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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
like other MR books, it is an awesome book....and chess lovers must read this..... history with murder mystery....
This was probably closer to a 3.5 star book for me. I didn't enjoy it *quite* as much as I usually enjoy Reilly's books. It was still well written and fast paced and full of intrigue. And the return to historical fiction for the first time since Temple was a welcome change to the soldier-has-to-save-the-world-from-unexpected-adversaries storyline of the Scarecrow and Jack West books (which is not to say that I don't love those books. I do. It was just nice to have a change of pace!).
There were frequent moments throughout the story where I couldn't help but think that Reilly was inserting a commentary on modern society into his historical novel. There were discussions on the role of the church in society, in the rights of women and how religion has impacted upon them, and on the prevalence of child abuse and child sex scandals within the church. Whether or not it was intended as present day social commentary remains questionable, but once I'd made the connection, I couldn't stop making it, which pulled me out of the story at regular intervals to wonder if my theory was right.
I loved the setting and the characters and most of the storyline. Where things fell flat for me was the extraordinary amount of sex. Yes, the majority of it is to do with sexual politics. But it still seems like it would have been possible to have those discussions without providing numerous detailed descriptions of orgies. Particularly when the narrator is a thirteen year old girl. Elsie proves to be an almost impossible character to like, as she's effectively the "promiscuous dumb blonde" stereotype, regaling the young narrator with wild tales of her nightly adventures. She doesn't learn her lesson so much as get thrown into tragedy in a way that effectively slut-shames her to the young Elizabeth - "don't sleep around and use sex as a way to try and get power or".
The story, I feel, could have been told equally effectively without the extended passages of gratuitous sex. While Reilly is going for shock value, for me it ended in "Really? ANOTHER orgy description? Ugh, just get on with the story already."
That aside, the mystery and the tournament itself made for compelling reading.
There were frequent moments throughout the story where I couldn't help but think that Reilly was inserting a commentary on modern society into his historical novel. There were discussions on the role of the church in society, in the rights of women and how religion has impacted upon them, and on the prevalence of child abuse and child sex scandals within the church. Whether or not it was intended as present day social commentary remains questionable, but once I'd made the connection, I couldn't stop making it, which pulled me out of the story at regular intervals to wonder if my theory was right.
I loved the setting and the characters and most of the storyline. Where things fell flat for me was the extraordinary amount of sex. Yes, the majority of it is to do with sexual politics. But it still seems like it would have been possible to have those discussions without providing numerous detailed descriptions of orgies. Particularly when the narrator is a thirteen year old girl. Elsie proves to be an almost impossible character to like, as she's effectively the "promiscuous dumb blonde" stereotype, regaling the young narrator with wild tales of her nightly adventures. She doesn't learn her lesson so much as get thrown into tragedy in a way that effectively slut-shames her to the young Elizabeth - "don't sleep around and use sex as a way to try and get power or
Spoiler
you'll get sold into prostitution and raped repeatedlyThe story, I feel, could have been told equally effectively without the extended passages of gratuitous sex. While Reilly is going for shock value, for me it ended in "Really? ANOTHER orgy description? Ugh, just get on with the story already."
That aside, the mystery and the tournament itself made for compelling reading.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's really the story or Roger through Elizabeths in awe eyes. <why would he take her in the whore house when she had no idea what was going on or protect herself>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder
The plot unravels from an adventure to mystery which has been a noted trick of Matthew Reilly. The author characters travels and makes us travel with them. A learning adventure turning into an unforgettable life time experience. The young to be queen Elizabeth witnessing the horror of ruling a kingdom and living under a shadow of kingship, or rather queenship.
2.5 stars. I picked this up, thinking a Matthew Reilly book would make perfect audio book fodder. Entertaining, but nothing I have to devote my full attention to.
It fit that bill, but was still slightly disappointing for me. Being a different type of book for Reilly, this was mostly without incredible chase scenes and all the fanciful elements that make his books entertaining. However, while the murder storyline was interesting, the characters and stereotypes let it down.
I guess Elsie's character was there to try and explain the adult Elizabeth's apparently sexless life, but the most of her scenes seem more aimed at titillation (and sales) than anything else.
The descriptions of the chess matches were also very superficial...Kasparov vs Fischer this wasn't.
Overall, I liked Ascham in a Sherlock Holmes way and wanted to find the conclusion to the story, but was expecting more.
It fit that bill, but was still slightly disappointing for me. Being a different type of book for Reilly, this was mostly without incredible chase scenes and all the fanciful elements that make his books entertaining. However, while the murder storyline was interesting, the characters and stereotypes let it down.
I guess Elsie's character was there to try and explain the adult Elizabeth's apparently sexless life, but the most of her scenes seem more aimed at titillation (and sales) than anything else.
The descriptions of the chess matches were also very superficial...Kasparov vs Fischer this wasn't.
Overall, I liked Ascham in a Sherlock Holmes way and wanted to find the conclusion to the story, but was expecting more.