Title: The Kingdoms

Author: Natasha Pulley

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing 2021

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 437

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Day Summer Reading; Seasonal TBR

Joe Tournier has a bad 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-the postcard is signed only with the letter “M,” but Joe is certain whoever wrote it knows him far better than he currently 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 finally onto the battle ships of a lost empire's Royal Navy. In the process, Joe will remake history, and himself.

This is one of those books that I really loved, but I won’t be recommending to most people I know. This story meanders through the plot both past and present and keeps you slightly confused and in the dark about the characters. I really enjoyed the world setup and see the alternate history play out. I really enjoyed the time at the lighthouse and the interactions between characters there. Once Joe passes through the pillars, the action speeds up a bit and we finally start learning what’s going on. Early on I totally called Joe’s identity in the other timeline, but it was nice to question my own suspicions right along with Joe. I didn’t power through this book, but took it slowly and let myself really sit with the prose. I put it in the same category of books as Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell or The Night Circus. Books full of mystery, atmosphere, and slow moving plots are apparently my jam.

Next up on the TBR pile: