I am not sure if I enjoyed this book. I am not sure if I am still trying to figure out what happened.

The novel is a lot of genres, or is part of a lot of genres: sci-fi; speculative fiction; literary fiction; spy thriller; historical fiction; action/adventure/spy thriller; romantic comedy.

The story was told in a very 'wordy' way and at times it felt quite long. Longer than it needed to be.

I didn't mind that the MMC was based on a real person (and of course I Wiki'd his story), but I do still wonder about the ethics of writing this narrative for the character, but then remember it's fiction and the whole story is a little left of centre anyway, so there are those thoughts in the background for me.

I think I had the wrong idea about what the book was going to be: I thought it was going to be a time travel novel where the MCs learn about each other's life and eventually come together, in romance or not, professionally, or whatever and they develop as characters, and I am not sure that is what I got from it.

I think I might have enjoyed this more if I wasn't told and shown so many things, or had the story explained to me, but rather could have learnt things on my own.

I really enjoyed this book it was such a clever concept that keeps you captivated throughout, Bradley’s writing style is truly brilliant. The storyline has just the right amount of sci fi, time travel and romance with a nice sprinkling of humour throughout.
I especially enjoyed the characters as they were so well presented and all very loveable. It was such fun to follow how these characters from the past adapted to modern life.
I loved the way Bradley wove a real person into the story. Graham Gore was a really charismatic and fun character who I really enjoyed following.
I think this is a really wonderful debut novel and I really hope we see more from Kaliane Bradley.

Reviews will be published on the given links on the 6th of May

4/5 - Tremendous fun and thought-provoking, but also flawed.

This debut novel, a time-travel, fish-out-of-water mashup, really is a joy to read. Our main time traveller (early Victorian naval officer Graham Gore) almost leaps off the page with life and vibrancy, which made this a book I looked forward to picking up each day. I thought of Graham's journey out of time was (generally) thoughtfully contrasted with the narrator's experience of migration, belonging and identity. No spoilers, but I also thought the very ending was nicely handled, too.

But there were some pretty significant shortcomings. The plot doesn't really hang together properly - too many nonsensical, unlikely, illogical things occur because otherwise there's no book. To that end, I was left with a series of pretty fundamental unanswered plot questions. This makes sense when you consider the premise ("imagine Graham Gore as your housemate...") likely came first and the plot came later, but it is an issue. The prose was occasionally .... weird when striving for original, to the point where some turns of phrase just leave you wondering what the author is getting at. I also found the "hereness and thereness" aspect of time travel hard to buy, but you generally have to give a sci-fi book its premise.

There were a few other drawbacks, too. But hopefully the rating conveys that in spite of its flaws, this was a really fun read. Recommended for those looking for something light and fun with a slice of the immigrant experience, less so for hard sci-fi fans or those who like intricate, thoughtful plots.

I don't feel fully equipped to provide a review as I believe this book simply wasn’t for me, and I always feel bad giving a book a low star rating due to this. Nonetheless, I predict it will be a major success upon its release, garnering a wide readership and selling many copies worldwide.

The book is exceptionally well-crafted, with moments that I genuinely enjoyed, especially the humorous scenes depicting expats adjusting to modern life. However, I found the plot extremely limited until the conclusion which evidently resulted in me not being able to finish this book for two months (while I usually take mere days to start and finish a read). While I was aware that Graham was a real historical figure before reading, incorporating actual historical figures into scenes of a sexual nature did make me feel slightly uneasy.

Such a clever concept, part sci-fi with time travel but really much more. Part history, part romance and a great read.

The Ministry of Time was an absolute blast to read. I loved the humour and style of writing, definitely new to me. I loved all the characters from the beginning but felt like I was apart of the group by the middle of the book. I take pride in being able to see twists before they happen but this was brand new to me, did not see the ending happening. Will have to buy this to reread it to see the Adela interactions again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for this ARC!

I think this is already up there with my favourite books. The concepts of “hereness” and “thereness” and relating these feelings to the expats as well as our unnamed protagonist’s relationship with her Cambodian roots was wonderfully done.

The prose and dialogue was witty and had me laughing out loud, and I latched onto the characters very quickly and found them to be very loveable. I was so attached that I cried for about 5-10 minutes by the end of the book! I genuinely have no faults or critiques to give. I loved it so much.

