Have a cup of tea and a cookie!
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Let's head to the future for today's review!

Moebius 2157 by taivaan_sininen

This doesn't look like a fantasy book, does it?

You are correct. It isn't, but let me tell you, this is a brilliant book and it will capture you with a wickedly clever plot and beautiful writing. It is another entry for Wattpad's Open Novella Contest and has been recently completed.

Are you ready for a trip into a dystopian future that is both hopeful and depressing? You don't mind getting your heart crushed and your brain tied in an endless loop? Then buckle up and make sure you bring enough (evil) tea to last you for a trip through time and space and, hopefully, back again.

This might contain spoilers, although I'll try to keep them to a minimum, so please proceed at your own risk.

⭐️ What's inside?

A broken future, where the last surviving humans have taken to live, or better, vegetate, underground. But then a spark of hope glimmers in the darkness when special agent Alyssa Caine is selected to eliminate the one person believed responsible for the downfall of mankind. The only problem? He is already dead. Not really an obstacle which the smart people of the future cannot overcome. After all, there is something called time travel. Alyssa learns from a group of scientists about the project Last Hope and embarks on a mission that will not only change her own life forever.

⭐️ The good stuff!

The fact that this story is set in a dystopian, gloomy and dark era and bunkers are the new home of what's left of mankind, doesn't mean that the writing can't be beautiful. The powerful imagery takes us right into the nightmarish society of a future we all hope will never come to pass.

The author deals cleverly with the idea of time travel and sets up the plot in such a way that each chapter goes from one cliffhanger to the next, practically forcing the reader to keep going. She inserts concepts that are difficult to grasp in a very understandable way for readers that are not into quantum physics and subatomic structures and there isn't a single boring moment during the entire story. Even despite the concise length of this novella and rigid limit of word count, the author manages to present us with a distinct feeling for this dark world and makes the character's actions believable for us.

❤️ Lovers through time

Alyssa Caine
She isn't just the tough agent who can do kick-ass moves, well she is, but she's also a woman who has self doubts, who is compassionate and when she finds love, she nearly misses her chance at recognising it. She has trouble expressing her own emotions and is forced to make decisions that throw her repeatedly into moments of doubt and despair. In the end what makes her such a strong character is the fact that she is willing to sacrifice her own happiness for a world that might be a better place, even if she cannot be a part of it. Or perhaps she can?

Leon Bellamy
He's a physicist and has all the characteristics of a scientist, who has buried himself in his work for far too long and now that he is part of a project which might hopefully save the world, he finds himself falling in love with the one person he might yet have to give up. I have to say that I personally have very much enjoyed the chapters from Leon's POV as I really loved seeing Ally through his eyes. He's a really likeable character and it does not surprise me that the Ally/Leon ships have set sail early on in the story.

⭐️ Those favourite bits!

As always, I've found it very difficult to just choose a few snippets, and not to spoil all the nice bits and pieces I've selected three short excerpts that won't reveal too much.

The first one is from Chapter 0 Ghost and presents us the MC for the first time.

Special Agent Alyssa Caine had always hoped to serve a greater cause in her life. Growing up as a child on the surface, her dreams had been as big as the sky above her head had been blue and boundless. Now, there wasn't much left of either of that.

The second one is from the famous cookie scene (more about it below) in Chapter 4 This Machine, when Leon bakes lemon cookies for Ally before her jump.

He took a step towards her, and tentatively took her hand in his. The world seemed to grind to a halt completely. She had stopped breathing and her heart was caught between two beats in her chest, as he guided her hand until she gently put the cookie in his mouth. When his lips brushed against the tips of her fingers for a moment, her mind was wiped blank and she lost herself in a dimensionless space without time.

The last one is from Chapter 8 Come Back Down when Ally and Leon are possibly facing the inevitable end and Leon has the right words to comfort her.

"I don't want to die for nothing," she whispered.

"Most people do," he said, softly stroking her tousled hair. "And that's perfectly fine. In my opinion, the important question isn't what you're willing to die for. It's what you want to live for."

There! He said it! Now, don't you ever forget this!

⭐️ Moebius - the Tissue With an Issue

I must have used a nearly infinite amount of invisible toilet paper during the course of this story, since apparently common tissues were not enough to dry the tears this evil author had me shed. Thankfully RainerSalt was kind enough to provide me with a sheer endless amount of it. It all started out innocently as an invisible toilet paper emoji and kind of spiralled out of control. This mysterious item lurks in the comments section of the story and only the brave and valiant dare to set out and find that hidden treasure: Moebius - the Tissue With an Issue.

⭐️ The best part?

Lemon cookies. Yes, exactly. If you have never considered cookies sexy before, then I dare you to read this story and think again. You will never look at cookies the same way ever again. I am even willing to put up with the crumbs, and that's saying something.

⭐️ The final loop!

This is literally me at the end of the story. Marty McEffingFly completely freaking out. I won't reveal any more spoilers, but you'll have your brain twisted by the end and find yourself going back to the beginning to read it all over again. It's like the movie Inception, without the dreams, but with very realistic nightmares instead and I'm not sure if the top is still spinning or not.

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Thank you for not littering in the time loop! Please return your empty teacups in the correct multiverse! We don't want to create a Butterfly Effect. Yes, I did my research, like the good girl that I am *smirks*.

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Author's Notes: Please do stop by the author's page, check out her book and show her some love!

Thank you for reading. Please vote and comment if you have enjoyed my review and stay tuned for the next one ^^!
Cheers,
💫Flora💫
Image above found on google. Unfortunately Leon wasn't available to lend me some pictures. Gif from giphy.