A pretty entertaining read, if a bit lacking in depth - but it was pretty much exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up, so I did enjoy it!
MA pretty entertaining read, if a bit lacking in depth - but it was pretty much exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up, so I did enjoy it!
Merged review:
A pretty entertaining read, if a bit lacking in depth - but it was pretty much exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up, so I did enjoy it!...more
i'd like to officially declare that nico di angelo is my tiny son and i will protect him, that is alli'd like to officially declare that nico di angelo is my tiny son and i will protect him, that is all...more
Natasha Pulley’s novels have a distinctive quality to them. There are, of course, many novels out there whichDearest Joe - Come home, if you remember.
Natasha Pulley’s novels have a distinctive quality to them. There are, of course, many novels out there which contain painstakingly researched historical details (though perhaps not from such a wide range of highly specific niches); many novels which delve into the complexities of physics, engineering, and other branches of the sciences (though it is a bit rarer for such themes to pop up in novels where they aren’t the main focus); many novels which feature elements of fantasy (though perhaps not blended so deftly into the fabric of reality that it’s difficult to say where the line between them lies); many novels which crackle with dry wit; many novels in which the romance is the beating heart of the entire tale. However, I’d be hard-pressed to name a single other author out there whose signature narrative style features each and every one of those elements - it’s a potent mixture, and makes for a riveting tale every time.
In The Kingdoms, the themes of time and possibility feature even more prominently than they have in Pulley’s past novels. Our protagonist, Joe Tournier, finds himself whisked back in time from his life in the early 1900s, and quickly realises that every action he takes during his time in the past - as a time traveller who should not be there - has the potential to utterly unravel the events of history as he knows it. However, it also becomes readily apparent that this is not his first trip into the past; as an amnesiac who remembers barely any of his life thus far, and who has flashes of false memories that should by all rights be impossible, he soon comes to the inevitable conclusion that he has already made at least one journey into the past, during which the course of history has already been drastically altered, leading to the complete loss of all those memories of the life he ought to have lived in the version of history that no longer exists. From that point on, the question becomes: which version of history does he want to fight for, which future does he want to strive towards, and whose presence in his life would make that future worth living in?
In some ways this novel reminded me of Pulley’s previous novel The Bedlam Stacks - in both stories, the reader’s awareness of the fact that they’re reading a fantasy novel allows them to put together several of the author’s clues long before the protagonist manages to arrive at the same conclusions, which leads to a very interesting dynamic of the protagonist constantly wondering What has happened, while the reader is instead asking How this has happened. In this book, the latter question isn’t fully answered until the last few chapters of the novel, which unfold with breathtaking pace, and yet are some of the most emotional and heartfelt of the entire novel - completely unputdownable.
The vividly-drawn atmosphere also deserves a mention - each of the novel’s many settings really comes to life with dazzling authenticity - but the push and pull of the novel’s central relationship is definitely its most compelling element. It’s a much more fraught romance than any of Pulley’s others, in a tale which is certainly darker and angstier as a whole, but the yearning and tenderness which somehow permeate the entire story nonetheless are a balm for the soul.
And just to finish off - knowing that this book was partially inspired by my number one all-time favourite tv show, and being able to spot all the little nods to it throughout, was absolutely overwhelming in the best possible way.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC!...more
For once in my life I'm not giving a book a rating bc I have too many conflicting feelings (esp wrt book vs show canon) but suffice it to say that I SFor once in my life I'm not giving a book a rating bc I have too many conflicting feelings (esp wrt book vs show canon) but suffice it to say that I SURE DO HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS...more
