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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There are 3 things that keep this book from being a 5 ⭐️ like so many others in this series have been.
The first, and probably most egregious, was the continued Jamie's gonna die...SIKE! I know that this is a romance series before it is history, sci-fi, or action/adventure, but I think that Gabaldon could have actually gone through with it this time, after pulling the same thing multiple times previously in the series.
Second, and I say this as a Freemason myself, I find it extremely unlikely that an armed conflict such as the one described would have taken place immediately following a lodge meeting. That isn't to say it is impossible, of course, but that entire section of the story doesn't carry the proper tone for the absolute betrayal such an action would mean, let alone the fallout that would occur. Stories of Freemasons on opposing sides of battle not harming one another are far more common than lodge brothers turning on one another descending into physical violence on such a scale. And if it did occur the way it is described in this book, there would be a far larger series of consequences than what is described.
Finally, I'll just say that on a personal level, I've never really enjoyed the Lord John/William storyline. When the two come together, it's fine, but as a personal preference, I really don't feel like the stories overlap enough for so many pages to be devoted to them.
So, I'm still interested in reading the next book, whenever it comes out, because Gabaldon is a masterful storyteller, and I've thoroughly enjoyed most of the series, but this one pulled me in the wrong direction one too many times even for a 4th star.
The first, and probably most egregious, was the continued Jamie's gonna die...SIKE! I know that this is a romance series before it is history, sci-fi, or action/adventure, but I think that Gabaldon could have actually gone through with it this time, after pulling the same thing multiple times previously in the series.
Second, and I say this as a Freemason myself, I find it extremely unlikely that an armed conflict such as the one described would have taken place immediately following a lodge meeting. That isn't to say it is impossible, of course, but that entire section of the story doesn't carry the proper tone for the absolute betrayal such an action would mean, let alone the fallout that would occur. Stories of Freemasons on opposing sides of battle not harming one another are far more common than lodge brothers turning on one another descending into physical violence on such a scale. And if it did occur the way it is described in this book, there would be a far larger series of consequences than what is described.
Finally, I'll just say that on a personal level, I've never really enjoyed the Lord John/William storyline. When the two come together, it's fine, but as a personal preference, I really don't feel like the stories overlap enough for so many pages to be devoted to them.
So, I'm still interested in reading the next book, whenever it comes out, because Gabaldon is a masterful storyteller, and I've thoroughly enjoyed most of the series, but this one pulled me in the wrong direction one too many times even for a 4th star.
I just love Jame and Claire and their friends and family so much. I am both incredibly impatient and equally terrified about the next book.
I'm going to keep this very vague so as to avoid spoilers, but if you know, you know.
This one was a lot less chaotic than [b:Written in My Own Heart's Blood|11710373|Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander, #8)|Diana Gabaldon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1365173799l/11710373._SX50_.jpg|16657990],, which I appreciated, but Willie was as annoying as usual and a big chunk of the story was told from his POV. Still, considerably less annoying than in the last book.
As usual, my favourite part was spending time with the characters at the Ridge, and I enjoyed the new additions. The return of an old character was also a big twist. The ending is definitely a cliffhanger, so I hope the next book doesn't take quite as long to come out.
This one was a lot less chaotic than [b:Written in My Own Heart's Blood|11710373|Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander, #8)|Diana Gabaldon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1365173799l/11710373._SX50_.jpg|16657990],
Spoiler
since there were no changes in timeline back and forth from the past to the futureSpoiler
His meeting with Brianna was particularly adorable.As usual, my favourite part was spending time with the characters at the Ridge, and I enjoyed the new additions. The return of an old character was also a big twist. The ending is definitely a cliffhanger, so I hope the next book doesn't take quite as long to come out.
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Jesus H Roosevelt Christ…. I don’t need to know what goes on in their lives every damn day! Was this book edited at all?! Why the need for so many useless events?? It’s safe to say if you’re reading this book you’ve read the previous books… so we don’t need random things to happen to stir up old memories. For nothing.
Unless you are completely obsessed with the world she has built then I can see loving this book. At this point I just want it to be over. I’m so invested I crawled through this excruciating long book. But if book 10 isn’t the final book then I’m done with this series…
Addition- if you do read this book. You can pretty much skip to chapter 131. That’s when stuff actually starts (and no, that’s not a typo, one hundred and thirty one)
Unless you are completely obsessed with the world she has built then I can see loving this book. At this point I just want it to be over. I’m so invested I crawled through this excruciating long book. But if book 10 isn’t the final book then I’m done with this series…
Addition- if you do read this book. You can pretty much skip to chapter 131. That’s when stuff actually starts (and no, that’s not a typo, one hundred and thirty one)
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I enjoyed this book, but it rambled quite a bit, and there wasn’t a ton of plot.
At this point you're either on this journey or you're not.
Overall I liked this book, but like all the others after Voyager I didn't feel a sense of urgency when reading. But this one didn't feel as bogged down with the multiple plot lines as either book 6 or 7 (I can't remember, they blurred together so much for me.) I think that's partially because so many of the secondary and tertiary characters intertwined with Bree and Roger visiting everyone, which helped set up actually caring about William and Amaranthus. I also liked that we got so much more about time traveling, the powers with the blue light, the Sachum and his Ghosts! I really hope this steps up a few notches in book 10 to actually explain/connect things, not just leave it a mystery with a few more details.
