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dadtheroadmasterowner's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
gillians88's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lowkeykieeley's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
chanelchapters's review
3.0
I found myself skimming it quite a bit. It was ok, rather depressing though.
bookishpip's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sophieacain's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
clairelovestoread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
noveldeelights's review
2.0
Based on the book description, this should have been right up my alley. Unfortunately, it fell incredibly short of my expectations.
For a character-driven story such as this one, it's vitally important the reader connects to the characters; finds something engaging about them, and that was sorely lacking in this case. I didn't particularly care what became of them. On top of that, it didn't seem like anything much was happening and the things that did occur ended up being awfully predictable so by the halfway mark, I was already feeling rather frustrated. There's a storyline that adds zero value and I'm still trying to figure out what the point was of having Leah narrate the story.
The Hemlock Cure just failed to grab me, the pacing was completely off and I struggled to finish it. It didn't have the atmospheric vibe I was looking for, nor the engaging characters and I'm afraid to say that at the end of it all it's just not memorable.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.
For a character-driven story such as this one, it's vitally important the reader connects to the characters; finds something engaging about them, and that was sorely lacking in this case. I didn't particularly care what became of them. On top of that, it didn't seem like anything much was happening and the things that did occur ended up being awfully predictable so by the halfway mark, I was already feeling rather frustrated. There's a storyline that adds zero value and I'm still trying to figure out what the point was of having Leah narrate the story.
The Hemlock Cure just failed to grab me, the pacing was completely off and I struggled to finish it. It didn't have the atmospheric vibe I was looking for, nor the engaging characters and I'm afraid to say that at the end of it all it's just not memorable.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.
beckys_book_blog's review against another edition
5.0
I was completely captivated by the voice of Mae in the story and her life within the apothecary house with her strict, religious, unpleasant father following the recent death of her mother and sister.
The book was so atmospheric, both in the descriptions within the apothecary house and also within the plague ridden village. I could picture it all so clearly and really felt transported back.
I'm always fascinated with this period of history so I loved the setting. When the village of Eyam decides to self-isolate (an event which actually happened in history) it was hard not to draw parallels with recent events.
I loved the extracts written by Mae's dead sister Leah and the diary extracts of Wulfric (Mae's Father.) I enjoyed trying to piece together all the information and work out what secrets the characters were hiding and the truth of what had happened in the past.
I was willing Mae to overcome her desperate situation and find a way to escape from the increasing danger she faced. The tension reaches breaking point and I loved the final part of the story.
The book was so atmospheric, both in the descriptions within the apothecary house and also within the plague ridden village. I could picture it all so clearly and really felt transported back.
I'm always fascinated with this period of history so I loved the setting. When the village of Eyam decides to self-isolate (an event which actually happened in history) it was hard not to draw parallels with recent events.
I loved the extracts written by Mae's dead sister Leah and the diary extracts of Wulfric (Mae's Father.) I enjoyed trying to piece together all the information and work out what secrets the characters were hiding and the truth of what had happened in the past.
I was willing Mae to overcome her desperate situation and find a way to escape from the increasing danger she faced. The tension reaches breaking point and I loved the final part of the story.