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efratmaor's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
3.5
I guess this is more of a young adult fantasy, and after it got into my to-read pile, I didn't bother to check it.
Was too slow for my taste. On the one hand, I didn't have the patience for it to end, and on the other - was really wanted to know what happens in the end.
The last quarter or so, when things started to untangle was much better, or maybe it was just me changing the audio pace to a much faster one.
Loved the time travel, the librarian as the main character, and the alternative history.
Was too slow for my taste. On the one hand, I didn't have the patience for it to end, and on the other - was really wanted to know what happens in the end.
The last quarter or so, when things started to untangle was much better, or maybe it was just me changing the audio pace to a much faster one.
Loved the time travel, the librarian as the main character, and the alternative history.
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder
alittlemixofvix's review
3.0
Felt a bit lost at the start (especially in the library), but soon settled into the story.
This was a very lighthearted read that made me chuckle in places. I liked the little mysteries and how it all came together at the end. Adding a touch of history was a nice effect, thinking about how things could be fabricated for better stories.
This was book 3 and it felt like a series; I would have preferred to read the others first to understand about the school or Miss Blaine - as I disliked her intensely. She seemed rude and unhelpful, but maybe previous books would have explained more. It also seemed a bit odd that there was no official mission either?
Overall, a quick entertaining read, but I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
*I received a complimentary copy of the book from LoveBooksTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
This was a very lighthearted read that made me chuckle in places. I liked the little mysteries and how it all came together at the end. Adding a touch of history was a nice effect, thinking about how things could be fabricated for better stories.
This was book 3 and it felt like a series; I would have preferred to read the others first to understand about the school or Miss Blaine - as I disliked her intensely. She seemed rude and unhelpful, but maybe previous books would have explained more. It also seemed a bit odd that there was no official mission either?
Overall, a quick entertaining read, but I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
*I received a complimentary copy of the book from LoveBooksTours and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
booksbybindu's review against another edition
4.0
Well isn't this a hoot of a book?! I didn't know too much about this series going and I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it hilarious! A time-travelling librarian that goes back to the times of Macbeth and has a mystery to solve, but doesn't know what it is - how could I not love it? Plus, she hates the ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ but I admit I have never been fond of that book either! So all in all it was a match made in biblio heaven!
Shona is a proud librarian and is saving the population of Edinburgh from ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ as she feels it slanders her alma mater the Marcia Blaine School for Girls! Whilst making a cup of tea she is transported back in time to the era of Macbeth! There must be a mystery to solve but she doesn't know what?!
Knock Knock
Who’s There?
The Fool
Come on in!
That joke made me snort! Like so strongly that my husband paused playing his games and asked if I was okay! This book is wickedly funny - I want to quote and rave about all the jokes but I don't want to spoil it for you guys. Plus, I adored the character of Shona - I'm always a sucker for a well educated, martial arts expert librarian.
I flew through this book in an evening and it's a very excellent cosy comedy that I think most people would enjoy! I just loved it!
Shona is a proud librarian and is saving the population of Edinburgh from ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ as she feels it slanders her alma mater the Marcia Blaine School for Girls! Whilst making a cup of tea she is transported back in time to the era of Macbeth! There must be a mystery to solve but she doesn't know what?!
Knock Knock
Who’s There?
The Fool
Come on in!
That joke made me snort! Like so strongly that my husband paused playing his games and asked if I was okay! This book is wickedly funny - I want to quote and rave about all the jokes but I don't want to spoil it for you guys. Plus, I adored the character of Shona - I'm always a sucker for a well educated, martial arts expert librarian.
I flew through this book in an evening and it's a very excellent cosy comedy that I think most people would enjoy! I just loved it!
portybelle's review
5.0
Well, I think this may be my favourite of Shona’s outings so far. Right from the first page I was smiling at Olga Wojtas’s droll and playful writing as Shona finds herself suddenly transformed into a mouse trying to explain to a swooping owl why it really shouldn’t eat her since she’s actually a librarian.
