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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Overall I'd give this a 3.5, maybe even a 3.75. I'm rounding it down, but somedays this book is a 4.5 stars and other days it's a clear 2 stars. It fully depends.
I just have one thing to say. freddie?? um FREDDIE??? Are we just not going to address that? We're supposed to forgive and forget? Huh???
I just have one thing to say. freddie?? um FREDDIE??? Are we just not going to address that? We're supposed to forgive and forget? Huh???
emotional
hopeful
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
absolutely charming book i enjoyed from the first to the very last page. from the soft prose and emotionally-charged dialogues to tender, raw characters and engaging plot, the kingdoms is a delight, a gem. the story and the atmospheric, magical setting captivates you little by little, it breaks your heart and then puts the little pieces back together at the end.
I was never an avid reader until a few years ago when I decided I wanted to spend my free time reading instead of mindlessly scrolling my phone. Now the library is my happy place and I've been on a search to find my favorite genres, favorite authors and books that make my soul happy.
This book, The Kingdoms, was everything I was looking for and more. I'm still dazed after finishing it a few weeks ago and then rereading it a couple days later. Books with this much effect on my heart don't come along often. Exciting... Heartbreaking... Clever.... Thought-provoking... Satisfying... And with a mix of fantasy, alternative history, time-travel, love and sacrifice -- there was so much to the story and I loved it all! I already knew this was going to be one of my favorite books by page 100 and typically it takes me 100 pages to start getting invested in any other story. Probably my favorite things about this book were the intricacies of the characters and the plot and how everything started clicking together as the book went along. The ending was perfectly written. I am amazed at what this author can do!
The story starts with Joe, who steps off a train in London, but doesn't remember who he is, how he got there, and why everyone is speaking French. After he goes to a hospital, his family finds him and takes him back home where he struggles to fully regain his memory. Soon after, he receives a 90 year old postcard of a lighthouse that seems familiar, but the lighthouse was only built 2 years ago. In a search to learn more about his past, he finds a way to travel to the lighthouse, but in doing so, it sets him on an adventure through time.
And that's about all that can be stated without giving too much away. A short summary will never do this story justice though, so you'll just have to read it to find out what happens...wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
I truly hope this book becomes more popular (it certainly has the potential to have a fan base) and will definitely be recommending it to people who like more complex stories. Please read it!
This book, The Kingdoms, was everything I was looking for and more. I'm still dazed after finishing it a few weeks ago and then rereading it a couple days later. Books with this much effect on my heart don't come along often. Exciting... Heartbreaking... Clever.... Thought-provoking... Satisfying... And with a mix of fantasy, alternative history, time-travel, love and sacrifice -- there was so much to the story and I loved it all! I already knew this was going to be one of my favorite books by page 100 and typically it takes me 100 pages to start getting invested in any other story. Probably my favorite things about this book were the intricacies of the characters and the plot and how everything started clicking together as the book went along. The ending was perfectly written. I am amazed at what this author can do!
The story starts with Joe, who steps off a train in London, but doesn't remember who he is, how he got there, and why everyone is speaking French. After he goes to a hospital, his family finds him and takes him back home where he struggles to fully regain his memory. Soon after, he receives a 90 year old postcard of a lighthouse that seems familiar, but the lighthouse was only built 2 years ago. In a search to learn more about his past, he finds a way to travel to the lighthouse, but in doing so, it sets him on an adventure through time.
And that's about all that can be stated without giving too much away. A short summary will never do this story justice though, so you'll just have to read it to find out what happens...wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
I truly hope this book becomes more popular (it certainly has the potential to have a fan base) and will definitely be recommending it to people who like more complex stories. Please read it!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pulley's books keep getting successively better. At this rate the next one will probably just knock me dead straight away.
Which is not to say that this book was without its faults, because it did have them. Pulley is the queen of fridging wives so the male leads can have their happily ever after, but three seems a little excessive even for her. And the ending was a little too conveniently perfect. I was expecting (and wanting) bittersweet, but was instead served completely sweet. In my opinion, it really cheapened all the loss and struggle of the entire book.
That being said, this book was a sheer pleasure to read and I'll almost certainly be revisiting it in the future.
Which is not to say that this book was without its faults, because it did have them. Pulley is the queen of fridging wives so the male leads can have their happily ever after, but three seems a little excessive even for her. And the ending was a little too conveniently perfect. I was expecting (and wanting) bittersweet, but was instead served completely sweet. In my opinion, it really cheapened all the loss and struggle of the entire book.
That being said, this book was a sheer pleasure to read and I'll almost certainly be revisiting it in the future.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was wonderful, it felt like a breath of fresh air. The concept was so interesting and the story was beautiful. I absolutely loved it!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent
The Kingdoms starts in 1898 with Joe Tournier stepping down from a steam train and realising he has absolutely no memory of anything prior to that moment. The London he has arrived in is simultaneously both familiar and quite wrong:
"Joe wondered why the hell the train company was giving London station names in French, and then wondered helplessly why he'd wondered. All the London station names were French. Everyone knew that."
It's really refreshing to read an alternate history novel that isn't based on Germany winning WWII. In this case, the French won at Trafalgar, England is a French colony and Joe is a slave. Scotland is still at war with France and when Joe receives a hundred year old postcard of a Scottish lighthouse signed only "M", he embarks on the most incredible journey.
What follows is gloriously convoluted and time-twisty (so much so that at one point I resorted to drawing a diagram to work it out). The story is exquisitely plotted, with the consequences of the time travel elements worked out to the finest detail and ultimately all the threads are drawn together into a highly satisfying conclusion. The characters are equally as complex as the story and there are some thrilling battle scenes that bring history to life. It's an absolute must-read for anyone who likes a book you can really get your teeth into. Fabulous stuff.
Thanks to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read this. It's the first book by Natasha Pulley that I've read, but it won't be the last.
"Joe wondered why the hell the train company was giving London station names in French, and then wondered helplessly why he'd wondered. All the London station names were French. Everyone knew that."
It's really refreshing to read an alternate history novel that isn't based on Germany winning WWII. In this case, the French won at Trafalgar, England is a French colony and Joe is a slave. Scotland is still at war with France and when Joe receives a hundred year old postcard of a Scottish lighthouse signed only "M", he embarks on the most incredible journey.
What follows is gloriously convoluted and time-twisty (so much so that at one point I resorted to drawing a diagram to work it out). The story is exquisitely plotted, with the consequences of the time travel elements worked out to the finest detail and ultimately all the threads are drawn together into a highly satisfying conclusion. The characters are equally as complex as the story and there are some thrilling battle scenes that bring history to life. It's an absolute must-read for anyone who likes a book you can really get your teeth into. Fabulous stuff.
Thanks to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read this. It's the first book by Natasha Pulley that I've read, but it won't be the last.
ik was er helemaal klaar voor om dit boek maar 3 sterren te geven. ik dacht, is dit nou het eerste boek van natasha pulley dat ik middelmatig vind? maar nee hoor, de laatste 150 blz hebben me weer helemaal overtuigd van haar schrijftalent <3
het is weer dezelfde formule, weer dezelfde morally grey characters, maar het werkt zo goed.
"You're my family! You were my family before any of them. I've missed you even when I didn't remember you. Everything I've done since losing you has been about getting back to you." (p.423)
het is weer dezelfde formule, weer dezelfde morally grey characters, maar het werkt zo goed.
"You're my family! You were my family before any of them. I've missed you even when I didn't remember you. Everything I've done since losing you has been about getting back to you." (p.423)