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This Is How You Lose the Time War
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Archive > IBR - This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

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message 1: by Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 6233 comments Mod


Members Starting the BR: Ashley and Risa
Challenge: Book Quest Adventures
Book: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

Anyone is free to join in this Buddy Read! Happy Reading!


message 2: by Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 6233 comments Mod
I think I'm going to start this today. I keep looking at it in my TBR pile and it's calling me!


message 3: by Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 6233 comments Mod
Ok, I read 22 pages, so not far, and I don't want to judge anything yet because I'm getting the impression that even though it's confusing now, it will work itself out as I read it.

At least, I hope so.


MaRiSa (risamareads) I'll probably start it next week, but I'm anticipating finally reading this book :) I bought it 2 years ago and I somehow always wanted to read it but never got around to it.


message 5: by Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 6233 comments Mod
I've been putting this off, I am still only at 36 pages in. It's definitely interesting, but I feel like I don't really know what they heck is going on.


message 6: by Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 6233 comments Mod
I read some more of this today, and it's really starting to get good, I'm feeling emotional over their letters!


MaRiSa (risamareads) I'm finishing the Book Carnival bonus first, then starting on this book :) How is the pacing?


message 8: by Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 6233 comments Mod
❡Risa wrote: "I'm finishing the Book Carnival bonus first, then starting on this book :) How is the pacing?"

It's odd! But a very easy read. I'm just reading it really slow for some reason!


MaRiSa (risamareads) I started it today, and I don't know how to feel about the writing yet. I think I'll give it around 70 pages to decide if I continue it, because the first few pages didn't catch me yet 🤔 I got to page 17 so far. I am not a big fan of dystopian stories so maybe the opening dystopian setting got me caught off-guard. I went in completely blind. But let's see where this goes 👍🏼


MaRiSa (risamareads) Sorry, my english isn't working today, it's too hot 😅😂


message 11: by Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 6233 comments Mod
I'm still not finished, but not because I'm not enjoying it. it does get more interesting as it goes. I think the lack of any type of world building is what makes it harder to follow.


MaRiSa (risamareads) I read a bit more and I'm a bit confused as to what is actually going on. I do like the tone of the letters and the kind of memes thrown into random places but I'm having a hard time to focus on what's happening 🤔 I agree with the worldbuilding bit, though I think my problem is more the writing style. I guess I'm too used to Romantasy writing 😂


MaRiSa (risamareads) I'm on page 56/186 and I'm still not really into it. I do see the great subtext in it, and as I wrote before I like the tone of the letters, how both red and blue keep a little sass in their letters, but it's so out of my comfort zone genre and writing-wise that I can't really get into it. I'll not dnf it yet though, I'll still at least get to the page 70ish mark and then see if I can just pull through. I get what you meant with the reading slowly, I can't read a lot on one go I have to take breaks in between. Also, I found the worldbuilding is kinda there, in the way the environment, the technology and stuff is described, but you have to pay attention and look for it and unfortunately I'm not in a very focused mood right now, which is why I'm struggling to retain what I read


message 14: by Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 6233 comments Mod
I finished. I haven't decided on it yet. I think I'll try and pull my thoughts together into a review later today, and maybe that will help? lol


message 15: by Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley Basile (smashreads) | 6233 comments Mod
This Is How You Lose the Time War This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm not totally sure how to talk about this book, and honestly, that feel oddly appropriate.

It's beautiful. It's strange. It's deeply poetic and impossible dense (and short, if that's even possible). Most of the time I had no idea what the hell was going on. I don't think I was meant to, at least not in a linear, plot-driven way. But somewhere amid the confusion and the wordplay and the braided timelines, emotion snuck in.

The letters. The letter, which start off feeling like a mind game, begin to ache. To yearn. To bleed.

By the end, I felt something, I'm just not sure what. Not empty, but not exactly fulfilled either. I feel like I was handed a beautifully ornate box, overflowing with metaphors and longing and hunger, and was asked to hold it carefully, but never unpack it.



View all my reviews


message 16: by Benedicte, Bookmark First, Ask Later (new)

Benedicte | 742 comments Mod
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