes your siblings disappear from Polaroid's. You don't just go to the past and interact with people. So this made me a bit concerned.

But because of the "fade," the universe gobbler, I guess they felt they could do whatever since the universe would be eaten anyway and they were pivoting to a new universe? I still don't entirely get it. I also didn't like that Far had to die, alone. I dunno.

Overall I enjoyed the story despite being confused and questioning the science of their world. I also didn't really connect with the characters or feel that they meshed well together. The two romances didn't feel very convincing to me either. Overall an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because...Space Pirates!!

At its best, INVICTUS is full of great fun. There's a lot to love within its pages. Time traveling thieves pilfering through history! A red panda companion named Saffron! Gelato! FOUND FAMILIES! It's easy to find yourself immersed within the world Graudin has constructed as if you were a part of it yourself. However, I still wish I had more of an emotional attachment to the characters than I did - and I think the story could have benefited in that regard by being a duology. There is plenty of material, both character and story-wise to warrant it. At the end of the day, though, it's a solid, fun story that I have few qualms recommending to others who are in the mood for something fresh and adventurous.

I don't think this was a book for me, but I do think it was a good book. It was really intriguing and unique. The romance wasn't super great, but the world-building and characters were both well done. I definitely prefer Wolf by Wolf to Invictus.

I hadn't even read the description when I requested this book. I just saw that it was by Ryan Graudin and I'd loved Wolf by Wolf and Blood by Blood. WOW is this different. But it's still fantastic. This one is pure fun. It's super plot driven and grabbed me right away. It also had a fun ensemble cast. And while I didn't quite follow the "science" logic of the sci-fi element, I didn't even care, because I was along for the ride. Recommended!