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.

So incredibly boring that I could not finish. I wouldn’t really call this a romantic thriller. Just someone telling an old guy from the past how not to sound racist.

this started out as such a fun book! I enjoyed seeing Gore adjust to modern life, it’s a fun concept. but about 1/3 of the way in it quickly turns into more of a romance and that’s where it lost me. I didn’t feel the chemistry between them and would’ve preferred it just stay them being friends like in the first part of the bok

I love reading books with time travel, and was really excited to read this one. I've tried picking it up several times but I just can't get through it. I think this particular time travel adventure is just not for me. Unfortunately, it's a DNF for me, but I'm glad to see from the reviews that so many readers are enjoying it!

2.5/5
I really wanted to love this, esp since the blurb sounded so interesting. Unfortunately, by trying to do too much I think this story ended up falling short across the board. It reads more like slice of life romance with speculative elements that never quite feel developed or satisfying.

We follow a set of 'time ex-pats' pulled from various points in the past through a time door that the British government has commandeered and is using for...some purpose that we’re never told. We’re also never told why these particular people.

Anyways, our narrator is an unnamed “bridge”, basically a glorified government babysitter to one of the 5 expats, Graham, while he adjusts. Most of this expat’s characterization comes from the classic fish-out-of-water experiences the time travel genre loves: his amusing confusion over things like bikes, current fashion, and pop music. Overall, I did enjoy the characters themselves, esp some of the other expats, and their interactions with each other.

This book was such a let down for several reasons. First, the marketing and description were honestly a bit misleading. I was sold on a wild time travel ride but ended up with a book where very little *actually* happens.

The pacing was also completely off. Over 10 long chapters, we follow Graham and his bridge as they just basically go through regular life. I distinctly remember getting past 50% and asking myself how i was only that far and why this book was so damn long. Suddenly, the last quarter of the book turns into an action spy thriller (more like what i expected) that is completely rushed and then just… ends.

If the pacing had been better, I honestly wouldn’t have minded that the first parts of the book were more character-driven. My issue was that none of that time was used to explore any themes critically. The contrast of the bridge (who is half-Asian if I’m remembering correctly) and Graham (a white explorer who died in 1847 in a failed arctic expedition) could have been used to dive into so many themes that she barely touches on—history, colonialism, racism, gender, etc. Whenever these topics came up with Graham or with her Black coworker, it almost felt performative because they were just kind of left there.

I also hate when a magic system or, in this case, time travel isn’t explained in a way that makes sense because I find it lazy on the author’s part. This book should've devoted even a little time on the sci-fi speculative nature of the time travel bits.

On top of this, the writing itself was awkward and clunky. There were SO many similes/metaphors on every page, many of which did not make any sense when you stopped to read them back (“I was a doll, with no more inner intelligence than a bottle of water.” … what?). If the author just cut back on the amount of metaphors used, the book could’ve been significantly shorter and would’ve felt like less of a chore to read.

There were also a lot of weird word choices or phrases that felt like it was trying really hard to be poetic or deep, when in most cases the simpler word would've been better. These words took me out of the story because of how awkward they sounded

So yea, I wish this book had had much better editing because it really had the potential to be a fun, solid escapist read but instead it just dragged and by halfway through, I was ready for it to be over. I am glad I slogged through because the last quarter of the book where it turned into a spy thriller was the best part.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this Digital Advanced Readers Copy! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I am conflicted on what star rating to give, as this story line was not my thing, but it may be something you enjoy reading. Kaliane Bradley took some time and researched Graham Gore, a Royal Navy and polar explorer during the 1800's. I do appreciate she took the time to write a fun story on something she found interesting, thus creating 'The Ministry of Time'. However this story about time travel was not my thing. Due to the Ministry using assigned numbers for their expats (those who they extracted from the past and brought to the future) I found myself lost with the story for a little while trying to remember who was who by their assigned number. I felt the begging of the story was slow and need to set the book aside for a while. I would say this is due to the way my brain works and comprehends information. After about 25% into the story, I pulled out the audio to follow along with and I would say, my brain did better at compounding the story. Also after about 75% of the story it does pick up and become interesting and I found myself wanting to know how the story ends.

