Thank you to Netgalley for the copy.
In the near future time travel has been discovered and the government is gathering “expats” from across history to establish if time travel is possible and the effects it will have on the body, mind, and time.
Interesting concept but I wish there was more adventure and time travel and spying. I was not captivated by the love story aspect of the book.

- What an inventive, emotional, and thought provoking book THE MINISTRY OF TIME is.
- This book is what I would call literary sci-fi, which is one of my favorite genre mashups. It’s also quite heavily character focused, with most of the action happening in the last third of the book.
- Despite my usual love of plot-heavy books, I was immediately drawn into the story of our unnamed narrator and her displaced-from-time charge.
- It’s easy to see how much research Bradley put into this book, but it never loses the intense emotion amid the historical tidbits.
- I don’t even have the space to touch on the elements of race, survivor’s guilt, and of catching someone up on centuries of history. There is so much going on in this book and I’m going to be thinking about all the pieces of it for a long time to come.

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this book. Honestly I became a little confused with so many characters and timelines. Overall I enjoyed it though.

Wonderful time travel story encompassing history, humor, romance and mystery. Such a creative, well written, and interesting novel. I can’t wait to see what Kaliane Bradley writes next! Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Great pacing and great development for the characters. I was heavily invested in the plot and descriptive settings.

I really think Bradley had an interesting idea with this; the concept and execution of time travel in this futuristic (albeit, not that futuristic) was really interesting and I enjoyed how it was explained within the novel. Our two main characters were also really interesting and I think the addition of a romance made this sci-fi novel a little different than what I typically read! That being said however, I feel like this was a pretty mid book and my main point of contention is really with our love interest Graham (who is also referred to as 1847 (the year he comes from)). And given that he does come from a very obviously imperialist and colonialist time, I just could not believe in him as a character or as a love interest. Our main character is assigned to him as a glorified babysitter. She lives with him, observes him and teaches him about the world as an authority in a way so tell me why a man from 100 years ago would be so feminist, not homophobic and just be an overall stand up guy? I completely get that this was supposed to be fun and "not real" but it was so hard not to roll my eyes as how unrealistic it felt. Bradley does discuss racism, classism, sexism and other topics, but they are not explored in depth enough for what I believe a navy commander in 1800s would need. And then in the last 20% of the novel, it suddenly turns into a wild spy thriller??? Overall, I think this was a good debut and based on the writing and themes, I think Bradley will be an author I will look for in the future!

oh my goodness :')
I often hear books described as "ambitious" without much explanation as to what that really means. So when I tell you that this book was SO ambitious, know that it attempted to do a lot, and wasn't necessarily entirely successful. I don't know if this is pitched correctly, although I don't know how it could be. it's romantic and political and reflective and ACTION-PACKED. oh, and there's time travel, which always complicates things and can ruin a book if you spend too much time thinking about how it actually works.
all that being said, I don't feel comfortable calling this a perfect book and wouldn't claim (in the slightest) to completely understand everything that happened. but I LOVED it. I loved Kaliane Bradley's writing style and I loved piecing together what she was trying to do, even if it slightly missed the mark for me at times. I cannot believe this is a debut in terms of its scope and ideas, but I can slightly believe it's a debut in terms of its execution.
I understand why some people got completely fed up with this one, but if you're interested in it I think it's worth checking out—if only because it will make you SO EXCITED for whatever Kaliane Bradley does next.

The Ministry of Time was a fantastic read. It’s sort of a spy thriller/time travel workplace comedy with a dash of romance.

Time travel has been discovered and now a secretive new government agency is formed in order to work out the effects of time travel on the human body as well as time/space continuum and such. Enter one of their test subjects, Commander Gore, from the year 1847. Our protagonist is newly hired into the “Ministry” and will act a “bridge” between Commaner Gore and his brave new world of the 21st century. The clash of a liberated modern day working woman and the kind but very Victorian explorer gentlemen living as housemates together is very funny and charming.

This books was playful and cozy, heartwarming and even sad at times. The pacing and world building were great. And the author did a fantastic job with her use of dialogue and language when dealing with characters from different centuries. I devoured it. Highly recommend. Cheers!

