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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I really wanted to like this after Little Shop of Found Things. I really, really, did. But it didn't meet my expectations - the writing seemed forced, stilted. The premise was ok, maybe not as interesting to me as it was when I encountered it in LSoFT. Not a bad book, but not as good as the first.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
No
I really loved the first book, and was VERY into the second book...until the last sentence. WHY?! It was too obvious and didn't need to be stated. It turned a book I really liked into one I could not recommend. Readers are intelligent: treat them as such!
I find it hard to know how to rate books like this. It was not ground breaking, it will be easily forgotten, the characters are not developed as much as I would like, and the writing is just okay. HOWEVER, it was very fun and I absolutely raced through it. So on that note alone I would recommend it.
This is a sequel to The Little Shop of Found Things and picks up a few weeks after the first book. This story builds on the first one and so I highly recommend reading them in order. I loved The Little Shop of Found Things.
After returning for the last time from the seventeenth century, Xanthe goes about trying to settle back into modern life. She longs for Samuel, but must deal with her obnoxious ex-boyfriend instead. When she is drawn to an old chocolate pot while searching for antiques for the store, she realizes it has a connection to Samuel and she knows she must return to the past.
This trip to the past doesn't follow the same pattern as Xanthe's first one did. She meets other people who can also travel as she has and she gains more control over her abilities and learns that she is a "Spinner" and comes to understand more of what that means. Her journey this time is fraught with more danger as she tries to help Samuel.
Xanthe returned to the future more this story and there was a lot of skulking and lying about where she was and what she was doing. We learned more about friends in the village and a better understanding of how the past intertwines with her present.
While this one didn't resonate with me as much as the first story, I enjoyed it. Magical realism, suspense and a bit of romance all compelled me to keep me reading. The story is resolved, but there is a cliffhanger at the end to lead into the next book in the series. I am so very curious to see what happens next.
After returning for the last time from the seventeenth century, Xanthe goes about trying to settle back into modern life. She longs for Samuel, but must deal with her obnoxious ex-boyfriend instead. When she is drawn to an old chocolate pot while searching for antiques for the store, she realizes it has a connection to Samuel and she knows she must return to the past.
This trip to the past doesn't follow the same pattern as Xanthe's first one did. She meets other people who can also travel as she has and she gains more control over her abilities and learns that she is a "Spinner" and comes to understand more of what that means. Her journey this time is fraught with more danger as she tries to help Samuel.
Xanthe returned to the future more this story and there was a lot of skulking and lying about where she was and what she was doing. We learned more about friends in the village and a better understanding of how the past intertwines with her present.
While this one didn't resonate with me as much as the first story, I enjoyed it. Magical realism, suspense and a bit of romance all compelled me to keep me reading. The story is resolved, but there is a cliffhanger at the end to lead into the next book in the series. I am so very curious to see what happens next.
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
I was hoping that this book could turn it around, but honestly I was just bored. You would think a book about time travel would be interesting, but it's really not. I think Brackston is hoping to set up Xanthe so have an epic nemesis like in her "The Witch's Daughter" series and I just cannot live through that mess again. This book doesn't hang together very well. Xanthe is not interesting at all. We have some pieces about her ability to "spin" through time, but no real information. We also have her talking to another character about this and my eyes glazed over. I wanted Xanthe to go back to Samuel and her protestations about her mother and her store just got annoying. We also have three love interests this time through and I just threw up my hands. The big bad was a laugh and a half and I just maybe snickered at the ending. Maybe next time Xanthe listens to someone.
Xanthe is trying to stay focused on helping her mother run her antique business in the town of Marlborough. Xanthe still thinks about Samuel, the man she met back in the seventeenth century. However, Xanthe is determined to not travel back in time. She had a hard time lying to her mother and she knows that she can't say back in the past. However, on a shopping trip with her mother, a chocolate pot "sings" to Xanthe. She doesn't know why it's calling to her and why it seems so reluctant to show her it's story. When Xanthe gets a vision that Samuel is in danger, she travels back in time to find out that he is being held prisoner and soon to be hanged for a plot against the king. If this isn't enough, Xanthe's ex Marcus is running around Marlborough trying to get her to talk to him again. And of course we have Liam still wanting more from Xanthe though she's told him she's not ready for a relationship.
