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justabean_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I did like a lot about the book. I read it in less than a day because I wanted to see what happened! The descriptions of the country were vivid and poetic. I liked a lot of the side characters like Aunt Margaret and Archie Cameron, especially given their perspective having been through this shit before, and the heartbreak of watching the next generation do it all over again, and not being able to do a thing about it.
A lot of the H/C scenes were great, especially (chronologically) Ewen rescuing Keith from getting thrown in the loch, Keith rescuing Ewen in the mountains (parts one and two) and that first conversation in prison. Generally the book worked when they were together, especially in later chapters.
It was a bit unfortunate that it went the length of a bible between when they met up. I know that was the five times format she was going with, but there were long sections where I was just like, "I'm not invested in any of this, why are the characters I'm supposed to care about not interacting? Bonnie Prince Charlie." *sighs faintly*
I kind of wasn't sold on either of the main dudes as human beings? I felt more distant from them than I should have, and weirdly wasn't invested in their emotional journeys? My introduction to them was something like:
Me: Okay, so I get Highland Pixie Dream Boy, but why This Asshole?
This Asshole: At age 25, I decided that I would never love again.
Me: Oh, I see.
And I admit that I'm a sucker for someone figuring out that vowing never to love again does not actually have much practical effect in regards to how any of this works, but I didn't feel like we saw that enough, really. We so rarely see Keith interacting with his peers that (counter-intuitively) it didn't sell me on him isolating himself. That is: I'd have liked more points of comparison for his extraordinary behaviour around Ewen.
And I'd have liked Ewen to spend more time generally worrying about Keith, or thinking about him at all. The scene in the prison was so great because he was so broken up when he thought that Keith had betrayed him, but then he seemed to go actual years without thinking about Keith at all (and even commented, "oh yeah, the heron curse guy, haven't remembered him in ages!" several times), and was generally a lot more into his fiancée/wife. So it felt kind of lopsided, on the whole.
The cursed from the start aspect also wasn't really my thing. It just felt kind of extra, to me, and I didn't see what it added other than telling us to expect carnage at the end, then delivering carnage at the end.
So I guess on the whole there were parts I liked, mainly the h/c and a bunch of the side characters, plus the prose itself, but it just felt like a trudge to get to them.
A lot of the H/C scenes were great, especially (chronologically) Ewen rescuing Keith from getting thrown in the loch, Keith rescuing Ewen in the mountains (parts one and two) and that first conversation in prison. Generally the book worked when they were together, especially in later chapters.
It was a bit unfortunate that it went the length of a bible between when they met up. I know that was the five times format she was going with, but there were long sections where I was just like, "I'm not invested in any of this, why are the characters I'm supposed to care about not interacting? Bonnie Prince Charlie." *sighs faintly*
I kind of wasn't sold on either of the main dudes as human beings? I felt more distant from them than I should have, and weirdly wasn't invested in their emotional journeys? My introduction to them was something like:
Me: Okay, so I get Highland Pixie Dream Boy, but why This Asshole?
This Asshole: At age 25, I decided that I would never love again.
Me: Oh, I see.
And I admit that I'm a sucker for someone figuring out that vowing never to love again does not actually have much practical effect in regards to how any of this works, but I didn't feel like we saw that enough, really. We so rarely see Keith interacting with his peers that (counter-intuitively) it didn't sell me on him isolating himself. That is: I'd have liked more points of comparison for his extraordinary behaviour around Ewen.
And I'd have liked Ewen to spend more time generally worrying about Keith, or thinking about him at all. The scene in the prison was so great because he was so broken up when he thought that Keith had betrayed him, but then he seemed to go actual years without thinking about Keith at all (and even commented, "oh yeah, the heron curse guy, haven't remembered him in ages!" several times), and was generally a lot more into his fiancée/wife. So it felt kind of lopsided, on the whole.
The cursed from the start aspect also wasn't really my thing. It just felt kind of extra, to me, and I didn't see what it added other than telling us to expect carnage at the end, then delivering carnage at the end.
So I guess on the whole there were parts I liked, mainly the h/c and a bunch of the side characters, plus the prose itself, but it just felt like a trudge to get to them.
shinyrock's review
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.5
kalira's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was recommended this book on the strength of the threads of fate, and found it engaging . . . though definitely a product of the time in which it was written, notable most in the style of writing.
It is very much the deeply emotional and inextricably entwined story of two men by chance on opposite sides of a war - and hits so many of the beats of a romantic entanglement, along with excellent character development and integrity.
(Book is in the public domain and available here: https://archive.org/details/20210208_20210208_2302/page/n253/mode/1up)
It is very much the deeply emotional and inextricably entwined story of two men by chance on opposite sides of a war - and hits so many of the beats of a romantic entanglement, along with excellent character development and integrity.
(Book is in the public domain and available here: https://archive.org/details/20210208_20210208_2302/page/n253/mode/1up)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Fire/Fire injury
amazey's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
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? It's complicated
3.5
singlecrow's review
i read this on the recommendation of several people who thought I would enjoy a hopelessly romantic, scenery-porn-laden sort-of-adventure set during the Jacobite Rising. Ewen Cameron, a happy, brave, sweet Gael Highlander and chieftain, meets Keith Windham, a cynical, miserable English officer and, as they are on different sides of a war, takes him prisoner. Windham gets away from him, though not before the two of them have grudgingly acknowledged a mutual respect. The Camerons' seer then foretells that the two of them will meet four more times. This is exactly what happens, on the precise beat-structure of a modern romance novel. It's all honour and glory and betrayal, the doomed Rising - Charles Edward Stuart, in this rendering, is mostly a prick - and ultimately, a choice between a friendship across enemy lines and loyalty to a cause. It's every trope come to life, and in parts it's beautifully written. (I was delighted too that the author remembers Ewen's first language is Gaelic, reproduces some of it and also renders his dialogue in English with Gaelic cadences.) Is it actually a romance? No. It was written in 1925, and features Ewen's marriage early in the book . But it has the structure and characterisation of one - here are two people who need each other in a way they don't understand, and here's how they change each other - and it has the satisfying ending of one too. It's overwrought as hell, but I really did like it.
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