I'm really not sure how to rate this one because I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's one of those books that you want to talk about with someone after you finish it.

This isn't a book about time travel. It's a book about adaptation, loneliness, colonialism and self-deception. Time travel is just the excuse.

You have to suspend disbelief at the very beginning, and not about the time travel part. Our unnamed narrator is asked by her agency to be a "bridge" for a person who has been brought forward through time. Her unnamed British government office has come across a means to bring people forward (and perhaps backwards but that hasn't been tested yet that we are aware of) in time and they have picked five people to bring forward. Their philosophy in doing this is similar to that of Kage Baker's enigmatic Dr. Zeus agency which chooses children that are about to die, pulls them from the time stream, and turns them into agents. In this case, the chosen are adults, just before they were slated to perish. Graham Gore, our bridge's assignment, was plucked from a doomed Arctic expedition. Other choices were pulled from the trenches in WWI, taken from a plague house in the 1600's, or a trip to the guillotine.

Why would a civil servant be given this assignment instead of a historian, anthropologist, linguist? To move the plot forward. The bridges are expected to be merciless to their assignments. They are to bring these people into 21st century norms, ethics, language, paradigm. It's temporal colonialism. Our bridge's family is from Cambodia- her parents escaped the killing fields. Our narrator has totally assimilated into British culture- it's what will get her the win, she thinks. She wants her assignment to do the same.

Graham has already been indoctrinated into the importance of preserving the British empire, he just needs to get up to speed about how things work in the here and now. Our narrator lusts endlessly after him. But he's a nineteenth century man who's never even seen a woman in pants before, much less one who thinks she's equal to anyone else (or does she?). There's a romance of sorts brewing but the book jumps around in focus a lot. There's also the possibility of a mole in the Agency, a mysterious murder, a new boss who has no patience for our bridge (I sort of don't blame her), and the possibility that if an out-of-time person can't assimilate, they may actually disappear. Turns out that sometimes these displaced people don't show up on electronic instruments like cameras and CT machines. Not too much is made of this, but it's important. A lot of important things just sort of slide through the narrative and it's difficult to filter through them to what the true point of the book is going to be.

I didn't love our bridge. She didn't seem like a very likable or very observant person and I thought less of Graham for his opinion of her, but I guess he didn't have a lot to compare to. My favorite character was Margaret Kimble, our plague survivor, a queer woman who could really turn a phrase and who leaped into her new century without looking back.

The book jumps into focus at the end. It changes from a meditative character study into a spy thriller. Our bridge didn't seem insightful enough to be able to get through this but her survival instincts did kick in in the end. I don't know if clarity came too late to her.

Fun, genre-bending sci-fi romance. I really liked the characters and unique world building, though at times things fell back to familiar tropes of both genres (a plus or a minus, depending on individual tastes, though it was a bit too much for me). Could easily see this making a fun movie or series. Goes down easy and has a fun spark of creativity to it.

This was one of my most anticipated books for this year and I was blown away despite my already high expectations. I could not bring myself to put this down for even a moment. The writing was delectable and unrestricted. I would claim that every range of emotion can be found in this story. Despite the fantastical nature of the plot, the dialogue is grounded in reality that leaves the reader wanting more. I was impressed with how pensive, sexy and realistic this book felt to me and I could not recommend it enough!

"Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley is a unique blend of time travel, romance, and espionage that kept me engaged from start to finish. Bradley expertly weaves together various genres, creating a world where time ex-pats from different eras must navigate modern-day life. The humor and well-developed characters, particularly the interactions between the protagonist and Graham, an Arctic explorer from 1847, add depth and charm to the story. Despite the occasional pacing issues, the plot twists and the richly detailed world-building made this a compelling read.

The book balances serious spy elements with light-hearted moments, making it both thrilling and entertaining. The romance is sweet and the social commentary adds an extra layer of intrigue. While the ending felt a bit rushed, the overall experience was highly enjoyable. If you're looking for a clever and humorous time travel adventure with a touch of romance, "Ministry of Time" is definitely worth picking up

Thank you to the author, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting this review, I had a bit too much going on.

