Time flies when you're plundering history.
Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far's birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he's ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.
But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far's very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.
Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in Rome in 95 AD, Far's birth defies the laws of nature. Exploring history himself is all he's ever wanted, and after failing his final time-traveling exam, Far takes a position commanding a ship with a crew of his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past.
But during a heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Armed with knowledge that will bring Far's very existence into question, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to discover a frightening truth: History is not as steady as it seems.
3.5/5
Finally! I have been in a rut this last week with my book choices! I hardly ever DNF books and I did it to two this week. TWO! Within the first chapter of starting this I let out a sigh of relief, because I knew this was going to be something that would keep my attention and I was more then likely going to enjoy!
I love the originality behind the whole storyline for Invictus. It kinda/sorta reminds me of All Our Yesterdays in a since, but at the same time it is completely it's own entity. The story centers around all five of it's characters. Eliot and Far are the most important as the whole plot is driven around them, but the sub plots really put an equal importance on all five. I really liked that throughout it changes to the thoughts and POV of each one so you can get a feel of who they are and how they think.
At the same time though...
The one thing I found missing was a complete click with a character. I loved reading the story, but I can't say I ever really connected completely with any of the characters. There is a bit of romance, but I didn't really get any feels for any of it. You never really get to dive into the emotions about the the backstories we are given, and these back stories would have some pretty strong emotions behind them. So yes, I loved the idea of getting a glimpse at every character and knowing how each one is as important as the next to the story, but the characters were one dimensional for me. There really wasn't much growth or anything compelling about them.
The plot is what made me love this and it made me forgive, and really forget, about that depth that we all want to feel with our characters. The novel is set in future, there is time travel and a whole governmental agency that sends crews back to observe and record different events throughout history. We get to go to Rome, be on the Titanic, and a few other scenarios in course of the plot. There really isn't a dull point, because Graudin really kept the story moving forward.
The more I ponder it, the more I wish this had been divided into two or three books. It felt rushed in some areas (like the characters) that really need some extra TLC to allow a bit more development. If it had been split, I have no doubt that there would have been time to give more development to the areas that were lacking.
All in all, I would most assuredly recommend this book to others. I was entertained, captivated, and I had an extremely hard time putting it down at any point. If you like time travel with a crew and ship that is similar to how the Star Trek crew works, check it out!
I would recommend this for people who enjoyed:
All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Pivot Point series by Kasey West
Dualed series by Elsie Chapman
I would recommend this for people who enjoyed:
All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Pivot Point series by Kasey West
Dualed series by Elsie Chapman
