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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
I’m usually impressed with how the author ends up bringing things together, I just wish she wouldn’t take so bloody long to do it.
Davina Porter is, as always, a gem.
I’m usually impressed with how the author ends up bringing things together, I just wish she wouldn’t take so bloody long to do it.
Davina Porter is, as always, a gem.
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For the most of the book, it was aiming for three stars. When I had about three hundred pages left, I took a break for about two days, and when I came back to it, I had such a difficult time continuing. Because of this struggle, I bumped it down to two stars.
A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues exactly where The Fiery Cross ends. Fraser's Ridge is preparing for the American Revolution. Jamie is currently aligned with the Loyalists, but must tactfully switch sides. Claire, Brianna, and Roger know the outcome of history. However, the Higlanders in Fraser's Ridge are staunch Loyalist, and could create trouble for Jamie is suddenly supports independence. The evil Stephen Bonnet is still on the loose with the expectation by the characters he will return to cause havoc.
I am surprised to say, I think even less plot happened than the previous book. This book served as a time killer until 1776. And to kill time, it is a soap opera's dream script, which abductions galore, attempted suicides, and baby daddy drama. Considering the Outlander series is so focused on not being "just a romance book," much of A Breath of Snow and Ashes has the familiar tropes of that genre.
Claire's first abduction is the most riveting part of the book. However, it never really returns to this level. Possibly I was getting worn out reading. By time it was Brianna's turn, I wasn't so interested.
I never would have thought I would like Brianna and Roger. They are pleasantly more enjoyable. I liked how they each had their own area of focus; Brianna with engineering problems, and Roger with religion. I especially liked how Brianna isn't practically enslaved by Jem and lactation in each of her narratives.
The first half of the book is focused on various iterations of Claire healing and attempting to use modern medical techniques. Although the cases are interesting, it becomes very repetitive. For some reason, I thought Jamie had less page time than he normally does.
I liked reading more about Ian and his past. He remains my favorite character. I would have wished more interaction with the Native Americans. There were ever present in the last book, and now they have suddenly disappeared? Although the history is always ever present, I would have liked more involvement and a stronger political plot.
In attempting to summarize the book, there's not much plot to go off. There's a lot of everyday scenes, with the characters talking about their fears and dreams. Yet, there's no counterbalance with a larger plot. The very end is intriguing, but I wasn't captivated by the last one hundred pages.
I suppose I'll keep reading. I would like to know what happens. I just wish these books were shorter.
A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues exactly where The Fiery Cross ends. Fraser's Ridge is preparing for the American Revolution. Jamie is currently aligned with the Loyalists, but must tactfully switch sides. Claire, Brianna, and Roger know the outcome of history. However, the Higlanders in Fraser's Ridge are staunch Loyalist, and could create trouble for Jamie is suddenly supports independence. The evil Stephen Bonnet is still on the loose with the expectation by the characters he will return to cause havoc.
I am surprised to say, I think even less plot happened than the previous book. This book served as a time killer until 1776. And to kill time, it is a soap opera's dream script, which abductions galore, attempted suicides, and baby daddy drama. Considering the Outlander series is so focused on not being "just a romance book," much of A Breath of Snow and Ashes has the familiar tropes of that genre.
Claire's first abduction is the most riveting part of the book. However, it never really returns to this level. Possibly I was getting worn out reading. By time it was Brianna's turn, I wasn't so interested.
I never would have thought I would like Brianna and Roger. They are pleasantly more enjoyable. I liked how they each had their own area of focus; Brianna with engineering problems, and Roger with religion. I especially liked how Brianna isn't practically enslaved by Jem and lactation in each of her narratives.
The first half of the book is focused on various iterations of Claire healing and attempting to use modern medical techniques. Although the cases are interesting, it becomes very repetitive. For some reason, I thought Jamie had less page time than he normally does.
I liked reading more about Ian and his past. He remains my favorite character. I would have wished more interaction with the Native Americans. There were ever present in the last book, and now they have suddenly disappeared? Although the history is always ever present, I would have liked more involvement and a stronger political plot.
In attempting to summarize the book, there's not much plot to go off. There's a lot of everyday scenes, with the characters talking about their fears and dreams. Yet, there's no counterbalance with a larger plot. The very end is intriguing, but I wasn't captivated by the last one hundred pages.