I don't know, I should not have been hoping that Xanthe fail and stay back in the past. Her reasoning behind staying for her mother made me cringe a bit. I don't really see Xanthe doing what she loves, she's staying to take care of her mother and help her with her business. We hear how Xanthe is a really good singer, and I don't recall her singing that much this go round. Maybe once I think? It just seems as if all of her supposed passions are dried up. When Xanthe finally meets someone who knows about her abilities though she can't get information out of them. I started to get annoyed because it makes zero sense to me why it's not discussed. And then of course, Xanthe meets another spinner, or what I call a dark leaper (you Quantum Leap fans know what I am talking about). Honestly that is what jarred me a bit, I did start thinking about this book being a send up of Quantum Leap and then I started to see if I could find that series streaming anywhere.
I can't even say much about other characters. The most interesting one to me is a woman that Xanthe meets in the past who won't tell her much. We sadly don't get enough scenes with her and Samuel. Liam bugs me and Marcus sucked. We have Xanthe revealing her powers to someone and I was so bored with that that I started looking up Quantum Leap gifs.
The writing read as forced to me a few times. I mean honestly this whole Samuel is in danger thing could have been tied up pretty fast. But nope, we have Xanthe jumping back and forth in time and dealing with nonsense from Marcus and going over her abilities with someone and then going back in time trying to deal with the evil leaper. Pick a story-line and stick with it please.
The flow was off and I kept going oh is she still on that with so and so? I just started to lose interest in this whole book by the 70 percent mark or so. It was a struggle to finish cause we have like 3 or 4 "endings" before we get to the dun dun dun one.
The book jumps back and forth from our time to the 1600s in England again. The only reason why I am giving this book 2 stars though is that Brackston obviously did research on chocolate houses in that time and place and chocolate pots. I didn't even know that this was a real thing and got interested in reading about them and liked the details we are given. At times the book reads as a history book, but it didn't bother me at all.
The ending is a cliffhanger and one wonders how Xanthe is going to get her way out of this one.
I was hoping that this book could turn it around, but honestly I was just bored. You would think a book about time travel would be interesting, but it's really not. I think Brackston is hoping to set up Xanthe so have an epic nemesis like in her "The Witch's Daughter" series and I just cannot live through that mess again. This book doesn't hang together very well. Xanthe is not interesting at all. We have some pieces about her ability to "spin" through time, but no real information. We also have her talking to another character about this and my eyes glazed over. I wanted Xanthe to go back to Samuel and her protestations about her mother and her store just got annoying. We also have three love interests this time through and I just threw up my hands. The big bad was a laugh and a half and I just maybe snickered at the ending. Maybe next time Xanthe listens to someone.
Xanthe is trying to stay focused on helping her mother run her antique business in the town of Marlborough. Xanthe still thinks about Samuel, the man she met back in the seventeenth century. However, Xanthe is determined to not travel back in time. She had a hard time lying to her mother and she knows that she can't say back in the past. However, on a shopping trip with her mother, a chocolate pot "sings" to Xanthe. She doesn't know why it's calling to her and why it seems so reluctant to show her it's story. When Xanthe gets a vision that Samuel is in danger, she travels back in time to find out that he is being held prisoner and soon to be hanged for a plot against the king. If this isn't enough, Xanthe's ex Marcus is running around Marlborough trying to get her to talk to him again. And of course we have Liam still wanting more from Xanthe though she's told him she's not ready for a relationship.
I don't know, I should not have been hoping that Xanthe fail and stay back in the past. Her reasoning behind staying for her mother made me cringe a bit. I don't really see Xanthe doing what she loves, she's staying to take care of her mother and help her with her business. We hear how Xanthe is a really good singer, and I don't recall her singing that much this go round. Maybe once I think? It just seems as if all of her supposed passions are dried up. When Xanthe finally meets someone who knows about her abilities though she can't get information out of them. I started to get annoyed because it makes zero sense to me why it's not discussed. And then of course, Xanthe meets another spinner, or what I call a dark leaper (you Quantum Leap fans know what I am talking about). Honestly that is what jarred me a bit, I did start thinking about this book being a send up of Quantum Leap and then I started to see if I could find that series streaming anywhere.
