Scan barcode
atomecko's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
melanietalksbooks's review against another edition
3.0
The continuation errors really got me. On the first book she goes to the fairy fort with Mick. She went to her grandfather's grave and Bridget talked about his death on that book too. Maura being completely clueless and choosing to remain ignorant is no surprise but it is still annoying. It doesn't surprise me that she never checked how much land she had since she never checked the upstairs until Rose sort of forced her to. Last, the fact that they kept repeating the same information made me wonder if maybe the Ms. Connolly was just trying to fill a word count, maybe? She had to have noticed how she repetitive it was and chose to publish that way, right? I stopped purchasing these books and I might not add my name for reading them from the local library next time.
melanietalksbooks's review
3.0
The continuation errors really got me. On the first book she goes to the fairy fort with Mick. She went to her grandfather's grave and Bridget talked about his death on that book too. Maura being completely clueless and choosing to remain ignorant is no surprise but it is still annoying. It doesn't surprise me that she never checked how much land she had since she never checked the upstairs until Rose sort of forced her to. Last, the fact that they kept repeating the same information made me wonder if maybe the Ms. Connolly was just trying to fill a word count, maybe? She had to have noticed how she repetitive it was and chose to publish that way, right? I stopped purchasing these books and I might not add my name for reading them from the local library next time.
lakecake's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
thisandthatwithkaren's review
4.0
“Fatal Roots” Is the 8th instalment in “A County Cork Mystery” series by Sheila Connelly. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have purchased a few of the previous books.
Some secrets are too big to stay buried...
A few months ago, Boston expat Maura Donovan was rekindled with her mother after more than twenty years of absence. Since then, Maura has been getting accustomed to Irish living, complete with an inherited house and a pub named Sullivan's. But now, her mother has returned--and she's brought Maura's half-sister in tow. To make matters more confusing, a handful of Cork University students are knocking on Maura's door asking about a mystical fairy fort that happens to be located on Maura's piece of land.
The lore indicates that messing with the fort can cause bad luck, and most everyone is telling Maura not to get too involved for fear of its powers, but Maura is curious about her own land, and she definitely doesn't buy into the superstition. Then one of the students disappears after a day of scoping out the fort on Maura's property.
Maura treads carefully, asking the folks around town who might have an idea, but no one wants anything to do with these forts. She has to take matters into her own hand--it's her land, after all. But when she uncovers a decades-old corpse buried in the center of the fort, nothing is for certain.
Even though this is the first book I have read in the series I was able to follow along easily so it can be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed it and have since purchased a few other books in the series.
The protagonist Maura is a strong, independent woman who is finding out who she is and where her family came from. The characters are well rounded and seem real as I could relate to each of them. The town of Leap in County Cork is interesting, and the author brought the area to life with her descriptions.
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and there are plenty of twists and turns in this story. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on who the body was right to the very end. There is also the secondary story of Maura and her mother Helen, along with half sister Susan and where it is heading. Overall the story moves at a steady pace, but I did take longer to finish than normal and I’m not sure if that was to do with the holidays. I recommend this book to all my mystery lover friends, and plan on buying the complete series.
I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Some secrets are too big to stay buried...
A few months ago, Boston expat Maura Donovan was rekindled with her mother after more than twenty years of absence. Since then, Maura has been getting accustomed to Irish living, complete with an inherited house and a pub named Sullivan's. But now, her mother has returned--and she's brought Maura's half-sister in tow. To make matters more confusing, a handful of Cork University students are knocking on Maura's door asking about a mystical fairy fort that happens to be located on Maura's piece of land.
The lore indicates that messing with the fort can cause bad luck, and most everyone is telling Maura not to get too involved for fear of its powers, but Maura is curious about her own land, and she definitely doesn't buy into the superstition. Then one of the students disappears after a day of scoping out the fort on Maura's property.
Maura treads carefully, asking the folks around town who might have an idea, but no one wants anything to do with these forts. She has to take matters into her own hand--it's her land, after all. But when she uncovers a decades-old corpse buried in the center of the fort, nothing is for certain.
Even though this is the first book I have read in the series I was able to follow along easily so it can be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed it and have since purchased a few other books in the series.
The protagonist Maura is a strong, independent woman who is finding out who she is and where her family came from. The characters are well rounded and seem real as I could relate to each of them. The town of Leap in County Cork is interesting, and the author brought the area to life with her descriptions.
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and there are plenty of twists and turns in this story. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself on who the body was right to the very end. There is also the secondary story of Maura and her mother Helen, along with half sister Susan and where it is heading. Overall the story moves at a steady pace, but I did take longer to finish than normal and I’m not sure if that was to do with the holidays. I recommend this book to all my mystery lover friends, and plan on buying the complete series.
I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
bookwoman37's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This was a 2.5 star read for me. Once again Maura is whining about a thin plot and no mystery and having to repeat her story over and over again. The only saving grace is if you have been reading this series her Grandmother's story is told and it makes a nice ending to the series. As other's have noted this book really needs a editor
nursenell's review against another edition
4.0
I realized as I got into this book that I had missed a few books in the series, I had read the first 4 or 5 but somehow had missed the others, this is #8. I went ahead and finished the book anyway even though I prefer reading a series in order. The characters in this series always hold my interest and this book is no exception to that. Maura has now been in Ireland a year and is running the pub she inherited. A few months prior her mother, who had abandoned her when she was a baby, reappeared. Now her mother is back for a second visit, along with a half sister Maura never knew she had. Throw in some university students interested in studying the fairy fort on Maura’s land and you soon have another dead body and a mystery on your hands.
asanford's review
1.0
Least favorite Sheila Connolly book! It could have been an interesting short story. But throughout the whole book I kept feeling like she had a word count that she had to meet and was going to fill the whole book with uncomfortable, repetitive, depressing, self degrading, and boring conversations. Oh and the inconsistencies throughout the book drove me nuts. I only finished this book because I’ve read so many of Ms Connolly’s books that I felt like I had to give it a chance.
avid_reader_sf_and_f's review
2.0
I typically enjoy this series quite a bit as a cozy mystery visit to Ireland. This book was simply not as good as previous books in the series. It was very slow moving and the climax was anticlimactic.
There was too much discussion of if the secrets of the past should be told and when to tell them that by the time they were revealed, way, way down the road, they weren't up to the hype.
There was too much discussion of if the secrets of the past should be told and when to tell them that by the time they were revealed, way, way down the road, they weren't up to the hype.