Scan barcode
thebookwormadventures's review
I got so bored and wasn’t interested in any of the characters.
artemishi's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Characters: 10, although overall this didn't stay with me as strongly as Crossed, the characters make this novel shine. Each is individual, has autonomy, their choices and actions all affect nuances of the story, and I could describe them to someone else easily. I think I could safely say Jouglet is the main character, but this story wouldn't be what it is without Willem, Erec, Lienor, Konrad, Nicholas, Paul, Alphonse, and Jeanette. Not one of them was redundant or unnecessary.
Atmosphere: 9, both the physical setting and the emotional setting were well described without detracting from the pacing at all. The political atmosphere in the court was nicely played, with the connections being revealed at appropriate times and in dramatically appropriate ways. There were moments I was genuinely tense with fear that something awful was going to happen to one of the characters I loved. And the complications were both delightfully entertaining and nerve-wracking, because I genuinely felt caught up in the story.
Writing: 9, Nicole Galland is an auto-buy author for me. Her writing is smooth and seamless, even though each character's voice has a distinctive quality to it. The dialogue-to-action ratio is well balanced. And there aren't any tropey "didn't know I was holding my breath" bits or moments where one character suddenly has ESP for a bit of plot convenience.
Plot: 9, I commented to a penpal (hi, Chelsea!) that it felt a bit lighter than A Fool's Tale and Crossed, and read more like a medieval epic poem. Which it turns out was entirely by design, as in the Afterword the author says this book was inspired by Jean Renart's Romance of the Rose. Aspects of the tale were like something Chaucer would've written- cheeky, heartfelt, frustrating, and frightening all at once.
Intrigue: 8, a few places the plot floundered a teensy bit and it took a handful of pages for me to get drawn in again. Were I not in the midst of a ton of life juggling (what with moving, job hunting, psychiatry appointments, new medications, selling my stuff, etc.) I'm pretty sure I'd have read it in 4-5 days, not 14.
Logic: 10, no action or statement by any of the characters threw me out of the story or contradicted their established desires and fears. The closest I could come to questioning logic is just wondering why Jeanette was so willing to help. But her actions didn't contradict her words.
Enjoyment: 10, I loved it and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, stories of friendship, clever female characters, the art of courtly love, and complex villains/heroes.
paging_snidget's review against another edition
Couldn’t get into this. Didn’t gel with the writing style and couldn’t really understand the purpose or sense of the alternate history it was set in.
krisz's review against another edition
4.0
I may have had difficult days during reading this book, but it was lacking somehow. I try to think why, but I can only say it smelt too heavily of work, of studying history - while on the other hand I got a really well written, detailed and nice story where the book just turned its own pages.
letitiaharmon's review against another edition
3.0
I had every intention of giving this book 4 stars until I finished it. Despite significant weaknesses in the narrative, for some reason I just found the story very entertaining, and it does have sufficient twists to hold an avid reader's interests. The denouement and ending, however, just seemed far too pat and abrupt and I was unhappy with the simplistic finale. It had promised to be much more noteworthy and ended up just being okay.
daisycloudgazer's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely adored this book. It was full of plot twists that I didn't see coming, and the characters were very well-rounded. Galland does a great job of using a time period that isn't very often found in literature, and every setting and scene is believable and well-written. This book has elements of adventure, romance, and even some mystery--I'd recommend it to anyone!
leighryks's review against another edition
Revenge of the Rose by Nicole Galland (2007)
More...