This Is How You Lose the Time War

Reviews

• Stoopid

  Finished July 18, 2026

  This Is How You Lose the Time War was certainly an experience. For the first part of this book, I understood approximately nothing. There is barely any world-building or context—the authors simply drop you into a war across time and expect you to figure it out while Red and Blue jump between timelines and leave letters in increasingly bizarre places. Meanwhile you don't even really get told they are going through time really? I don't even remember how I figured that one out? The writing did not make that any easier. The prose is extremely poetic and often beautiful, but it is also so dense and elaborate that I regularly finished a sentence without knowing what it had actually told me. Apparently, clarity also lost the time war. I definitely had to power through the beginning. However, once I stopped trying to understand every detail and focused on the letters between Red and Blue, I started enjoying it much more. Watching their rivalry slowly develop into affection was sweet, unusual, and easily the strongest part of the story. And then came the ending. I genuinely did not see it coming, but it tied everything together in such a clever and satisfying way. Suddenly, the confusion felt slightly more worthwhile, and I could finally see what the authors had been building towards. Overall, I liked this more than I expected to after the difficult beginning. The lack of context and overly ornate writing kept me from loving it, but the relationship and fantastic ending ultimately won me over. Beautiful? Yes. Confusing? Extremely. Worth powering through? For me, surprisingly, yes.

  ♡Like
• Laurynn

  Finished June 17, 2024

  I've always enjoyed books that leave room for interpretation and make you ponder its meaning. This book is classified as a sci-fi; however, its poetic writing makes it feel like you're in a futuristic fairytale. The length of the book was perfect for the context. I can't imagine trying to read this at a length of 400 pages or more, but I can see myself reading this again to pick up on details I may have missed. 100% recommend for the experience!

  ♡Like
• Acadia

  Started June 17, 2024 · Finished June 17, 2024

  This was first and foremost, written beautifully, like a poem full of whimsical ideals and dream like descriptions literally lost in time. I also really liked the letters (and cutesy nicknames) between Red and Blue… BUT… I was confused quite a bit in this and its logistics. I was more going through the motions to finish, VS flying through pages like i couldnt get enough. I just think maybe this wasnt for me, not that it wasnt a good book. I did LOVE the end though.

  ♡Like
• Prax

  Started May 30, 2026 · Finished June 12, 2026

  ♡Like
• helva ✨🌿🌙

  Finished June 29, 2026

  ♡Like
• Criddle

  Finished July 24, 2025

  This wouldn't normally be a 5 ⭐read for me, but it was so beautiful I can't help it. At first I was completely disoriented, but in the best possible way. You're dropped into a strange, poetic battlefield of time travel and rival agencies. I just held on and kept reading until it finally clicked. Red and Blue's letters are the emotional core of the story. So intimate, defiant, and a rollercoaster of emotions packed in this short story! I want more!

  ♡Like
• Squirrel

  Started June 7, 2025 · Finished June 7, 2025

  ♡Like
• andithereader

  Started January 3, 2026 · Finished January 5, 2026

  ♡Like