I can't even say much about other characters. The most interesting one to me is a woman that Xanthe meets in the past who won't tell her much. We sadly don't get enough scenes with her and Samuel. Liam bugs me and Marcus sucked. We have Xanthe revealing her powers to someone and I was so bored with that that I started looking up Quantum Leap gifs.
The writing read as forced to me a few times. I mean honestly this whole Samuel is in danger thing could have been tied up pretty fast. But nope, we have Xanthe jumping back and forth in time and dealing with nonsense from Marcus and going over her abilities with someone and then going back in time trying to deal with the evil leaper. Pick a story-line and stick with it please.
The flow was off and I kept going oh is she still on that with so and so? I just started to lose interest in this whole book by the 70 percent mark or so. It was a struggle to finish cause we have like 3 or 4 "endings" before we get to the dun dun dun one.
The book jumps back and forth from our time to the 1600s in England again. The only reason why I am giving this book 2 stars though is that Brackston obviously did research on chocolate houses in that time and place and chocolate pots. I didn't even know that this was a real thing and got interested in reading about them and liked the details we are given. At times the book reads as a history book, but it didn't bother me at all.
The ending is a cliffhanger and one wonders how Xanthe is going to get her way out of this one.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Author must be a big fan of Diane Gaboldon. A fun and entertaining read if you can get behind the time travel part.
Xanthe is back in the second book of the Found Things series. After her first foray into the past to help someone in need, Xanthe finds a new object that sings to her and beckons her back. What is surprising is that it is to help an old friend, who is in more danger than ever.
The chocolate pot takes her to a chocolate house and introduces her to a new ally, a new foe, and familiar friends. She must risk her life, both in the past and present, to help someone in need. She is also has to deal with an unwanted blast from the past who has come to stir her up and make her reconsider her choices thus far.
The book was very entertaining and it was great to see characters from the first book appear, as well as new introductions. I did feel like some of the plot points seemed a bit strained and the ending left a little to be desired. I enjoyed the adventure it took me on and was glad to see the story continue. If you love antiques, time-travel, and adventure, this will surely keep you engaged.
The chocolate pot takes her to a chocolate house and introduces her to a new ally, a new foe, and familiar friends. She must risk her life, both in the past and present, to help someone in need. She is also has to deal with an unwanted blast from the past who has come to stir her up and make her reconsider her choices thus far.
The book was very entertaining and it was great to see characters from the first book appear, as well as new introductions. I did feel like some of the plot points seemed a bit strained and the ending left a little to be desired. I enjoyed the adventure it took me on and was glad to see the story continue. If you love antiques, time-travel, and adventure, this will surely keep you engaged.
Secrets of the Chocolate House is the second book in Brackston's Found Things series. It's not a series in which you can read them as stand-alone (context matters!), so if you've not read the first, go start there!
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had ended up with mixed feelings about the first one and the way the plot was driven, but this seemed more thought out without as many plot points thrown in. While it does introduce a new concept, it fits well with the theme and gives the background for other books in the series that the author may do (there's two more that I know of at the time of this writing).
While Xanthe was still a bit foolhardy, she was at least likable this time around and I didn't feel myself growing as frustrated with her actions. Liam was a dear as ever and I can't wait to hopefully see more of him in the coming books. Everyone else, well, the pleasant side characters were pleasant and the not-so-pleasant did a compelling role of playing the antagonist. We also get a little mystery in some of the characters that we meet in this book and it helps to draw a reader in.
I now look forward to the next book in the series and seeing where Xanthe's abilities take her.
Review by M. Reynard 2022
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had ended up with mixed feelings about the first one and the way the plot was driven, but this seemed more thought out without as many plot points thrown in. While it does introduce a new concept, it fits well with the theme and gives the background for other books in the series that the author may do (there's two more that I know of at the time of this writing).
While Xanthe was still a bit foolhardy, she was at least likable this time around and I didn't feel myself growing as frustrated with her actions. Liam was a dear as ever and I can't wait to hopefully see more of him in the coming books. Everyone else, well, the pleasant side characters were pleasant and the not-so-pleasant did a compelling role of playing the antagonist. We also get a little mystery in some of the characters that we meet in this book and it helps to draw a reader in.
I now look forward to the next book in the series and seeing where Xanthe's abilities take her.
Review by M. Reynard 2022