🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 Skipshock
✒️ Caroline O'Donoghue
🗓 3rd June 2025
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Thank you @netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a masterpiece!

Skipshock is a tale of two people, Margo; a school girl struggling with the loss of her father and Moon; a travelling salesman. They experience a chance encounter on a train where Margo needs to assume the identity of a salesman but not everything is as it seems. If you move forward on the train you experience life in a rush a day passes in a few hours and its a harsh life. Whereas if you move backwards on the train you live longer, life is easier.
I have never read a book with a class divide like this! It was riveting how Caroline created this world.
The character develop is parallel to the romance of this book. It is slow, nurturing and tender. Both Margo and Moon are flawed and both have their own struggles. I especially appreciated the open discussion of anxiety and their coping mechanisms. Margo and Moon grew so much in such a short time but none of it felt rushed, and they grew together. I felt like I was living through everything with them and it was amazing.

I cannot wait for the sequel, to see more of this world and because that ending made me happy and sad in the same moment. But in a good way, I promise.

3.5 Stars

I think this book has a really interesting premise and characters, the first half was good but for me the second half was even better. The Lunati start as a small worldbuilding detail but I feel like they will be very important to the plot in the second book (which btw I'm dying to read).

I love the world that Caroline O'Donoghue has created; I know we've seen other movies and stories where time is used as a social standard, but I feel like this is a very unique approach to it and I think it has SO much potential and I'm very intrigued and excited to learn more. I have to say, one thing I didn't love was that we didn't get to really explore that much the repercussions of the world being the way it is, but I am convinced that we will get to see this in the sequel.

Finally I have to acknowledge the fact that I loved how the targeted-main-character storyline was done!! I feel like it's a breath of fresh air from the chosen-one-trope we've heard of time and time again.

Full review (with censored spoilers) on my Storygraph profile! Please be mindful when unveiling the content :)

Character: 7
Atmosphere: 10
Writing: 7.5
Plot: 7
Intrigue: 7
Logic: 6.5
Enjoyment: 7
CAWPILE: 7.43

I am not normally a fan of time travel, however I need more of this type of time travel. I love the twist of the phrase "time zones" The idea of multiple worlds/land having different speeds of time was fascinating, though like Margo, I sometimes had a hard time wrapping my head around it. I had a hard time picturing what Moon looked like. He's roughly 19 but his organs are older. Margo visibly goes through some aging process, so what does that mean for Moon? Does he look like a young adult or does he look older like in his 30s or 40s? Either way, once I made the connection in my head that one world is like the lifetime of ants while another is like the lifetime of turtles, I really got into the book.

It took me a while (at least for my normal reading pace) to get into the book) but then once I hit around the 65% mark, I couldn't put it down. I teared up during Moon's breakdown though for some reason I wasn't very emotionally connected to Taiyo's story. Not sure why.

To me, Margo's father was predictable. Not bad, but not surprising. I am looking forward to the next book to learn more about him though.

One thing I thought was weird was the first person perspective for Moon and the third person perspective for Margo. Why? I guess it could be to highlight the outsiderness of Margo but it didn't really enhance that feeling for me. It just sometimes pulled me out of reading.

To explain my lowest score (Logic: 6.5). My definition of a 6 in that category is "Mostly explained but a few holes" and a 7 is "No holes but I have questions." Halvpas felt too deux ex machina for me. He always showed up. To me, logically he should not have known that Margo and Moon travelled back to New Davina and yet there he was. Maybe that will be explained how he always knew where Margo was in the next book but right now, it felt weird to me and a bit like a hole. I don't consider the train system a hole but I do have questions about it. I couldn't picture it in my head on how it is constructed. The stations fall apart but do the bits between worlds break too? Do the trains have windows/what does it look like as you travel from world to world? What's going on outside? What happens if the train breaks down between worlds?

Overall, I am really glad I read this. I hesitated at the concept of time travel but this goes beyond what "traditional" time travel is. Thank you for writing this and I fully look forward to the next book

I absolutely love the premise of this book—it’s both compelling and refreshingly original. The world-building is rich, immersive, and thoughtfully crafted, making it easy to get lost in the setting. The author also got me hooked within the first chapter as the story unfolds right when Margo was on the train and entering Moon's world. The way the two connected at first made you question more.

