[Review] Invictus – Ryan Graudin

Invictus - Ryan GraudinInvictus
Ryan Graudin

Genre: Sci-fi, Young Adult

Rating:   

Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far’s birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he’s ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.

But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far’s very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.

 

The best way to my heart is through time travel.

It’s no secret that time travel is my absolute favourite trope, and that I will forever seek out new stories involving jumps through time. When I first found out about Invictus, it was THE book I needed, and when I managed to snag an ARC at YALC, I was over the moon.

With such high hopes, it would have been too easy to be let down. If not done well, the specifics and rules of time travel can implode a story and make it a hot mess, but Invictus does it smartly and follows its in-universe protocols without making my brain shut down from contradictions.

Invictus makes my time travel obsessed heart swell with love. Not only were there fantastic romps through time, but the plot itself was gripping with enough twists to make a roller coaster jealous. The cast of characters were lovable and adorable (and I want them all to be my friends).

I’ve seen a few people compare this to Doctor Who meets Firefly, but I honestly got more of a vibe that reminded me of the TV show Timeless with a dash of Firefly thrown in (and if you haven’t watched Timeless, I highly recommend you do.)

Really my only issue with Invictus is Priya’s age. I saw character profiles for the Invictus crew on the publisher’s twitter and was so surprised to find out Priya was 18. She came across as mid-twenties to me, and her still being a teenager came off as fairly unrealistic since she was a medic with experience. I loved her, so when I found out her age I had a “wait, what?” moment.

The verdict? Invictus is fun, clever, and thrilling — you don’t want to miss this one!

Book Links: Book Depository | Amazon US | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK

 

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