The writing was charming and poetic but it took me 5 years to finish this book. The story really dragged in the second half/last quarter and then the The writing was charming and poetic but it took me 5 years to finish this book. The story really dragged in the second half/last quarter and then the charm of the writing wasn't enough to keep me captivated. It was a soulful read, practically a thesis or dissertation in itself....more
This is a story about the trials, tribulations, and love of the children of a selfish, cowardly brute named VlaAll roads lead to Wallachia….4.2 stars!
This is a story about the trials, tribulations, and love of the children of a selfish, cowardly brute named Vlad Dracul –the Prince of Wallachia.
It is about the enduring strength of the Princess of Wallachia, Vlad’s daughter - Ladislav (Lada) Dracul. Lada is one tough cookie – she’s strong, she’s sly, and she’s ugly. But despite her sharp, warrior-instincts for survival, she would be dead in less than 50 pages if it wasn’t for her faithful sidekick – her younger (gentle) brother Radu Dracul.
Together Radu and Lada made up one whole beautiful character while individually they were only extreme versions of one fragmented character.
In these pages you will find lessons of love, war, romance, history, religion, politics, and much, much more. You will see how crappy it was be a woman in the world! You’ll immerse yourself in the pain of family love, betrayal, and loss, in the unfairness of a love triangle, in difficult moral decisions, and in beautiful descriptions of two separate lands and cultures – Transylvania and “Ottoman-ia”.
I was very surprised at how well she shaped the scene of the Ottoman empire – she showed various sides of Islam – some gentle and beautiful and others ruthless and hypocritical. I loved the way she described WHY Islam appealed to Radu. How his love for Islam fit in with the needs of his personality so well. And equally fitting was Lada’s dismissal of religion altogether. Her only worship Wallachia.
The only area I would say that the story was lacking were sudden lulls and character development. While I liked her characters, they could have been just a pinch more developed. I always felt a little distance between myself and Lada and Radu. Which is why I'm not still sure I'll continue reading the saga!
Overall though, this story is deep and well thought out! There were passages that I reread and reread and even still pondered. White writes purposefully- taking us on a long meandering journey but still finally tying the beginning and end together so perfectly where all roads lead back to Wallachia....more
Components: science [genetics mostly], fantasy [witches, daemons & vampires], romance, history, strong female lead [woo!]
PHEW! It took me three attempComponents: science [genetics mostly], fantasy [witches, daemons & vampires], romance, history, strong female lead [woo!]
PHEW! It took me three attempts to finish this book...but not because it wasn’t good mind you. Our relationship was rather…complicated. In summary, Diana Bishop has been supplanted from her home in the states to Oxford University where she is researching ancient Alchemical texts. She is a descendant of not just one—but two powerful blood-lines of witches, the Bishops and the Proctors. Regardless of her strong sorcery genetics, she regularly shuns magic, refusing to use it or, more importantly taint her scholarly pursuits. She pisses off a lot of witches in the process too. And we all know it is not that easy (or healthy might I add) to escape whats in your blood or your past. So when Diana requests the alchemical manuscript Ashmole 782 at Oxford’s Bodleian Library and it actually appears for her—she opens the pandora’s box (so to say) of magic. Vampires, witches, and daemons flock to her vicinity and stalk her continuously in hopes of snatching this manuscript. What’s more Diana has no idea that the manuscript is so special. Enter Matthew Clairmont-vampire extrordinare. Yes, he’s handsome, charming, and british all rolled into one. The typical vampire. He further complicates Diana’s life as vampires and witches mixing are a no no. But, the funny thing is, this story is not really about Ashmole 782 or Matthew’s relationship with Diana. It is really about evolution, segregation, and the basic human need of understanding why we are here in this world. You can enjoy this book for its suspenseful and romance-filled tale OR you can take it one-step further and enjoy the philosophical and scientific ramifications it poses in the underlying text.
