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sambam_42's Reviews (308)
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved how this tied up so many things from the duology. It was heartening to see the epilogue we didn't get at the end of the 2nd book. Still one of my favorite series!
challenging
fast-paced
This was an interesting read for me. I love the historical time period and the fact that she was a woman taking charge of her life. However, it seemed to me that the author couldn't quite decide how to portray Margery Kempe. To me there was little reconciliation between her piety and her "worldliness" for lack of a better term. I realize two things can be true at the same time and that a woman can be pious and struggle with her normal, everyday life of being a wife and mother. Much like her contemporaries, I couldn't quite decide whether Margery was actually pious or using it as an excuse/shield to get out of a horrible marriage situation and home life. Even as a woman in her 40's, married, and having born 14 children she was still suspected of being improper because no one could fathom a woman leaving her family. From a modern viewpoint it's absolutely horrible to think of the persecution she underwent just because she was a woman who dared to defy normal conventions at the time, let alone the religious danger she placed herself in. I enjoyed reading about her but and what she was able to accomplish, but I ended the book feeling a bit confused and torn about how to view Margery as a person.
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a well written historical fiction centered around Boudicca and her rise to power. It was so great seeing a female who is not only welcomed to a state of power, but revered and deferred to. She was a leader of warriors and had the heart of her people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Just like everything from Sue Lynn Tan this story was beautifully written and heart wrenching. I loved this one for its ability to embrace moral duality and acknowledging that there is no black and white in wars and winning doesn't always mean you're in the right.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a wonderful historical fiction from the point of view of a boy growing up without a name in a brothel. It's set in modern-day Spain at the end of the Roman empire when the Christian church is starting it's spread throughout the world. The main character is caught up in the machinations of the owner of the brothel where he lives and works and the local bishop (the owner's brother) who allows the establishment to remain because he receives a profit from them to build his church. It is a very un-sanitized view of Roman citizenry and how slaves were viewed and treated as part of everyday life. It made it even more heart-wrenching that this was from the perspective of a child forced into sex labor and how he tried to find love and family amidst the violence and hatred he was on the receiving end of. This book held me rapt until the end and I wanted to find out more about what happened afterwards - how he came to be where he was in later life. I would have loved to hear his story about what he went through to get to where he was, but it also leaves it open for interpretation and good thoughts I suppose.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This story seemed good in concept, but the execution seemed really juvenile. Her portrayal of Freya and her sexual yearnings were very stunted; aspiring for spice but she kept using tired phrases and overuse of others.