The character development is another standout aspect—the two main characters feel genuine and multidimensional, with realistic growth and emotional depth throughout the story. They aren’t just static figures; instead, they evolve in meaningful ways that make them even more engaging. I found myself growing attached to them over the many chapters, invested in their journeys and understanding their personal struggles.

I can't wait for the second book to continue this journey, and I’ll definitely be looking forward to getting a physical copy when it comes out! This is a story I want to have on my shelf.

“And there we were. A salesman, a smuggler, and a schoolgirl, standing at the edge of history, our backs to the sea.”

5 stars and i will not be budging on that 🤗 i was absolutely lost to this story and thoroughly enjoyed it! its the coolest blend of sci-fi and fantasy.

Margo gets on the train one day to go to school and accidentally slips out of her world and into another.. it happens to the best of us, really. she finds herself in an odd world that's unlike anything she’s ever known, blindly trusting a boy she just met who goes by the name of Moon. she quickly realizes time moves differently here, everyone has strange tattoos/body modifications, and for some reason, she’s being hunted.

i loved how we got to explore this strange new place with Margo and Moon. everything about it is entertaining, from the way they travel to the markets they visit. i can't wait to see what this pair does next.

the romance is absolutely adorable, but i would say that it’s more of a subplot! at least it is in this first book. you’re reading this for the trains that take you to different worlds, the revolution that’s slowly building around them, and the beautiful bonds that are made when everyone realizes just how precious life is. their evolving relationship is just a definite plus :)

huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

Shipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue is a wildly imaginative and adventurous story that blends fantasy, romance and the complexities of grief in a world where time itself is malleable. O’Donoghue’s world-building is creative, immersing you in a universe full of alternate dimensions and shifting timelines. The story is unique with a plot that constantly keeps you on your toes.

The character development is relatable and offers a depth that anchors the fantastical. The pacing might be unpredictable but the book’s rich ideas and sense of wonder more than make up for it.

I don't read a lot of YA anymore, even "older" YA, because I'm too old, my bones creak, my hip hurts etc etc but I enjoyed this so much and I can't wait until it comes out so I can buy it and press it into my niece's hands like hello sweetheart yes your Auntie Ruth has a present for you read it talk to me and then we can gather like some kind of mixed age book club while she has to listen to me talk. I can see it and I know it'll be great.

This is wildly inventive, with some really wonderful world building. I was SUPER intrigued by the premise when I read it the first time -- essentially, Margo finds herself on a train originally headed to Dublin and now heading to an entirely unknown place and ends up travelling with a boy through different worlds, each marked out by the different hours that exist within their days. I really loved how this was treated: it allowed this vv interesting exploration of how Time Itself affects our perception of ourselves and the world and what would be important if your whole life would be passing days which were over in a matter of hours. (I had a fucking blast reading about how each world was affected for e.g. with trades, what they could grow. Didn't think I would care about that stuff. I did!)

The antagonist in this is almost shadowy, an encroaching figure of tyrannical government, looking to oppress those who they clearly view as too different and too other. Moon, the other primary character, belongs to a race of people who have been scapegoated, hounded, and barely exist any longer. I thought one of the best, most memorable chapters for me was chapter 32, which was a really emotional, really well-written moment of return and catharsis for this character especially, who has often been sharp and defensive. I loved him because I love those things ://. Moon's POV and Margo's trade off, moving from first to third person, and I found both of them convincing, believable and enjoyable.

As the book progressed as well, I think the feeling of impending dread got bigger and bigger and, tbh, I cackled w/ glee at the ending because I love a cliffhanger and I love a rug being tugged out from beneath a character. I ate it up.

