Reviews

Joe Tournier has a severe case of amnesia. His first memory is of stepping off a train in the nineteenth-century French colony of England. The only clue Joe has about his identity is a century-old postcard of a Scottish lighthouse that arrives in London the same month he does. Written in illegal English—instead of French—they signed the postcard only with the letter “M,” but Joe is certain whoever wrote it knows him far better than he knows himself, and he's determined to find the writer. The search for M, though, will drive Joe from French-ruled London to rebel-owned Scotland and onto the battleships of a lost empire's Royal Navy. Joe will remake history, and himself.

Thank you Bloomsbury Publishing for sponsoring this Goodreads giveaway and giving me the chance to read The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley!

“Missouri Kite WANTED dead or alive A hundred thousand Frances To be signed for by THE WARDEN Of Newgate Gaol, As of December 1806.”

This book was quite the adventure! By traveling through time, sailing the seas, the violent wars on land and back again! From the mystery of finding the mysterious “M,” to the emotional ride as the reader! Twisting plot and interesting characters this story will draw you in and once it has, there will be no letting go! I have read nothing from Natasha Pulley before but I was not disappointed. Happy reading everyone!

jenny_hedberg's review

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5.0

Whenever I go to buy a new book, I feel this sense of hesitation. What if I don’t like the book I buy? What if reading, an experience filled with joy, is turned into a laborious task? I just hate being disappointed by a boring book and it’s developed into a real problem - after all, there are no discoveries to be had in the land of only reading books you know you will like. I try to tell myself that I’m being dramatic and that it’s perfectly okay to put aside a book that doesn’t catch your fancy and that there a more fish in the sea, so to say. Thank god for that! I picked up this novel, put it down and then came back to it just as I was going to pay for my books. I ended up feeling incredibly lucky that I gave Pulley a shot.

moonilism's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

aftaerglows's review against another edition

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4.0

7.5/10
Always compelling enough that you don't want to give up; there's a lot of action, so you're never bored. But it does go on for longer than necessary, especially since the author assumes you haven't guessed what she didn't want you to guess.

Spoiler

To me, it was obvious who the protagonist actually was (and what was going on) 20% into the book, as soon as we're told a little bit of the story. That took a bit of enjoyment out of it, since the actual 'big reveal' is at 86%, so most of the novel relies on you not having figured it out, for some reason. I feel like that was a missed opportunity because we could have had more intimate scenes - something that made the protagonists feel like the actual couple they turn out to be - but the author was too focused on other aspects.

There are too many time jumps. It's not a spoiler because the book is about time travel, but there are flashbacks as well and the years aren't that different (1797, 1805, 1807), so it becomes a bit confusing.
My main gripe with the book is that it wasn't fully what I wanted it to be. It's a good book and I love time travel stories, but I can't help but think it would've been a better novel had the author not been afraid to lean into the romance a bit more.

abditoryalive's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

lvarg0267's review against another edition

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5.0

Incredible, just so incredible

crimsoncor's review against another edition

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5.0

Beautiful writing as with all her books. Like the watchmaker books, set in a very international England and seeped in gentle homoeroticism. Here we also have time travel and tortoises. The construction of the novel, as you watch it arch back up on itself is wonderful. Missouri is a fascinating character. Very difficult to come to grips with: should you pity him for what made him how he is, love him for the kindnesses he can show, or hate him for the cruelties he can't help.

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