Read this book with an open mind, follow the twists and turns and a beautiful love story will emerge. Very engaging, stick with it and all is revealed in a very intriguing tale.
ARC copy

Joe Tournier has just got of a train with Amnesia due to suffering from Epilepsy. He cannot remember much just his name. He has tickets say that he has come from Edinburgh and he has a postcard with a picture of a light house written by Madeline, but it’s dated 100 years ago. He travels to this lighthouse to find answers. Where he meets Kite that will take him on fantastical journey through time on a boat a through a napoleon war with the French.
Thank you, Bloomsbury, for a copy of The kingdoms by Natasha Pulley. Firstly, this is not a bad book. It is a beautifully written book that takes you on a journey not just through time but on an alternative world where the French oversees London. I enjoyed the first quarter of this story but unfortunately, I just couldn’t connect to this story. The time differences in this story just confused me and made me lose interest. Three stars from me.

Joe Tournier steps off a train in London. His ticket shows that he came from Edinburgh, but he doesn’t remember ever having been there and he doesn’t remember getting on the train or a single minute of the journey itself. Actually he doesn’t remember anything. All he knows is his name, Joe Tournier, and a vague memory that he has a wife called Madeline. According to the doctor his memory loss is a caused by a very common type of epilepsy, although he does seem to a rather severe case of it. When his wife Alice comes to collect him from the hospital, armed with photos of their wedding day, there doesn’t seem to be much else to do but try to get on with life as much as he can; moving forward into his future even if he’s forgotten is past. Then a postcard arrives, apparently having been waiting at the post office for one hundred years. It shows an eerily familiar lighthouse and is signed ‘m’.

What follows is a very complicated, somewhat fragmented, and very intense journey to the truth. The artful mystery and interwoven timelines in this book kept me hooked and constantly guessing from beginning to end. Even the ending held its own a fast-paced, heart-thumping intrigue. By the time the full truth was revealed I felt as though I already knew it, yet at the same time my mind is, even now, frantically working to unravel all the loose threads and join them up together.

Time travel, in whatever form it takes, is always an immensely tricky challenge to get right, but it is a challenge that Natasha Pulley has achieved with genius. The changes, small and big, between various timelines are made clear without feeling like they have been shoehorned in and the idea of memory loss fills in the gaps in an enticing way. Even the method of time-travel, although never fully explained, is beautiful in its simplicity and the setting for it is described in perfectly intricate detail.

As always, Natasha Pulley’s characters are fully three-dimensional (in some cases maybe even more than that) and they each have their own quirks that make each character uniquely interesting and fully loveable. The many sides of Joe Tournier are obviously very interesting to explore, especially as the gaps in his memory are slowly filled in. However, it is the character of Kite Missouri which sticks in my mind. Whilst reading, I felt myself constantly drawn towards him and then alternately repelled, like a magnet that keeps switching poles. He’s a character that you really want to love, but keep feeling like you shouldn’t; where every positive action is marred by a negative but then overruled again by an even bigger positive.

The constant losses and gains that this novel is built on make for an emotional rollercoaster of a read, but one that I would happily read again and again whilst looking forward to discovering something new each time.

Dearest 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!

I love Pulley's work and this was no exception, I tore through this with a real sense of unsettled anxiety on behalf of the main character. Time travel stories are so complicated, I never understand how an yone can write them, and the premise for this - what if the French won at Trafalgar and Waterloo, and not only that, what if they won because of an advantage given when a ship from the late nineteenth century ends up in the late eighteenth century - is utterly fascinating and amazingly clever. The descriptions of French-occupied Londres, the ice-fast lighthouse off the coast of Harris, and various terrifying ships, are all brilliant, as is the complex and heartbreaking relationship at the centre of the book.

Thank you very much to Bloomsbury for letting me read this advance, such a treat!

This is a particularly unusual style of book. During almost the first half of the novel, you litererally have no idea what is going on. Bit by bit you gleen information which alongside the history you may dredge up from your general knowledge, you piece together a storyline. However that history has shifted, and shifts again! Joe is a great character and I challenge anyone not to like him from the start. You will find yourself really cheering for and holding out hope for him.
I'm not sure if I liked the book or was so frustrated with it that I couldn't recommend it. I just can't decide. I am probably influenced somewhat by my copy being a proof with so many glitches (0's and 1's throughout!!) to read comfortablly. If you enjoy history, scifi and time travel, then give this a go and stick with it to gain the prize of the full story.

I loved this. It IS confusing, but if you hang on in there and go with it (even in the bits where you're not quite sure what's going on) then a truly beautiful love story emerges. I wanted to go back to the beginning and start it again.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this title in exchange for a fair and honest review**

The description of this book grabbed me instantly - "genre-bending, time-twisting, alternative history..." - sign me up!

It's been a long time since I read a book that sucked me in from the start. So many questions so quickly. Who was Joe? Why couldn't he remember anything? Why was England part of France? What HAD happened?!

