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chloesteele_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kduhy's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Savidge prompt; A book by an author with the same name as you.
This is a dark and twisty story set in the middle ages. King John and the Pope are at loggerheads resulting in all church rites being stopped. Told mainly through the eyes of Elena a fifteen year old maid servant and Raffaele, steward of the manor, however, it is the brothel madame who has stayed with me. The story is narrated by Yadua a Mandrake and each chapter starts with a page from the Mandrake Herbal.
A book full of; superstition, curses, folklore, betrayal, fear, poverty and riches which bring an atmosphere of foreboding throughout.
This is a dark and twisty story set in the middle ages. King John and the Pope are at loggerheads resulting in all church rites being stopped. Told mainly through the eyes of Elena a fifteen year old maid servant and Raffaele, steward of the manor, however, it is the brothel madame who has stayed with me. The story is narrated by Yadua a Mandrake and each chapter starts with a page from the Mandrake Herbal.
A book full of; superstition, curses, folklore, betrayal, fear, poverty and riches which bring an atmosphere of foreboding throughout.
drjoannehill's review against another edition
4.0
I've now read all Maitland's books so she must be doing something I like! My favourite was Company of Liars but the combination of the supernatural and contemporary concerns of women in each book is something I find appealing. In The Gallows Curse the supernatural element comes from a cunning woman who gives a mandrake to a girl to help her understand her dreams. The upheaval of the time is the Interdict placed on England as King John refuses to accept the Pope's choice of Archbishop of Canterbury. Throw in some comments on the Crusades and the lives of villeins in the feudal system and there's a lot to learn here about the 13th century. As usual in Maitland books the ending is not satisfactory for all characters and there's something of a cliffhanger... even if there's no sequel!
patty_creatively_bookish's review against another edition
3.0
story 3/5 Weird...
characters 3/5 Being narrated by a mandrake which is very fitting for this "magical readathon", so I'll take it.
writing 3/5
audio/paper Paper!
reread? Maybe? I'll give her other books a shot.
characters 3/5 Being narrated by a mandrake which is very fitting for this "magical readathon", so I'll take it.
writing 3/5
audio/paper Paper!
reread? Maybe? I'll give her other books a shot.
nerual_'s review against another edition
Really didn't enjoy the style of writing or characters
joeyreadss's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
3.0
Once I realized this was a juicy medieval soap opera, as opposed to a serious historical novel, I quite enjoyed it. It's fast-paced, entertaining fun. Just don't expect great writing or characterization. The words and characters are there to move the plot along, nothing more. Evil noblemen, witches, wenches and whores all scheme and plot each others deaths according to their superstition of choice. Elena, the teenage protagonist, is as dense as a London fog. Her biggest fan, Raffe, is a castrated semi-decent nobleman who is not half as complex as he thinks he is. I was much more interested in the narrator, a bitchy mandrake whom we sadly don't get to know very well. I'd read a sequel about her adventures any day.
oweatherwax's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Death, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Genocide
Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Confinement, Rape, and Islamophobia
poepbrood's review against another edition
wasn't feeling it, and i didn't like the writing style enough to read 500+ pages