Book Review | Tempus Fugit: The Engagement Ring

Bravely written in second person, past tense, Jules Pelarski’s The Engagement Ring addresses you, the reader, as the protagonist. You’ll be told what’s happening to you and what’s going on all around you at every turn. At the end of each chapter, you will be given choices to make, such as “To help Berlin heal, continue reading on the next page. To enable Berlin’s delusion, go to page 13.”

As the author informs in their promo, “You play as an underemployed college graduate in the not-so-distant future who lives in an RV by the ocean. When your best friend introduces you to the dangerous new world of illicit time travel, your life becomes a minefield of madness. Can you protect your friends, outsmart your enemies, and set time straight without getting lost in the chaos?”

Now and then as you romp around the timeline, you’ll come across one of twenty-two illustrations. They’re worth pausing for, as Pelarski has created excellent portrayals of the scenery and characters that make up this reality. The illustrations also conveyed the heart and soul of the story, quite well. You may be interested to know that he used the Midjourney AI tool to create his illustrations.

With almost a hundred chapters (not all of which will pertain to your story-path), and eight possible endings, it’s highly unlikely that any two people will experience the exact same story. At times I found myself repeating a chapter, which actually made sense, as traveling through time means you can loop back into the past.

I honestly admire authors who have the ability to write non-linear books in this fashion. And I think that my inability to craft one myself made the adventure all the better for me as a reader. My bewilderment and excitement levels stayed high I zipped in and out of times and situations.

And this is just the first installment in a grander story!

To purchase the book, go to your favorite online bookseller. (Yes, it’s on Amazon.)

To return to your humdrum linear existence, close your browser.

Which will you choose?

-30-

Lori Alden Holuta

Lori Alden Holuta lives between the cornfields in Michigan, where she grows herbs and vegetables when she’s not playing games with a cat named Chives. She’s fond of crafting, reading in the dark, literary worldbuilding, and pulling up dandelions. Visit Lori at brassbrightcity.com and ceejaywriter.com.