From the start, the story envelopes a very cozy atmosphere in the history-rich streets of Oxford. As a graduate student trying to finish my degree in “polymer science,” I needn’t defend my intense love of old prestigious libraries, any and all kinds of science, and esoterica—this book being chalk-filled with all of that. I think this is the first time an author has so succinctly delivered an “explanation” of witches, demons, and vampires in relation to humans—the effect was to make this fantasy world more relatable and palatable to adults I think. And then there was Diana, the epitome of strong female leads. Although unsure of herself, Diana is physically sound—a regular practicer of rowing and yoga (my favorite)! Whats more, she treats all of these activities not as mere physical defenses or vainly but focuses on their spiritual aspects. Diana has a lot of energy-something that a lot of us can relate to. And she has to workout to get rid of it—makes sense to me. Packed with beautiful quotes from past religious texts, poems, and various documents--I frequently put the book down and went on a wild-goose chase to learn more about a certain passage or book that was mentioned.
I hate to do this but I compare most books against my favorite series, Outlander, written by Diana Gabaldon. Although Diana is great, she is no match for the wiser, wittier, and more amusing Claire (from the Outlander series). What’s more, the slow parts in A Discovery of Witches aren’t as enjoyable as those of Outlander. I mean all books have their slow parts, you just have to deal with them I guess? I definitely got restless at parts and put the book down to finish reading later. But I was very glad that I kept reading because Harkness def. makes it worth your while. Surprises and new pieces to the puzzle are continuously revealed throughout the book till the very end [grin]. I'm excited to start Shadow of Darkness! I picked it up last night. I anticipate it will be even better than Book 1!...more
Outlander fans will be disappointed-not sorely disappointed-just disappointed.
The only reason why I read The Winter Sea was because it was advertiseOutlander fans will be disappointed-not sorely disappointed-just disappointed.
The only reason why I read The Winter Sea was because it was advertised to Outlander fans-perhaps because of the whole Scotland multiple centuries thing...but NO...nothing like Outlander.
Why the 3 stars? Basically I just had a hard time getting super attached to either storyline because of the constant switching between present day Carrie and 1700s Sophia. I liked/felt interested in Carrie more than Sophia though. Sophia was just your run of the mill average chick. Nothing special about her. Which is why as an Outlander fan I was disappointed (we all know Claire Randall/Frasier was a total spunkster :-D !) The book was written fairly well, albeit a little cheesily in the historical parts. It was cozy and did spark some emotion in me from time to time too. ...more
This wonderful little mystery gets 4.2 out of 5 stars to be exact! The aim of my review is to give the reader a brief summary of what they're getting This wonderful little mystery gets 4.2 out of 5 stars to be exact! The aim of my review is to give the reader a brief summary of what they're getting (or not getting) into. Miss Rose Baker is the typist while an enigmatic charmer plays the role of the other typist. The temperance of the roaring 20's has muddled the lines of virtue for all of new york society, causing so called blue-nosers to cross-over the thin line into law breaking citizens. Corruption is rampant, even plaguing the police precinct where the self-admittedly bland (or so she says) Rose Baker works. A sensible and plain girl, Rose Baker defines herself through her stark upbringings in a Catholic orphanage. She considers herself intelligent and inconsequential and is content living a mundane life. Her quotidian routine remains intact well into her twenties until a charming young typist, Odalie Lazaar, sashes into her little precint. As you can imagine, a large cloud of uncertainty and excitment immediately surrounds the new typist, Odalie, as everyone in her midst becomes instantly obssesesed with her. Rose maintains a safe distance for a while, observing this new contender from afar but fortunately or unfortunately falls into her cohorts to change her life for good. It is always a difficult task for the modern author to authentically portray an older era and Rindell does it fairly well (3 out of 5 stars), at times sounding cheesy with all the name dropping, but overall passing for a repressed 1920s typist. Rindell does really write beautifully, effecting to make one think about her words and even passing off a few life lessons along the way. Whats more, the author does a wonderful job keeping you guessing abut Odalie, the other typist. Questions such as,"Who is she really?","What does she want from Rose?","Is she dangerous?", will constantly cross your mind and will keep you flipping the pages till 3 am in the morning till you find out the truth! And to be honest, even after I was done reading I kept thinking about the ending for days afterwards. So go pick up a copy (or download one to your kindle) ASAP! Happy reading!...more
My rating: 3.9 stars Dracula is still alive & in need of a successor...Whom will it be? DUN DUN DUN!
