I liked this one. It was written very well. Definitely not my usual genre. Even with the sci fi elements, it felt more like a historical spy romance. Quite intelligent as well. Overall, I feel confident recommending it to my customers who are looking for time travel stories even if it maybe wasn't my favorite.

A secret department of the British government has found a way to time travel. People from the past are paired with agents/"bridges" to help them assimilate into present day London.

I really enjoyed this story. I didn't want to stop reading. It was thought-provoking and action-packed. I really like the flashbacks to one of the past-people's history. The romantic sub-plot was subtle in a great way. Overall I'd say the story felt unique and left me with a lot to think about, how would you introduce someone from the past to the present? What would they find the hardest to comprehend? Would they be disappointed by our world today? (This last one is the hardest to think about.)

I'm torn between rating it 3 or 4 stars because, while I did enjoy it, I found it very confusing. The intrigue plot was ... super confusing. I could follow what was happening, but the details and the whys were lost on me. It seemed like some scenes contradicted others? I also think the author and I would have trouble having a conversation with each other. There were certain sentences whose meanings just could not register in my brain, no matter how many times I reread them.

Finally, I think the biggest disservice to this book was the way I've seen it promoted it. I saw it compared to The Time Traveler's Wife, which suggest a much softer and more romantic book than this. I'd say it's more sci-fi/thriller.

Audiobook broke me so efficiently I had to buy a paperback copy so it could hurt me all over again in person.

I heard about this book through Haley Pham. This is one of her all-time favorites, and what can I say? I tend to take Haley recs. The Ministry of Time was no exception to this rule. I loved it! There are certain pieces of it that don't fully 'click' into place until the end... And it's a beautiful unraveling when that happens! Very fun time, 10/10 would continue this recommendation train!

Good stuff, even though ultimately I lost the plot, literally. But she’s a fine writer - clever, funny, tender, extremely inventive. I admire unpredictability in a novelist and that was certainly the case here, with layers of meaning, history, emotion, political thought. I believe the book is already published and attracting positive attention, deservedly. So my comments won’t matter, nevertheless I reckon this to be a remarkable debut.

This was definitely interesting…
Our narrator works for the Ministry, a secret organization that has pulled people out of their timelines and brought them to present day London. Once there, they will be assimilated into the modern day and our narrator is one such person who will help them assimilate. She is assigned to one man in particular and this is their story.

I’m not really sure how I feel about this book hence the middle of the road rating. There were parts I thought were interesting and others I thought were weird. I wish there had been more focus on the events at the end of the book which seemed to be the most interesting but there was more of a focus on the assimilation part.
The characters were good, easy to like and want to learn more about. I would have loved to read more about Graham’s history and the expedition but the chapters set in the past were so short.

My one big issue with this book was chapter length… I really hate long chapters in books and when I’d see 40+ minutes until the end of a chapter I’d groan internally. I can’t always focus on a book that long and it’s longer than my lunch break … I really just don’t like long chapters.

I enjoyed this book. Realizing how flawed the MC is near the end was brilliant. Definitely will be recommending this title.

Don’t let the “sci-fi” category put you off reading this - the Ministery of Time has a unique and clever premise worthy of the hype. There's a similar crossover appeal to Station Eleven but with more wit and romance and I admired the context of the environmental warnings.

The author wears her literary background lightly but it shows in her use of language and the masterful plotting. The emotional evolution of these characters and their relationship arcs are as wonderfully entertaining as the plot. I’m very much looking forward to a sequel.

My thanks to S&S and Netgalley for an advance review copy.

What a genre-bending delight! I didn’t know exactly what to expect with this book, but I’m certainly glad I finally picked it up. Hard to put down, the type that keeps you up past your bedtime! An easy handsell when customers ask me to recommend “a good page turner that’s different.”

The Ministry of Time is a book with all of the promise and none of the editing. The first half or so is fantastic. I was completely engaged and actively planning who I was going to recommend it to. I loved the premise of a group of people from different periods in history being "saved" by being pulled into modern+a few years Britain. All of the Franklin expedition material is incredibly well done. Unfortunately, the whole spy vs. spy plot, etc., doesn't really work. It makes sense as such, but I didn't care. This book promises a happy ending at the start and just degrades into utter misery by the end. I really wish an editor had worked harder on this.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley is a smart, genre-bending blend of time travel, bureaucracy, and slow-burn romance, wrapped in sharp wit and emotional depth. Inventive, poignant, and refreshingly original.

Literary gold with the the balance of compelling characters, gripping storytelling, and the most romantic love story. I try to describe this book but it is so difficult and one you just need to experience for yourself.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I loved this book so so much. The perfect blend of science fiction with incredibly heartfelt, real character relationships. Every character was so vividly brought to life and I was swooning at the relationship between the two leads.
It’s one of those books where it’s bittersweet as it has the perfect ending but I would also read a million sequels to find out what’s next for these characters.

Bradley's text has become an instant classic for a reason--it's a fascinating blend of genres, a deft navigation of literary techniques, and an insightful indictment of empire.

Unfortunately DNF'd this at ~25%.... not my cup of tea. Painfully bland and boring characters, and honestly I'm not sure what else to say. This felt like I was intruding on a teenagers over-descriptive diary of their fantasies... and I was NOT enjoying it. I don't get why this novel has done so well???

Hmm. This was an intriguing read. I honestly felt like the blurb set my expectations pretty high and I was excited. And then the book…fizzled a bit. It’s much slower paced than I expected it to be. And while very interesting, I just didn’t grab me. The chapters from the MMC POV felt disjointed. And I just didn’t care about these characters enough. The book is slower until the final chunk which speeds by at a careening pace and it’s where all the twists of a time travel story hit at once. It made me think and had great points and said so much…in a slightly slow way. But this quote was the money maker. "Forgiveness, which takes you back to the person you were and lets you reset them. Hope, which exists in a future in which you are new. Forgiveness and hope are miracles. They let you change your life. They are time-travel."

Having recently enjoyed Elly Griffiths' "The Frozen People," which explores a similar concept of individuals displaced in time, I found "The Ministry of Time" somewhat underwhelming. While the idea of historical witnesses living together held promise, it didn't quite captivate me in the same way. Perhaps the similarities in premise made it harder for this particular story to stand out, and ultimately, it didn't leave a lasting positive impression.

Loved this book and have already recommended it to several! Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read it.

The Ministry of Time isn’t the kind of book I’d usually reach for - science fiction has never really been my genre - but the premise caught my eye, and I’m so, so glad I gave it a chance. Stepping out of my comfort zone with this one turned out to be one of the best reading decisions I’ve made in a while.

I devoured it in under 48 hours and genuinely wish I could experience it all over again for the first time. It’s clever, sharp, and full of surprises. I especially loved the relationship between the narrator and Graham - it felt layered and real - and the dynamic with the other expats added so much charm and humour to the story. It made me laugh out loud more than once, but there were also moments that had the pace and intrigue of a spy novel, and others that were moving, almost tragic. It was also a very thought provoking read, leaving me questioning topics as broad as climate change, racism, power and trauma.

It’s a rare book that can balance wit, warmth, and emotional depth while still being so wildly entertaining. I can’t recommend it enough - even if, like me, you don’t normally think of yourself as a sci-fi reader.