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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
I enjoyed learning the history of the southern region of France. The massacre of the Catharsis was something I really knew nothing about. The structure of the novel and the storytelling wasn’t terribly inspired but a good story nonetheless.
I listened to this on audiobook and think I might have liked it better had I read it in print. It's one of those grail-mystery type books and it's rather slow paced so I sometimes had a hard time paying attention and keeping track of the various machinations. I liked the setting though so I might check out some of the author's other work, or the second book in the trilogy but more likely in a print format.
There were parts of this I really liked, but I just found it difficult to get through. Quite honestly I don't think I would have finished it at all if I hadn't been listening to it. One issue I had was that I found it difficult to follow all of the different threads (though, to be fair, this may have been slightly affected by listening to it). And I wasn't a big fan of the giant skip in time covered by some broad sweeping expositional conversations about 3/4s in. I understand why, but there was excessive details elsewhere where it really felt like nothing was really happening and then BAM everything in the world is explained and happens. I really wanted to like it more, but it just wasn't really my cup of tea.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
No
I really loved the final 30% or so, and I appreciated that the whole thing seemed very well-researched, but it was just very dry and the first 70% were extremely slow and dragged a lot in quite a few places.
"We carry the past within us, in our bones, in our blood,"
I went into this book thinking about how long and historical it looks, But on the contrary I was captured from Page 1.
[a:Kate Mosse|9343|Kate Mosse|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1358308999p2/9343.jpg] really challenged me as a reader, to expand my horizon from my normal books to Historical Fiction and by God I'm glad, because this book
It was so thrilling jumping back in time and the beautiful scenery that is Paris... I loved this book
I went into this book thinking about how long and historical it looks, But on the contrary I was captured from Page 1.
[a:Kate Mosse|9343|Kate Mosse|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1358308999p2/9343.jpg] really challenged me as a reader, to expand my horizon from my normal books to Historical Fiction and by God I'm glad, because this book
It was so thrilling jumping back in time and the beautiful scenery that is Paris... I loved this book
It took me 10 days to read 62 pages, which if you knew how much I liked to read, you would find that odd. This was horrible. This was the first book that I have every just completely given up on. I usually try to get a little farther than 62 pages, but I couldn't do it. I wasn't going to waste anymore time on this piece of garbage. I was already pissed off that it took 10 days out of my reading life. And of course, stupid me, when I purchased this book I also purchased the second in the series. Well, not even going to try. Both are going to Half-Priced Books.
Very close between a 2 and 3. It was one of those books where I kept waiting and waiting for it to get better and it never did! I would almost say that the first half was better than the second half because you still had to wonder what the secret of the grail was. I am still not sure what it actually was because the ending was so unclear. I was really excited about this book and the dual storylines but I was disappointed.
As Grail fiction, this blows Da Vinci Code out of the water; the characterization is so much better. I loved the device of switching between two times, using mirror-characters (vaguely hinting at the idea of reincarnation, which is touched upon in the religious context of the medieval half of the plot) to keep the stories firmly connected. I can't wait to read the next one in the trilogy. Granted, it's not "literary fiction;" it must be appreciated for what it is, which is a well-structured and thrilling adventure story.
I mentioned that this was part of a trilogy, but don't be fooled; the books are connected by location (the Languedoc region of France) and use similar methods, but they contain different stories, which I am discovering as I make my way through the second volume, Sepulchre.
I mentioned that this was part of a trilogy, but don't be fooled; the books are connected by location (the Languedoc region of France) and use similar methods, but they contain different stories, which I am discovering as I make my way through the second volume, Sepulchre.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
the plot is incredibly complex and at some points difficult to keep up with, but definitely worth it in the end!