Like I said, I don't tend to read a lot of YA so some things that held me back from loving this with my whole heart are more just features of it fitting that broad definition in and of itself so they're not really worth mentioning. But: I thought this plot was really fun, the world building was so good, and I really loved the characters. I also just think the writing was great: it always felt pointed and clean, but there were some really lovely sentences. I tried to ctrl + f some of them I remembered to accurately copy them here but this is impossible to do in a netgalley file and gonna be honest I'm not brilliant at remembering page numbers so you gotta trust me. but you should! This is like the third book I've read from Caroline O'Donoghue and she always has lovely writing.

Also not related to my feelings on the book but it does have a banging cover

anyway I got this as an arc from netgalley!

I think I give this a 3.5 overall and I'll round up because I really enjoy Caroline O'Donoghue's writing. 'm conflicted and I'm not sure if I'll read the second book. That said, I think some of my gripes are personal preference and I would probably recommend this to others.

Things I liked:
-The world building. I've never seen first vs third POV used in a dual setup for world building but I enjoyed this aspect and thought it was really creative. I the use of first person POV with the "insider" and third person POV with the "outsider".
-The world and magic system. I've seen time travel and space travel done before but this was a unique take on the methods. The visuals were striking and I felt like I was experiencing these places and events with Margot.
-Social commentary. Framing the worlds as north vs. south / short days vs. long days through the lens of colonialism was an excellent way to explore this topic in a YA fantasy. At times, this setup reminded me of Blood Over Brighthaven.
-The writing. Caroline O'Donoghue is a magnificent writer, which is why I requested this ARC in the first place. Sometimes I feel so seen within her sentences.

Things I didn't like:
-The romance. Unfortunately for me, the romance is a main aspect of this book which is why I knocked so many stars off. I was never invested in their relationship and the pacing of their relationship development didn't make a lot of sense to me and sometimes threw me off. The tone of Moon's monologue also completely changed in a way I didn't like.
-Some of the sci-fi. I struggled to conceptualize two-hour days - obviously Margot also struggled with this, but I would've liked more info or detail on how this worked.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was my first book to read by Caroline O’Donoghue and I have since added several of her books to my TBR shelf. I know they always say don’t judge a book by its cover, but I was instantly drawn to the gorgeous cover art. The premise for this book was also really exciting, Margo, a teenager from Dublin is on a train on her way to boarding school when she meets the enigmatic Moon and drops from her world into New Devia. Here Margo learns that different territories have different length of days. She is thrust into a world of conflict, uprising and injustice. She quickly learns along the way that friends are the family you choose for yourself. She begins a journey to fight for her new friends’ freedoms and quest to return home. As the story progresses Margo and Moon become closer, both fighting an internal battle and we wonder, if Margo gets the change to choose – will she choose her home in Dublin or the new home she is making for herself?

I really enjoyed the pace of this book at the start, I felt we were dropped straight into the action, and like Margo, we had to find our feet and go with it. However, there were sections of the book that felt a little rushed. A big defining scene happened, and we were straight onto the next big scene. I feel that the characters could have benefited with a little more exposition, but I got the sense they were just being propelled along with plot. At times this became a confusing read as I thought, hang on a minute – how did they get from this scene to this scene?

I was hoping this book could be a contender for my early teenage book club – however, there are mature references and some mature scenes that would lead me to recommended to older Teenagers, 15+. Despite me calling these ‘mature’ references, I felt they were dealt with immaturely. For example, when Margo is feeling jealous about Moon’s past ‘trysts’ and he wonders ‘why is she being a little bitch about this’.

Overall, I though the world building was excellent, really enjoyed the idea of travelling between worlds and implications that shorter/longer days meant for the inhabitants of these worlds. I think the author gives very vivid and visual descriptions of these worlds and presents them uniquely. I particularly enjoyed learning about Moon’s Lunati heritage and could see perhaps some nods to old Irish Traditions and ways of life.

When I first started this book, I thought it was going to be my favorite Netgalley ARC ever and one of the best stories I've read in a while. THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANT FROM A BOOK!

The story is so original and imaginative and beautifully written! The blurb doesn't do it justice. This is not a time traveling fiction. You do not travel through time, past and future -- you travel through different time worlds that exist simultaneously like different time zones of one huge world. It might sound complicated but it is perfectly explained in the book and there is no way you do not understand everything that is going on.