I suppose I'll keep reading. I would like to know what happens. I just wish these books were shorter.
992 pages. Is that longer than Moby Dick? And I get a strong sense that this trilogy (now up to book #6) isn't over yet.
Which is fine, actually, because the characters are fascinating. They really are the meat of these books, and Gabaldon is so good at developing them and making them people we can recognize in our lives. I especially still love Ian and Fergus and Brianna. Claire and Jamie are beginning to verge on unbelievable--by this point in the story they must be in their mid- to late- 50s and yet there is no overt acknowledgement of age, certainly not in a time when 60 was "old age."
The problem with this book is its length. The first several chapters especially seemed to be writing exercises rather than plot-driven or character-driven information. I'm aware that Gabaldon doesn't write her books in precise chronological order; that is, she may polish Chapters 30-34 before doing more than outlining Chapter 14. Unfortunately, some of these seams are badly merged and it makes for very frustrating reading.
Still, I will be reading the next book. I hope it won't take 4 years or more to see it, though.
Which is fine, actually, because the characters are fascinating. They really are the meat of these books, and Gabaldon is so good at developing them and making them people we can recognize in our lives. I especially still love Ian and Fergus and Brianna. Claire and Jamie are beginning to verge on unbelievable--by this point in the story they must be in their mid- to late- 50s and yet there is no overt acknowledgement of age, certainly not in a time when 60 was "old age."
The problem with this book is its length. The first several chapters especially seemed to be writing exercises rather than plot-driven or character-driven information. I'm aware that Gabaldon doesn't write her books in precise chronological order; that is, she may polish Chapters 30-34 before doing more than outlining Chapter 14. Unfortunately, some of these seams are badly merged and it makes for very frustrating reading.
Still, I will be reading the next book. I hope it won't take 4 years or more to see it, though.
Super overdreven en langdradig geschreven. Op het einde verandert de narratieve perceptie van Brianna en Claire naar Jamie, maar dat houdt de schrijfster 2 pagina's vol. Toch duik ik naar het volgende deel.
adventurous
Full review at: Bright Copy Book Review
Ugh, I forgot how exhausting reading these books can be.
Can it end already so I know how/where the characters end up? The books are just way too long and it's like Gabaldon doesn't even care she just keeps writing 1000+ page books with so much fluff in the middle it's ridiculous. I came back to the story because I care about most of the characters and I want to know what happens to them. I don't need to read, in full detail, what they ate for lunch everyday.
My main problem with this book is that it dragged and had unnecessary scenes, but the important and action-packed parts went way too fast and were a bit confusing. The first 85% of the book is pretty much not needed, but the last bit would've been very interesting and suspenseful and could have been more drawn out. There were definitely pacing issues. For instance, they've referred to the house fire how many times? And that was about a chapter long with no real reasoning or importance? I was looking forward to that pretty much the most out of this whole thing.
I don't give a shit about Stephen Bonnet because I absolutely HATE Brianna. She's just horrible. Roger's not much better lately. They made such a big deal about not going back through the stones because of how little they knew about it and how PAINFUL it was, but that scene took all of 2 seconds to actually do... like why didn't you just go back years ago then?
It felt like Donner was also just thrown in there to show that there are other travelers. Other than that, he was pointless. Also, why so much kidnapping? I'm sure it happened often in the past, but twice within months of each other?
All I really care about is Claire and Jamie. The historical and medical information is very interesting, but there comes a point when it's too much.
I did like the storyline with the Christies. It was a bit overly dramatic in a soap opera kind of way, but it definitely captured my attention. Tragic, but at least everything was actually explained. I'm only still reading because I have the books and I've heard that [b:Written in My Own Heart's Blood|11710373|Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander, #8)|Diana Gabaldon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1365173799s/11710373.jpg|16657990] is worth it.
Ugh, I forgot how exhausting reading these books can be.
Can it end already so I know how/where the characters end up? The books are just way too long and it's like Gabaldon doesn't even care she just keeps writing 1000+ page books with so much fluff in the middle it's ridiculous. I came back to the story because I care about most of the characters and I want to know what happens to them. I don't need to read, in full detail, what they ate for lunch everyday.
My main problem with this book is that it dragged and had unnecessary scenes, but the important and action-packed parts went way too fast and were a bit confusing. The first 85% of the book is pretty much not needed, but the last bit would've been very interesting and suspenseful and could have been more drawn out. There were definitely pacing issues. For instance, they've referred to the house fire how many times? And that was about a chapter long with no real reasoning or importance? I was looking forward to that pretty much the most out of this whole thing.
