A review by niseag
The Stone of Destiny by Andrew Neil Macleod

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

This might be the first ARC I will be giving 5 stars, but... It's worth it for sure. I went into this book ready to rip it to shreds, on the hunt for anachronisms and historical malady but... I stopped making notes quite soon as I was simply swept away. This book is best approached as a short story collection, but each of its parts is intriguing and tense and near impossible to put down. It's themes felt almost tailor made to the things I enjoy, too, further taking away my will to scrutinise. From mad scientists to werewolves, the Loch Ness monster and the Isles: Each of them written with a clear love for the country and its history. It was exciting! 

That is to say it was not without its flaws... The English centric narrative occasionally grinded my gears, which were grinded even worse by the mention of ogham being "ancient druidic". And I wished that the narrative would play with local folklore just a bit more. I would have liked seeing the Celtic benevolent werewolves, or the boobrie bird, etc. 

But. It cannot take away from my overall enjoyment. The writing style reminded me of HG Wells or Verne, seemingly taking inspiration from victorian writing at large, but with a more modern pacing that keeps it exciting. The plots hit hard and the descriptions, gruesome as they sometimes were, where incredibly lively. Splendid! 

Thanks netgalley for the ARC
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