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A review by andforgotten
Lying With Lions by Annabel Fielding
3.0
Lying with Lions has an intriguing premise: Set in the Edwardian period, just after the turn of the century, there is a fertile historical ground Fielding obviously enjoys harvesting. The most interesting part of the book was certainly the unusual prose which often felt almost lyrical. Rich and sensory descriptions are certainly the stand out features of the novel.
However, while the story was off to a good start, it lost me around the halfway point, where the narrative suddenly felt unfocused as it grew more and more intertwined with political intrigues. The sources and inspirations Fielding lists in the end proves that she did her research, and as admirable as that is, it also felt like there was too much going on in the second half of the novel. I never quite warmed up to the cast of characters, and their intentions were increasingly murky.
While it might have benefitted from some streamlining, this is still a solid debut, and I'm curious about whatever Fielding publishes next.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!
However, while the story was off to a good start, it lost me around the halfway point, where the narrative suddenly felt unfocused as it grew more and more intertwined with political intrigues. The sources and inspirations Fielding lists in the end proves that she did her research, and as admirable as that is, it also felt like there was too much going on in the second half of the novel. I never quite warmed up to the cast of characters, and their intentions were increasingly murky.
While it might have benefitted from some streamlining, this is still a solid debut, and I'm curious about whatever Fielding publishes next.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!