A brilliant continuation from One Word Kill, Limited Wish picks up a little while into the future where our hero is delving into the realms of time travel probability and the universe is trying to kill him for it; A surge of action and excitement, I love how each book's title captures the mood and outlook for each individual book. I can't wait to see how the story wraps up in Dispel Illusion!

This second installment is brilliant and gripping as the first one - after all, Mark Lawrence is a warranty- Maybe it is a bit too convulted for my tastes, but I loved how it messed with my mind nonetless.

This story had two, then three strikes against it (set in the eighties, which was a decades I loathed), its protag has cancer, and I loathe cancer stories, and there is a love triangle, another pet hate.

On the other hand, it was written by Mark Lawrence, and so I dove in, and what a wild ride. Really, this needs to be a film. Lawrence lets his imagination go while managing to make math sexy, throwing twists, turns and coincidences at the reader faster than a roller coaster that lost its brakes. While the basic time travel paradox isn't necessarily convincing (how many of them are?) the pure story telling power cannot be beat.

So, I have a little confession to make before we start… I am not a fan of time travel. But I am a big fan of Mark Lawrence. Do you see my problem here? On one hand, this series is not for me, because of time travel, on the other hand… how can I resist? so I had to try and see for myself how this series was.
The first book was ok. Obviously, if you are more into time travel the first book was quite interesting. And if you are a fan of D&D or if you are going through a nostalgia fase for the 80’s well, even better. But I am not a fan of D&D (hear me out, I love the idea but it just too social for me, it requires too many social skills, because it involves a group of people, and groups aren’t my thing) and I am not having a bout of nostalgia (even if I am in the right age for it), so the three main points of this series aren’t really doing something for me.

But the first book wasn’t bad, just not really my thing and I have decided to try and see how the second was. And I was very lucky because I enjoyed myself more during this second installment. I don’t know what was better, for me, but I found myself more drawn into the story and I didn’t have a hard time empathizing with the characters, either.
All in all is a fast-paced story with a great part about timetravels and paradox (this was surprising, but that part was quite enjoyable to me!) and I fell in love with their campaign in D&D (is that the right name, I know the Italian word, but I am not so sure about the English one, so if it’s not the right one please forgive me!).
And I liked all the characters more, too. Eve was my favorite, but all the others were quite good (in the first book I had some difficulties to really like them, I wasn’t really invested in them and in the story) and I found myself more at ease with them.

All things considered, I am a big fan of Lawrence when he writes fantasy, not so huge when he tries something new (sorry!), but I think it’s a good thing that he’s experimenting and I would read the final chapter, too.

A great book, and great continuation of the story. I am not a great fan of time travel books, but I think this is one of the stories that got things right.

Since the last story a lit has happened. Nick is looking to make his mark on the world, but also looking to fulfill his destiny and mission from the last book. However now all his relationships are different. Can knowing you future bring it about or make it harder and less likely.

While I still love this series, for me this story suffered a bit with Second book syndrome.

Limited Wish used many of the same tactics as the first book and while this did offer familiarity, they didn't offer much originality to the story. At times I felt that this story meandered and I just wanted them to get on with it. I was lost at points wondering why Lawrence had bothered spending story on, while many of them did come together in a round about way, not all of them did and i sort of wondered if this could have been done more engaging way.

Overall, I will be looking for book 3 but maybe not with as much excitement as I had when reaching for book 2 originally

This was a welcome and fun change from Mark Lawrence. As one who loves his gritty and dark fantasies, this was a nice break especially as someone in a certain age group who could really relate to the story and the events that were happening. Very reminiscent of Ready P:layer One.

In the interest of getting caught up on my humongous pile of reviews that need writing while I’m fighting with a half broken keyboard I’ve decided to combine the first two books of this series together. I actually read book one quite a while ago but wasn’t quite blown away so I had been putting off book two but finally made it through.

One Word Kill and Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence are the first two books of the Impossible Times series. This one is a young adult science fiction fantasy series that revolves around time travel and is set back in the 1980’s.