There are two POVs, Moon's and Margo's. What I find interesting is that Moon's POV is 1st-person and Margo's 3rd-person narrated. Moon is one of the rare Lunatis that survived, the race that followed full moons when the traveling between worlds was allowed. Life made him a salesman. He travels around suffering from skipshock that happens when you change time zones too quickly and too often. On one of his trips, he meets a lost girl Margo who comes from a world he has never heard of and he takes her with him. The adventure that follows is breathtaking and I was absolutely invested. The fact that for the first time in years I had no idea what was going to happen in a book made me love it even more. The characters are, like every other aspect of the storytelling, wonderfully described and introduced. Yes, the author might not have intended that someone over 30 read this, but I think it is perfect for every age.

But the ending? The ending ruined me. I was so angry, but I admit that the ending, almost the only thing I predicted, is very poetic and it makes the story even better. A masterpiece! ✨👏🏻

I loved this book so much that I preordered the hardback 70% in and I am very glad this is a duology with that excruciating cliffhanger ending. I need more of this fun and refreshing universe. Time travel fantasies are a hard sell for me because I often find them repetitive, but this one was a fast-paced, inventive world and compelling characters that kept me at the edge of my seat.

Skipshock is a combination portal and time travel YA fantasy romance. In this world, the portals open to various pocket universes, but the catch is that some universes only have four hours in their days and are measured by the number of hours their days have. Salesmen travel between the worlds on a tightly restructed visa system, but it shortens their lives and gives them skipshock, a more awful form of jetlag. Margo is an ordinary, depressed teenager on the train from Cork to Dublin to attend boarding school, when she falls out of her world and into that of Moon's.

He's a broody, grumpy traveling salesman who both looks too old and too young in a frightening and fractured universe where age really is just a number because they have so little time. He's also part of the Lunati, a hunted race of magical humans who used to travel freely between the worlds in family groups, following the full moon. He takes in Margo, and the two have a tender slow burn friends to lovers romance amid a revolution. Margo's only possession, a watch from her father, at first seems like a useless object from a complicated, distant father, but soon holds secrets.

I loved Margo and Moon and was rooting for their romance the whole time. The worldbuilding in this book was fresh and original. The rapid aging element was also a fascinating choice for a YA novel and allowed the story to explore deeper themes while on a rollicking adventure.

Moon's chapters being in the first person and Margo's chapters being in the third was a bit of a confusing choice for me; I got the idea that Margo was seeing this universe with a foreigner's eyes but I wish her POV had been in first. The POV switches were kind of abrupt.

As an aside, and this doesn't factor into my rating because this is an uncorrected proof and errors often happen, I found my copy had so many formatting errors that it made it hard to read in parts. I expect a more polished product from a publisher with an in-house creative team, even for an ARC. But the story was so strong and the characters so fun that I pushed through anyway, but that might have caused me to DNF a few times and it doesn't do justice to a great story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4☆

Skipshock is unlike anything I’ve ever read before — and that’s truly refreshing. I loved the concepts of the trains, different worlds with different hours in a day, and the repercussions people experience because of that. It was unique, and totally intriguing.

The characters! I feel for Margo, because she’s a runaway at the start of the book, grieving the life she wanted, and suddenly she’s thrust into this unique universe, where she’s gone from 24-hour days to 6-hour days, and she’s aging and her body is developing too quickly for her to comprehend. She feels as though she has lost out on some of her teenage years and just time in general. I loved how she was adamant in helping PACT and sticking by Moon.

Moon is wonderful too. He is stuck in this life of being a salesmen, and he is constantly facing discrimination for being Lunati (as he is one of the last few of his kind, and all the worlds seem to hate the Lunati for what they can do). He struggles with Skipshock (the sickness from travelling between worlds too much) and is trying to earn money to buy his way out of the Salesman life. Until he meets Margo; and everything in his world starts to crumble — literally (the trains). He and Margo strike up a partnership, then friendship, and then progressing to romance.

