Scan barcode
ola_aleece's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Starting with the positives: The characters were described with such vivid imagery that I truly did fall in love with them! Plus, the author(s) clearly researched everything very thoroughly!
Now for the cons…as much as I wanted to love this based on the premise & cover, it just wasn’t a winner for me. I’ve read several Civil War romance/fiction novels and this one feels like it took some of the most overused tropes of the genre and tried to add the smallest bit of spin to it.
In terms of plot it could’ve been so much better but there was no real action until the last quarter of the book, then it just all magically was resolved.
Last critique is that 75 chapters for 382 pages isn’t great. Each chapter was only 2-5 pages long which, at times, made the book seem disjointed.
If you got thus far and agree, I highly recommend the Refiner’s Fire series by Lynn Austin. It is Christian fiction, but is a great example of what great CW fiction can be.
Now for the cons…as much as I wanted to love this based on the premise & cover, it just wasn’t a winner for me. I’ve read several Civil War romance/fiction novels and this one feels like it took some of the most overused tropes of the genre and tried to add the smallest bit of spin to it.
In terms of plot it could’ve been so much better but there was no real action until the last quarter of the book, then it just all magically was resolved.
Last critique is that 75 chapters for 382 pages isn’t great. Each chapter was only 2-5 pages long which, at times, made the book seem disjointed.
If you got thus far and agree, I highly recommend the Refiner’s Fire series by Lynn Austin. It is Christian fiction, but is a great example of what great CW fiction can be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
permanme's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and War
niklit's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was a hard read. I knew going in that it was set during the Civil War and that's always going to be tough. Thankfully the focus wasn't graphically descriptive around enslavement, but the other bits were really tough, too.
It was absolutely worthwhile, but I'm gonna need something lighter next.
It was absolutely worthwhile, but I'm gonna need something lighter next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, Death, Sexual assault, and Racism
Moderate: Slavery, Antisemitism, and Child death
louisekf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racism, Slavery, and War
reading_ladies_blog's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Sexual content, Racism, and Domestic abuse
More...