** Thank you NetGalley, Avid Reader Press/ Simon & Schuster Publishing, and Kaliane Bradley for an eARC copy of 'The Ministry of Time'.

Unfortunately this book did not work for me. There were too many plot holes and the pace was very slow. I enjoyed the writing but wanted more from the plot and more development from the characters.

In a near-future setting, an unnamed narrator introduces us to a unique group of “time ex-pats”—people taken from various historical eras through a time portal now under British government control for reasons unknown.

Our protagonist is assigned as a “bridge” (essentially a government-appointed chaperone) for one of these ex-pats, Graham, who was extracted from a failing Arctic expedition in the mid-1800s. Graham’s adjustment to the modern world offers plenty of classic fish-out-of-water moments, with his bewilderment over bicycles and pop music serving as the main source of humor.

The narrative unfolds across ten lengthy chapters, primarily following the protagonist and Graham—nicknamed “1847,” the year of his extraction—through the routines of daily life in modern London, with little action or purpose. Then, in the final stretch, the plot takes a sudden turn into an action-filled spy thriller before coming to an abrupt conclusion.

It was an interesting read, and I'm glad I tried it!

It took me months to finish this book, and honestly, it was a bit of a slog. I found myself wondering what the author was even trying to achieve—was it sci-fi, historical fiction, fantasy, contemporary romance, or a spy thriller? It felt like a confusing mishmash of all of those genres without really committing to any of them, resulting in a narrative that didn’t quite hold together.

The blurb promised excitement, especially with the time travel romance angle, but the execution was disappointingly average. While there were moments that echoed the Loki TV series, the time travel elements were muddled and unclear, making for a chaotic reading experience. By the time the plot started to gain some traction, it felt too late to salvage my interest.

As for the characters, they mostly fell flat—except for Graham, who stood out with some emotional depth and a well-rounded personality. I appreciated his blend of firmness and gentleness, along with his strong moral compass. It was refreshing to see him navigate new ideas with curiosity. However, I can’t even remember the name of the female lead, which speaks volumes about her one-dimensional portrayal.

The romance did redeem itself somewhat by the end, but the time travel subplot remained baffling. Overall, this was a hit-or-miss read for me, leaning more towards the latter. It felt like a potentially intriguing story that just didn’t hit the mark.

This rating could change in the coming days and weeks, for I unfortunately did not have time to finish THE MINISTRY OF TIME before its expiry -- which, unfortunately, is not due to lack of time, but lack of magnetism from the title itself. The concept is intriguing, the characters colourful, the world built, a wonderful twist on the world we live in, rife with unique and vital conversations that do genuinely set this book apart. I'd LOVE to return to this world, give it a second shot, for the praise I've read, the mystery sewn through the initial plot, and the 40% of chapters I was able to finish before the archive date, certainly intrigued! I only wish it had gripped me strong enough to keep me glued to the pages, for I didn't find myself enthralled enough to consistently return, and the days and weeks pre-archive slipped away without much notice. That said, I'll pick up the book again before the end of the year, and perhaps (or, hopefully!) return to this review once I do, for I do hope to love it as much as so many of my contemporaries have seemed to.

“𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦.”

Huge thank you to Avid Reader Press for the advanced readers copies and a gifted finished copy - sorry it took me so long to get to it!

An original premise, this one blends genres (spy thriller, romance, sci-fi, workplace drama, historical fiction, etc) and is unique in its formula, so at times I get that due to all this it can feel a bit fragmented. Some say the pacing is off but the slow start I believe is intentional to the build up of what ultimately unfolds and I didn’t mind.

I enjoyed the banter between Gore and his bridge - imagine being a modern day woman helping a commander from the 1840s adapt to the present. Naturally there’s some miscommunication and clashes of differences, creating some humorous and intriguing dynamics. I found the time expats entertaining and laughed at how they called each other by the year they came from.

