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orinoco450's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
littlemisscass's review against another edition
2.0
A rag-tag group of three set out as adventurers to earn enough money to turn their lives around amid the shifting landscape of Germany and France during the Napoleonic Wars. Interesting concept, and I was interested.
However, this novel puts me in mind of a weakly-received historical epic - one that's mildly interesting enough to keep watching but is a tough slog to actually finish. It was well-written, but didn't particularly engage me.
While the beginning was promising (and quite dark), with humorous interludes and the start of a journey, it began to delve very deeply into the politics of the Napoleonic Wars and became rather dry.
Charles went from reminding me of Wilde’s Algernon to someone that just irritated me. Not only was he horrifically misogynistic, but he began to remind me of Louisa May Alcott’s Charlie, always thinking he is right and not listening to others until it is too late. His romance with Sonia did not interest me at all, and I personally felt Sonia could have done a lot better than any of her love interests.
Sonia was treated as a child - explicitly in many cases - by the majority of characters in the book. Yes, she was seventeen/eighteen and personality-wise still displayed many youthful tendencies but she also picked herself up multiple times after unspeakable tragedy. I feel like Sonia was portrayed excellently, but her fellow characters treated her more poorly than she deserved.
The only romance depicted throughout the book was the potential of a renewed one between Giles and Elizabeth. It was also the only romance in the book that I could even remotely care about or take interest in. I’d read a whole historical romance with that plot, I dare say.
The ending was sufficiently dramatic for me to finish the last few pages in a rush, but it did feel like there was a strange shift from dense historical to historical romance in the last 50 pages.
Overall, it was worth a read and I liked the concept, but it didn’t draw me in enough for me to fully enjoy it.
*An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
However, this novel puts me in mind of a weakly-received historical epic - one that's mildly interesting enough to keep watching but is a tough slog to actually finish. It was well-written, but didn't particularly engage me.
While the beginning was promising (and quite dark), with humorous interludes and the start of a journey, it began to delve very deeply into the politics of the Napoleonic Wars and became rather dry.
Charles went from reminding me of Wilde’s Algernon to someone that just irritated me. Not only was he horrifically misogynistic, but he began to remind me of Louisa May Alcott’s Charlie, always thinking he is right and not listening to others until it is too late. His romance with Sonia did not interest me at all, and I personally felt Sonia could have done a lot better than any of her love interests.
Sonia was treated as a child - explicitly in many cases - by the majority of characters in the book. Yes, she was seventeen/eighteen and personality-wise still displayed many youthful tendencies but she also picked herself up multiple times after unspeakable tragedy. I feel like Sonia was portrayed excellently, but her fellow characters treated her more poorly than she deserved.
The only romance depicted throughout the book was the potential of a renewed one between Giles and Elizabeth. It was also the only romance in the book that I could even remotely care about or take interest in. I’d read a whole historical romance with that plot, I dare say.
The ending was sufficiently dramatic for me to finish the last few pages in a rush, but it did feel like there was a strange shift from dense historical to historical romance in the last 50 pages.
Overall, it was worth a read and I liked the concept, but it didn’t draw me in enough for me to fully enjoy it.
*An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
crystalisreading's review against another edition
The setting for this book was unusual. During the Napoleonic War, but coming from Russia, through the Germanic countries, into France. That alone was worth reading the book, getting a little historical information and ambiance. The main character was kind of a brat, and I got irritated at her sometimes, but I thought both the romances were worth it in the end. I liked how everything worked out.
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