This is an original combination of genres - science fiction, historical fiction, thriller and romance - and offers an interesting twist on the time travel narrative, seeing how people from the past adapt and assimilate to modern culture. Each time traveller is provided with a modern character as a companion, and the story is told from the POV of one of these companions. I can't say much more without revealing more than I would like, I will say I found this engrossing, confusing and unsettling, and would very much recommend it.

You can tell by reading the summary that "The Ministry of Time" is an odd book. It's kinda like if the movie Kate & Leopold was a spy drama instead of a romantic comedy. Don't get me wrong, "The Ministry of Time" has humor and romance, it just has a lot of other things as well. The book is both fun and frivolous while also being thought-provoking and dark. How does this work? I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT DOES. If you're intrigued by the summary, just give it a try because you may like it.

Do you like movies, books, or shows that feature time travel? I love them! The Ministry of Time is a brand-new time travel novel.

An unnamed civil servant works for the new Ministry of Time in London. She is tasked with helping Graham Gore, an artic explorer from 1847, acclimate to modern times. The ministry plucked five individuals that were going to die from different time periods and brought them back to London in modern times. The time travelers form unlikely friendships with each other as well as their handlers. As the shadowy “general” starts to stalk the time travelers, will they be able to survive in this new time?

My thoughts on this novel:

• The Ministry of Time is a unique blend of sci-fi, historical fiction, mystery, and romance.

• Graham Gore is an actual historic figure that was a part of the ill-fated Franklin expedition. He has a parallel story in the novel narrated by him where he details what happened to him on the expedition. This matches what is known about the real-life expedition. A great note at the end discusses Gore.

• I thought it was interesting that the main character was never named in the novel. She has mixed heritage with an English father and Cambodian mother. This brought some depth to her character. I wanted to learn even more about her.

• I enjoy that time travel makes one think through many moral and ethical quandaries. What gives people the right to “save” people from the past from their certain deaths? Is it really saving them? What is the correct timeline if time travel keeps changing what happened? Should you travel back into your own timeline?

• It was also interesting that the narrator had basically fallen in love with a historical figure that she had researched in the past and then had the chance to meet him and get to know him. Graham calls her out on it later in the book.

• Graham and the narrator have a torrid romance towards the end of the novel. It was slightly awkward to listen to it on audiobook, but luckily, I could skip ahead.

• It was interesting that the future has different ways it could end. It’s really a loop from the future to the past that those from the future are trying to alter.

• I enjoyed the friendship between the time travelers.

Overall, I enjoyed The Ministry of Time. It was a unique novel with a great story, characters, romance, and mystery. I felt myself caring for both Graham and the narrator and wishing there was a book two.

The Ministry of Time is one of the most original premises for a book I've read in a long time. It's one of those books you read and you just know it's going to be the book that everyone is talking about this summer. It's a great mix of light science fiction, historical fiction, and romance, so I feel like it has something for almost any reader.

Blessed to be alive at the same time as Kaliane Bradley, and to be able to experience the miracle of this book.

Ministry of Time was a swift kick in the pants for my reading slump—truly, it made me WANT to read again. I finished it in essentially two sittings that were separated by a week of travel, but the distance just made my heart grow fonder. I have a known soft spot for time travel romance (This is How You Lose the Time War, I'm looking at you), but with how funny, smart and well-developed Ministry was, it's still a winner in the broader sci-fi space.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press for the opportunity to read and review, and for sending me a physical copy to annotate to my heart's content! <3

I grew up watching science fiction with my dad. So, I have a soft spot for a good time travel story. Back to the Future anyone? The main character in this one gave me some trouble. She comes across a bit dense and self-centered.

But I enjoyed the characters overall, and personally I did not see the twist at the end coming! I also like that the ending leaves the full conclusion to the imagination.

I've been reading this book for over a week and I've only made it 48% of the way through. I'm finally giving it up because the torture is killing me! Slow story, convoluted writing, words I've never seen before...I'm done. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

dnf.
I wanted to know more about the actual time travel and why they chose the people they did. Instead, the book focuses on one person who doesn't have much information, so we don't either. I tapped out at the sex scene. With less romance and more spy thriller entrigue, I could have liked it, but as-is, it just wasn't for me.