Invictus Kindle Edition

Everything about this book was well-created: characters are fleshed out and feel like real people; settings are easily pictured in your mind; the story itself is well-paced and logical (no weird "wait, what just happened?! I need to reread that part."). For the first 1/3 of the book, I didn't enjoy the main character, Far, but *did* like everyone else. I'm fine not liking the main character so I kept going- and ultimately, I never really fully liked him, but I did root for him, which I think speak volumes about Ms. Graudin's ability to write realistic characters.The premise of "time travelling thieves stealing relics from history that were lost or have been missing" was absolutely fun and an original idea. Readers who know at least a bit about Roman, Egyptian, and Titanic history will likely enjoy these aspects best. The amount of details put in to knowing clothing and mannerisms of the times was fantastic.My only complaint (and it's a personal pet peeve) is that there is a birth scene that is wholly unbelievable (and I say that as someone who has worked with birthing individuals for years). It occurs at the beginning of the book and made me slightly worried that I wasn't going to like the story, but after that one part, it was all uphill.I had this book on my TBR list for a long time, and I wish I'd read it sooner!

I thought that this was really good! I liked the idea of a future where time travel exists. Far has always been different because he was born outside of time. He always wanted to travel through time like his mother did but his dreams are crushed when he fails his final exam. When he is offered a chance to lead his own ship through time, he jumps at the chance. Along with his crew, they travel through time stealing relics for collectors. Everything is in question when he runs into Eliot on one of his missions. They will end up risking it all to save everything they know. This was a really exciting story with fantastic characters. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator did an amazing job with the story.I received a digital review copy of this book from the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

This really is a *HASHING amazing book. Through the storytelling by Ryan Graudin and sheer expanse of time traveled, it feels epic. I pre-ordered 'Invictus' based on the recommendations of the other authors of the book, the intriguing one-liner, and feeling that the title implied a novel of immense proportions and it it didn't disappoint me.It may only be coincidental that my son's name is Roman, but I happen to have a penchant for stories that include venturing to Ancient Rome, and combine that with time-travel, a red panda, Rubik's cubes, as well as teleportation, and this is a must-read. The story is hard to explain in a neat little nutshell - and I can't even imagine how the author Ryan quickly describes this book to people! One way would be to say that 'Invictus' is about a group of time-traveling-treasure-hunting-teenagers who basically end up saving the world from history and time fading away into nothingness. Make sense? Probably not (I guess you will have to read it).I loved the crew of whimsical characters, and those wonderful chapter titles! Sometimes I'd get lost in the amazingly imaginative techie talk that Graudin somehow came up with for this book, but that's a little because I'm still a sci-fi newbie (it happens a lot with many sci-fi/fantasy novels). I have to reread to grasp it all, but it feels like ultimate proof of the incredible world-building that has been accomplished. It's so complex and rich, that a second read is necessary to absorb it all and bring more of it to life.It also turns out I have forgotten all my Latin from my boarding school days but I was delighted to be transported back to the Coliseum that I've visited, except that it's now in use and there are gory scenes described. Graudin also transports us to places like Vegas and back to the Titanic. All of that is a real treat. Since I have a movie background, I just couldn't help but envision this as a movie (sorry, Ryan) because the imagery and storyline just scream 'film it' to me! Basically that just means it was so effective in terms of me visualizing the words I was reading into something vivid in my head. Read it and tell me how cool the costume and set design would be...Anyway, I was kind of glad to read that this will be a standalone novel without any followup (some people may not agree). It's so beautiful with its ending, leaving me to imagine what's next. There's so much that goes on for these characters, you trust that they will go on the right path.This book really is a marvel and a real success for Ryan Graudin, who has made a side step away from her grittier other novels. I hope she writes more in this vein. Everyone needs to read this, NOW.*And HASHING needs to be the next new word in everyone's vocabulary. It was just one of the cool words Graudin came up with!

Ryan Graudin is one of those authors that has decent ideas but her execution of those stories is so flawless. She is able to pull you into the story and the characters' lives. I went into Invictus expecting just another science fiction novel with time travel and characters learning about the consequences of changing time. However, Invictus is so much more than that. I do not want to go into specifics for fear of spoiling anyone. But keep in mind this book is so much more than a time travel book.The characters in this book are completely flushed out and I loved learning about each one and seeing them work together on the Invictus crew with Far. These characters already had relationships with each other so this book was focused solely on the adventure which I really enjoyed (Think Six of Crows when it comes to great group dynamics). It was refreshing to see both friendships and romances already in place rather than forming during the book. I liked watching the relationship evolve and strengthen between the characters.This book definitely focuses on the story and the adventure. Since we are following a group of time-traveling thieves, there is a heavy focus on their daring adventures and how they accomplish their missions without also corrupting time. This is an action-packed adventure that kept me guessing until the end when everything wraps up. That is another unique aspect of this book, we get a standalone science fiction book. I did not feel at all like this book dragged or was rushed to get everything tied up. Graudin did an excellent job finishing the story arc in a single book.*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of the book*

