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_christinadevin's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was such a long book omg but I’m glad it’s finally finished. I liked the story and learning about the Cathar history of France. The politics were interesting and the characters were great, but they seemed to be missing so much. I had so many questions about all of them that were never answered, like why did Pelletier go to Carcassonne, what made him dislike Oriane, why did she become a Catholic? There were so many things that left this story wanting - especially the pacing. I still enjoyed it but there was so much I felt was left out😣
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, War, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Murder
divine529's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I really enjoyed this book.
This is a historical fiction novel about the Crusades and in particular the Pays d'Oc region in France and it incorporates The Holy Grail story in a very interesting way.
It's a dual timeline story following two main protagonists, Alice (in present day - 2005) and Alais (from 1209) and explores how stories and history, events and ancestry has in impact on the present and who we are today.
I loved the historical aspects of the book and generally I preferred being in the 1209 timeline to the 2005 timeline, but towards the end, I found myself loving both. The pacing was odd and it's hard to explain exactly what I mean by that. Part of it was the multi-timelines and what was happening in those timelines, but it was also just how each of the timelines was written. Sometimes I found that I didn't care at all about what was happening in one, but we stayed there for a chunk of time, and other times I wanted to stay in a timeline and we ended up jumping to the other. It was just a bit strange at times. The characters were very flawed and at times irritating to no end. Some were fleshed out better than others, but still held important weight to the story and yet their stories all made sense or fit what the story was telling (most of the time).
All in all, a great story and one I really enjoyed.
This is a historical fiction novel about the Crusades and in particular the Pays d'Oc region in France and it incorporates The Holy Grail story in a very interesting way.
It's a dual timeline story following two main protagonists, Alice (in present day - 2005) and Alais (from 1209) and explores how stories and history, events and ancestry has in impact on the present and who we are today.
I loved the historical aspects of the book and generally I preferred being in the 1209 timeline to the 2005 timeline, but towards the end, I found myself loving both. The pacing was odd and it's hard to explain exactly what I mean by that. Part of it was the multi-timelines and what was happening in those timelines, but it was also just how each of the timelines was written. Sometimes I found that I didn't care at all about what was happening in one, but we stayed there for a chunk of time, and other times I wanted to stay in a timeline and we ended up jumping to the other. It was just a bit strange at times. The characters were very flawed and at times irritating to no end. Some were fleshed out better than others, but still held important weight to the story and yet their stories all made sense or fit what the story was telling (most of the time).
All in all, a great story and one I really enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Animal death, Violence, Torture, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Blood, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy
amyford's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Violence, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Kidnapping and Rape
Throughout the book there is violence and war within the context of medieval religious wars. Sometimes, the descriptions of the violence and death inflicted by soldiers is graphic and disturbing.accio_gays's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Felt very long for a story that could've been explained quicker. It's very in-depth description and needing to know every action played into this heavily.
However the ending was definitely worth persevering for. When the 'mystery' was finally solved and revealed it was worth it.
I loved the contrast between the two time zones, even if it did get a bit confusing at times.
The more intimate scenes felt slightly unnecessary I didn't see the purpose for those sorts of things within the wider story. It explained the the daughter of one of the main characters but just felt really unnecessary. I guess if you enjoy that kind of media you might like it more. But everyone's different.
Overall, I did love the plot twists and the historical side to it. But all in all it took a long while to read and confused me in places. I'm not mad about buying it as it was only 20p from a local charity shop, but I'm not going to go out of my way to buy the next in the series as the writing style isn't one I really desire to read again. So that's why I have given it 2.5 stars. :)
However the ending was definitely worth persevering for. When the 'mystery' was finally solved and revealed it was worth it.
I loved the contrast between the two time zones, even if it did get a bit confusing at times.
The more intimate scenes felt slightly unnecessary I didn't see the purpose for those sorts of things within the wider story. It explained the
Overall, I did love the plot twists and the historical side to it. But all in all it took a long while to read and confused me in places. I'm not mad about buying it as it was only 20p from a local charity shop, but I'm not going to go out of my way to buy the next in the series as the writing style isn't one I really desire to read again. So that's why I have given it 2.5 stars. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Antisemitism, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
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