The Ministry of Time is about a woman in the near future (and who's name we never learn) who is given the task of living with a Victorian naval officer from the past. The British Government have learnt how to bring people from the past to the present and plan to try to get these 'migrants' to live and adapt to modern times. I thought there were some really interesting new concepts to time travel, like 'hereness' and 'thereness' and I liked the way immigration and colonialism is talked about. I thought the author did a good job of bringing a real person from the past to life in the a modern world and I want to keep reading more about what happens next, Really enjoyable read.

A strong mix of time travel, spy novel and romance with strong world building and likable characters. I'm a huge fan of time travel so it's no surprise that this was a hit! I loved the plot twists, they kept me on the edge of my seat, and I flew through the pages, eager to find out what was happening next. I really enjoyed Bradley's writing style and the way they tell a story. I would definitely read more from this author in the future.

This book was SO creative! I loved the characters, and I was gripped by the story. I've already recommended it to my friends!

Interesting, and frequently funny, take on what people from the past might think we're they time travelled to future London....enjoyed this overall but thought it felt a little drawn out.

The Ministry of Time
Author: Kaliane Bradley
Publisher Simon & Schuster

AD/PR product gifted. Thank you @netgallery for the advanced copy.

Summary
The British Ministry of Time rescues 5 dead people, called expats, from the past via a time travel door. Once in the present they are allocated a Bridge to help them adjust to current day living.
The Bridge in this story is the daughter of a Cambodian refugee who has ongoing inter generational trauma and complicated family relationships. Her expat is Graham Gore (historical fact) an English officer and polar explorer who participated in the Erebus expedition which ended with the loss of all officers and crewmen in 1847.
The story unfold as Gore and his bridge cohabit and fall in love and the complexity of time travel and adjustments across past and future timelines converge and overlap leading to decisions and choices to be made.

My thoughts
I struggled with the number of themes in this book and I did not particularly connect with any of the characters. The plot felt overly complicated and at times I felt lost in the story.
I requested this book as I was drawn to the title and had enjoyed another time travel book earlier this year.
I know others enjoyed this book but sadly it was not for me.

I was really excited for this book, and it wasn't bad at all, but it also did not live up to the expectations. Maybe it tried a bit to hard to inlcude so much.

Thank you for my earc of this book. I really liked the premise and felt it was done well. I loved the characters and thought the ending was done well too!

A really interesting take on a topic widely covered.
Thought-provoking, funny and imaginative, I really enjoyed the concept and the characters were well rounded. Definitely one to recommend!

This was genius. Such a clever premise, which in less talented hands could have become ridiculous, but which was executed perfectly. Funny, nuanced, intelligent and thought provoking.

An intriguing title, one, I think, many people wished they'd come up with. And it delivers, not just a great story, - several great stories - but also some sensible science around the possibility of time travel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, read it in two days. Really did. However, I do wonder if Ms Bradley tried too much and didn't do more in places. As interesting as the Cambodian back story was, and it isn't usual (speaking as a person married into a south east Asian family, all displaced by war so I'm not entirely unknowing of the situation) I'm not entirely sure this was the vehicle for that element of the narrative. Considering the depth of the research that went into Graham Gore, more of that should have been included and the Cambodian heritage narrative should have its own vehicle to explore it further.

Back to the good stuff - the research into Graham Gore, the full knowledge that he was a real person with a real history that has been, to an extent, documented, and the sheer detail included that feels natural, where many authors would have shoe-horned it in to prove their own cleverness and not that of their characters, was eye-opening. The author's note was fascinating. To the extent I wanted more in the narrative!

That being said, I loved the transformation of the narrative arc from a scientific experiment to a bunch of people living around and with each other was deftly done and I quite enjoyed the different slant on the sex scene - emotional and tender without trying to be erotic.

Really interesting novel and one I enjoyed very much. I just wish I'd thought of that title first...!

The novel centers on the enigmatic Ministry of Time, an institution that controls the flow and manipulation of time, tasked with ensuring history unfolds as it should. The Ministry is both a physical place and a conceptual entity, representing the weight of history and the burden of maintaining the timeline. Through a series of interconnected narratives, Bradley explores the lives of those who work within the Ministry, as well as those who inadvertently become entangled in its operations.