The 2 timelines were so brilliantly written and, as they came together and questions began to be answered, I found myself loving the book more and more. This author is new to me but I'll definitely be looking for more of her work. Her attention to detail was incredible, I feel like I want to re-read the book now to find the details that I know I missed in my dash to answer all of my questions.

Honestly, the best book I've read in years. 5/5

Review based on an eARC provided by the publisher.

Natasha Pulley’s fourth novel The Kingdoms, publishing day 27 May 2021, is an alternate history/time travel story set between the French Revolution and the early 20th century [I’m being vague on purpose]. The French won the Napoleonic Wars and Britain is under French rule; that might need a moment to sink in, take your time.

Our MC Joe arrives in a London that is familiar to him and is not. He’s lost his memories. He’s certain though that his wives’ name is ‘Madeleine’ and he has dreamlike memories of a man standing by the sea waiting for him. Due to his amnesia, he spends a few days in hospital until his owner and his wife Alice take him home. To a home and a life he cannot remember. He slowly adjusts to this new-to-him life and starts a family with Alice. When, some years after his arrival in London, Joe’s being sent to stay at a lighthouse in the northwest of Scotland for a winter, Joe knows that not seeing his young daughter for several months will have an impact on both their lives. He could not fathom how big this impact might actually turn out to be.

Pulley’s writing is excellent - as always.

What’s left to say? I’m looking forward to holding a print copy of this book in my hands. I’m actually hoping I can pre-order a signed copy and re-read the story by the fireside at the next Gladstone’s Library reading retreat that was cancelled twice in 2020 due to ‘the-virus-that-shall-not-be-named’.

Full review: https://sceptre.sktc.hamburg/2021/01/just-imagine-london-was-french/

Oh the frustration of not being properly able to talk about a book which won’t be out until May 2021 when I want to try and write my head around it!

Those familiar with Natasha Pulley’s previous books will not be surprised that this is mind and time-bending stuff. Here we flit between the 18th and 19th centuries and alternative histories as our central character, Joe, struggles to work out both who he really is and where he belongs.

There are lengthy stretches aboard battleships in the Napoleonic wars, although I imagine that there were fewer women and certainly fewer women in senior positions than in Pulley’s invented history.

For want of adding too much detail because of spoiler issues, I will only say that there is something compelling about Natasha Pulley’s novels, wherever and whenever they are set. However, and it is becoming increasingly obvious now that we are up to the fourth novel, I am puzzled why a female writer creates female characters who are so disposable. They aren’t sketchy or two-dimensional as they would be in the hands of a lesser writer but they always seem to be peripheral. A bit of a shame.

Sincere thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joe is suffering from amnesia, English is banned and the French are ruling England... there's a lot going on! Found it hard to get into the story, but after a while I was hooked..

Thank you to Bloomsbury & Netgalley for the chance to read The Kingdoms.
I have to admit i didn't overly enjoy this one, despite enjoying Natasha's other novels.
It felt overly difficult to follow the narrative, and didn't seem necessary to make it that difficult.
Having said that, the story was fascinating and i enjoyed the whole premise all in all.

Sometimes you have to read a book for quite a while before you know if you're going to enjoy it. That's not a problem 'The Kingdoms' has though - it's one of those brilliant novels that hooks you in from the very start and leaves you in no doubt that a great read is ahead of you. Natasha Pulley has once again produced a high quality and different fantasy novel - her fourth now. She is a consistently excellent writer and each book has had a different storyline and setting - there's no hint of a formula.

'The Kingdoms' opens with a man arriving at a London station in the late 19th century. On disembarking the train he finds he has no memory at all of who he is, where he is, or why he is there, although he retains general knowledge. It becomes apparent that this is an alternate London, where Napoleon won his wars and England is part of a large French empire with a thriving slave trade. Our protagonist - whom we find is called Joe - discovers he is a slave, possibly a runaway one, and has a wife. But he cannot recall any of his life or shake off phantom memories of a different existence, despite being assured he is simply suffering from a form of epilepsy. Then a postcard of a lighthouse in the remote Hebrides arrives with a cryptic message, suggesting Joe's condition might not be a product of mental ill health after all.

It's a wonderfully intriguing beginning and it just gets better as you are drawn into the story. It's a consistent, believable fantasy and one of the best time travel novels I have ever read. The characters are loveable and very interesting, particularly the deep and multifaceted naval officer Missouri Kite., whom Joe meets in Scotland. The alternate histories are well written and plausible, and whilst I know nothing about nineteenth century naval warfare those sections certainly ring true to me.

Pulley's gift of creating characters you really care about is apparent here as in every novel. I could hardly bear to read the last few pages as I feared that things would not work out. as I hoped. I don't often feel that strongly about characters unless I've been 'with them' for multiple books in a series.

This is a wonderful novel from a really gifted writer who just keeps delivering top quality novels. Roll on the next one!