The story begins in 1986 with Nick Hayes who had been diagnosed with cancer but despite that Nick was pretty much a regular teen hanging with friends. However, when Nick and his Dungeons & Dragons playing friends welcome a new girl to the group things begin to get pretty strange.

Now, I am normally a sucker for anything 80s so that alone should have had me loving this series like a lot of other readers seem to except one of the biggest 80s things you find going into this is Dungeons & Dragons which I know nothing about. Putting that to the side though I’m sometimes up or down with time travel novels too and while I thought some of the ideas here were interesting most seemed obvious along the way so in the end I was just so-so with this series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Great pacing, good connection with the main character, loved the geekiness of it. The amount of math and science was at times a little overwhelming, but very well explained nonetheless.

This was okay. I haven't read book one, so I don't want to be unfair, but it just didn't do it for me. I'm sure it has an audience however.

Pretty good book from a master of traditional fantasy. This second book from him in a more urban setting really proves he can master anything.

Nick the main character from both books is strong and weak all at the same time. He has a lot that he offers to a story. I like this character though I see the more selfish side of him even if it isn't really him.

Eva is interesting and I really think would make a great main character in the future especially as she tries to live with her life.

Wonderful book and will wait for book 3 to come out.

These books show a great new future where time travel is really possible.

Set a short while after the first book in the series - One Word Wish finishes, it carries on much in the same vein; cunning plans, world saving, time travel, health battles and teenage worries.
It was brilliant to be back with the characters, each one more wonderful than the last.
The second book was equally as brilliant as the first and I can’t wait to read the third.

Back when I started reading One Word Kill, I was uncertain as to what to expect from Mark Lawrence, whom everyone knows as a grimdark writer. What I absolutely didn’t expect was that I will fall in love with these characters. I was only 38% or so into One Word Kill when I went and requested a copy of Limited Wish. And although – at the time – I had a really tight reading schedule – which didn’t contain either books btw – I just jumped right into it after I finished One Word Kill. Now, I know I’m a bit late writing this review, but life just got a lot more busy all of a sudden. Anyway, it’s just high time to get this review out.

A few months passed after the events in One Word Kill, but things have changed. he tightly knot group of friends have to deal with some losses, complicated relationships between the members and the fact that Nick had become some kind of celebrity within scholarly circles and now attends Cambridge University. With the changes of environment new challenges stand before Nick and new friendships as well. Namely Helen, and a mysterious girl who looks very similar to her. Once again, Nick finds himself in the middle of danger. Some entitled bastards want to do him in, Rust’s brother is out to get him to make sure he holds up his part in the experiments Nick and his professor do to make time travel possible for the future which, for him, doesn’t seem as bright anymore – but then, when did it look like it? And so, he is trying to figure out what would be the right course of action. Should he make his own choices or should he follow those which were already made?

And while he tries to make sense of it all, he is still the awkward teenager we got to know in One Word Kill.

“‘I … uh.’ Something about her dress had stolen the words from my tongue. I would say that all my cool deserted em, but I’d never had any in the first place.”

Fortunately for Nick, his friends – despite everything – still have his back and are ready to do anything for him. I don’t know if he ever realises how lucky he is with them. The most memorable – and emotional – moment for me was when Elton appeared when Nick was on the lowest points. But thankfully, Simon is still Simon with his insufferable personality you can’t help to adore, just a tiny little bit.

“There were very few things that would move Simon to use the phone, but not showing up for D&D was one of them. And when it came to awkward phone calls, well, let’s just say that Simon had a weapons-grade long silence.”

And since we are talking about D&D, it feels like it got a bit more time to shine. I enjoyed those scenes, because they accompanied and complemented well the rest of the plot and reflected the relationships between the characters. I love how Lawrence waved D&D into this trilogy.

Limited Wish, the second book of the Impossible Times trilogy is just as fast paced, intriguing and full of heart as the first book was. Maybe even more so. Maybe some twists didn’t sit as well and was a bit predictable at places, but I’m just really nitpicking here. I would have jumped right at book 3 if I could, but alas, I have to wait – impatiently – for it to be released.

