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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
This was an excellent book. While I admit it took a few chapters for me to get into it, once I did, I couldn't put it down. It was engaging and the charachters were well developed. There were several "on the edge of your seat" moments. Many have compared this book to Gabaldon's Outlander series and, this book did mention charachters from that series, I believe it stands on its own. I'm into the second in the series now and it's just as engaging as this one was. It's a great book which I highly recommend.
This was reminiscent of The Last of the Mohicans but from a womanly point of view. Just ordered the second, and I feel it will be enjoyable. Overall not as awesome as the Outlander books but still week done.
I wanted to love this, but for me it paled in comparison to the Outlander series.I felt it was too long and I found myself inattentive and skimming often. I could not keep all the characters straight, especially with some having both anglicized and Mohawk names. There were some moments of action that I enjoyed, and the concept of a strong female character appealed to me. But some of the reveals seemed so farfetched as to be almost silly. I will not be reading more in the series, as I just did not care enough for the characters to want to keep following them. It was more romance novel/bodice ripper than I had expected. I think I went into it with different expectations, which probably made me like it less than I would have if I had come to it with no preconceived notions.
I did like the premise, though, and if it were about 200 pages shorter, I would have enjoyed it much more.
I did like the premise, though, and if it were about 200 pages shorter, I would have enjoyed it much more.
Good work on character development and the story line kept me engaged. I was a bit leery when I realized this was a continuation of Last of the Mohicans, but it takes place far enough after that book ended that it was plausible. What I didn't like was the name-dropping of characters from other books that added nothing to the story line itself. If one hadn't read these other books then the inclusion of these names would have been unnecessary--it gave voice to characters that did nothing to advance the plot.
Set in the 1790's, this book begins a series centering on a New York mountain village. Elizabeth Middleton returns to her father's home after being raised by here aunt in England. There she encounters a cast of characters that are set in their ways, especially as she's determined to establish a school that welcomes all. She also meets Nathaniel Bonner, a white man who lives like a Native American.
So, I'm not going to lie. I did pick up this book solely on the fact I listened to an Anne Bogel "What Should I Read Next" podcast where it comes up that some of the Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) characters make an appearance in this novel. The appearance is not in person but by mention, and definitely brief. Luckily, this book and its characters were interesting enough to hold my attention without that hook - that was towards the middle anyway.
Don't go into this expecting a book like Outlander though. Yes, it's historical fiction set in some of the same time frame. But the characters seemed more modern yet set in a historical time frame. It just didn't seem as satiated in the time period or even as accurate.
Elizabeth seemed fairly juvenile to me. I liked her, but kept thinking of her as 19 instead of a spinster of 29. The romance also seemed more lust than love and happened very quickly.
It took about 10 chapters to get into the plot, but then it seemed to pick up. I was engaged by that point though. In some places, the timeline or setting seemed to jump without any warning like a page break or a chapter change. That could have been issues with the ebook version though. There were also some inconsistencies and dropped story lines. Hoping some of those are picked up in the next book.
I will be reading book 2. If you plan to as well, do yourself a favor and don't read the summary of the book on Goodreads. I feel like it spoiled some of it before I even started.
Heads-Up: some steamy content - I skipped paragraphs here and there. I don't think there was as much as an Outlander book though.
Read more reviews at https://mommyreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
So, I'm not going to lie. I did pick up this book solely on the fact I listened to an Anne Bogel "What Should I Read Next" podcast where it comes up that some of the Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) characters make an appearance in this novel. The appearance is not in person but by mention, and definitely brief. Luckily, this book and its characters were interesting enough to hold my attention without that hook - that was towards the middle anyway.
Don't go into this expecting a book like Outlander though. Yes, it's historical fiction set in some of the same time frame. But the characters seemed more modern yet set in a historical time frame. It just didn't seem as satiated in the time period or even as accurate.
Elizabeth seemed fairly juvenile to me. I liked her, but kept thinking of her as 19 instead of a spinster of 29. The romance also seemed more lust than love and happened very quickly.
It took about 10 chapters to get into the plot, but then it seemed to pick up. I was engaged by that point though. In some places, the timeline or setting seemed to jump without any warning like a page break or a chapter change. That could have been issues with the ebook version though. There were also some inconsistencies and dropped story lines. Hoping some of those are picked up in the next book.
I will be reading book 2. If you plan to as well, do yourself a favor and don't read the summary of the book on Goodreads. I feel like it spoiled some of it before I even started.
Heads-Up: some steamy content - I skipped paragraphs here and there. I don't think there was as much as an Outlander book though.
Read more reviews at https://mommyreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
me ha tenido enganchada desde el minuto uno, con una descripcion al detalle, bien narrado y con unos personajes bien descritos tanto los principales como secundarios, es la primera vez que leo algo de esta autora y apartir de aqui no sera el ultimo.
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love an epic story, and Sara Donati delivers one in a major way. Even though it is over 800 pages long, this story is compelling and moves quickly, and kept me engrossed from the very beginning. Many compare it to Outlander (a few of the characters even make a brief cameo), and it is similar enough to entice those fans (like myself), but also its own entity, especially since it lacks the fantasy/time travel element, which will draw in historical fiction lovers of all sorts.