And then there’s the mystery of The Ministry. For a while at the start you may wonder “where’s this story going? What really is the point of these ‘expats’?” I promise, give it time as each of the genres rev up. You need to pay attention as there’s hints and clues throughout that lead to a climax that was not what I was expecting.

Content includes some profanity, sexual content (these scenes occur during the second half; one is lengthy and detailed), detailed description of dead and injured bodies, and gun violence. I could’ve done without the unexpectedly kind of explicit sexual content that occurs during the last half; it could’ve been closed door/fade to black and still have gotten the point across.

The build up and culmination of the story was worth it and… I won’t give away the ending (I did wish for a lil bit more though!) The spice content is what brings this down to a 3.75 for me (rounded up to 4)

Also, just a last second side note, why did this quote hit so hard:

“𝘉𝘶𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬”

I really enjoyed this book! I didn't end up having time to read the eARC from NetGalley, but I borrowed the audiobook from my local library and loved it!

I had listened to a podcast interview with the author, so I knew that her Cambodian heritage would be part of the story, and how she's thought about language intersecting with empire and migration. I enjoyed the way the bridge thinks about doing her job (making the expat comfortable) vs being honest about history in a way the textbooks are not. And just in themselves, I liked the bridge and the expat, especially their dry humor. I definitely have a soft spot for that British humor (or "humour" I suppose!). I loved the secondary characters, especially Arthur and Maggie so much! I felt so sad for the bridge when it seemed like everyone (Samelia and Graham) turned against her, but I really understand why they made their choices. I appreciated the complication of the bridge having "just doing your job" turned against her. I also really appreciated the various kinds of queerness included, and the ways they've changed over the last few centuries.

Thank you to NetGalley & S&S for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was such an intriguing book. About time, about choices, about history repeating itself. Beautifully written and so many subliminal messages. A book to be experienced any review I write won't do it justice

I am not sure I understand all of the hype surrounding this title. After 20% of the book -slowly - passing by, I unfortunately decided to DNF.

This book was mind-blowing, and not in the way I expected. From the start, it's fairly obvious that it's a slow-burn romance, but written in a way that's oddly detached from the emotion of the situation for much of the story. As the book progresses, we learn more about how people have been rescued from their own times, and what the government means to do with them. The narrator is nameless, which gives us the detached sensation, but you still grow to care about her and her charge-Graham, who is a Victorian era naval officer. Graham is delightfully charming, very well written, and I missed him at the end of the book. I loved the idiosyncrasies of a man displaced in time, a refugee, essentially. This is truly one of the best books I've read this year, maybe even one of the best I've ever read.

I feel like The Ministry of Time is quite divisive, and have found people either love or hate this book. For me, it was good, an interesting take on time travel set around a true historical event. I liked the way it was written and enjoyed the main story.

I understand the allure of a "genre-bending" novel (and, in fact, was excited to read one), but the result of Kaliane Bradley's book is a work that wants to be too many things and, therefore, merely dabbles in all of them without excelling. I found the slice-of-life elements amusing but slow, and the last 25% of the novel becomes a futuristic spy-thriller genre in such a way that I got whiplash. Still, I admire Bradley for trying and for imbuing this with some biting commentary about government, regimes, and racism and classism.

While I was eager to get into this book and expected to finish it quickly, the twists and turns of the protagonist, her work, and the other characters in the story got bogged down by a little too much mystery at times. It took more time than expected to work my way through it, although in retrospect I did enjoy the read once all the pieces came together. Ms Bradley's voice reminds me a bit of authors from the 19th century in an appealing way.

A lot of hype surrounding this book but was a little too all over the place for me to consider it great. The concept was the most intriguing part of it, but fell short in the execution of the plot. There were too many loose strings and directions the author attempted to go, which resulted in a lot of basic and surface level resolutions. And the characters? SO unlikeable, and so stale. I don't know if I was missing something and they're supposed have such bland personalities, but doing that to make the plot seem more exciting in comparison is cheap storytelling. I wanted to care about it all but I wasn't enthralled in the world nor interested in the character's quest. The only mystery here is how it's so popular and well loved... I needed more.