This was really good! There were a few parts where I was really confused and I was bored in a tiny part around three quarters of the way through, but I still really enjoyed it!Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. Born of a time-traveller from the year 2354 AD and a gladiator from Ancient Rome in 95 AD, his whole existence defies the laws of nature. Exploring history is all he has ever wanted, but after his time-travelling exam is sabotaged and he fails it, he takes a position commanding a ship with his friends as part of a black market operation to steal valuables from the past. A heist on the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 goes disastrously wrong, and Far meets a girl who seems to know everything about him and is always one step ahead. She has knowledge that will bring Far’s very existence into question, and will lead the team through time in order to discover a frightening truth: history is not as steady as it seems.I loved the setting of this book, how it jumps through different periods of time and how each point in time has a different feel to it. The technology from the future was very interesting. Background was given as to how and when time-travelling was discovered. I was expecting the part taking place on the Titanic to be a bit longer than it was – it was this that drew me to the book in the first place – but this didn’t detract from the book as a whole.I loved all of the characters individually. There was some romance between them, but it wasn’t central to the plot, nor a massive part of the book, and I was really glad of this. Farway is a likeable lead, as is his crew around him. Eliot was very mysterious and I when she finally reveals what she’s up to I didn’t expect it at all. I won’t say anything more than that, as it’ll give too much of the story away. The ending was done really well and I was pleased with how it ended.The only thing stopping this from being 5 stars for me is that some of the book – particularly the time travelling and Eliot’s reveal are quite confusing. I had to reread parts to make sure I understood it. There was a few chapters around three quarters of the way through where I was a little bored with what was happening, but I don’t know whether was because of the book itself or because of the mood I was in when reading those particular parts.All in all, a great book, and I would definitely check out more by the author. 4.5 stars.

What do you get if you add a dash of Doctor Who, a sprinkle of  The Chronicles of St. Mary's Series , a spoonful of  Doomsday Book , add some  Time Riders  and a pinch of  Firefly ?Something infinitely better than this.I have been looking forward to this book since I initially heard what it was about, and have been eagerly waiting for it to come down to a reasonable price/go into a 3 for £10 deal. I got it on the Warehouse Deals eventually, and started it, after finishing another book at my work.This starts off well, and I was intrigued from the get go. However, it fast wandered into oblivion, where I couldn't keep a grasp of the story threads, and the ideas that were clearly floating around the author's head. Despite the sheer length of this book (458 pages, including acknowledgements), I didn't feel that a couple of the characters were well enough fleshed out to get them fixed in my head - I had a particular struggle with Gram, and Far. Surprisingly enough, Far is the focal point of the whole book, so for him not to be well described, is quite shocking. I had Imogen and Priya fixed quite well in my head.I think this book had so much potential, but the author got himself bogged down in doing too many different things, and letting them take over the book. I was promised heists, collecting artifacts from the Titanic/Library of Alexandria but the rest of the heists were skimmed over, bogged down in the standard "will they, won't they" teenage romances. I wanted more about the heists, more about travelling through time, just MORE.About halfway through this book, I put it down and started looking at the reviews, and I seem to be in the minority. People either love it, or they didn't finish it. I battled through, muttering various adult profanities under my breath (none of which seemed to include "fex", "hades", "haze", "shazm", "hash" or "dash", I'm delighted to say.) I think the addition of these useless fake/made up swear words in a YA novel, are quite frankly pointless, and actually detracted from the story, to the point that they were getting on my nerves.Also, watch out for the multiple false endings that this book has, while the author tries to tie up the loose ends, but ultimately, I got the impression he didn't know how to finish it - and I hope that means it's not leading up to a sequel, as I will not be reading it.I do think that this author was also trying too hard for this to be picked up and made into a movie. It's screaming out to be made into movie, and the desperation for this is soaked into the pages.I'm not 100% positive if I would read any of the author's other books, or if this is one that I now want to avoid. I had a look at  Wolf by Wolf , but I can't say it really intrigued me, and none of the others I've checked out on Amazon have inspired me enough to add it to my wishlist/basket. Perhaps, if you have enjoyed his previous books, you may enjoy this one, but if you're thinking it will be good, after reading the blurb, I would put it back down, and choose something else. The Chronicles of St. Mary's SeriesDoomsday BookTime RidersFireflyWolf by Wolf

