Obi is a time-traveller from 1812, except every time he jumps through time may be his last. As a human, Asha is an indentured labourer in the Emperor’s galaxy, but she longs for more. When their paths intertwine and a prophecy awakens, they are launched on a voyage through space and time, in a fight against tyranny that began with three heroes who have been lost to history.

This was absolutely. He sheer vastness of this world, and the way Jikiemi-Pearson weaves myth and history and prophecy and futuristic interplanetary travel and politics and galactic imperialism and 1800s London and time travel into such a seamless and compelling narrative was just so enjoyable.
I am so taken in by this twist on time travel and really excited to see where the rest of the series takes it, as it’s clear we’re only scratching the surface of its potential with Obi and Alarick’s powers. We’re given enough to ground them in the narrative and have it’s functions and limitations as they know them make sense, but also given hints at a deeper history and untapped potential.
The use of myth and prophecy in this book is so good, and adds such an interesting element to the tie travel aspect. Theres an overarching idea of all things in time and history being a circle; all things that are come to pass have come to pass, and so these three heroes being brought back to fulfil not one but three prophecies is fascinating. And the precipice of the third and final prophecy is such a fun place to kick off a narrative as you have all this rich history between these characters, that they themselves are not even aware of, that we get to explore.
I loved the characters and all of their dynamics with one another, they really worked to keep the story rooted in human emotion which is crucial in a space-opera of this scale.

Such a fun and compelling space-opera adventure that honestly felt cinematic to read, I can’t wait of more from these characters and this world.

That you NetGalley and Gollancz for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic new YA space opera / time travel / young hero / altetnate history/ romantic novel! I loved the characters- I rad a lot of adult and classic sci-fi and it was nice to have a Black main character. There were family relationships, high stakes adventure and a satisfying premise. I'd recommend to any sci-fi fan.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Principle of Moments. It is a fantastic amalgamation of sci fi and fantasy that just works so well.
I very much enjoyed Asha and Obi's stories so far. I really hope Xavier is OK and they all find their way back to each other.

This was so much fun! I really wanted to give sci-fi a try this year and this was the perfect book to start off with. Great characters and an intriguing world — I can’t wait for the sequel. 🩷

(Content warnings: slavery, suicide, colonization, moderate gun violence, injury detail, blood, death, racism, child abandonment, addiction, rape mention)

(2.5 stars rounded up)

Ambitious and rich but messy book; while I deeply admire the kind of dedication and self-discipline that goes into writing a full novel in high school, you can tell it's a debut written by a teenager, and despite not being labeled as a YA novel it reads like one in a lot of ways (not a bad thing, but not for me either). Wild and exciting premise, more than a few fun moments, just lacking in the kind of technical skill that comes with practice - I'll be keeping an eye on the sequel and the author's future releases, because there's a lot of promise here.

Thanks to the Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC!

Huge thank you to Orion and NetGalley for the eARC copy of The Principle of Moments.

I have been excitedly waiting for this book ever since I first saw it. A space-opera with time travel and magic, I just knew I was going to love this novel! I’m so glad to share that I absolutely did. From the first page to the last I was fully caught up in this breath-taking story.

The novel is set in two very distinct times, an industrial planet in the future where humans are indentured servants working in factories, and 1800s Regency London. This dual setting is perfect, both are different enough to be separate, but have similarities to each other and to present day. The setting is a different world, but one with enough in common with ours to make the narrative relatable.

This novel is brilliant, and is packed with so much love for the genre. You can tell that the author loves science fiction, and it really is a love letter. The writing is lyrical yet brief, never becoming tiring to read. The action is well-written and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page!

I loved the characters in this novel. Asha and Obi are perfect together, and have the most amazing sibling energy which. We also get some queer romance sprinkled through too, which is always a big plus in my book!

Overall I really enjoyed this brand new sci-fi novel and I can’t wait for the next one in the series. The Principle of Moments is an excellent novel, perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin!

