The Moment Thief by Courtney Grace Powers

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy / Science Fiction

Star Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Intro (from the author):

The Moment Thief is the first book in a new time-bending fantasy series set in Eito City, where history itself can be rewritten. Follow a princess haunted by ghosts, her steadfast childhood friend, and a cynical proofreader as they’re drawn into a conspiracy that threatens not just their city, but the fabric of time.

Review

I just finished reading The Moment Thief and I have to say it pulled me in much more than I expected. On the surface it is a story about time travel, royalty, and conspiracies, but at its core it is really about people trying to hold on to who they are when everything around them keeps shifting.

The book opens with Charluxa, or Charlie, the younger princess of Eito City. She is turning seventeen, stuck between the weight of her family name and her own private hauntings—literally. She sees ghosts that no one else can. Her mother calls her weak, her sister is perfect in every way, and the city itself doesn’t seem to have room for someone like her. I found myself really rooting for Charlie because she doesn’t fit neatly into the role of princess. She feels lonely and fragile but also quietly defiant.

The story widens when her childhood friends come into play. Nash is steady, warm, and loyal, while Dark is sharp-tongued and cynical, shaped by growing up in the poorer Undertow district. Together they work in the Royal Order of Chrono-Archivists, the group that regulates time travel. Their dynamic is so believable—it has the rhythm of long friendships that have endured both closeness and distance.

When a routine mission at the Citadel goes horribly wrong and a sleeper is murdered, the book kicks into high gear. The shockwave of that death rewrites parts of history, brings monsters back into the city, and upends the political balance. Suddenly, Charlie, Nash, and Dark are stuck in a conspiracy much bigger than them. What struck me here is how the book mixes action and mystery with the more intimate story of how they rely on each other when nothing else is certain.

Yes, there are plenty of fascinating ideas about time, memory, and fate, but what lingers after reading is the trio themselves. The tension between Charlie and her family, the loyalty Nash carries almost like a shield, and Dark’s refusal to let the world define him. All of that makes the fantasy world feel human.

The only parts that didn’t quite work for me were the pacing and the density of the worldbuilding. The first chapters are full of atmosphere and detail, which I liked, but they lingered so much on describing the city and its systems that the story felt slow to start. Later on, when the action finally kicks in, it moves so quickly and smoothly that I wished the beginning had the same energy. Also, while Eito City and the timeweaves are fascinating, there were moments when all the new terms and rules came at once. Instead of staying swept up in the story, I sometimes had to pause and piece things together.

By the end I didn’t just want to know who was behind the murder or how the city would survive. I wanted to see how these three would grow, and whether their friendship would hold against the weight of history itself. It’s a strong start to a series, and I’m already waiting for the next installment.