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riverstills's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jordanbird's review against another edition
3.0
The Stone Rose further explores the relationship between the 10th Doctor and Rose while the duo blend into Ancient Rome attempting to solve the mystery of The Stone Rose.
The characterisation of The Doctor seems to mostly follow what we would expect from the 10th Incarnation, however some instances are taken to the extreme or are completely out of character which can be quite jarring as the book moves between the characterisations.
Some examples include or .
Rose's characterisation on the other hand is flawless, which makes The Doctor's inconsistent characterisation even more disappointing.
As for the story, the initial mystery is intriguing and engaging and Jacqueline lays a strong foundation for the rest of the book in terms of setting and characters.
Unfortunately, I didn't feel as though the rest of the book always met the same quality as the beginning.
It started to falter for me when the section started. The entire section seemed out of character for the 10th Doctor as represented in other media; as well as tone from the rest of the book.
Following this section the quality improves again until the resolution of the story, which didn't really have a satisfying explanation.
Some closing thoughts..
Ultimately The Stone Rose felt like a story created for Rose and The Doctor was added later on, if you remove the colosseum section I feel you could call this a 'Doctor-Lite' story.
At the point where The Doctor is removed from the story I honestly thought the revelation was going to be that he had never been there and Rose was being effected by the reveal for a large portion of the story; which with Rose's characterisation being so accurate and The Doctor's almost being a 'hero' version of himself would have made a lot more sense in the context of the story.
The characterisation of The Doctor seems to mostly follow what we would expect from the 10th Incarnation, however some instances are taken to the extreme or are completely out of character which can be quite jarring as the book moves between the characterisations.
Some examples include
Spoiler
out of character acrobaticsSpoiler
not reacting to a murder in front of himRose's characterisation on the other hand is flawless, which makes The Doctor's inconsistent characterisation even more disappointing.
As for the story, the initial mystery is intriguing and engaging and Jacqueline lays a strong foundation for the rest of the book in terms of setting and characters.
Unfortunately, I didn't feel as though the rest of the book always met the same quality as the beginning.
It started to falter for me when the
Spoiler
colosseumFollowing this section the quality improves again until the resolution of the story, which didn't really have a satisfying explanation.
Some closing thoughts..
Spoiler
Ultimately The Stone Rose felt like a story created for Rose and The Doctor was added later on, if you remove the colosseum section I feel you could call this a 'Doctor-Lite' story.
At the point where The Doctor is removed from the story I honestly thought the revelation was going to be that he had never been there and Rose was being effected by the reveal for a large portion of the story; which with Rose's characterisation being so accurate and The Doctor's almost being a 'hero' version of himself would have made a lot more sense in the context of the story.
effesea's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Cozy, adventurous and timey-wimey. And read by David Tennant, which makes it a thousand times better.
rpych2's review
4.0
I don't read many Doctor Who books for whatever reason, maybe because I watch the show so much and there are so many other things I want to read, but I really liked this one. Tennant is one of my favorite Doctors (1b to Matt Smith's 1a) and I love Rose Tyler. The setting of Ancient Rome is very intriguing as well, and it has all the timey-wimey stuff you could possibly want.
lemon_cheesecakes's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kawaiilotus's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I think that this book was pretty good in the first half at developing the world and the characters for anyone who may not have seen the show before. Also thank GOD the characters were wearing period-appropriate clothing. It’s a small nitpick, I know, but it didn’t happen too often in the show so I was glad to see it here.
The middle of the book was interesting but it got kinda fast paced as soon as they got back to the villa. Litetally as soon as we met Ursus I suspected him. He put the sus in Ursus, that’s for sure.
As for the end, it kinda dragged on for me. The whole GENIE stuff and the 50 paradoxes that happened were so confusing that I kinda lost interest. I know Doctor Who has stuff like this happen all the time, but the GENIE seemed WAYYYYYYY too overpowered. Like it just grabbed wishes out of peoples thoughts? I thought for a while that it could only grant wishes if “I wish” was said, but apparently not. I mean, I guess that’s why it had the capability to destroy the whole world, but I wasn’t a fan. OH AND LIKE 5 PEOPLE GETTING POOFED OUT OF AND BACK INTO EXISTENCE IN THE SPAN OF PROBABLY 20 PAGES IS SO CRAZY. IT FELT LIKE A FEVER DREAM.
I think this book was some solid fanservice for everyone who loves the romance between 10 and Rose, and I loved getting to see them go on another adventure together. They will forever be my favorite ship on Doctor Who. <3
(Would've been a 3/5 but the period-appropriate clothingand the kiss added bonus points)
The middle of the book was interesting but it got kinda fast paced as soon as they got back to the villa.
As for the end, it kinda dragged on for me.
I think this book was some solid fanservice for everyone who loves the romance between 10 and Rose, and I loved getting to see them go on another adventure together. They will forever be my favorite ship on Doctor Who. <3
(Would've been a 3/5 but the period-appropriate clothing
Content Warnings
Minor: Slavery
ccoelophysis's review
4.0
My first Doctor Who book! It is just like the show, only you can take it to work with you. Yay!