Time travel x Julius Caesar = one interesting concept; the moment I saw the description for this book, I knew I just HAD to read it. This multiple POV story takes scifi-fantasy realism and interweaves it with historical retellings of Caesar's life, bringing a touching tale with rich depth of character. This was an enjoyable read, at some times fantastical in the most comical way. I did feel that some moments that were supposed to be climactic and consequential to the plot fell a little short—at times I found myself having to flip back a few pages, confused after missing an important plot point. However, the rest of this tale was a delightfully whimsical read, and brought a breath of life through an intersection of topics that usually remain exclusive to academic fields.

The synopsis for this book had me really excited to read but, it just wasn't meant to be. The pacing is a little off for me, I usually fly through books but I struggled with this one. It felt tedious and the time jumps made it confusing to follow. I wasn't invested in the characters - for smart people, their decision-making is poor. This book just wasn't for me.

I'm halfway through this book, but everything's too confusing for me to read on. The narrative skipped between the past, present and in between a couple times and it was hella confusing (especially in the beginning) and now I don't know what's when. I'm sorry to say this, but this has given me a headache and continuing to read will only make it worse.
I will not be leaving a review on any other site because I haven't completed the book, but I hope the author and publisher make use of this feedback to improve in the future.

Fantastic, Thrilling and Unique.................
A Coin for the Ferryman by Megan Edwards is a fantastic time travel thriller fiction. The plot has everything, from time travel to romance. But, the best part of the book is its climax which will keep you thinking about the plot for a long time. The author has amazingly plotted thrill, adventure and romance in one book. Also, diverse characters make the story more interesting. I would give the book 5 stars.

I feel like this book had so much potential it just didn’t hit the right spot for me. Other people would 100% enjoy it but for me it was too complex & tedious throughout. There was a lot of jumping back and forth between past and present and honestly i was lost 99% of the time. Absolutely loved the concept & idea of it i just didn’t personally vibe with the writing style.

🖊 B O O K - R E V I E W 🖊
⬇️A Coin for the Ferryman by Megan Edwards ⬇️

Plot: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️/5
Protagonist: ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️/5
Ending: ⚡️⚡️⚡️/5

Plot: In 1999, an elite interdisciplinary team headed by Nobel laureate Andrew Danicek gathered in California to carry out a ground-breaking time-travel experiment. While the rest of the world remained unaware, Julius Caesar was successfully transported from the last day of his life to a specially-constructed covert facility.

🌈 I was hooked the second I started reading this book, so much so, that I began taking notes on characters stories. The narrative is told across different timelines, a little confusing at first but it does get easier. I created a wild spider diagram so I could understand who I had met and why. Totally worth it.

🌈 I love to read a book based only on the title & cover art. Sometimes it works out, others it doesn’t. But this time, it worked. I thought it was going to be a story set in Ancient Rome, I was mistaken, instead I got Las Vegas & LA. I wasn’t disappointed because I thoroughly enjoyed it none the less.

🌈 Overall, I would say it’s a good book but the ending was lackluster. Personally, I would have ended the book earlier, the end chapter is irrelevant. But, I still loved it. Solid 4.

Overall Rating:⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️/5

Would I read it again?

The well crafted story of " a coin for the ferryman" is a great entertainment, The synopsis introduces the intrigue, and then it is a guessing game ! The book is to be enjoyed bits by bits, just to have the fun to try to guess what will happen next. I am hoping for more now, Megan Edwards produced the best time travel story I ever read !
I want to buy a pile of books to offer as gifts !
All my opinions are mine, I received an advanced copy from NetGalley.

A coin for the ferryman had me hooked until the last page and for good reason. Edwards creates an incredible atmosphere while at the same time, teaching about historical events. Admittedly, despite being a Classical Studies major, I do not know a lot about Ancient Rome or Julius Caesar and this has definitely opened my eyes to many different things that I didn't know about happened in Ancient Rome (or that I simply knew of but did not know the details). I definitely had a very enjoyable time with this book and will be buying it and checking out more of Edwards' future books!
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC

What a fun book - the premise is a great one to start with, the characters are interesting with good depth, and the writing is solid. It was so fun to think about how Caesar would react today, and how his attitude, worldview, everything would translate to how we live now.

This is just a really fun book that flips a few tropes around, with a somehow endearing Caesar (which honestly, is not how I generally would have ever thought Caesar would be) who was still calculating and cunning. I loved how history was woven throughout, that I would recommend to a lot of people but especially those looking for a different type of historical fiction, has a bit of a latin nerd inside them, and has a very clever twist that I really enjoyed. Absolutely worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

I was very excited when I read the description for this book and I asked for it right away.
Unfortunately, it's not at all what I expected and in honesty, I haven't finished it.

I actually liked the beginning, the whole premise of the "experiment" of bringing back Caesar was well done, a lot of philosophical and biological questions (they are supposed to be geniuses after all, the best of the best).
Then I don't know what happened but it went downhill, the geniuses become children and the plot gets messy.

At one point this book becomes a mix of romance and action, way too much action with car chases, billionaires, and kidnapping. This is where this book lost me.

I'm very sorry, but this wasn't for me.

Not bad, not great. I think the problem was me. This is pretty well written, with good characters and an interesting premise. I just didn't connect with it even though I could see the good aspects the author's effort.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!

This was truly an experience.
I was hooked from page one up until the very end. What started as a story of a normal girl working in Las Vegas turned into an extraordinary experience bending the timelines and the perception of right and wrong.
The experiment of kidnapping Cesar so realistic that after finishing this book I wondered if it really happened. It made perfect sense to keep it a secret and share the story now after some years.
But what felt even more real was the relationship between Cesar and Cassandra. It was wonderful. It was all I ever wanted. And it brought up the main question of a book. How much would you sacrifice for someone you cared for, even if it meant disrupting your world completely.

