I give this book five out of five stars for immersing me in the 14th Century Vatican, exposing me to stunning characters, mesmerizing me with mystery and intrigue, and making me hungry like a culinary trained foodie. If you haven’t read a work by Kate Quinn you need to, the woman will wrap you up in a tale and leave you begging for more. I could not put this book down.
What I loved:
1) The pacing. Every scene is necessary to the story. Some scenes are lush and lovely, others are ruthless or funny, but all of it is relevant.
2) The characters. You enjoy coming to know them by their thoughts, but then love them more for what you see about them through the point of view of other characters. I enjoyed the way the work wove together the character’s lives. They were rooting for each other, their lives connected, and this also deepened my connection to them as a reader.
3) The story. There’s romance, a person on the run, a turn of good fortune, a murder mystery, and the reality of true historical events in the Vatican under a Borgia’s Pope. I was easily engaged in the plot, and then had the added bonus of exquisite descriptions of 14th Century fashion and food.
I had the added benefit of listening to the audio book version of this, and the three main characters each have their own narrator. Between the work and the actors, this is one of the best audio book I have listened to in years, fantastic. Book Review: Time Bound by: Rysa Walker
I gave this book four out of five stars. Everybody says this is Ryas Walkers debut novel, but the complexity of her plot intermixed with layers of character conflict make me wonder. Its no shock Timebound has received so much acclaim, Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Young Adult Fiction & Grand Prize Overall Winner (2013). You get to experience the time travel and technology of science fiction, the star-crossed love of a romance, the Chicago World’s Fair of historical fiction, and the serial killer suspense of thriller.
A gripping historical sequence grabs the reader right away. Among all the time travel suspense, the effects of this on family and close friendships are what I found compelling. It was great to root for the heroine duo of Kate and Katherine. A tried and true strong woman, Katherine mentors the budding potential in her granddaughter Kate.
If you are going to have a love triangle in a book, having one love in the past who knows you better in the future, and one in the present who only knows you in an alternate time line, is the way to do it. I enjoyed the emotional conflict this added to the plot.
Reading this you get to ponder alternate time lines, merging memories of jumping into the same place as yourself, jumping back in time to fix a mistake without causing more problems, and the possibility of your true love only existing in the past or an alternate timeline.
I really enjoyed the suspense of someone popping in from another time and wondering if they would be friend or foe. My heart was pounding and I could not put this book down during the last four chapters. What a fun read, I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Book Review: The Longing (Age of Faith #5), by: Tamara Leigh
This is my favorite book in the Age of Faith Series. Days after completing the read I find myself dwelling on it and what a wonderful story it is. I might even read it again someday, and for this reason I give it five out of five stars.
What I loved about this book:
1) The characters, I enjoyed how clearly defined the good, the bad, and everyone in-between was presented. I adored the strength and perseverance of Judas and Susanna. It was a pleasure to get better acquainted with the man Everand who has been a bit of an enigma through this series.
2) The family connection and how lovingly Leigh renders them is one of her strengths as an author. My favorite moments were when Everard confers with Garr when he can’t sleep; the comfort Everard provides Judas after being attacked in the woods; and the way Susanna and Judas each plotted and made attempts to see one another late at night.
3) The romance, what is it about unrequited love that gets me every time? Susanna’s been in love with Everard since she was a girl, and poor Everard hasn’t been in love for so long he doesn’t know if what he’s feeling is love or atonement. There was a slow build to their connection. It was lovely how Susanna became plagued by the realization that knowing Everard as an adult only made her infatuation worse than when she was a girl.
The title of this book is perfect. It fits a love story that is more about longing for someone you care about and less about a lustful longing. This is a stand alone book you could read without reading the first four books in the Age of Faith series.
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