Ohhh Elizabeth Kostova, what a tumultuous relationsMy rating: 3.9 stars Dracula is still alive & in need of a successor...Whom will it be? DUN DUN DUN!
Ohhh Elizabeth Kostova, what a tumultuous relationship I have with you. I read The Swan Thieves first....and I'm not sure if you can tell from my brief review (sarcasm), but I hated it. Shortly afterwards I tried reading the Historian, got distracted and switched books. Two years later I picked it up again, upon the insistence of a friend, and to my shock I really fell in love with it. Yes I was in love for a long time, but then I grew tired of it and wanted her to get to the point: Was Dracula still alive? In short, it was too drawn out and after a point I just wanted it to END!
'The Historian' (narrator of the book) begins her story by describing her nomadic and unconventional lifestyle in 1970s Amsterdam with her scholarly father Paul. After stumbling upon her father's rarefied book depicting an archaic dragon cut on the cover she begins to question him about his past. Paul very hesitantly, and with great trepidation tells his daughter about how his advisor, Professor Rossi, also received a similar book many years only to disappeared mysteriously. This leads him into a whirlwind of unfortunate events regarding this evil menacing book. After some time, Paul disappears, and his daughter departs on a quest to find him. At this point the novel completely switches over to a narration by Paul and his past. I loved most of this part as the scenery switches from exotic lands of Istanbul to Hungary and Bulgaria. It was also a wonderful mix of paranormal and historical fiction-a hard thing to find.
It took Kostova 10 years to write this novel and boy can you tell! She includes copious amounts of historica details and anecdotes-some of which I enjoyed and others which I literally skipped over. Narrators switch often in the novel, from the daughter (aka The Historian) to her father Paul, to Professor Rossi and of course the slew of historical letters and epistles. Sometimes, when you weren't in the right mood, it was hard to follow. All in all the book left with a feeling of foreboding and near depression. Kostova ties her loose ends but never quite gives her readers closure, thus the 3.9 (rather than a solid 4 stars) rating. Would I recommend it though? Yes, absolutely yes. A different reader might take the negatives and devour them as positives and not be bored by the endless historical embellishments. ...more
My, my, what a wonderful little novel about the eccentricity of the French Revolution, subtle romance, Anglo-French and class politics. Finally, a fivMy, my, what a wonderful little novel about the eccentricity of the French Revolution, subtle romance, Anglo-French and class politics. Finally, a five star book! I was very pleasantly surprised with this little mystery novel and ecstatic to find out that there is a whole series of the adventures of Sir Percy Blakeny. Sir Percy appears a magniloquent dupe whose only viable attribute is his family fortune while his wife, the gorgeous Marguerite represents the shrewd, keen bourgeois French citoyen. Orczy writes beautifully, without becoming annoyingly wordy, vividly, and with purpose. Peppered with details of the marvellous and increyable fashion of the time, the Baroness presents two sides of the grueling and vicious French Revolution. The extremities of the revolution are put forth quite simply actually, maybe too simply, but adequately for the purposes of the plot nonetheless. Orczy's premise is about two amazing people, in fact the most amazing people in England, who tangle themselves in an inherently wrong political cause, the revolution, coming out as supreme victors in the end. So looking back, it was all very simply laid out but there was enough room between the lines to make you own conclusions.
From the very beginning you start racking your brain to figure out just who the Scarlet Pimpernel is. Lucky for me I had it figured out quite early on, before it became obvious but still, the suspense was gnawing at me throughout. Filled with underlying meaning, not only was her plot entertaining but, taking into account the shortness of the novel, the characters were well-developed and one could easily fall in love with them. I'm a little confused as to which novel comes next in the series but I cannot wait to start reading the next.
The only shortcoming of this novel was that it was barely 250 pages (in the B&N edition)! Orczy makes up for this shortness by writing a whole series but still, I felt that The Scarlet Pimpernel ended much too soon, I can think of so many areas where Orczy could have, and should have, expanded the narrative, giving her readers more sweets to devour. ...more
Alright, I honestly did not like this novel. I can't believe this woman has written more than 10 books? I've been trying to conjure up excuses to giveAlright, I honestly did not like this novel. I can't believe this woman has written more than 10 books? I've been trying to conjure up excuses to give Gregory some credit but this novel just wasn't my style. Mainly because all it really is, is a detailed historical timeline with a little embellishment here and there; its bland soup. Her writing style in the beginning of the book was abominable. The first 10 pages were all I, I, I, and then He, He, He. What I'm trying to say is that there was no sentence variation, making the story very annoying to read after about five minutes. She improves on this towards the middle of the book but not immensely; her writing style is still pretty "feeling-less".
