ARC Review: Invictus by Ryan Graudin

Invictus
Author: Ryan Graudin
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA, Science-Fiction, Time Travel
Release Date: September 26th 2017
Book Length: 464

Publisher: Little Brown

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.

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Time-travelling thieves. Who doesn’t want to read about that?

Invictus follows Farway Gaius McCarthy, a wannabe time-traveller who was actually born outside of time. Farway is desperate to travel back in time in the hopes of finding his mother who never made it back from a mission and while some say she and her crew are 'dead' Far thinks otherwise. After failing his final exam Far isn’t allowed to travel through time, distraught he's soon confronted with an offer he can't refuse. Tasked with captaining his own ship called the ‘Invictus’ and hiring a crew, he must steal history’s most precious items that were originally thought to be lost forever.

I loved loved loved the crew, made up of Far’s family and friends. Think the Six of Crows crew meets the Lunar Chronicles squad. The friendship between the characters was hilarious and highly enjoyable and is totally to blame for me wanting a red panda called Saffron.

The book is all about the adventure, the high of the chase, the long con. I loved Ryan’s flawless execution of time travel with a historical edge, it was a treat to read and everything flowed naturally, seamlessly from one adventure to the next. Readers will fall in love with the characters, be delighted from the non-stop adventure and be surprised by the plot twists.

I would have loved to see more development with the romance. Far and his girlfriend Priya are already together so I didn’t get to see those essential chapters of falling in love. I love the chase, the will they-won’t they and of course the angst that comes with relationships between my favourite characters. I know some people may like this take on relationships as it’s rarely seen in YA, which is great but for me I needed to see the progression in their relationship in order to become invested.

Overall Invictus was a highflying knock out for Ryan. Readers will be taken on a time travelling adventure and they definitely will not want it to end. I can’t wait to see what Ryan comes up with next. Oh and also I’d like my very own pet red panda thank you very much!