I do think their romance was sweet, but it would’ve been nice to have a few more deeper conversations for them to connect more on that emotional level. Although they don’t say it to each other, they are in love with each other, which I thought was quite fast. But then, the world’s have different concepts of time and duration of days, so I guess it works!

The side characters were wonderful too, and I felt bad for a few of them, especially with the way they go out. Saffy has got to be my favourite side character, and if you read this book, you’ll understand why.

I did find it hard to get into the book at the start, possibly because I was in a reading slump, but also because it didn’t intrigue me at first, but after the initial 30% I was flying through! It got so interesting and I was fully into the storyline. The writing was also very well done

I’m almost mad I got this so early… because what do you mean not only do I have to wait 4 months for the official release, but EVEN LONGER for book two???

All this to say, I’m excited for book two, whenever it is due to release. I am intrigued and I have questions I need answers to!

Also, just LOOK at that cover art. It’s so cool.

My most recent read from NetGalley!
🌙
Skipshock is a novel that truly is bringing something new to the fantasy world. I’ve never read a plot quite like it. There is twists and turns, romance, time travel in a new way, and an ending that keeps you guessing. I rate this book 4 stars and recommend it to anyone looking for something original in the world of sci fi!
⭐️
#skipshock

I like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading this.

I was among the fans of Caroline's tarot/witch trilogy. It was good. Unique.

This was too. Until I was 50% into the book... and noticed that by this time I was supposed to be on board with the male and female in a relationship. I didn't feel it, and their interactions weren't much of anything to go by. She was mostly just reacting to things he was telling her and their heart-to-heart moments (her discussing her father''s watch, her anxiety) were few and far between.

I liked the idea of different areas being different time zones, and I was totally on board with that. Yet, I felt the villain wasn't really established and there was too much 'keeping a reader' in the dark going on for me to slog through the other half of the book.

I feel bad since I loved the author's other fantasy trilogy, but this one I don't think I'll continue the train ride on.

This had a very confusing start and I almost dnfed. I'm glad I continued it was a fun adventure. I didn't like it as much as the author's last series but it has potential and I'm interested in book two and the mystery

This was an outstanding novel - full of adventure, well thought out worlds and magic systems, with an exciting will-they-or-won’t-they romance to tie it all together. Ended with an excellent cliffhanger that’s left me desperate to know what happens next! Perfect for teens and adults.

I enjoy Caroline O’Donoghue’s writing style and the plot flowed nicely along with the dual POV which I thought worked well. I liked the characters and thought the world was pretty cool. This book is more YA which is not a problem but I just think my preferred reading now is not ya and i just found myself not fully loving it but that is down to me choosing a book out of my preferred genre. I will probably still read the second book as I am invested now. I do recommend this book is you like ya and fantasy!

I managed two chapters. But the copy has many, many typos; many times already, half of a word is missing and I have to guess at what it is. This is mostly easy but makes for a tedious, excruciating reading experience, and for 400 pages... I can't. I refuse.

Based on what I was able to get through, though, I will be more than happy to read a finished copy.

I loved this so much! Having read Caroline O’Donoghue’s witchy YA fantasy (swoon) and her literary fiction (just more swoon), I was starting from a biased point of view that I would most likely like this. And reader, I did. This is a meticulous story. What an intriguing world! The world building was seamless from the first few chapters and the plot and romance flowed so well. I somehow managed to miss the copy saying this was a part of a duology going in, so now I get too look forward to that! Wow, I genuinely can’t wait to read the physical book once it comes out, and finally see the map properly!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. Unfortunately I had to DNF this book part way through, I really really tried to push through and finish as I really like the characters and I loved the premise, the world building was good, but at times it felt rushed to build the world, and that left things feeling half explained and it was difficult to engage with the book due to this, what was also difficult was the fact that I had words missing, and I would repeatedly have to go back over what I’d just read to figure out what the half words were, and I just really struggled to invest myself in the story because of this. I definitely felt like the story was moving along at a fast pace, possibly too fast as well and overall it just didn’t lead to me enjoying this and trying to force myself to read on.