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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
A Catalogue of Catastrophe is the lucky 13 in The Chronicles of St Mary’s series. This is a set of books following historians as they travel to historical sites to study history in contemporary time. Some think of it as time travel but the members of St Mary's would disagree with you emphatically and then someone from their R&D section would possibly accidentally blow something up in your near vicinity to prove their point. This is a series that builds on each book so you should start at book one to understand what is going on.
Max is our heroine and PoV. She isn't your normal heroine as she is a middle-aged wife and mother who just happens to jump through time to various points in history to study them. Good thing history is on her side and jumps in to help here and there because believe me Max needs all the help she can get sometimes. She and bff Markham are currently in hiding and acting as recovery agents when someone tries to kill them. Not really a new thing, someone always seems to be trying to kill Max, but when they get a hint to who it might be, Max and Markham are off undercover to join a sinister organization to suss out what they are planning.
I really have loved these books. I'm generally not a fan of time travel books just because of the paradoxes and competing timelines etc but these where they are mostly studying history are much more fun. I do miss some of the St Mary's crew being around more since Max is working with a new group as a recovery agent but we do run into them from time to time in unexpected places and that is always a good time because it never runs smoothly.
If you like quick wit, unlikely heroines, historical moments in time and just fun, then this could be a great series for you. Only a few books in the 13 were below a 4-5 star rating for me and even those were very fun overall.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
4.5 hearts
A Catalogue of Catastrophe is the lucky 13 in The Chronicles of St Mary’s series. This is a set of books following historians as they travel to historical sites to study history in contemporary time. Some think of it as time travel but the members of St Mary's would disagree with you emphatically and then someone from their R&D section would possibly accidentally blow something up in your near vicinity to prove their point. This is a series that builds on each book so you should start at book one to understand what is going on.
Max is our heroine and PoV. She isn't your normal heroine as she is a middle-aged wife and mother who just happens to jump through time to various points in history to study them. Good thing history is on her side and jumps in to help here and there because believe me Max needs all the help she can get sometimes. She and bff Markham are currently in hiding and acting as recovery agents when someone tries to kill them. Not really a new thing, someone always seems to be trying to kill Max, but when they get a hint to who it might be, Max and Markham are off undercover to join a sinister organization to suss out what they are planning.
I really have loved these books. I'm generally not a fan of time travel books just because of the paradoxes and competing timelines etc but these where they are mostly studying history are much more fun. I do miss some of the St Mary's crew being around more since Max is working with a new group as a recovery agent but we do run into them from time to time in unexpected places and that is always a good time because it never runs smoothly.
If you like quick wit, unlikely heroines, historical moments in time and just fun, then this could be a great series for you. Only a few books in the 13 were below a 4-5 star rating for me and even those were very fun overall.
A little darker than many in the series, but still laugh out loud funny. The old St Mary’s crew got a quick look-in or two, but the new due of max and markham featured heavily.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow just when max thinks life is simple wham the god of historians intervenes! I can’t believe how this ended with all the fake arrests and the chaos.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
“What’s the worst that could happen?”
This one took me ages to get through. There was a lot of revisiting events from previous books. There was a lot of history to digest. It was all necessary and worth the time for the ending.
“You can’t change History. History doesn’t like it.”
This was a St Mary’s paradox. Events and Brilliant Ideas that don’t seem to make sense in the interim come together with a spectacular ending.
Maxwell is a legendary woman who steps out line and questions every authority figure along the way. I grow more attached to her character with each installment of this series.
This one took me ages to get through. There was a lot of revisiting events from previous books. There was a lot of history to digest. It was all necessary and worth the time for the ending.
“You can’t change History. History doesn’t like it.”
This was a St Mary’s paradox. Events and Brilliant Ideas that don’t seem to make sense in the interim come together with a spectacular ending.
Maxwell is a legendary woman who steps out line and questions every authority figure along the way. I grow more attached to her character with each installment of this series.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, that was a ride. I hope Max is getting ready to retire cuz I'm getting tired just listening to the shenanigans.
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
medium-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
4 stars
Sure, it wasn’t the best I’ve read in the series, but it was still a jolly good time (except for all the sad bits, which there seemed to be more of those than usual in this one).
Max is not at St. Mary’s and is basically on the run / bounty hunting with her old pal Markham. We are introduced to a seemingly sinister new organization called Insight. We get a few time jumps, and, other than the Gunpowder Plot, I don’t really know the significance of those historical moments. Thankfully Jodi Taylor educates me. She also educated me on the grammatical components of the sentence “Algernon, take me, take me, my body is on fire for you.” That was fun.
I think I’ve moved beyond the point of disliking any of these novels. Called me biased, or call yourself missing out.
5.0 —One of the best I've ever read. Will be burned into my brain. Couldn't care less about weaknesses (if any). Would recommend to everyone and their mother.
4.5 —Loved this read. Will remember it fondly. Few weaknesses. Would recommend to anyone.
▌4.0 —Enjoyed this read. Will remember it fondly. Minor weaknesses. Would recommend to fans of the genre.
3.5 —Somewhat enjoyed this read. Might be memorable. Notable weaknesses. Would recommend to fans of the genre.
3.0 —Somewhat enjoyed this read. Not very memorable. Notable weaknesses. Would recommend to people who like similar books.
2.5 —Neutral or Underwhelming read. Not very memorable. Significant weaknesses. Would recommend to people who like similar books.
2.0 —Underwhelming or unenjoyable read. Not very memorable or memorable for the wrong reasons. Significant weaknesses. Might recommend to people who like similar books.
1.5 —Unenjoyable read. Not very memorable or memorable for bad reasons. Major weaknesses. Probably wouldn't recommend.
1.0 —I wish I never wasted minutes of my life on this trash. I would go out of my way to convince others not to read it.
Sure, it wasn’t the best I’ve read in the series, but it was still a jolly good time (except for all the sad bits, which there seemed to be more of those than usual in this one).
Max is not at St. Mary’s and is basically on the run / bounty hunting with her old pal Markham. We are introduced to a seemingly sinister new organization called Insight. We get a few time jumps, and, other than the Gunpowder Plot, I don’t really know the significance of those historical moments. Thankfully Jodi Taylor educates me. She also educated me on the grammatical components of the sentence “Algernon, take me, take me, my body is on fire for you.” That was fun.
I think I’ve moved beyond the point of disliking any of these novels. Called me biased, or call yourself missing out.
5.0 —One of the best I've ever read. Will be burned into my brain. Couldn't care less about weaknesses (if any). Would recommend to everyone and their mother.
4.5 —Loved this read. Will remember it fondly. Few weaknesses. Would recommend to anyone.
▌4.0 —Enjoyed this read. Will remember it fondly. Minor weaknesses. Would recommend to fans of the genre.
3.5 —Somewhat enjoyed this read. Might be memorable. Notable weaknesses. Would recommend to fans of the genre.
3.0 —Somewhat enjoyed this read. Not very memorable. Notable weaknesses. Would recommend to people who like similar books.
2.5 —Neutral or Underwhelming read. Not very memorable. Significant weaknesses. Would recommend to people who like similar books.
2.0 —Underwhelming or unenjoyable read. Not very memorable or memorable for the wrong reasons. Significant weaknesses. Might recommend to people who like similar books.
1.5 —Unenjoyable read. Not very memorable or memorable for bad reasons. Major weaknesses. Probably wouldn't recommend.
1.0 —I wish I never wasted minutes of my life on this trash. I would go out of my way to convince others not to read it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, War