Bradley’s prose is both lyrical and precise, creating a haunting atmosphere that lingers long after the final page is turned. Her ability to create a sense of disorientation mirrors the characters' own struggles with the fluidity of time and memory.
The characters in *The Ministry of Time* are richly developed, each grappling with their own pasts, desires, and the often-ambiguous morality of their work. Bradley excels in portraying the emotional and psychological complexities of her characters, making them feel fully realized and relatable, even as they navigate extraordinary circumstances. The novel’s exploration of memory—how it shapes identity, how it can be manipulated, and how it ultimately defines our experience of time—is particularly resonant.

One of the strengths of *The Ministry of Time* is its ability to balance the speculative elements of the story with the human drama at its core. The time manipulation and alternate realities serve as a backdrop for exploring themes of loss, regret, and the search for meaning. Bradley does not shy away from the darker aspects of time travel and its implications, adding a layer of philosophical depth to the narrative.

was so excited to begin this book as the synopsis really appealed to me. The background and introduction of the story was easy enough to get into and I was really enjoying getting stuck in!

However, I struggled reading some parts of this book as I felt the sentences just didn’t flow, there was also a lot of words I had to search the meaning of (thank god for kindles dictionary) which also disrupted by flow of reading. I just don’t think this writing style was for me, it seemed pretentious at times, the sake of using a complex / “big” word for the sake of when it didn’t actually add anything to the story or writing. I consider myself an avid reader with a *relatively* big vocabulary but I still struggled a few times in this book. It was very wordy.

That being said, I loved the characters and the historical elements of the story which I thought were really well portrayed. Graham is just the cutest!

There was also enough mystery / thrills to keep me intrigued to finish the story despite struggling with the writing style.

Overall a fun story!

This novel intertwines real historical events with a richly imaginative narrative. It draws on the 1845 expedition of HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, a disastrous attempt to find the Northwest Passage, to anchor its plot. The story ambitiously blends genres—romantic, speculative, comedy, historical fiction, and spy thriller—into a cohesive and inventive tapestry.

The characters are convincingly portrayed across different timelines, and I developed a strong connection with them, particularly the nameless British-Cambodian female protagonist, who resonates deeply (and feels like a well-executed self-insert), as well as Commander Graham Gore, Margaret Kemble, and Arthur.

The humor strikes the right balance with its self-aware, dry wit, addressing time travel tropes and paradoxes with creativity. It also incorporates insightful commentary on colonialism, inherited trauma, slavery, racism, racial identity, climate change, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues, all while remaining relevant to the plot.

Superbly plotted and compelling concept executed with humour. I really enjoyed the way the sci-fi narrative tackled immediate and far reaching issues including what it means to be "displaced" and how tragedy shapes us, alongside the climate crisis. Thoroughly recommend.

Such a great fun read, perfect for those looking for a romance book and their first foray into wonderful science fiction books.

An enjoyable take on a time-travel novel, beautifully written and with an interesting cast of characters. Lots of humour as well as jeopardy for those characters in a variety of ways. I did find the last section of the book horribly confusing where we discover that the time-travel theme is far more complex than we ever realised - not adequately explained for me.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did, I think it's very clever how it's been written but I found the ending quite underwhelming.

That being said, I would continue to ready future releases by this author, I'm intrigued by what she could write about next.

Wasn’t my usual genre and took me a little longer to read than my normal stuff but I did enjoy it and was well worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book - the concept is fresh and I thought Bradley handled the world-building brilliantly. The expats were sensitively and engagingly drawn and I particularly liked the discussion of colonialism, displacement and empire that ran throughout the narrative. Not exactly a palate cleanser but a fun and enjoyable read that will make you think a bit.

Time travel, romance, and clever humor all rolled into one blockbuster of a book that’s a must-read for 2024! 🌟 Dive into “The Ministry of Time” where a Victorian naval officer and a modern woman navigate their time-crossed differences and find love in the 21st century. A perfect blend of sci-fi, historical fiction, and heartwarming romance with laugh-out-loud moments that’ll keep you glued to the pages. 📖❤️

But it’s not all romance and laughs—Bradley also masterfully explores themes of colonialism and cultural identity, giving you moments to pause and reflect.

A thrilling, clever and charming read you won’t want to miss! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five