My interest was piqued by the synopsis. I liked the idea, and it was full of all needed “spices” for a good novel: philosophy, history, sci-fi, and a lot of drama. Caesar is one of the greatest characters in human history.
A great portrait of the figure of the one who knew how to rise from complete darkness to become the richest man in the world and has a power capable of ending the Roman Republic. At his death Caesar dominated almost the entire known world and this charisma lasts after more than 2,000 years. I liked how the author made him more human and showed a very sensible face of the entity.
It was so much fun to just imagine how Caesar would react in today’s modern society and how his attitude might be translated to our modern times.

An interesting premise not dissimilar to Timeline by Michael Crichton. In this, scientists in a secret lab successfully lift Julius Caesar out of history moments before his murder on the Ides of March and bring him to the 21st Century for 4 days before returning him to Ancient Rome. It's a fun if preposterous lead - the characters' behaviours are a bit 2- dimensional and the main character completely unbelievable as a gorgeous showgirl plucked from Vegas to study Latin. It's daft but enjoyable..

I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened this book and I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised! As a fan of time travel and ancient history, I loved *almost* every moment of this book. While some bits were a bit slow-paced, they fit well within the framework of the story and served to build up to those moments that made the wait worthwhile. My sole gripe was that most of the characters were somewhat unlikeable, but then again, who ever said that characters had to be likeable for a story to be good? My favorite character was undoubtedly Julius Caesar himself. Despite being a historical figure that I despise (I mean, the guy colonized half the world), I found his characterization here to be quite endearing. Edwards didn't recreate some cheap, gimmicky knock-off Julius Caesar, she brought the real one to life. He was calculated and cunning, just like his real-life counterpart, and I loved how he was portrayed as a human being more so than an antique statue brought to life. I would have loved for the other characters to have the same level of development and detail as Caesar and Cassandra had, but alas, c'est la vie. I loved how Edwards weaved in bits and pieces of history throughout the novel, which brought the history itself to life as well. And I was glad that the romance aspect was mild, as I was afraid it would consume the entire plot. A very enjoyable read that I would heartily recommend to anyone who's fascinated by ancient history and the concept of time travel.

Thank you netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a review

What would happen if scientists brought Julius Caesar to the 20th century?

While Julius Caesar isn't my favorite historical figure from this time, it makes sense that he was the chosen by scientists to bring to the present : he's well known, and his life influenced many others.

The plot of this book is very interesting, there are many characters, points of views and periods covered, but the author manages to keep it clear and interesting.

The latin-nerd in me is very happy!

If you could pick anyone in history to talk to, who would it be? Well, what if it could happen?

A Coin for the Ferryman blends philosophy, sci-fi, and a whole lot of drama into an entertaining read! It's great (and consistent!) that Cassandra's name and the title of this book tie in with Greek mythology. After all, they were planning to pluck Julius Caesar out of time!

Speaking of, I love the concept of the book. Time-travelling shenanigans? Playing around with history and historical figures? Sign me up! Plus, the attention to detail regarding the dangers of time-travelling and said-plucking-out-of-time, from things such as being vulnerable to diseases or altering history, adds to the tension.

That being said, it took some time for the book to gain momentum. Around the end of the first quarter 'till the middle, the plot was unfolding a little slower than expected due to some stray subplots that might've been better acting as backstories. But, right after that things took a turn and the action kept coming!

P.S. That surprise twist at the *very* end caught me off-guard (But I should’ve known!)

Thank you to Netgalley and Imbrifex Books for providing me with the e-arc.

4.5 stars.

This novel surprised me.

My interest was piqued by the synopsis. A time machine brings Julius Caesar into the present day for a four-day visit? Sounds good to both my science-loving side, and my history loving side.

I was expecting something a little dry with lots of history and scholarly references. Something smart, and a little clinical.

What I got was a rich novel that I couldn’t put down.

It was definitely smart. But rather than clinical it was personal. This was all about the characters, for me, which I loved. It was beautifully written, and a unique story.

The pandemic has been hard, and reading this novel turned out to be a bright light.

I got to experience wonder, and awe, the satisfaction that comes from dedicating oneself to a scholarly pursuit - to dedicating oneself to high level values.

There was adventure. Uncertainty. Drama. Hope. Philosophy. Messy, imperfect humans just being messy, imperfect humans.

It reminded me a little bit of The Overstory by Richard Powers, in writing style. Lighter in terms of the narrative. Storytelling which can be complicated, using a gentle, nuanced voice.

So happy I found this novel and had the pleasure of reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Edwards, and Imbrifex Books for providing me with an ARC in advance of the March 1, 2022 publication date so that I may provide my fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance reader's copy.

I was very excited when I read the description for this book and started it with a day or two of receiving it (in other words, it moved up to the top of my massive to be read pile). I love time travel stories and the whole idea of bringing Julius Caesar to our day - what's not to love?

The book started with promise, but soon got bogged down with rabbit trails. I had a very hard time following all the extraneous story lines, and the hot and heavy romance at the beginning that petered out for no reason I could make out. Smart people in the story making decisions that didn't seem that smart, sooo much details on women's dress and hair, and then, about a third to one half through, I just ... gave up. Moved the book into my didn't finish category. I'm really sorry, Megan, I wanted so badly to love this story. And it could still be great, but the story lines need to be brought together better, or trimmed out or... something. Give us a pay off earlier.

Wow, this is the hardest review I've done. I hate that I feel this way.

I love time travel novels. This book by Edwards does not disappoint. The writing style keeps one captivated throughout the book. I was surprised to the last page.