Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I really wanted to like this book, as I love the Outlander series and I do like the character of Lord John Grey, but I just didn't find this one compelling. The story felt very slow and scattered to me in the beginning, with a lot of disparate pieces that just weren't meshing cohesively for a while. This caused my interest to be low and probably exacerbated the problem, as I read several other books while picking away at this one. It seems almost that I was missing a chunk of background, though whether that was in one of the Outlander books (and I've since forgotten) or just not provided, I can't be sure. The eventual development of the story was interesting, as was the conclusion, but overall I felt the strongest parts were the descriptions and the personal interactions between Lord John and some of the other characters. I don't think the book itself is necessarily a bad book, in fact if you like mysteries you would probably enjoy it much more than I did, but for me it was not compelling and I am not planning to pick up other books in the series at this time.
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was okay, but not as interesting to read as The Outlander series.
I admit to struggling a bit with this one. In part it was because this is the first book I have read with the main character being LGBT so it was new ground for me. But I have come to appreciate Lord John and his family and as the series has progressed I have become intrigued with the story.
I think our friend Diana bit off more than she (or we) could chew here; mystery is not her forte, at least in this first attempt. The book is overcrowded with characters and plotlines, though John Grey remains an appealing character, sort of Jamie Fraser Lite. The quick intersections of characters from the Outlander books helped to pique my interest, but I hope that this series improves with time.
Disappointing from Gabaldon. Too much direct explanations, as opposed to revelations throughout the text.
I've been watching Outlander again and slightly fallen in love with Lord John on the show so it was only natural to seek out the fiction he appears in too. Please note, this is a historical mystery not a historical romance. Also, Lord John is not a threat to Jamie/Claire and is rather awesome. Lastly, ignore these notes if you haven't seen Outlander. For all I know it's a rather dull historical if you haven't become engaged with the Outlander world beforehand.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not as sweeping or epic as Outlander, but I think that made me like it more. It was a very fun historical fiction made more interesting by the fact that the main character is gay. I plan on reading more of this series.