Calla Ang has always known her own power. Her grandmother is the dictator of Jalanesia in Southeast Asia, and Calla's future is to follow in her footsteps.
But after the Victorian time traveler Jack Wragsland invites her to 1867 to show Charles Darwin what a real scientific revolution looks like, Calla returns to the 21st century to discover Jalanesia is no longer the country she knew. As she and Jack thread their way deeper into an interlocking maze of alternate realities, there always seems to be a second chance...until suddenly there isn't.
The only certainty Jack and Calla have as the universes change is each other. But if she can't learn to handle power wisely, then even love will not be enough to save Calla, Jack, or her country.
Time travel novel featuring a Victorian clergyman/inventor and the modern-day heir of an Asian dictatorship. The basic conundrum is that each time travel event irrevocably changes something so you can really never go back.
That said: this book is bananas crazypants in the best way. The action is nonstop, and Clough does not hesitate at all to have dramatic, nay, over the top situations pile up on each other very quickly. I won’t spoil it by specifics, but I found it very fun to read as I like outrageous drama in my SF/F.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the trilogy.