2.12k reviews for:

The Magnolia Palace

Fiona Davis

3.79 AVERAGE

mrs_hass's review

4.5

medium-paced

ana_man's review

3.75

emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

rachnakhare's review

4.0

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I loved this perfectly paced page-turner! A fun and engaging historical fiction/mystery with interesting timelines, complex characters you care about, and just the right amount of romance rooted in strong female leads.

mkarrs's review

3.75

hopeful informative medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I think that the book does a good job of keeping the reader engaged and interested in the mystery portion of the plot. There was significantly more time devoted to the 1919 portion of the plot which, while necessary to setup the denouement of the story, made the character development feel unbalanced at times. However, Davis does a good job of investing the reader in Lillian's arc, as well as her relationship with Helen. I was satisfied with the ending. 

krislynv's review

5.0

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I really liked this book. I knew nothing about it going into it. At first I thought the ending was being tied up a little too quickly, but then I read the Author’s note and completely forgot that this is loosely based off a true story. I was happy with the information provided at the end about the real life Frick family and the person Lillian was based off of. I found it interesting.

k1berry's review against another edition

5.0

emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death

katben2232's review

4.0

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

kaylatm's review

2.0

slow-paced

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

apriltrepagnier's review

3.0

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Solid genre read. The history throughout the book was interesting. The Author's note at the end brought a lot to the table. I would have liked to have known much of that information before I read the book, but it would have to be rewritten without spoilers. 

The story was interesting and I did want to find out what happened. I had a hard time giving a shit about the characters though. 

moack_5's review

4.75

inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated