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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Outlander is one of my favorite series of all time but the Lord John series hasn't really lived up to it for me. The first book in the series was definitely slow and I just couldn't get into it. This one was definitely better than the last but nowhere near as amazing as any of the actual Outlander books. Parts of it just felt slow and dragging. I will definitely be continuing on but I miss Claire and Jaime.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
This was great, even better than “Private Matter” because it was a more personal story having to do with LJs family, his and his family’s honor, and his identity as a man, soldier, and as a gay man. It is still written (like Private Matter) in a way where all the many threads of the story end up intertwining by the end, and the complexity of events and characters can be a little confusing sometimes. Barely mentioned characters early on become important later, etc. I had to go back into the ebook to search for names to remember things said. All that said, this was a beautiful book.
Even though all the LJ books are meant to be standalones I am reading them in order, including the short stories, (I had read some of them previously and out of order) and I am getting *a lot* more out of them this way. The continued relationships he has with different people (esp Herr Hauptman in this book and the prior short story [Succubus], and one James Fraser [some real interesting moments between them here] and LJ’s family in all the stories) take on more meaning and seem to fill the exchanges with much more weight. It’s pretty beautiful. The actual conclusion to the events in this book are also quite exciting, nail biting moments. The last lines gutted me as one of the threads of the story and a relationship of his concludes.
I highly recommend this book, but preferably read in order with all the stories. Also, I must continue to praise the audiobooks read by Jeff Woodman that bring even more color and character to the stories. I think my love for the stories is buoyed by the audiobooks and I can’t recommend them enough. I continue on my journey!
Even though all the LJ books are meant to be standalones I am reading them in order, including the short stories, (I had read some of them previously and out of order) and I am getting *a lot* more out of them this way. The continued relationships he has with different people (esp Herr Hauptman in this book and the prior short story [Succubus], and one James Fraser [some real interesting moments between them here] and LJ’s family in all the stories) take on more meaning and seem to fill the exchanges with much more weight. It’s pretty beautiful. The actual conclusion to the events in this book are also quite exciting, nail biting moments. The last lines gutted me as one of the threads of the story and a relationship of his concludes.
I highly recommend this book, but preferably read in order with all the stories. Also, I must continue to praise the audiobooks read by Jeff Woodman that bring even more color and character to the stories. I think my love for the stories is buoyed by the audiobooks and I can’t recommend them enough. I continue on my journey!
Probably the weakest book in the Outlander canon that I've read so far, but I think that's mostly because I was so confused by all of the political machinations. And at the end a bunch of new names came up that I think had been mentioned earlier...but I'd forgotten them completely, so I was pretty confused.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a return to this book, thanks to audiobooks. The audiobook is wonderfully narrated and I highly suggest giving it a listen. This book rips my heart out and feebly attempts so stuff it back in, but it fails.
This audiobook is finally helped me to really love Lord John. I'm looking forward to the next book!
Considering how fast I raced through the Outlander books I am really struggling with the Lord John Grey ones. And it's not because of any dislike of the character either - as Lord John is one of my favourites in the Outlander series. It's also not because I dislike that he's a gay character. That's one of the things I love most about him, and certainly one of the things I liked most in this particular book was that we actually got to see him in a relationship for once. And I was glad Diana didn't shy away from writing gay sex scenes either. I didn't think she would - she's not the meek and obedient type after all - but it was nice to see none-the-less.
I just can't put my finger on what it is about these books that I am not getting on with. I think in large part it has to do with the background being all of the wars. I'm not a particular fan of wars or soldiering in media - war films are probably one of my least favourite movie genres - and as the Lord John books are largely set against a backdrop of war, I just find this rather dull. I felt the same in the later Outlander books too when they too became all about war.
When it's about character development I love it, but otherwise I find my concentration waning.
I also dislike the frequent mentions of Jamie Fraser in these books - which might sound odd given that I love Outlander, but stay with me. I get that Lord John and Jamie will always have a story that is intertwined, and I also understand that Lord John has deep feelings for Jamie which will never go away. But I feel like the constant mentions of Jamie are just used as a plot device in this instance, to keep Outlander fans reading these books. And it's not necessary. I'd read these books with or without mentions of Jamie - and actually think I'd prefer them if he weren't mentioned. These are Lord John stories, and I'd much prefer to find out more about him than be constantly reminded of his love for Jamie. We get it, you don't need to keep hammering it home Diana.
I really struggled with a rating for this one, hovering between a three and four. I did really enjoy this story, particularly the relationships built between John and Percy, and John and his family - the discoveries about his father especially. As such, and given my feelings weren't as strong for other books in this series, I ended up changing my initial rating from three to four. I think this is one of the better Lord John books, but if you're not fully invested in him then you might struggle with this series as a whole.
I just can't put my finger on what it is about these books that I am not getting on with. I think in large part it has to do with the background being all of the wars. I'm not a particular fan of wars or soldiering in media - war films are probably one of my least favourite movie genres - and as the Lord John books are largely set against a backdrop of war, I just find this rather dull. I felt the same in the later Outlander books too when they too became all about war.
When it's about character development I love it, but otherwise I find my concentration waning.
I also dislike the frequent mentions of Jamie Fraser in these books - which might sound odd given that I love Outlander, but stay with me. I get that Lord John and Jamie will always have a story that is intertwined, and I also understand that Lord John has deep feelings for Jamie which will never go away. But I feel like the constant mentions of Jamie are just used as a plot device in this instance, to keep Outlander fans reading these books. And it's not necessary. I'd read these books with or without mentions of Jamie - and actually think I'd prefer them if he weren't mentioned. These are Lord John stories, and I'd much prefer to find out more about him than be constantly reminded of his love for Jamie. We get it, you don't need to keep hammering it home Diana.
I really struggled with a rating for this one, hovering between a three and four. I did really enjoy this story, particularly the relationships built between John and Percy, and John and his family - the discoveries about his father especially. As such, and given my feelings weren't as strong for other books in this series, I ended up changing my initial rating from three to four. I think this is one of the better Lord John books, but if you're not fully invested in him then you might struggle with this series as a whole.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
Yes