I can't emphasise how much I enjoyed this book and all its characters! It was the perfect mix of science fiction, thriller, and romance that I've been looking for. Bradley was able to take a real-life historical figure (Commander Gore) and create a charismatic and swoon-worthy character despite the limited knowledge we have of him. She was also able to take an otherwise overwhelming circumstance -- bringing 17th to 20th century people into modern day society -- into a lighthearted and humorous, almost charming, situation. I couldn't help but laugh at how each of the expats attached themselves to different mainstream media, be it Netflix, Spotify, or the TV. All of which they never even dreamed of in their time. This doesn't take away from the underlying thought piece the whole project was though -- even when presented with technology beyond their wildest dreams, these time-travellers still preferred their respective eras and the familiarity that "home" to them represented. It made me think about how I would react if I was suddenly transported to far into the future, where things I only see in movies could be the norm. I think I'd feel the same way, even if it's packaged as a "blessing" to be brought into a new technological day and age.

All the twists in the end also had me reeling, so much so that I stayed up until the wee hours of the night just to know how it all went down. My heart was overjoyed, broken, then pieced back together again all in the span of the few hundred pages of this book.

Special shoutout to Maggie, who I'd say was the strongest character in this book. I would have loved to be her friend!

Really intriguing premise, loved the character voices, and watching the expats navigate modern life. Engaging, will recommend for sure!

A fantastic read. Time travel, history, spies, and action adventure. I really enjoyed this book and I hope the author will write more novels. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

3.9⭐️

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for this eARC.

I love time travel stories, and the description of this one immediately sucked me in.

The slow burn was great, the twists were well done, and the writing style was top notch - the subtle humour throughout was one of my favourite things about it. It was also a really easy read and it kept me wanting more right til the end.

Thanks kindly to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a lovely read, but it just wasn’t for me. Kalaine Bradley’s debut novel is a mystery time travel romance, and sees a civil servant living with, assisting and monitoring Commander Graham Gore who has been transported from 1847 to the near future as part of a mysterious government time travel project.

My review is more a reflection of mismanaged expectations. It’s billed as a time travel romance, spy thriller, and workplace comedy. And for me it falls short on all three.

Yes true, it is a time travel romance indeed. But it’s an incredibly slow burn. The central romantic relationship drives the plot forward but their courtship is not consistently front and centre. My heart was not moved. There were no real feels.

Spy thriller seems like an overstretch. The depiction of a shady government ministry, secrets galore and assassinations felt a little cookie cutter. At one point a character tells another they’re in danger, literally - the writing isn’t subtle.

Workplace comedy feels like more a matter of personal taste. I wasn’t sure which bits of the novel were meant to be humorous.

In saying all that, I was impressed by the commentary around migration policy, reflections on the protagonist’s Cambodian heritage (a nod to the author’s own), and that the character Commander Graham Gore was inspired by his namesake, a genuine arctic explorer of that time.

Overall this would suit readers after a pleasant, accessible science fiction romance.

The Ministry of Time was a captivating tale from start to finish. From the first chapter I was caught up in the characters and action. With time travel stories there is often the urge to "assess" the science, pulling one out of the story, but that never happened to me here as the writing was so good I never paused to question anything. This is a book I would say is actually more character driven that plot driven. Even so, there were a few twists in the story along the way to keep you guessing and to hold one's interest. I thought the slow-burn start to the romance worked well and felt believable, and I found the ending satisfying. I would definitely read more from this author in the future and I am giving this book five stars.

A time travel story is an instant read for me, and I loved this genre bending mashup of romance, sci fi, historical fiction and mystery.

In the not too distant future, a civil servant is recruited to act as a ‘bridge’ for ‘expats’ from time. Among the expats is Graham Gore, who was whisked away prior to his death on a doomed arctic expedition. As the bridge helps him to adjust to the modern century, and their relationship develops, their world starts to crumble around them.

With its mixed genres, twists and turns, and well developed relationships, The Ministry of Time will appeal to a variety of readers. The writing was beautiful and insightful, exploring themes of race, belonging, loss and guilt, and our place in history. I loved the way the author wove facts about Gore throughout the story. Whilst the story is different, it gave me the same feelings of despair, hope, and curiosity as The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel. The story was well paced, witty and eccentric, and the author didn’t shy away from taking risks and leading readers on an ambitious, often fun and sometimes sobering journey.

Thank you Hachette Australia & New Zealand and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.