I don't give a shit about Stephen Bonnet because I absolutely HATE Brianna. She's just horrible. Roger's not much better lately. They made such a big deal about not going back through the stones because of how little they knew about it and how PAINFUL it was, but that scene took all of 2 seconds to actually do... like why didn't you just go back years ago then?
It felt like Donner was also just thrown in there to show that there are other travelers. Other than that, he was pointless. Also, why so much kidnapping? I'm sure it happened often in the past, but twice within months of each other?
All I really care about is Claire and Jamie. The historical and medical information is very interesting, but there comes a point when it's too much.
I did like the storyline with the Christies. It was a bit overly dramatic in a soap opera kind of way, but it definitely captured my attention. Tragic, but at least everything was actually explained. I'm only still reading because I have the books and I've heard that [b:Written in My Own Heart's Blood|11710373|Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander, #8)|Diana Gabaldon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1365173799s/11710373.jpg|16657990] is worth it.
I loved this - after the drag that was Fiery Cross, the series needed a book like this and in fact I would have given it 5 stars had it not been for a few small things that I just felt wasn't necessary for the book to have.
It was long, it was wordy and Gabaldon could definitely do with a better editor, but despite the usual flaws, this felt like the best balanced book since Outlander. Finally it was all about Jamie and Claire - in fact the part of the book that cost it the fifth star for me occurred when they were separated again or Brianna was the central focus. Brianna was, in fairness, much better in this book that she's been previously and I actually really liked her here - but her plot just felt...easy. And unnecessary - I know the Bonet story had to be sorted, but at the same time, considering what happened to Claire earlier in the book, I felt like the Brianna plot was unnecessary in this book.
Claire...I loved Claire in this book and tbh, my reluctance to read this was in part because I knew what happened to her in this. I have mentioned in the past my annoyance at the author using that particular plot device over and over and over again, but in this case, I felt it worked and it didn't feel gratuitous...it was just sad, and I adored the way it was resolved and the image of Jamie, Roger, Ian and Fergus saving her like that was very easy to imagine. It was very well done.
Less well done was a stupid subplot involving random characters I don't care about and the ridiculousness of it...but nothing is perfect, and the flaws in this are easy to forgive. I hope I find the flaws in the next book that I know about as easy to forgive, but knowing what is coming, I somehow doubt it.
There were some touching moments in this book - Ian's backstory was heartbreaking and Fergus' anguish equally so. I love them and although I'm sure we'll still see a lot of Roger and Brianna, I won't lie and say I'm not happy about the idea that with them gone we can finally concentrate on those two even more.
All in all, for me this was the best book since the first one.
It was long, it was wordy and Gabaldon could definitely do with a better editor, but despite the usual flaws, this felt like the best balanced book since Outlander. Finally it was all about Jamie and Claire - in fact the part of the book that cost it the fifth star for me occurred when they were separated again or Brianna was the central focus. Brianna was, in fairness, much better in this book that she's been previously and I actually really liked her here - but her plot just felt...easy. And unnecessary - I know the Bonet story had to be sorted, but at the same time, considering what happened to Claire earlier in the book, I felt like the Brianna plot was unnecessary in this book.
Claire...I loved Claire in this book and tbh, my reluctance to read this was in part because I knew what happened to her in this. I have mentioned in the past my annoyance at the author using that particular plot device over and over and over again, but in this case, I felt it worked and it didn't feel gratuitous...it was just sad, and I adored the way it was resolved and the image of Jamie, Roger, Ian and Fergus saving her like that was very easy to imagine. It was very well done.
Less well done was a stupid subplot involving random characters I don't care about and the ridiculousness of it...but nothing is perfect, and the flaws in this are easy to forgive. I hope I find the flaws in the next book that I know about as easy to forgive, but knowing what is coming, I somehow doubt it.
There were some touching moments in this book - Ian's backstory was heartbreaking and Fergus' anguish equally so. I love them and although I'm sure we'll still see a lot of Roger and Brianna, I won't lie and say I'm not happy about the idea that with them gone we can finally concentrate on those two even more.
All in all, for me this was the best book since the first one.
Why can't I quit these books?! I'm a disheveled heap. Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ.