Book Review: A Coin for the Ferryman (arc)

A Coin for the Ferryman (2022) by Megan Edwards

Fiction | Historical Fiction | Fantasy

Disclaimer: In every review that I complete, I try my best to avoid spoilers of any kind and include spoiler warnings when necessary.

About the book (from Goodreads)

In 1999, an elite interdisciplinary team headed by Nobel laureate Andrew Danicek gathered in California to carry out a ground-breaking time-travel experiment. While the rest of the world remained unaware, Julius Caesar was successfully transported from the last day of his life to a specially-constructed covert facility. Four days of conversation with historians and Latin scholars were planned, followed by Caesar’s return to the moment from which he was extracted. But despite the team’s meticulous efforts to maintain secrecy and plan for all possible exigencies, a kidnap attempt plunges Caesar into peril. Fully aware that the future of civilization may hang in the balance, one team member must summon strength she didn’t know she possessed to return Caesar to the Ides of March.

The shocking details of Caesar's visit and its effect on subsequent events have been protected by draconian nondisclosure agreements....until now

Note: This book is Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) ebook, read via NetGalley.

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My Review

Overall, this is a good read. I may not have loved it, but you might! I think it is important to say this because the author clearly worked hard on this book, which shows in writing.

However, after reading the intriguing premise, I really wanted this book to be great as a history major. I even entered a Goodreads giveaway for it and desperately wanted to win. I was beyond excited when NetGalley approved my request to read it!

Unfortunately, I was a tad disappointed. It was good, but it didn't blow me out of the water as I had hoped! The book's first half was good, but the second half, not so much. I've read many books that are the opposite, so I was surprised that I was forcing my way through it.

The Good Things

1. The title: talk about CATCHY!

2. The premise is extremely creative and has the potential to be a FANTASTIC story once edited to avoid over-bloating.

3. I tend to be picky about writing styles, and the author is skilled. The book was devoid of any clear writing errors.

4. The climactic event - I don't want to go into too much detail and end up spoiling anything- is great! If the rest of the book read in the same manner, I'd have given it 4-5 stars!

The Bad Things

1. I feel like there were things at the start of the book that sort of, spurted out?

2. There are many parts of the book that are SLOW. And I have both a history and an English degree, so I've taken part in many slow reads.

3. It COULD use a better cover. I only say this because I have many friends who refuse to read books that don't have a great cover.

4. The climactic event I mentioned above was GREAT, but following it? Not so much. It was a tad too underwhelming for my taste.

5. I feel like Caesar's reaction -or lack thereof- to time traveling isn't as realistic as I would have liked. Obviously, this is a work of fiction, but I would have preferred the character's reaction differently.

6. Around halfway through, I started getting a little bit confused. I feel like the author was almost trying too hard to push an exciting story without focusing on things that don't necessarily help the story.

My Final Rating:

☆☆☆ (Goodreads)

☆☆☆ (Blog)

☆☆☆ (Amazon - will post the review as soon as the novel is released)

Pre-order this from Amazon by clicking here!

If you have access to this ARC, please feel free to leave comments concerning how you liked -or didn't like, no judgment here- it! If you don't have access, let me know if this is on your tbr! I would love to hear your thoughts!