Book Review: Time Squared - Lesley Krueger

What if the heroine in a Jane Austen novel had visions of the future and the past? That's the rather compelling premise of Time Squared. But, ultimately, it doesn't really fulfil the promise.

It starts as a fairly standard regency-style novel - which of the two dashing brothers will our orphaned heroine marry?!? Our protagonist sometimes has headaches which lead her to see glimpses of a future she cannot understand. And then... nothing.

The story meanders along with the occasional twists and turns you might expect; romance, botched proposals, and gossiping neighbours.

About halfway through the book the twist gradually begins to reveal itself - but it is slow, bordering on afterthought. Not until two thirds of the way through does anything of interest happen. And when it does, it is quite a delightfully unexpected reveal.

The main problem is that there are no clues or foreshadowing throughout the novel (or, if there are, I'm too dense to have noticed) - so the end is a bit deus ex machina.

The end is terrific, and totally unexpected. But the book felt like too much preamble and not enough build-up.