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waclements7's review against another edition
5.0
I knew what was going to happen in the end fairly early on and didn’t feel very emotionally invested in it—but then, I bawled at the ending anyway. It is really sticking with me.
rivercat0338's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and War
Moderate: Murder and Religious bigotry
Minor: Car accident
rlse's review
3.0
I keep thinking about this read. I had rated it 4 stars originally for my interest level while reading, but I keep feeling dissatisfied at the ending. It felt like, “well, can’t really be sure what’s succeeded or not, so, let’s just do the bloody drastic.” And then it seemed like the end indicated it hadn’t been necessary? I don’t know. I felt like the characters deserved better treatment by the storyteller. (And better treatment in general.)
felinity's review against another edition
3.0
Here we have a strange "what if" scenario, set during 1940 when German invasion of Britain seemed imminent, and people in MI6 are desperate to protect Britain by every means possible.
Strangely, my opinion hasn't changed since the first (and only) prior reading many years ago. The writing is good, as expected, and the characters live and breathe as people. The setting surrounds them appropriately without being dwelt upon... but the plot just doesn't grab me. I walked away feeling a little meh, which is disappointing. The magic is darker and more ominous than that in the Deryni books, though readers will notice many familiarities in style and workings, and did make me feel a little icky at times but that wasn't the reason. I think I just felt a little let down by the overall ending.
If you want to know a little of what to expect in terms of the occult: A fair amount, in fact. And unfortunately,
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Now, with the future of Britain at stake, these two men, the spy and the royal, must rally the hidden adherents of the Old Religion, hoping to unite the British covens in defense of their endangered island homeland. But it will take more than combined Wiccan sorcery to repel the Reich’s black magic on Lammas Night—and the sacrifice required might be greater than imagined and truly terrible to endure.
Lammas Night is a spectacular feat of creative imagination from the author of the acclaimed Deryni fantasy series. Smart, affecting, and brilliantly conceived, it is an enthralling combination of historical fiction, war novel, and the occult that will appeal to fans of all fantastic literature.
Strangely, my opinion hasn't changed since the first (and only) prior reading many years ago. The writing is good, as expected, and the characters live and breathe as people. The setting surrounds them appropriately without being dwelt upon... but the plot just doesn't grab me. I walked away feeling a little meh, which is disappointing. The magic is darker and more ominous than that in the Deryni books, though readers will notice many familiarities in style and workings, and did make me feel a little icky at times but that wasn't the reason. I think I just felt a little let down by the overall ending.
If you want to know a little of what to expect in terms of the occult:
Spoiler
there is hypnotism, reincarnation, blood sacrifice, black magic; there are references to old priest/priestesses, Qabalistic rituals, Rosicrucians, witchcraft and druidry; there are magical rites and suggestions that all religions are the same.Spoiler
William is Kurtz' invention.Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Now, with the future of Britain at stake, these two men, the spy and the royal, must rally the hidden adherents of the Old Religion, hoping to unite the British covens in defense of their endangered island homeland. But it will take more than combined Wiccan sorcery to repel the Reich’s black magic on Lammas Night—and the sacrifice required might be greater than imagined and truly terrible to endure.
Lammas Night is a spectacular feat of creative imagination from the author of the acclaimed Deryni fantasy series. Smart, affecting, and brilliantly conceived, it is an enthralling combination of historical fiction, war novel, and the occult that will appeal to fans of all fantastic literature.
btinternet's review
5.0
Great book
This is one of those books I come back to time and time again - I love the character relationships and the concept. There are points that are dry or oddly written but overall a good read.
This is one of those books I come back to time and time again - I love the character relationships and the concept. There are points that are dry or oddly written but overall a good read.
vsbedford's review
2.0
An alternative history that leans heavily on The History Channel-ish genre of Nazis and the occult (but if one were to focus on the Allies instead of the Axis). I normally enjoy these types of history/fantasy mashups and I wanted to enjoy this a bit more than I actually did - it can grow a bit plodding and it feels looooong. Also, this is super dude heavy so buckle up for that.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
alanaefarrell's review
It's hard to read a book about war when the world is on fire
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
efride's review
2.0
Read this book if you like a black and white depiction of the war, you feel the British monarchy is necessary and purposeful, you don't care about there only being one major female character among many male ones, and you're curious about how occultism in England might have been in the 1940s (in Kurtz's view).
The premise is what made me start to read it, and it's interesting that occultism was practiced on both sides during the war. It's a pity it doesn't deliver, because the book is well written and the characters interesting, at least at first. Then the story stretches for too long to wind up in a disappointing ending.
The premise is what made me start to read it, and it's interesting that occultism was practiced on both sides during the war. It's a pity it doesn't deliver, because the book is well written and the characters interesting, at least at first. Then the story stretches for too long to wind up in a disappointing ending.
walford's review
4.0
Very Well Done. Feels like she got everything about the time and place right (a few Americanisms slip in). But what a great story. Very Satisfying.
mdpenguin's review
4.0
I really didn't expect to like this book. I got it as part of a Humble Bundle and kind of picked it up on a whim. There are some weaknesses -- Kurtz repeats things a lot, a lot of the scenes where Graham explains things to William feel a bit contrived, and the foreshadowing is so heavy-handed that it makes the characters seem a bit dull not to be picking up on things earlier -- but overall the characters are very well drawn and the story is quite engrossing. There are a lot of details about what is going on both in the worlds of the military and the occultists that make it seem almost more like history than fiction. It seems that it is based on some true stories and Kurtz really did her research to be as authentic to the occultists as possible. Although she was never on my radar before, I'll probably pick up another of her novels sometime in the future.