The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso

 I chose this book because it was compared to The Ministry of Time and The Midnight Library, and I can see why. Although not as well written as either of those books, it was good and had an excellent plot.

Lisavet Levy's father is a German watchmaker whose watches enable the wearer to access the realm known as time space, a library filled with books containing memories of both the living and the dead. In 1938, when her Jewish father failed to return, eleven-year-old Lisavet escaped the Nazis by entering the time space--only to become trapped there. When Lisavet sees government agents entering the time space to try to change history by erasing memories, she begins collecting what remains to preserve them. Time passes, and Lisavet grows up in the time space, with only a specter for company, until 1949, when she meets American spy Ernest Duquesne. They fall in love, and Lisavet is torn between the outside world and the safety she feels in the time space. 

Flash forward to 1965 in Washington, D.C., and sixteen-year-old Amelia Duquesne is mourning the disappearance of her uncle Ernest. She is approached by Moira Donnelly, head of the CIA-controlled department for which her uncle worked. Moira enlists Amelia to try to find a book her uncle was looking for in the time space when he disappeared. Amelia wants answers, and working with Moira is the best way to get them. 

This is an enjoyable book that follows the exploits of Lisavet, Moira, and Amelia across different time lines. The time space realm is especially intriguing. The point that no two people remember the same incident the same way, and whose memories are unreliable, was brought home. It gave me pause about the perspective of those responsible for writing history, and just how fragile truth is. 

4/5 stars.

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Twice by Mitch Albom

I love time-travel books, and even though the protagonist in Twice travels back in time, he violates one of the primary rules of time travel: don't change the past. Indeed, the purpose of Alfie's visits to the past is to change it. With his gift, Alfie gets a second chance to undo any moment in time with the caveat that he must live with the consequences of his second chance.

When Alfie is eight years old, his mother dies and passes on the family legacy: the ability to travel to any point in time and change it. He only gets one shot at changing the past and must relive his life from that point forward. His mother warns him not to use the ability for financial gain or to change his love life. While he obeys the first rule, young Alfie uses his second chances to woo the girls. Later, he falls in love with Gianna and is determined to win her over. She's a tough nut to crack, but Alfie is persistent, and it looks like he has gotten his true love. Alfie then finds out why his mother said not to use his power to change his love life — once he undoes a relationship, that person will never love him again. With mistakes mounting, Alfie seems to be constantly pursuing love.

I liked how the book alternated between the present and Alfie's past to tell the story. The reader follows Alfie from his tentative use of his powers as a young boy to his reliance on his ability to change the past to make his life ideal, only to find he perhaps shouldn't have changed it. I raced through the book, only to be puzzled over the ending. I cannot expand on this without giving spoilers, so I'll leave it there. 

4.5/5 stars.

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The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

About the only genre I avoid is romance. Judging by the number of romance books out now, I seem to be in the minority here. This book, tagged as folklore and fantasy, is primarily a romance novel. An otherwise remarkable story, beautifully written, lost a star rating from me because of this.

Historian Owen Mallory, a former soldier dubbed a coward, is enthralled with the story of Una Everlasting, a knight and dragon slayer who dies for her queen and country. During his scholarly research into the tale, he receives a mysterious book about her, which a war minister then steals. When Mallory tries to retrieve it, his blood spills onto the book, and he is transported back in time, meets Una, and accompanies her on her last quest: to slay the last dragon and retrieve the grail for the dying queen. What he doesn't anticipate is that the two will fall in love, and Mallory is forced to recount and relive Una's death over and over again.

I'm a sucker for time-travel books, and The Everlasting is a good one. As I stated, the writing is exquisite, and I loved the way Mallory and Una tried to change history. The characters are well-developed, and I especially liked Una's horse. I wouldn't have read the book had I known about the romance element, but I skimmed the sex scenes and some of the overwrought narrative, and enjoyed a well-told tale. 

4/5 stars.

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The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths

I was disappointed when Griffiths wrapped up her Ruth Galloway series, but after reading this start to a new series, I'm happy once again. I love time travel and detective books, and the combination makes me a happy camper. 

The cold case department, which employs Ali Dawson and a handful of specialists, has a secret to solving their cases that are so cold, they are frozen: they can time travel to collect evidence. It's still an experimental program when a member of parliament requests Ali to travel to 1850s London to clear the name of his grandfather, who may have killed a woman to gain entry into a secret group called The Collectors. This is farther back than the team has previously ventured, but Ali is excited at the prospect. 

Ali is not off to a promising start when she arrives to find a murdered woman. She then finds herself trapped in time, so she determines to solve the woman's murder. Meanwhile, in present-day London, Ali's son faces serious accusations, and the cold case team works to find a way to get Ali back. 

I enjoyed the premise of traveling back in time to research a cold case. I particularly enjoyed the historical sections of 1850s London, where Ali struggled to adapt to her new environment. With Griffiths' trademark humor, excellent characters, and intriguing plots, this series is off to a promising start. 

4.5/5 stars.

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The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi

 

Time travel is one of my favorite genres. Done well, it captures the imagination and can be thought-provoking. Based on the description of this book, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, it was light on time travel and heavy on Beth's tumultuous life, which wasn't all that interesting.

Beth and her husband, Colson, were developing a time travel machine when they sold their work to a corporation to allow them the funding and facilities necessary to continue. Colson then dies in a car crash, and Beth is left to continue their work and raise their daughter. When the company's CEO begins pushing Beth to accelerate the amount of time travel, Beth starts to notice anomalies in her current circumstances. Alarmed, Beth tries to figure out what is happening with the machine, only to face pushback from the CEO. Feeling isolated and realizing she cannot trust those around her, Beth struggles to find answers, fighting for her career and her daughter.

The book started interestingly, but quickly became bogged down in Beth and her struggles. Additionally, Beth is not the most sympathetic character, and I skimmed long passages of introspection and soul-searching. Again, the premise is good, but the execution is flawed. 

3/5 stars.

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The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve

Time travel is one of my favorite genres. I have my favorite authors, standalone books, and time travel series. I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the genre, so although I was intrigued by this book, I was not prepared to be blown away by The Memory Collectors--but I was. This book is an interesting take that still has me wondering what I'd do if I were in a similar situation as the four characters in this book.

In 2028, Aeon Expeditions develops technology that allows people to spend an hour in their past without changing the future. The company says a person cannot travel to a specific point in time, but four strangers find themselves together four days before August 25, 2025--a date that changed each of their lives. Something goes wrong, and the four find themselves trapped in the past. As their lives intersect, they realize that if they work together, they may be able to change the events of that fateful day.

I read this book in record time. It was thought-provoking, and while it was a bit overly sentimental toward the end, it was still an excellent story. I was caught in the characters' lives and rooted for them to change the events of that August day. Alternating between each character's POV, the author did an excellent job of weaving the lives together and tying the story together. If you want a different take on time travel without the usual hard science that accompanies it, I highly recommend this book. 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is May 20, 2025.

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