Huge thank you again to Orion and NetGalley for the eARC copy of the novel.

I had a lot of fun, loved the excellent storytelling and the very creative world building. An excellent debut featuring great characters.
I hope to read another book by this author soon
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

an absolute stonker of a debut from esmie jikiemi-pearson!!

fantastic world-building, well-rounded characters who all felt individual with their own wants and desires and purpose, a very intriguing space adventure and some lovely romance arcs to cap it off. i (of course) loved obi and george the most, but asha and xaviour definitely tugged on my heartstrings as well! i thought this was so well-written especially for a debut and i was hooked the whole way through - lots of big, spacey action sequences which were very fun to read (and reminiscent of a doctor who episode which, when you look at what else esmie has written, makes a lot of sense!)

i also really appreciated the sometimes uncomfortable conversations about empire, colonialization, racism, and slavery. the book did something really interesting by having these conversations happen concurrently in two different timelines - one in 1812, with the sort of "empire" we know and participated in from the history books, and one in 6066, a different, futuristic kind of empire but an empire with slavery and racism all the same. really pertinent conversations about the nature of humanity and the degree to which those in power will always subjugate.

given that context, asha was just such an incredible main character - so strong and stubborn, knew what she was fighting for and wouldn't let anything get in her way. it was interesting to see this contrast with the moments where she did feel broken down, like she needed to make herself less than to survive - no less important to show, but her resolve really shone through in those moments. i cannot think of another main character recently that i was so actively rooting for!

i'm incredibly excited to see where this series goes and cannot wait for book two. thank you to gollancz & netgalley for an advance copy!

A sci-fi novel packed with epic world-building. A rollicking ride through space and time. It does take a little while to get into due to the complex world but the effort is rewarded by a gripping story.

I unfortunately couldn’t stay engaged with this one, & put it away to try again another time. I’ve left this unreviewed for quite some time as I don’t like to leave reviews for books I have not finished. Alas, I haven’t wanted to pick this up again, so a review will now be left.

When I pick it up again I hope to see what everyone else sees in it, as it does hold promise.

Until we meet again, The Principle of Moments

What a phenomenal debut! A super unique premise, characters you will root for and a plot that will keep you in the edge of your seat throughout.

This book! OMG this book was everything I could hope for! A queer love story, a space story, a rebel story and with characters amazing and so well written, between past and future, love and loss!

A stunning debut! Truly an ambitious start to what can be a thrilling series! Very excited to read the sequel!

It does suffer a bit from having quite a lot happening all at once, with flashbacks and flash forwards, but it’s a very imaginative world with intriguing characters and mysteries yet unexplored!

Will definitely be telling everyone on my socmed about this one!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest opinion!

Prophecy, time travel and gay romance, this book has everything. It had so many threads that I was surprised they managed to fit it all in one book! But they did and it turned out to be a great one. There was a moment when everything was coming together, when I was really blown away by the scope of what was happening. It felt epic.

I loved Obi and the threads from 1812 a lot. Even though, because of his temporal sickness, they couldn’t use the time travel much for the resolution of the plot, I felt it gave him a really interesting backstory. I loved the little references like the one to the cat bus from Totoro, the little reminders that he was from more than just one time period.

The prophecy, while confusing at first, also added a huge element to the book. Right from the first excerpt, I was excited to see where it would all fit in and become relevant and there was so many places where I could speculate as to what would happen. It was so great to see it all fit together.

I’m really looking forward to the next book, which will hopefully have more prophecy and more time travel and even more fun.

The Principle of Moments is a beautifully written and thought provoking sci-fi, filled with complex characters, gripping action and a satisfying plot for the reader to piece together.

Usually I find myself struggling at first to understand how worlds in sci-fi books function, but Jikiemi-Pearson's writing allows for a smooth transition into the book and gets you interested immediately. The main characters are also expertly crafted individuals, flawed yet loveable and I enjoyed all of their POV chapters. The relationships between them are also a highlight, as whether romantic or platonic, the intimacy and love between them spills from the page and I adored them SO much.