Other things I loved: We saw some boring day to day stuff on the Ridge! I think this really helps humanize what's happening. Real life is allowed to be a big boring and normal even if there's a war going on, most of this was from Claire's perspective which really helped ground that setting. Everything to do with Roger, he's the most relatable character in terms of not being suited for this life and I think his proficiency with ministry from being a history professor is actually very realistic.
Things I hated: Bree is too perfect. Jamie gets a pass because he's literally doing what he was trained to do since a child, and we know he's an exceptional human. Claire's proficiencies are focused in one area: medicine, and we know that she's trained in multiple ways in that, as well as being an intuitive healer, we also get much more of her inner thoughts around doubting herself, thinking things through, and generally needing to work at making 20th century ideas practical in the 18th century. Bree however is perfect at everything, without that same level of struggle or practice. In this book is was a bigger plot point of how much of a Renaissance woman she is. Between the high level of engineering skills to replicate 19th & 20th century inventions, along with the ability to craft them meticulously using materials and technology in the 18th century, and master level oil painting, it just doesn't make sense. She needs to either be an artist, or an engineer/craftsperson. She can't literally be a time traveling Leonardo da Vinci.
Other thoughts: While I don't think it's intentional, and may be based on simply having watched the show more recently than read the previous books, I feel like some of the pacing and moving of POV was more similar to that type of serialized story than a comprehensive novel. I don't think it's a bad thing and there's precedence for this type of storytelling within the series and within literature, but it's part of how I see a differentiation from Books 1-3 and books 4+. While there is an overall plot/story, it's more loosely tied together and there's a lot more meandering so you never build up the type of momentum that the series had in the beginning, even if the plots are still interesting.
While I'm glad that Jamie didn't die, it occurred to me that I would not have been devastated if he had. Now that I see the set-ups for book 10 it's obvious that he couldn't, and seeing Claire's healing powers in that way is (I hope) vital to what we see next. I'm now in a place where I'm comfortable knowing that this will most likely happen in book 10, and I think I would rather have that (with or without Claire's death as well) than a perpetual mystery of them being old and just boringly happy on the Ridge. It could possibly be a return to the urgency and high stakes drama of the earlier books which would be welcomed, and I'm sure DG has a way of weaving it into a larger narrative that will be compelling.
Overall I liked this book, but like all the others after Voyager I didn't feel a sense of urgency when reading. But this one didn't feel as bogged down with the multiple plot lines as either book 6 or 7 (I can't remember, they blurred together so much for me.) I think that's partially because so many of the secondary and tertiary characters intertwined with Bree and Roger visiting everyone, which helped set up actually caring about William and Amaranthus. I also liked that we got so much more about time traveling, the powers with the blue light, the Sachum and his Ghosts! I really hope this steps up a few notches in book 10 to actually explain/connect things, not just leave it a mystery with a few more details.
Other things I loved: We saw some boring day to day stuff on the Ridge! I think this really helps humanize what's happening. Real life is allowed to be a big boring and normal even if there's a war going on, most of this was from Claire's perspective which really helped ground that setting. Everything to do with Roger, he's the most relatable character in terms of not being suited for this life and I think his proficiency with ministry from being a history professor is actually very realistic.
Things I hated: Bree is too perfect. Jamie gets a pass because he's literally doing what he was trained to do since a child, and we know he's an exceptional human. Claire's proficiencies are focused in one area: medicine, and we know that she's trained in multiple ways in that, as well as being an intuitive healer, we also get much more of her inner thoughts around doubting herself, thinking things through, and generally needing to work at making 20th century ideas practical in the 18th century. Bree however is perfect at everything, without that same level of struggle or practice. In this book is was a bigger plot point of how much of a Renaissance woman she is. Between the high level of engineering skills to replicate 19th & 20th century inventions, along with the ability to craft them meticulously using materials and technology in the 18th century, and master level oil painting, it just doesn't make sense. She needs to either be an artist, or an engineer/craftsperson. She can't literally be a time traveling Leonardo da Vinci.
Other thoughts: While I don't think it's intentional, and may be based on simply having watched the show more recently than read the previous books, I feel like some of the pacing and moving of POV was more similar to that type of serialized story than a comprehensive novel. I don't think it's a bad thing and there's precedence for this type of storytelling within the series and within literature, but it's part of how I see a differentiation from Books 1-3 and books 4+. While there is an overall plot/story, it's more loosely tied together and there's a lot more meandering so you never build up the type of momentum that the series had in the beginning, even if the plots are still interesting.
While I'm glad that Jamie didn't die, it occurred to me that I would not have been devastated if he had. Now that I see the set-ups for book 10 it's obvious that he couldn't, and seeing Claire's healing powers in that way is (I hope) vital to what we see next. I'm now in a place where I'm comfortable knowing that this will most likely happen in book 10, and I think I would rather have that (with or without Claire's death as well) than a perpetual mystery of them being old and just boringly happy on the Ridge. It could possibly be a return to the urgency and high stakes drama of the earlier books which would be welcomed, and I'm sure DG has a way of weaving it into a larger narrative that will be compelling.