The concept of the novel is intriguing and the execution was done with great sense of humour and flourish, but I just couldn't enjoy it. "Limited Wish" just wasn't for me. The whole story, the paradoxes, the anomalies, the timelines, the incarnations, the time travel... it just was too weird for me and didn't make much sense. And it all came down to choosing a love interest for the main character, really?

What I liked about this book was the hero, who was original, intelligent and funny. His troubles were real, he had great friends and his musings were interesting. I also liked the setting, at times it was like visiting Cambridge again (punting!!!) :) But I didn't like at all how people studying there were depicted. The bulling was unrealistic, privileged people flaunting their family wealth were totally unrealistic! It really doesn't look this way in Cambridge, so I think it gives a very unfair, wrong impression of the Cambridge community.

The concepts described in this novel are definitely thought provoking, but is there a place for such abstract thinking in a YA novel? I am not so sure.

I received "Limited Wish" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

I’ve always been a fan of Mark Lawerence style of writing. This book has a lot of suspense and could not put it down. I wasn’t sure if I would like this book as much as grey sister, but have to say it exceeded my expectations.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Following on from One Word Kill we find Nick at 16, studying at Cambridge university. After fighting cancer, a crazy psychopath with a penchant for machetes, and first love, he’s hoping to settle down and sort out the small matter of inventing time travel.

I actually enjoyed this more than the first novel. The pacing is much snappier, and with just Nick as the central character, and less interaction from his friends, I felt I could connect with him better. He’s fleshed our better here, and more emotionally complex. The introduction of Helen and Eve was a good move too, as I found them a lot more relatable and engaging than his other friends. As always, the writing is great too.

Speaking of complex. The whole time travel, paradox, physics stuff does start to run that line between detailed and overly complicated. I appreciate a good amount of science, especially when it’s called for in a book like this, but some of this was beyond me, and left me slightly confused at times. I haven’t studied physics in nearly 20 years. My brain hurt. I can’t deny it isn’t cleverly done though.

Great for lovers of the 1980s, physics and time travel. But pay attention, or you’ll loose sense of the plot.

There's not much else to say other than I freaking LOVE this series! Having grown up in the 80s, I adore the nostalgia and I'm a sucker for a good time travel tale. Mark Lawrence has proven, once again, to be a master storyteller!

The second book of the trilogy and I wasn't expected less of it!
It is constructed on the same structure as the first one. Complicated, intelligent, with a lot of facts, not for beginners' mind.
I still love all those characters and I still stick to my previous idea - the book makes me feel dumb. Which I appreciate!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Limited Wish picks up more or less exactly where One Word Kill left of, give or take a few months. We have lost one of the gang, due to the events of book this person no longer feels safe around Nick. The full extent of Nicks genius is delved into here as he has now snagged a place at Cambridge, despite not finishing school. The author takes what we learned in book 1 and brings it to the next level - more science, more D&D, and more love (interests).

Yes, the science ramps up, and I must admit, a couple of times, in between all the equations and time travel paradox talk I was drawn back to episodes of Fringe where they discussed "everything being numbers". Nick, and by default the author Mark Lawrence, is just a fuck load better at Math than I ever was, or will be.

Anyway, difficult Math aside, Mark has thrown up another stomping read with this sequel. This book has a little of everything, but where I thought it really came alive were with it's bad guys - and the mystery surrounding them. There are a couple of scenes here that really gave me the creeps (train scene!!!).

Nick's relationship with his friends has grown stronger (for the most part) but his relationship with Mia is put to the test throughout the book - especially with the addition of a second lady to fight for his affections. The dynamic between all the characters was great.

Overall, a quick read, sci-fi with some great action, and high tension scenes thrown in for good measure. Have no hesitation in recommending this one, and cannot wait for the final part of the trilogy due out before the end of the year. Once again it left me wanting to watch Stranger Things but the good news is Series Three has just come back on Netflix!