I also loved the way prophecy was tied into the end of each chapter, I've seen seasoned authors do this far less skillfully. I can't believe this was the author's first book and I look forward to everything from her in the future! Whether you're a fan of sci-fi or not, I would highly recommend giving this book a chance.

This definitely lived up to the comparisons of Dr Who and Jane Austen with epic space journeys and action. I really liked the writing and the concepts, and the author does such a great job of interweaving multiple plot points. I did enjoy the characters and their past as well as how they deal with their trauma.

However, I have to say I am a teeny bit disappointed as this was my most anticipated book of the year! I felt like it was way too long. It could've easily been edited down and I would've enjoyed it a lot more. I might also have read this at a weird time so I couldn't get the most out of it. This is one of those that I will definitely reread to see my final thoughts in the near future.

The characters were good, but I didn't feel connected to any of them. Despite their banter and friendships, Obi and Asha's relationship by the end still felt quite surface-level to me. And the romance I didn't really enjoy between both the main pairings. It felt like it to was too in your face all at once.

The concepts of time travel and Magekind was so cool and I really wish that was discussed more. I wanted to feel emotional reading the ending, but I just didn't, so that really disappointed me. The beginning of this book was super strong, and the menacing evil character arc felt incomplete even though it was the most interesting in the book.

I love the author and the writing, but for now this was just a good read!

I adored this book! The settings being so far apart time-wise was really interesting and I loved exploring both worlds with the characters. I really rooted for Asha throughout but thought that the other characters were great too. The mythological aspects were really fascinating and all tied together as the story progressed. The author’s style was captivating and I can’t wait for more books! I can’t recommend this book enough, especially if you’re a fan of sci-fi and time travel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

It took me a little while to get into this - the prose was a little dense and the characters took some time to jump off the page. But once the story got going it definitely kept my attention. Jumping between related timelines is always a fun device, the ending really tugged on my heartstrings and there are enough loose ends to keep me wondering about the next installment.

Although I am not usually much of a sci-fi reader, I chose to give this a go after seening several people mention how good they thought this was and I have to say I was pleasantly suprised! Especially with this being a debut novel I was really impressed with how well thought out the storyline and the characters are.

One element that I felt let the book down a tiny bit was the use of the inner voices that felt like they were speaking to the characters, this felt a little juvenile and aged the book down a small amount for me, however that is personal preference.

Overall the book felt new and interesting while also harking me back to my Dr Who fan days which was suprisingly nostalgic.

Clearly a book with a lot of love in it, will be keeping an eye for her next release!

The Principle of Moments promised to be an epic adventure through space and time with high stakes and great characters and I am pleased to say that it does not disappoint. I had no idea how all the various threads promised in the blurb could come together in a story that felt coherent but Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson shows a phenomenal mastery of craft and presents a story that not only manages to be cohesive but also juxtaposes those disparate ideas to build on the themes of the book.
I found the primary story of the book, that of heroes brought together by prophecy - to be harkening back to great science fiction and fantasy stories without feeling like a copycat. There is the sense that this book was intended to set up an even greater story so be prepared for some threads to feel a little untied by the end of the book but for the most part, I found the ebb and flow of the story to be just right.
If I had to make one small criticism I think the book was fractionally too long - I suspect this is because of the sheer amount of set up that is required but it did make some parts of the story feel a bit more of a slog. My overall feeling of the book was positive and I wouldn't say that is a reason not to pick this book up but I would suggest making sure you have enough time and brain space for what this world and this story will demand of you.
My favourite aspects of the story actually ended up being those moments set in the past which surprised me as I initially thought they might feel a little too fantastical for me (especially when compared to the more space-focused other side of the story). I think Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson clearly demonstrates the themes on which they want to write with just the right balance of show and tell. I cannot wait to read more of this series and I hope the wait will not be too long!
I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley - all opinions are my own.