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constantine2020's review
2.5
Rating: 2.5/5.0
This is the second book to the revolutionary series. It is a mixture between historical fiction and fantasy/science fiction with time travel element. I feel the first book was more inline with the theme of revolution and also had some suspense to it. Although not a lot better but I was not bored while reading it. With this one I was bored and day dreaming a lot. The story was not able to grasp my full attention to it even though I liked the characters somehow (again not more than the first book). The ending seemed more like an open ended without redemption or conclusion. Not sure if the author has any intention to turn this duology to a trilogy but I would rather make it stop there. I don't think I will be reading this if there will be a third book.
The book is not bad but I feel it could be reduced in size while maintaining the same events.
Note: I won this book in a giveaway
This is the second book to the revolutionary series. It is a mixture between historical fiction and fantasy/science fiction with time travel element. I feel the first book was more inline with the theme of revolution and also had some suspense to it. Although not a lot better but I was not bored while reading it. With this one I was bored and day dreaming a lot. The story was not able to grasp my full attention to it even though I liked the characters somehow (again not more than the first book). The ending seemed more like an open ended without redemption or conclusion. Not sure if the author has any intention to turn this duology to a trilogy but I would rather make it stop there. I don't think I will be reading this if there will be a third book.
The book is not bad but I feel it could be reduced in size while maintaining the same events.
Note: I won this book in a giveaway
mechee91's review
4.0
I really have a hard time reading books out of order and if I find part of a series that looks good, I will usually go back to the beginning and read forward rather than jump around. Even with my particular need for order, you could easily start here with “Summon The Queen” and then go back and read “Bury The Living.” Even if you start out of order, the author Jodi McIsaac, has written in just enough about the previous book that new readers will feel caught up, and readers who have just finished the previous book won’t feel as if they are simply rehashing the past.
Writing about Irish-English relations during this time can get tricky for writers, especially since many times Queen Elizabeth is written as a good and just queen. By putting her on such a pedestal it can be difficult for writers to pull her off in order to show her flaws and shortcomings. The tendency is to show her as a strong woman who doesn’t need a man, instead of showing that she was definitely her father’s daughter in her temper, and her paranoia, which lead to the deaths of many she believed plotted against her. McIsaac has not only managed to bring light to some of the other strong women living in Elizabeth’s time, such as Grace O’Malley, but also has personalized the Irish who were struggling against Tudor rule at the time. There is also the clear distinction made, one that I felt the first book lacked, that it’s not as simple as “The English are evil” and “The Irish are good.”
This is great for people who enjoy reading about Elizabeth the First’s reign, from another angle. Historical fiction and even a bit of fantasy time travel through in rounds out this part of the series, though if I am to believe the cliffhanger, this won’t be the last I see of Jodi McIsaac’s work.
*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and 47North in exchange for honest feedback*
Writing about Irish-English relations during this time can get tricky for writers, especially since many times Queen Elizabeth is written as a good and just queen. By putting her on such a pedestal it can be difficult for writers to pull her off in order to show her flaws and shortcomings. The tendency is to show her as a strong woman who doesn’t need a man, instead of showing that she was definitely her father’s daughter in her temper, and her paranoia, which lead to the deaths of many she believed plotted against her. McIsaac has not only managed to bring light to some of the other strong women living in Elizabeth’s time, such as Grace O’Malley, but also has personalized the Irish who were struggling against Tudor rule at the time. There is also the clear distinction made, one that I felt the first book lacked, that it’s not as simple as “The English are evil” and “The Irish are good.”
This is great for people who enjoy reading about Elizabeth the First’s reign, from another angle. Historical fiction and even a bit of fantasy time travel through in rounds out this part of the series, though if I am to believe the cliffhanger, this won’t be the last I see of Jodi McIsaac’s work.
*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and 47North in exchange for honest feedback*
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