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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
A very slow read (I read the first hundred pages then set it down for a month) but satisfying in the end. I haven’t read many books about Catholicism in 1590 England so there was a lot to learn and the author’s note about it was interesting as well.
This story was WAY too wordy! It also was WAY more graphic than books I like to read in general. I do not enjoy reading a book with the raping an torture of women. Where I know that this happened, I like to escape with my very vivid imagination and this made me cringe as I pictured every gruesome second of this poor woman's torture. I also feel that the murder of the baby by kicking the stomach, etc, was too much. As I read this, I felt more and more like it was written by someone who maybe never lost a baby or is possibly a man, because I felt it was insensitive. It reminded me of when I read The Time Travelers Wife and I felt that the language chosen was not typical of a female writer to describe a female protagonist.
All in all, I wouldn't recommend, even though it was wrapped up with a nice bow at the end. the 22 hours of me listening on audible can't be given back to me and I am very disappointed.
All in all, I wouldn't recommend, even though it was wrapped up with a nice bow at the end. the 22 hours of me listening on audible can't be given back to me and I am very disappointed.
It's more a 3.5 stars than 3.
This book might not be for everyone due to its high attention to minutia. I would almost put it in the Naturalist genre, really. Though I can understand the wish of the author to be as true to the historical aspect of her story, I personally felt the usage of archaic speech to be an early obstacle that might make some put the book down.
I did have problem with Mallory. She's depicted as an intelligent and witty young woman and yet, at a most crucial point, she turned into a damsel in distress despite supposedly knowing everything that she did. I know the use of the first person narration usually makes a reader bond with the main protagonist but, in this instance, it was more a detriment for me.
Despite all of that, the story is superbly well crafted even despite some scenes making no sense and/or contradicting something that had already occurred. The mix of fact and fiction are beautifully spun together which is what I usually look for in historical novels. I just wish it had captivated me more than it actually did.
This book might not be for everyone due to its high attention to minutia. I would almost put it in the Naturalist genre, really. Though I can understand the wish of the author to be as true to the historical aspect of her story, I personally felt the usage of archaic speech to be an early obstacle that might make some put the book down.
I did have problem with Mallory. She's depicted as an intelligent and witty young woman and yet, at a most crucial point, she turned into a damsel in distress despite supposedly knowing everything that she did. I know the use of the first person narration usually makes a reader bond with the main protagonist but, in this instance, it was more a detriment for me.
Despite all of that, the story is superbly well crafted even despite some scenes making no sense and/or contradicting something that had already occurred. The mix of fact and fiction are beautifully spun together which is what I usually look for in historical novels. I just wish it had captivated me more than it actually did.
Slow going at first, but it picks up in the middle. I liked learning about a different side of life from the period.
Gripping espionage thriller set in Elizabethan London, with a female protagonist, theatrical types, the Queen's spymaster, and the most heart-clenching switch at the climax.
An absorbing tale of a ‘fallen woman’ who is a locksmiths daughter. Mallory, the central character, has sinned (or been wronged, depending on how you view it). She is plunged straight in to the purge of Catholicism in the 1580s as perpetrated by Sir Francis Walshingham for Elizabeth 1. Mallory turns lock-breaker and spy; a dangerous role for anyone, especially a woman. Mallory is past caring and throws herself into her task.
I would give you a warning about the detail of sixteenth century crime and punishment. It’s pretty clear in this book, in full detail. Well researched and with lots of additional information, this is one for fans of Alison Weir and S J Parris.
I would give you a warning about the detail of sixteenth century crime and punishment. It’s pretty clear in this book, in full detail. Well researched and with lots of additional information, this is one for fans of Alison Weir and S J Parris.
This was the first audiobook I've listened to for a while and I do struggle to follow information if I'm listening to it so that might be why I struggled to get into the story.
The descriptions were quite lengthy and stalled the progression of the plot. It was intriguing and well written otherwise to push me to the end. Unsure I would read more by this author after the horrible details of torture and rape near the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Murder
Well now then...I wasn't expecting this when I picked up this novel! I enjoyed this novel from page one, but have to say, once I really got into it, I found it difficult to put down. At the same time, I often found myself getting pretty worked up towards the end and HAD to put it down for a quick 5 or 10 minute break.
I won't lie, parts of me were completely shocked at the descriptions that Brooks gave the reader in the novel. Make no mistake, this isn't some calming regency romance to warm your heart and soothe your soul. There are at least two parts of this novel that greatly disturbed me in their graphic descriptions and the level of their violence. However, as much as those bits upset me, they only lent to this book transporting me to time and the events in the novel. I had a quite vivid dream of one scene and felt much like the main character in the novel. The difference between knowing something happens and the reality of of actually witnessing it. As horrible as it might have been to read this, some things really shouldn't be whitewashed over in our histories.
I really felt for Mallory, the main character. Brooks really led her and me, the reader, on some sort of grand adventure. It wasn't always a happy one, but this all felt very real for me. I appreciate that Mallory made some dumb mistakes. That she often questioned right from wrong. I also, and I can't express this enough, so appreciate that instead of having the heroine run off and add even more obstacles in her already difficult life, that she listened to advice from those she trusted, and then listened to her heart and made the difficult choice to be open and honest. So often an author just invents silly reasons to have someone run off just so some love interest can run after them. We didn't have that here.
I was genuinely surprised with some of the things that happened, and yet, again, unlike so many authors, I didn't feel like Brooks just did this to impress the reader.
She had me so confused with the good and the bad that Mallory was going through in the novel and with her writing style that I honestly despaired about the ending. I had no clue where she would end this novel or how...
NO! I am not going to tell you....for that you'll have to read this novel and find out for yourselves...
Go on now...
ARC provided for by the publisher for an honest review
I won't lie, parts of me were completely shocked at the descriptions that Brooks gave the reader in the novel. Make no mistake, this isn't some calming regency romance to warm your heart and soothe your soul. There are at least two parts of this novel that greatly disturbed me in their graphic descriptions and the level of their violence. However, as much as those bits upset me, they only lent to this book transporting me to time and the events in the novel. I had a quite vivid dream of one scene and felt much like the main character in the novel. The difference between knowing something happens and the reality of of actually witnessing it. As horrible as it might have been to read this, some things really shouldn't be whitewashed over in our histories.
I really felt for Mallory, the main character. Brooks really led her and me, the reader, on some sort of grand adventure. It wasn't always a happy one, but this all felt very real for me. I appreciate that Mallory made some dumb mistakes. That she often questioned right from wrong. I also, and I can't express this enough, so appreciate that instead of having the heroine run off and add even more obstacles in her already difficult life, that she listened to advice from those she trusted, and then listened to her heart and made the difficult choice to be open and honest. So often an author just invents silly reasons to have someone run off just so some love interest can run after them. We didn't have that here.
I was genuinely surprised with some of the things that happened, and yet, again, unlike so many authors, I didn't feel like Brooks just did this to impress the reader.
She had me so confused with the good and the bad that Mallory was going through in the novel and with her writing style that I honestly despaired about the ending. I had no clue where she would end this novel or how...
NO! I am not going to tell you....for that you'll have to read this novel and find out for yourselves...
Go on now...
ARC provided for by the publisher for an honest review
an excellent read. I'm familiar with the era and aware of Walsingham's mooting as the first real spymaster but this take was intriguing, if a little difficult to get into at first. There were several points where I thought, "the story can't end here" and of course it did not, but there were many cliffhanger type moments. The only thing that didn't gel was Walsingham's final action in the epilogue.
Even the author's notes about further reading were informative!
Even the author's notes about further reading were informative!