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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Krótka i lekka historia. Lord John rozwiązuje sprawę morderstwa, jednocześnie zajmując się swoim problemem, która wymaga od niego znalezienia brudów na innego faceta. Chyba wiadomo, że choć tyle razy widziałam jego nazwisko, to nie jestem w stanie spamiętać jak się je pisze XD Także zostanę przy określeniu "inny facet" XD
Przyjemnie mi się to czytało, jednak jak to często z sequelami bywa, takie średnie to. Choć owszem, mam większą chęć sięgnąć po główną serię autorki. Jeszcze tyle przede mną.
Przyjemnie mi się to czytało, jednak jak to często z sequelami bywa, takie średnie to. Choć owszem, mam większą chęć sięgnąć po główną serię autorki. Jeszcze tyle przede mną.
I didn't read much of Outlander, but I wanted to read a historical fiction novel and knew the author did those. So I picked this book up instead. Having not read the other books, I was coming into this completely blind. For what I got, it was pretty enjoyable. Not anything spectacular, but certainly entertaining.
For me, this book read a lot like Sherlock Holmes, with Lord John as Holmes and Tom Byrd as Watson. There was a mystery and Lord John did a lot of detective work in order to solve it. Him gathering clues and what he did in order to get those clues was some of the more interesting parts of the book. The resolution/explanation of the mystery at the end (which again felt Holmes-like to me) was probably the most tedious part. I kept hoping there would be an unexpected twist, and I suppose there was a little one, but nothing too shocking.
I've seen other reviewers complain that you don't get to know anything about lord John in this book. I don't know where they come from with that, because I gained lots of insight throughout the book. Again, being blind going in, I had a moment where I was thinking: "Wait, is he...?" There is a lot more show than tell when it comes to Lord John, things that are left to the reader to discern. Which I honestly liked. It made him feel like a more complex character, that there were layers of him that were slowly revealed over time or not revealed at all.
So yes, I liked this book and I already started reading the second in the series. I look forward to diving more into John's character, his family and his world.
For me, this book read a lot like Sherlock Holmes, with Lord John as Holmes and Tom Byrd as Watson. There was a mystery and Lord John did a lot of detective work in order to solve it. Him gathering clues and what he did in order to get those clues was some of the more interesting parts of the book. The resolution/explanation of the mystery at the end (which again felt Holmes-like to me) was probably the most tedious part. I kept hoping there would be an unexpected twist, and I suppose there was a little one, but nothing too shocking.
I've seen other reviewers complain that you don't get to know anything about lord John in this book. I don't know where they come from with that, because I gained lots of insight throughout the book. Again, being blind going in, I had a moment where I was thinking: "Wait, is he...?" There is a lot more show than tell when it comes to Lord John, things that are left to the reader to discern. Which I honestly liked. It made him feel like a more complex character, that there were layers of him that were slowly revealed over time or not revealed at all.
So yes, I liked this book and I already started reading the second in the series. I look forward to diving more into John's character, his family and his world.
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did, even harboring affection for Gabaldon’s Outlander books, and especially the character of Lord John Grey, whom I find to be adorable and heartbreaking.
The Lord John Grey series is a spin-off of Outlander, following Lord John Grey, a character first introduced in Dragonfly in Amber as a sixteen year old boy who encounters Jamie and Claire the night before the battle at Prestonpans, but he’s most prominent (at least as far as I’ve read in books 1-5) in Voyager, which is a book that spans twenty years. In those twenty years, Jamie and LJG meet again, and eventually become friends, although we only see select scenes of their friendship, including one in which Grey’s unrequited love for Jamie threatens to ruin said friendship. The LJG series takes place during the years covered in Voyager. It’s not necessary to read the Outlander series before reading this series, but the context does help, especially when LJG references his relationship with Jamie (and obvious aforementioned unrequited love).
Mostly, this is a well-written murder mystery set in London in 1557, in which the protagonist is a gay man in a world where that is completely taboo. LJG is asked to investigate the murder of a British soldier believed to be a spy (it’s the beginning of the Seven Years’ War, so that’s important). His investigation begins to coincide with his personal life in unexpected ways.
Gabaldon does that thing that Agatha Christie used to do where she has her ‘detective’ have long conversations with people, and the people are very well developed. Like Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, LJG is an outsider, although he masquerades as a functional, normal member of society, hiding his ‘deviation’ from public view. But he feels it, and because he feels it, it colors all his interactions in this book, particularly those involving the seedier element of London life (including a trip to a whorehouse, and an all male gentleman’s club). It also makes him perfectly suited to rooting out the secrets other people keep.
My favorite mystery series are ones where they’re also secretly stealth character pieces, and this one certainly qualifies. It also has a wealth of side characters I enjoyed very much; even when they were unlikable, they were interesting. All in all, I’m really glad I picked this up. It was a nice palate cleanser after suffering through The Fiery Cross a couple of weeks ago, and it renewed my faith in Gabaldon as a writer. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series. (Get the audiobook if you can–narrator Jeff Woodman is always a good time.)
The Lord John Grey series is a spin-off of Outlander, following Lord John Grey, a character first introduced in Dragonfly in Amber as a sixteen year old boy who encounters Jamie and Claire the night before the battle at Prestonpans, but he’s most prominent (at least as far as I’ve read in books 1-5) in Voyager, which is a book that spans twenty years. In those twenty years, Jamie and LJG meet again, and eventually become friends, although we only see select scenes of their friendship, including one in which Grey’s unrequited love for Jamie threatens to ruin said friendship. The LJG series takes place during the years covered in Voyager. It’s not necessary to read the Outlander series before reading this series, but the context does help, especially when LJG references his relationship with Jamie (and obvious aforementioned unrequited love).
Mostly, this is a well-written murder mystery set in London in 1557, in which the protagonist is a gay man in a world where that is completely taboo. LJG is asked to investigate the murder of a British soldier believed to be a spy (it’s the beginning of the Seven Years’ War, so that’s important). His investigation begins to coincide with his personal life in unexpected ways.
Gabaldon does that thing that Agatha Christie used to do where she has her ‘detective’ have long conversations with people, and the people are very well developed. Like Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, LJG is an outsider, although he masquerades as a functional, normal member of society, hiding his ‘deviation’ from public view. But he feels it, and because he feels it, it colors all his interactions in this book, particularly those involving the seedier element of London life (including a trip to a whorehouse, and an all male gentleman’s club). It also makes him perfectly suited to rooting out the secrets other people keep.
My favorite mystery series are ones where they’re also secretly stealth character pieces, and this one certainly qualifies. It also has a wealth of side characters I enjoyed very much; even when they were unlikable, they were interesting. All in all, I’m really glad I picked this up. It was a nice palate cleanser after suffering through The Fiery Cross a couple of weeks ago, and it renewed my faith in Gabaldon as a writer. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series. (Get the audiobook if you can–narrator Jeff Woodman is always a good time.)
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
No