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A review by ladyk23
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
4.0
Considering how fast I raced through the Outlander books I am really struggling with the Lord John Grey ones. And it's not because of any dislike of the character either - as Lord John is one of my favourites in the Outlander series. It's also not because I dislike that he's a gay character. That's one of the things I love most about him, and certainly one of the things I liked most in this particular book was that we actually got to see him in a relationship for once. And I was glad Diana didn't shy away from writing gay sex scenes either. I didn't think she would - she's not the meek and obedient type after all - but it was nice to see none-the-less.
I just can't put my finger on what it is about these books that I am not getting on with. I think in large part it has to do with the background being all of the wars. I'm not a particular fan of wars or soldiering in media - war films are probably one of my least favourite movie genres - and as the Lord John books are largely set against a backdrop of war, I just find this rather dull. I felt the same in the later Outlander books too when they too became all about war.
When it's about character development I love it, but otherwise I find my concentration waning.
I also dislike the frequent mentions of Jamie Fraser in these books - which might sound odd given that I love Outlander, but stay with me. I get that Lord John and Jamie will always have a story that is intertwined, and I also understand that Lord John has deep feelings for Jamie which will never go away. But I feel like the constant mentions of Jamie are just used as a plot device in this instance, to keep Outlander fans reading these books. And it's not necessary. I'd read these books with or without mentions of Jamie - and actually think I'd prefer them if he weren't mentioned. These are Lord John stories, and I'd much prefer to find out more about him than be constantly reminded of his love for Jamie. We get it, you don't need to keep hammering it home Diana.
I really struggled with a rating for this one, hovering between a three and four. I did really enjoy this story, particularly the relationships built between John and Percy, and John and his family - the discoveries about his father especially. As such, and given my feelings weren't as strong for other books in this series, I ended up changing my initial rating from three to four. I think this is one of the better Lord John books, but if you're not fully invested in him then you might struggle with this series as a whole.
I just can't put my finger on what it is about these books that I am not getting on with. I think in large part it has to do with the background being all of the wars. I'm not a particular fan of wars or soldiering in media - war films are probably one of my least favourite movie genres - and as the Lord John books are largely set against a backdrop of war, I just find this rather dull. I felt the same in the later Outlander books too when they too became all about war.
When it's about character development I love it, but otherwise I find my concentration waning.
I also dislike the frequent mentions of Jamie Fraser in these books - which might sound odd given that I love Outlander, but stay with me. I get that Lord John and Jamie will always have a story that is intertwined, and I also understand that Lord John has deep feelings for Jamie which will never go away. But I feel like the constant mentions of Jamie are just used as a plot device in this instance, to keep Outlander fans reading these books. And it's not necessary. I'd read these books with or without mentions of Jamie - and actually think I'd prefer them if he weren't mentioned. These are Lord John stories, and I'd much prefer to find out more about him than be constantly reminded of his love for Jamie. We get it, you don't need to keep hammering it home Diana.
I really struggled with a rating for this one, hovering between a three and four. I did really enjoy this story, particularly the relationships built between John and Percy, and John and his family - the discoveries about his father especially. As such, and given my feelings weren't as strong for other books in this series, I ended up changing my initial rating from three to four. I think this is one of the better Lord John books, but if you're not fully invested in him then you might struggle with this series as a whole.