I also did not like the plot, now this I cannot blame on Gregory as she can not be held responsible for the irritating nature of the Old Regime. There are some take-away lessons from this story about power and "government" but after a while, the atrocities that men and women committed just to gain power became a little redundant and even annoying. Its like okay how many times are going to fight for someone else's throne? It just seemed like all these people had to do before the advent of television was go to war and try and become King of so and so. I would HATE to have lived in that era or to be a Queen or a Princess and be caught up in the endless web of greed. I hold all these views thanks to Gregory's perspective.It would be great to read something about this era written from the perspective of a common man.
Gregory really had something going with the witch side plot line. Magic always adds intrigue to a predictable story. But this was a very minute part of the novel. Most of the novel was just this happened and then that happened and then we were happy (summary) and then we went to war. The war details were great! This is why I'm even giving the novel two stars. There was a lot of detail there and you really could see the battles happening. The personal relationships were colorless though so unless you need to learn about the House of York for history class, I wouldn't waste my time with this book....more
Something must be very wrong with me since I did not LOVE this novel despite all its 5 star reviews. I am a huge fan of the Outlander series and prettSomething must be very wrong with me since I did not LOVE this novel despite all its 5 star reviews. I am a huge fan of the Outlander series and pretty much anything Diana Gabaldon decides to write so I read Into the Wilderness because of her praise and her fans' praise for this novel. And I have to say that it was just OKAY; it was not bad. The author definitely put a good amount of research into the story but it failed complexity. The characters were not as developed as they could have been and neither was the flow of the plot. Her writing style was mediocre to good. I don't know if my attitude was wrong coming into this novel, I was expecting maybe too much but Elizabeth Middleton's character was too routine. She was too much of a goody-two-shoes who did everything right without thinking twice about her actions. And everyone (except Richard Todd and Julian) and their mother just kept praising her and saying how she was such a "strong woman." Again, I might be overreacting, but it was all just too SQUARE for my liking. I guess I found her character as naive despite all she experienced.
I thought that the "hero" Bonner's character was introduced into the story MUCH too soon and much too abruptly. Everything was just obvious to be enticing. But there was excitement to it after all. I read it relatively quickly but I am hesitant to read book 2 of this series. I suppose if I grow tired of waiting for Gabaldon's next novel, and run out of other books to read I will give the sequel to Into the Wilderness a go. But do give it a read, it is worth that at least....more
Read this book if you are in desperate need of any Outlander connection. I originally gave this book 3 stars but then I read a few other Historical-FiRead this book if you are in desperate need of any Outlander connection. I originally gave this book 3 stars but then I read a few other Historical-Fiction novels, which were TERRIBLE, and had to change my rating of this book to 4 stars. As usual Gabaldon's writing style is superb, she paints her characters with extreme detail and startling depth while also plotting a mystery. The gay romance is beautiful and built upon layers of complication depicting an impossible love triangle (between three men). I've always liked Lord John Grey (except when he made his first move on Jamie at Ardsmuir) but I grew to love and sympathize with him in this book.
I read this novel AFTER reading "An Echo in the Bone" and therefore was really rather grateful for all the clarification regarding Grey's elusive past and involvement with the infamous, Percival Wainwringht. Percy really keeps you on edge throughout the novel and you keep thinking "Okay what is he going to do next?" I kept thinking he was evil and never really trusted him. He is a very entertaining character. You get a good taste of the Seven Years War and the vivid recollections of war that come with most of Gabaldon's novels.
Alas I can NOT give this novel 5 stars due to my lack of ardor while reading it. I got through it towards the end but enjoyed most of it. Gabaldon is a gifted writer and story teller and if you can not wait for her next book then this book will give you comfort. ...more