Candy reading has its places sometimes, like when you are on a holiday to the coast and it starts pouring with rain. Fortunately I had this fun read tCandy reading has its places sometimes, like when you are on a holiday to the coast and it starts pouring with rain. Fortunately I had this fun read to get lost into.
The love story is really cute, and there is no alpha-male character to sweep the wall-flower bookish girl off her feet. Lady Jane's love interest is a vulnerable character with many flaws. The development of their relationship was realistic and fun to watch, as they discovered their common interests.
There is a lot of shape-shifting magic going on, in addition to politics and intrigue, which keeps the story going. The alternative history was handled in a way that made sense to our modern sensibility and the resolution was clear and satisfying.
Merged review:
Candy reading has its places sometimes, like when you are on a holiday to the coast and it starts pouring with rain. Fortunately I had this fun read to get lost into.
The love story is really cute, and there is no alpha-male character to sweep the wall-flower bookish girl off her feet. Lady Jane's love interest is a vulnerable character with many flaws. The development of their relationship was realistic and fun to watch, as they discovered their common interests.
There is a lot of shape-shifting magic going on, in addition to politics and intrigue, which keeps the story going. The alternative history was handled in a way that made sense to our modern sensibility and the resolution was clear and satisfying....more
I liked the way this story was told from the viewpoint of almost all the characters, and I cared about the fate of the main protagonists, the survivorI liked the way this story was told from the viewpoint of almost all the characters, and I cared about the fate of the main protagonists, the survivors of the crash. The vignettes of the trophy wives, the ageing media personality, and the bored heiress were very interesting as well. There were really no boring secondary characters. Notwithstanding my rating of 4 stars, I have found a few flaws. In the final chapter one of the characters reveals something about the crash incident, (view spoiler)[ the artist Scott, confronts Bill Cunningham with the resolution of the mystery, (hide spoiler)]whereas there was no foreshadowing of where the knowledge of the facts came from. Also (view spoiler)[ one character has a slightly different date of death than the others in the copy I read. Leading the reader to question whether this had significance. Ironically it is the security guard Baruch, whose body also was not recovered by the final chapter of the book (hide spoiler)].
In all a very readable book if not for the mystery aspect, then for the portraits of the characters....more
I started this as an ebook from my library, and then it expired and I picked it up where I left off with the English edition on Scribd called "White LI started this as an ebook from my library, and then it expired and I picked it up where I left off with the English edition on Scribd called "White Lilac". I thought I liked Nordic mysteries but this one is really unnecessarily complicated and simplistic in its plotting at the same time, not a good combination for a thriller or crime fiction. I prefer the plain old whodunnits, with less blood and gore, more relateable characters with more regular proclivities.
The book is FULL of characters, and each of them is less interesting than the next. From the plain annoying to the outright jerk. Not one character was worthy of attention or even compassion. There was also a completely gratuitious and unnecessary angle of domestic violence, which I found frankly tasteless. I doubt that I will check out Sarah Vallen again. ...more
The story works very well in the Audiobook version and the reader really added colour and texture to the different personas. I agree that it might havThe story works very well in the Audiobook version and the reader really added colour and texture to the different personas. I agree that it might have been overlong and boring in the print version.
The premise and scope adds colour and interest to the events, but I do not see that there is much character development there. Addie, even after 300 years of life, remains largely the same, defiant and headstrong, not that this is necessarily a bad thing, it just is.
I was on the lookout for a German read and this one kept me interested after listening to a sample. The narrator is good, and made even long history-bI was on the lookout for a German read and this one kept me interested after listening to a sample. The narrator is good, and made even long history-book details sound interesting. The suspense is based loosely on some episodes in art and political history expertly woven together with current events. My only problems was the number of characters all of whom were more or less connected to the story by some hidden detail. I was waiting for the banker girlfriedn of Lennard to get connected to these shadow dealings somehow but perhaps this will happen in the next installment. I recommend this book for people with interest in art, paintings and history....more
Another strange fantasy tale following the fate of some of the wayward children. It is entertaining and imaginvative enough, but I fail to see the poiAnother strange fantasy tale following the fate of some of the wayward children. It is entertaining and imaginvative enough, but I fail to see the point as the imaginative and unbelievable part is layered too thick for my taste. ...more
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