Shona, as always, finds herself somewhat unsure of the mission that Miss Blaine has sent her on but is quite delighted to find herself in the Scotland of Macbeth’s era. This is something she knows a lot about (is there anything she doesn’t know a lot about?) and one thing she knows for sure is that Shakespeare’s version of Macbeth is far from the truth. I couldn’t wait to find out what kind of tricky and dangerous situations Shona would get herself into this time.
The three witches, or wise women as Shona prefers to call them, are great characters. I was particularly impressed with the way that whenever they appeared, the older sisters Ina and Mina spoke in rhyme. Their younger sister, Mo, can’t rhyme too well but knows her way around a spell. Oh dear – I seem to have been influenced by the book!
There are many characters you will be familiar with whether from actual history or Shakespeare’s version. There’s Macbeth and his wife of course but also his lesser known brother. And just who was Frank the cat in real life I wondered? I enjoyed spotting the Shakespeare and historical references and despite being in 11th century Scotland, Shona still manages to make her distaste for those from the west very clear.
It was fun following Shona’s exploits and I wondered what effect Shona’s well intentioned meddling would have. Would she accidentally change the course of history? Well, at one point it wasn’t looking good. “This was getting worse than I feared. Not only had Scottish history turned into a Shakespeare play, it had turned into an inaccurate Shakespeare play.”
Miss Blaine’s Prefect and The Weird Sisters is a light-hearted, comical and highly entertaining read. If you read the book, you will find out what I mean when I say I was as happy as a shoe reading this one!
Shona, as always, finds herself somewhat unsure of the mission that Miss Blaine has sent her on but is quite delighted to find herself in the Scotland of Macbeth’s era. This is something she knows a lot about (is there anything she doesn’t know a lot about?) and one thing she knows for sure is that Shakespeare’s version of Macbeth is far from the truth. I couldn’t wait to find out what kind of tricky and dangerous situations Shona would get herself into this time.
The three witches, or wise women as Shona prefers to call them, are great characters. I was particularly impressed with the way that whenever they appeared, the older sisters Ina and Mina spoke in rhyme. Their younger sister, Mo, can’t rhyme too well but knows her way around a spell. Oh dear – I seem to have been influenced by the book!
There are many characters you will be familiar with whether from actual history or Shakespeare’s version. There’s Macbeth and his wife of course but also his lesser known brother. And just who was Frank the cat in real life I wondered? I enjoyed spotting the Shakespeare and historical references and despite being in 11th century Scotland, Shona still manages to make her distaste for those from the west very clear.
It was fun following Shona’s exploits and I wondered what effect Shona’s well intentioned meddling would have. Would she accidentally change the course of history? Well, at one point it wasn’t looking good. “This was getting worse than I feared. Not only had Scottish history turned into a Shakespeare play, it had turned into an inaccurate Shakespeare play.”
Miss Blaine’s Prefect and The Weird Sisters is a light-hearted, comical and highly entertaining read. If you read the book, you will find out what I mean when I say I was as happy as a shoe reading this one!
book_nerd_1990's review
5.0
The first couple pages had me so intrigued but also so confused. Thankfully once Shona started her story from the beginning things started to make sense and I quickly fell in love.
I was originally interested in the story because the promise of weird witch sisters and a black cat made me think of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This story has absolutely nothing to do with Sabrina though. This is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a twist. I quite enjoyed that the story revolved around MacBeth. I didn't remember anything about the original Shakespeare story but you don't need to have read the original to understand this story. The author did a great job of highlighting the main points of the original in her retelling while adding humour, witches and a light-hearted plot.
I was originally interested in the story because the promise of weird witch sisters and a black cat made me think of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This story has absolutely nothing to do with Sabrina though. This is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a twist. I quite enjoyed that the story revolved around MacBeth. I didn't remember anything about the original Shakespeare story but you don't need to have read the original to understand this story. The author did a great job of highlighting the main points of the original in her retelling while adding humour, witches and a light-hearted plot.
nikkiyvonne's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
3.25
yaelm's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.5
sweets_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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