As Limited Wish (2019) begins, Nick Hayes, the 16-year-old math genius that we met in One Word Kill (you need to read it first) is being pursued by a pack of drunken Cambridge students bent on beating him up. It’s 1986 and Nick has just been enrolled at Cambridge, thanks to the notice of Professor Halligan, a brilliant mathematician who recognizes Nick’s potential. What Prof Halligan doesn’t know is that Nick has to invent time travel so that when he’s older he can come visit his teenage self in the late 1980s and, in so doing, save Mia, the girl he thinks he loves and has a future with.

But there are several major problems with this scenario. Worst: (1) Nick has no idea how the mathematics of time travel might work, especially when you throw in the time paradoxes he’s experiencing, and (2) Mia has dumped Nick. Other significant problems include the hazing that Nick is undergoing at Cambridge, the weird instances where he seems to perceive time fragmenting to create multiple potential futures, the fact that he’s met another girl, Helen, who he’s very much attracted to, and some dire news he receives from his oncologist. At this point, Nick is fairly confused and realizing that he may have screwed up his future entirely. He needs to get it back on track if he hopes to survive to save himself and Mia.

Some visitors from the future ― one familiar character and one new one, Eva, who has a surprising connection to Nick ― complicate this process further, especially since they’re from incompatible futures. If that’s not bad enough, another vicious enemy appears who’s tasked by a shadowy investor with keeping Nick on task with his scientific research, and who begins to take an unhealthy interest in Nick because of certain events from One Word Kill. And have we mentioned that the universe is trying to kill Nick? (It’s nothing personal, Eva assures Nick, “just physics.”)

Mark Lawrence’s IMPOSSIBLE TIMES trilogy is reminiscent of (and possibly a celebration of?) 1985’s best movie, Back to the Future. It’s full of time paradoxes and competing versions of the past, present and future that shouldn’t be examined too closely; you’ve just got to deal with it. The number of hard-to-swallow coincidences, like a second villainous Rust brother, and the overload of problems and challenges faced by Nick, are hand-waved away as all part of Nick becoming a lightning rod for changes and paradoxes that the universe wants to prevent. Logically it’s hard to swallow, but if you can roll with it, it does make the story more exciting.

We’re still concerned about the plot issue that Tadiana mentioned in our review of One Word Kill ― we’re simply not convinced that the first instance of time-travel, the one that created all these problems for Nick and his friends, ever needed to happen in the first place. So far, the suffering and confusion that has resulted doesn’t seem worth it. We’re hoping Lawrence is going to convince us otherwise by the end of the trilogy but at this point we’re doubting it, and will reluctantly chalk it up to some extremely unadmirable selfishness or blinkered thinking on Nick’s part.

Fans of One Word Kill will surely enjoy Limited Wish. Other than the change in setting and the addition of a few new characters, it is an expansion of the story in One Word Kill and the prose, characterization, and dialog continue to impress us. We love how Nick talks about the way mathematics underlies the structure of the universe.

[T]here are fabulous beasts that swim in the seas of mathematics. Multidimensional behemoths of incredible beauty that even the best of minds struggle to glimpse. The equations we battle with, the proofs that we use to nibble at the edges of such wonders: these are the shadows cast by those we hunt.

We also love the retro feel of the novel and Kat, especially, can relate to these characters since she was also starting college in the fall of 1986. (And she will admit to occasionally, like Nick, wallowing in teenage misery while listening to Sisters of Mercy ― though she didn’t have as compelling reasons as Nick.)

The titles of the IMPOSSIBLE TIMES trilogy cleverly blend Nick’s personal life with the Dungeons & Dragons game he plays with his friends on the weekends. The title of the first book, One Word Kill, refers to Nick’s cancer diagnosis. Limited Wish, another spell used in Nick’s D&D game, reflects Nick’s realization that he can’t have everything he wants in life. Some things are going to have to be sacrificed. It’s also a metaphor for the idea that sometimes a small wish, or change, can have a major impact, which plays out in an intriguing way in the plot.

The final book is titled Dispel Illusion and will be released in November. We are wondering what illusions will be dispelled…

Kat recommends Brilliance Audio’s versions of the IMPOSSIBLE TIMES novels, which are beautifully narrated by Matthew Frow. By the way, Kat would also like to point out that people who wear Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirts do not also wear Lady Gaga T-shirts.