As soon as I finish a book I make some notes, since I don’t always write my review immediately. My opening note for Invictus is simply “O. M. G.”! This book is both engrossing and exhilarating. Ryan Graudin not only perfectly creates multiple worlds, but weaves complex threads throughout them. I was as gripped by the characters as by the plot itself.The time machine hops between numerous locations and epochs: ancient Rome, the Titanic, Las Vegas, ancient Egypt, the year 2371: each is as riveting as the last. The settings seem accurately depicted and are immersive.Eliot is mysterious and enigmatic, yet has moments of vulnerability that soften her outward harshness. Her eyes help us see the rest of the crew more clearly. Farway is at times frustrating, but is enriched by his relationship with Priya. Priya represents the ‘love interest’ but has great strength and compassion. Gram is an adorable nerd, whilst Imogen is as bold and vibrant as her hair chalks. The characters do represent certain stereotypes, yet they are far from 2-dimensional. They are all well written, with depth and complexity and I frankly longed to be in the time machine along with them.An absolutely thrilling ride through space and time.

Esse é um dos livros mais inteligentes, complexos e divertidos que já li na minha vida! Eu tinha as maiores expectativas para ele, depois de uma sinopse super intrigante e de ser sobre meu tema favorito (viagem no tempo). Achava que o livro seria sobre ladrões inconsequentes e que a história seria divertida, mas nunca poderia imaginar que seria uma ideia tão complexa e brilhante, que a autora conseguiria juntar mais ramificações do que só a questão de viagem no tempo (que, vamos admitir, é complicada sozinha). Este livro é simplesmente excelente.Aliás, tudo nele é excelente. Os personagens estão entre os melhores que eu já encontrei, são diversificados, únicos e complexos em si mesmos. Minha favorita é a Imogen, mas, para ser honesta, todos os outros são tão sólidos e bem construídos, que até os "ruins" são ótimos. É incrível para mim pensar que a autora conseguiu juntar em um livro só pelo menos cinco personagens com tanta profundidade e desenvolvimento. Eu nem sabia que isso era possível! E uma das melhores partes dos personagens é que a narrativa, na terceira pessoa, pelo ponto de vista de cada um é extremamente característica. Fiquei abismada com o quanto a autora conseguiu distinguir os personagens!A escrita é outra coisa excelente do livro. Eu já tinha visto críticas para a escrita da autora em outro livro, que diziam que ela às vezes tentava deixar tudo tão poético que perdia o sentido e ficava forçado. Nesse livro, dá para ver que ela usa, sim, metáforas mais poéticas de vez em quando, mas não é exagerado e fez tudo ficar ainda mais emocionante. Eu especialmente gostei do jeito que ela brincou com as palavras, me dando vontade de guardar quase todas suas frases para mim.Mas o enredo foi o que mais me impressionou. Personagens reais e escrita excelente eram já parte das minhas expectativas para o livro, mas não havia meios de eu conseguir ao menos imaginar o que me esperava nessa história. É tão complexo e profundo, que talvez alguns leitores não consigam acompanhar ou precisem reler algumas partes. Eu mesma já tinha lido outros livros com temas parecidos e consegui pelo menos ir comparando e me situando. Não tem como não ficar impressionado com a quantidade de capricho que a autora claramente colocou nesse livro para criar esse enredo e desenvolvimento com tantos detalhes e tantos conflitos.Eu queria poder falar mais, mas uma boa parte da beleza desse livro é você ir construindo tudo com cuidado, sentindo no começo que está completamente no escuro, com uma super descoberta a centímetros de seu alcance, quando tudo que você pode fazer é juntar as migalhas de pistas que a autora deixa sutilmente pela narração. Você só descobre mesmo a imensidão de tudo depois da metade, só vê as peças anteriores começando a fazer sentido aí, e não tem como não ficar impressionado e aflito. Foi um dos clímax que mais me deixaram ansiosa e sem palavras. Esse livro é brilhante. Já falei? Quero me levantar agora e bater palmas até conseguir superar essa maravilha que entrou na minha vida. Não sou digna, haha!E é tudo que eu posso dizer se não quiser dar spoilers. Todo mundo deveria ler esse livro, todas as editoras do Brasil deveriam estar loucas para publicar uma tradução. Se você se interessou pela sinopse, corre para ler, porque vai ser uma leitura de mudar sua vida! Mas se prepare para amar os personagens e um panda vermelho, para rir das interações deles, para chorar com alguns momentos também, ficar abismado com a sensação de estar realmente em Roma, no Titanic e em outros lugares épicos e para mudar todas as suas definições de tempo.

I don’t know how to express my feeling after reading this book. 😭😭 of there is any starts above 5 . I would rate this book with it .It’s that awesome. ❤️