I've followed Natasha Pulley since I picked up her first book, "The Watchmaker of Filigree Street", so I knew going into this Netgalley ARC that things would probably get weird.

And I was right.

"The Kingdoms" opens with the character we come to know as Joe, alighting from a train in London. He has no memory of who or where he is, but knows that something isn't right. Everyone is speaking French, and all the signs are in French. We soon realise this is an alternate world where Napoleon was victorious at Waterloo, and England is a French colony. Through a series of events, we learn a bit more about Joe and the world he finds himself in, but then things take another strange turn when he is given a postcard, addressed to him, written almost one hundred years ago. As the story unfolds, he is drawn to a lighthouse off the west Coast of Scotland and a job he is fortuitously trained for. We also learn that he is not the only person to suffer from this particular type of amnesia.

In what has become Natasha Pulley's trademark style, this is a complex, thought-provoking book, which moves between several timelines.. I found it difficult to keep up, frankly. As with her previous novels, Natasha paints a colourful, detailed and complex picture of love, loss, family and friends. The time travel / alternate time lines / time paradoxes issues are nicely considered. The key characters are well fleshed out and you do care about their fates. It's an engaging, compelling story. But be warned, this is not a easy read. No reading a chapter a night - whole chunks need to be devoured in one go for you to keep up with the various threads.

And certain themes are now clearly evident in all her books. This will equally appeal to, and frustrate, certain readers, no doubt. It does tend to lend a little "saw that coming!" to her books, but I'm guessing it's what keeps readers coming back for more.

Overall, I enjoyed The Kingdoms, and will certainly purchase a copy when it is released in 2021. You should too.

I was lucky enough to read this book prior to publishing in return for my honest review.

I'd never come across this author before, but I'm so glad I did! Even though the book was an advance reading copy and had not been formatted and therefore it was harder to read, I really got involved in the story. It's my kind of book - London is there, but *not there* as we know it. I got into the characters and cared about them, and at the end of it all, it was a love story through the times, plain and simple. I would definitely recommend this.

#TheKingdoms #Netgalley

This is a hard book to review. I liked it in parts but the more I read, the more confusing, disjointed and pretentious it got. It's a book that requires a lot of concentration and took me days to complete.
The Kingdoms is an enigmatic and atmospheric alternative history tale that sometimes lingers with you but mostly leaves you puzzled. This was better than Natasha Pulley's debut novel, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, but while her storytelling is good, it is also complicated and I still don't know if her style works for me.
Thanks for the arc, though, Netgalley.

A beautifully written and tender story about love, loss and identity, which is dressed up as an alternative historical adventure romp. Pulley has a real knack for creating characters you care about and keeping everything just out of focus and therefore not understood until the end. I’ve followed all her books so far and enjoyed every one of them. This has more blood and darkness than the others but I think the pay off is correspondingly enlarged. The cast is diverse and this is definitely one of the better time travel adventures I’ve read. Highly recommend.

An alternative world where Napoleon was victorious, a main character suffering from amnesia and several time shifts. I love Natasha Pulley's books but I found this one rather confusing. The plot is quite complex and difficult to follow at times. Nevertheless there is something about Pulley's writing that makes it compulsive reading. The style is so poetic and poignant and I couldn't put it down. The ending pulled everything together but I feel like I need to re-read it all, more slowly next time, to really appreciate the beauty of the novel.

I was excited to read this having loved The Watchmaker of Filigree Street. An intricate plot that means you have to keep on your toes reading it twisted and turned at time making me feel as confused as the main character Joe.
Clever ideas for a love story thwarted by twists in time and an alternative version of England post napoleonic wars. I enjoyed it - I just didnt quite love it as much as I wanted to.

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
Having read and loved The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and The Bedlam Stacks I knew that I would be in for a treat. This is a historical novel which twists timelines and creates many possible futures.
As the novel opens Joe steps off a train in a London which bears no resemblance to one with which we would be familiar. He is suffering from amnesia and has no knowledge of his life before. The London where he has arrived is one in which English is a forbidden language for the English lost the Napoleonic wars. He travels to Pont du Cam, Cambridge, to attempt to discover his past and finds that he was a slave who had lived with the same family for many years.
The only clue which he has as to his past is a postcard, written in banned English, which was delivered one hundred years after it was handed to the post office.
Natasha Pulley has created an alternative history which is amazingly real and characters that are entirely plausible. Kite is a magnificent creation and you feel his terrible vulnerability and great strength at the same moment. The way in which it is possible to enter a different past or future is wonderfully described and seems completely plausible. A small, seemingly insignificant event, in the past it shown to completely alter the future; this is described with wonderful clarity.
With its three different timelines and multitudinous possibilities this is a complex novel to follow but a very satisfying one. I never felt lost but I do feel as if I will go back and re-read the novel to fully enjoy all of its nuances.
I will definitely be recommending this novel to my various different book groups and can’t wait to hear their views of this wonderful, rich and engaging novel. Many thanks to Natasha Pulley, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.