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A review by kaitrosereads
Summerset Abbey by T.J. Brown
4.0
Summerset Abbey, the first book in the Summerset Abbey, sets the stakes high and will leave readers dying for more. It has definitely rekindled my love for all things historical fiction.
While Summerset Abbey is very obviously a historical fiction novel, it doesn’t read like one. It’s a much more fast-paced read than traditional historical fiction and while there are quite a few references to the time period, it’s not overdone. The time period isn’t thrown in your face, it’s subtly shown through every little interaction of the characters and all the little details of the story.
Summerset Abbey is classified as an adult novel but it will hold great appeal to young adult readers. The characters are in their late teens, going into their early twenties and their problems are very easy to relate to even if they do live in a different time period. There is romance, mystery, betrayal, and tons of lies. While the mystery was a tad bit predictable it was still enjoyable to read and left many things open for the next book in the series.
The characters were both my favorite and least favorite thing about the book. Rowena, Victoria, and Prudence are all very different girls and while I loved two of them, the third left me wanting more. Rowena was rather selfish even when she was supposedly trying to help others. She professed to care for Prudence and love her like a sister but she certainly didn’t treat her like one. Victoria, on the other hand, did very clearly care for Prudence. Victoria was outspoken, unique, fun, and a true original. The best thing about her though was her kindness to everyone. Prudence was also a great character. She was a little bit of a downer at times but her situation called for it. She was smart, funny, kind, and I hated seeing her treated badly. She and Victoria were easy to love and while Rowena was a bit lacking, I’m hoping to see changes from her in the next book.
Overall, Summerset Abbey is a fabulous start to the series and I look forward to continuing with the story. The second book holds lots of promise after the shocking ending to Summerset Abbey.
While Summerset Abbey is very obviously a historical fiction novel, it doesn’t read like one. It’s a much more fast-paced read than traditional historical fiction and while there are quite a few references to the time period, it’s not overdone. The time period isn’t thrown in your face, it’s subtly shown through every little interaction of the characters and all the little details of the story.
Summerset Abbey is classified as an adult novel but it will hold great appeal to young adult readers. The characters are in their late teens, going into their early twenties and their problems are very easy to relate to even if they do live in a different time period. There is romance, mystery, betrayal, and tons of lies. While the mystery was a tad bit predictable it was still enjoyable to read and left many things open for the next book in the series.
The characters were both my favorite and least favorite thing about the book. Rowena, Victoria, and Prudence are all very different girls and while I loved two of them, the third left me wanting more. Rowena was rather selfish even when she was supposedly trying to help others. She professed to care for Prudence and love her like a sister but she certainly didn’t treat her like one. Victoria, on the other hand, did very clearly care for Prudence. Victoria was outspoken, unique, fun, and a true original. The best thing about her though was her kindness to everyone. Prudence was also a great character. She was a little bit of a downer at times but her situation called for it. She was smart, funny, kind, and I hated seeing her treated badly. She and Victoria were easy to love and while Rowena was a bit lacking, I’m hoping to see changes from her in the next book.
Overall, Summerset Abbey is a fabulous start to the series and I look forward to continuing with the story. The second book holds lots of promise after the shocking ending to Summerset Abbey.